glory, which the fouls of believers immediately pafs into, is held forth in fcripture? Anfw. It is compared to a kingdom; to an house not made with hands; to an inheritance incorruptible; and to a better country, Luke xii. 32. I Cor. v. I. Pet. i. 4. Heb. xi. 16. Quest. 23. Why is the heavenly glory compared to a kingdom? Anfw. Because of the fulness of all spiritual and eternal good, which the faints are there poffeffed of; and the glorious dignity to which they are advanced, Rev. i. 6. And hath made us kings and priefts unto God and his Father. Queft. 24. Why is it called an houfe not made with hands? Anfw. To fignify the unspeakable excellency of the heavenly manfions, above the most stately palaces built by the hands of men. Queft. 25. Why is it faid to be an incorruptible inheritance? Anfw. To intimate that the happiness of the faints will be of an unfading nature for ever, 1 Pet. v. 4.-Ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Queft. 26. Why is it called a better country? Anfw. To fhew that there is no comparifon betwixt the things which are feen, and are temporal, and the things which are not feen, and are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 18. Queft. 27. What benefits do believers receive from Chrift at death, with respect to their BODIES? Anfw. Their bodies, being ftill united to Chrift, do reft in their graves till the refurrection, Ila. lvii. 2. Job xix. 26. Queft. 28. How doth it appear that the bodies of believers in their graves, do remain still united to Chrift? Anfw. The union was with the PERSONS of be. lievers, whereof their bodies are a part; and this union union being indiffolvable, it must ftill fubfift with their bodies in the grave, as well as with their fouls in heaven, Ifa. xxvi. 19. Queft. 29. How may believers be affured of this, from the union betwixt the two natures in the perfon of Chrift? Anfw. Because, as at the death of Chrift, though his foul was separated from his body, yet neither the one nor the other, were feparated from his divine perfon, but remained as firmly united thereunto as ever; so neither foul nor body of the believer, shall be separated from Chrift, by their feparation from one another by death, but both of them remain indiffolvably united to him for ever, Rom. viii. 38, 39. Queft. 30. What is the difference of the grave to the righteous and to the wicked? Anfw. To the one the grave is a resting place but to the other it is a prison-house, where they are kept in close custody for the judgment of the great day, Dan. xii. 2. Queft. 31. Why are the bodies of the Jaints faid to REST in their graves? Anfw. Because their graves are like beds of ease, where their bodies ly in fafety, till they be awakened in the morning of the refurrection, Ifa. lvii. 2. Quelt. 32. How is their refting in the grave exprefed in fcripture ? Anfw. By fleeping in Jefus, 1 Theff. iv. 14. ; intimating that they fleep in union with Jefus, and that his Spirit keeps poffeffion of every pile of their duft, which he will quicken and rebuild as his temple at the last day, Rom. viii. 11. Queft. 33. How long will they reft in their graves? Anjw. Till the general refurrection of all the dead at the great day, John v. 29. Queft. 34. What grounds of faith have believers, that that they shall receive thofe benefits from Chrift at their death? Anfw. The promife of difarming death to the dying believer, (Hof. xiii 14. O death! I will be thy plagues,) is grafted upon the promise of victory over death, made to Chrift, Ifa. xxv. 8. He will fwallow up death in VICTORY: the promife of transporting their fouls, feparate from their bodies, into heaven, (Luke xxiii. 43. To-day fhalt thou be with me in paradife,) is grafted upon the promise of acceptance made to Chrift, when he fhould make his foul an offering for fin; in confidence of which acceptance, dying on the cross, he commended his fpirit into the hands of his Father, ver. 46. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, namely, as a public foul, reprefenting the fouls of his whole mystical body and the promise of defroying death to the dead believer, (0 grave! I will be thy deftruction,) is grafted on the promise of a refurrection made to Chrift, Ifa. xxvi. 19. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body fhall they arise. : 38. QUEST. What benefits do believers receive from Chrift at the refurrection? ANSW. At the refurrection, believers being raised up into glory, fhall be openly acknowledged, and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly bleffed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity. Queft. 1. Will not all the dead be raised, as well as believers ? Anfw. Yes: There fhall be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust, Acts xxiv. 15. Quest. 2. Queft. 2. How do you prove, that there will be a general refurrection of the dead? Anfw. From the power of God, which CAN raife them; and from the fcriptures, which affirm that he WILL do it: by which two arguments, our Lord proves the doctrine of the refurrection against the Sadducees, Matth. xxii. 29. Jesus anfwered and faid unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the SCRIPTURES, nor the POWER of God. Quest. 3. How doth it appear that God CAN raise the dead? Anfw. Since his power was able to speak the world into being out of nothing, furely the fame power can as easily raise up the bodies of men out of their former duft, and put them into order after their diffolution, Acts xxvi. 8. Rom. iv. 17. Quelt. 4. What fcripture-inftances hath God given of his power in raising the dead? Anfw. In the Old Teftament; the fon of the widow of Sarepta was raised, when he was but newly dead, Kings xvii. 22; the Shunamite's fon, when he had lyen dead a confiderable time, 2 Kings iv. 35.; and the man caft into the fepulchre of Elijah, when they were burying him, chap. xiii, 21.: in the New Teftament; the daughter of Jairus, Mark. v. 41. and Dorcas, A&ts ix. 40. were both raised to life, when lately dead; the widow's fon in Nain, when they were carrying him out to bury him, Luke vii. 11, 15; and Lazarus when flinking in the grave, John xi. 39, 44. Queft. 5. How can the dust of men's bodies be diftinguished and separated, when the afhes of many generations are mingled together? Anlw. With men it is impoffible, but not with God; for whofoever believes an infinite understanding, muft needs own, that no mafs of duft can be fo jumbled together, but God perfectly comprehends, and infallibly knows, how the most minute particle, and every one of them is to be matched; and therefore knows where the particles of each body are, and how to feparate them from one another, Pfal. cxlvii. 5. Queft. 6. How is it evident, from the fcriptures, that God WILL raife the dead? Anfw. From feveral passages therein, which exprefly affirm that he will do fo; fuch as, Dan. xii. 2. And many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth, Shall awake; fome to everlasting life, and fome to fhame and everlasting contempt. John v. 28, 29. All that are in the graves fhall bear his voice, and fhall come forth: they that have done good, unto the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of damnation. See alfo Job xix. 26, 27. Acts xxiv. 15. Queft. 7. How did our Lord prove the refurrection against the Sadducees, who held only the five books of Mofes as most authentic? Antw. From Exod. iii. 6.----I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. From whence he argues, Luke xx. 37, 38. Now, that the dead are raised, even Mofes fhewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Faceb: for he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Quest. 8. What is the force of this argument for proving the refurrection? Anfw. It amounts to this: He is the God of their PERSONS, and not the God of their fouls only; and therefore, though their fouls, in a separate ftate, love, worship, and praise him; yet their bodies muft alfo be raised out of the duft, and be reftored to life, by the foul's resuming its poffeffion; that they may, as living perfons, or men, having foul and body united, love, serve, and adore him; and have the full enjoyment of all the bleffings |