2. By the knowledge such souls are supposed to have after death both of persons and things in this lower world, we understand not a general knowledge, which one sort of them have of the state and condition of the church militant on earth ; for this, we think, cannot be denied to the spirits of the just made perfect, seeing they are still fellow-members with us of the same mystical body of Christ ; do behold our High-priest appearing before God, offering up our prayers for us; and long for the consummation of the body of Christ, as well as cry for vengeance against the persecutors thereof. Rev. vi. 10. Nor do I think these words, Isa. Ixiii. 16. repugnant hereunto : " Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledgeth " us not :'' for I look upon the import of those words only as an humble acknowledgment of their defection, which rendered them un- worthy that their forefathers should own, or acknowledge them any more for their children ; and not as implying their utter ignorance, or total oblivion of the church's state on earth.
But I here understand such a particular knowledge of our per- sonal states and conditions, as they once had when they dwelt among us in the body ; and this seems to be denied them by those scrip- tures alleged against it in the margin below *.
3. By commerce and intercourse; understand not their inter- cession with God for us, which the l*apists sffirm ; but their con-
* Job xiv. 21. Eccles. ix. 5, 6. John xix. 25.
A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAX. T3
ccrnmcnts about our natural, or civil interest in this world, so as to be useful to our persons, by warning us of death, or dangers ; or to our estates, by disquieting such as wrong us, in not fulfilling the wills and testaments they once made ; or by giving us notice, by words or signs, of the death of our friends, who died at a distance from us, or come to some violent and untimely end.
The sense of the terms being thus determined, and the question so stated, I will, for the resolution of it, give you,
I. The strength of what I find offered for the affirmative.
II. The general concessions, or what may be granted.
III. My own judgment about it, v/ith the grounds thereof.
I. Some there are, even among the learned and judicious, who are for the affirmative part of the question, and do Mith much confidence assert, that departed souls both know our particular concerns in this world, and intermeddle with them : confirming their assertion both by reasons to convince us that it may be so, and a variety of instances that it is so. I will produce both the one and the other, and give them a due consideration and censure.
The substance of what is pleaded for the affirmative, I find thus collected and improved by * Dr. Sterne, a learned physician in Ireland, in his book entitled, A Dlssertatmi concerniug Death y where he offi^rs us these four arguments, to convince that it is possible for departed souls thus to appear, and perform such offices for their friends on earth.
" Arg\ 1. -(- Angels by command from God, are useful and " helpful to men ; they are the saints' guardians, and it is pro- " bable that each Christian hath his peculiar angel : whence it " will follow, that separated souls do mingle themselves with humart " affairs, and that because they are angels, at least equal unto " angels, Luke xx. 36. Besides, they being spirits that were " once embodied, must needs be more fit for this employment, " than those who never had any tie at all to a body ;'" unless we can imagine them to have lost the remembrance of all that ever they did, and suffered in the body ; as also that they put off*, and buried all their affections to us with their bodies, which is hard to think. Even as Christ our High-priest is qualified for that office, above all others in heaven, because he once dwelt, and suffered in a body, like ours, here upon earth ; so separated souls are
* Dissertntio de morte, a p. 208. ad p. 214.
f (I.) AngeliJHssti Dei hominibus opitulanlnr, haxulquaquam ambigitiir ; wide animas a corpore solutas sese rebus humanis miscere comprobari videtur. SequeUe Jundanientum duplex est, prius, quod nnimcB separatee angeli sunt, saltern angelis tvquales : posterius, quod magis idonei sunt quibus ojfficiuvi generi humano succurrendi demandctur, quam spirituu inttr qiios et corpn.s nullun uivjuani intercessit 7iexus, &c.
14 A "raEAT'rSE 'OF TfiE S^^L'L OF MaK.
qualified aboVe all other spirits, Tvho are unrelated to ijodies oT flesh.
*' Jr^. 2. * The church triumphant arid nnlitaat al*e ^t one ■" body ; and how much better the triumphant are than the " militant, by so much the more propefise they are to succour and " help the other that stand in need of it."" This being the casck, ^ve cannot but imagine but they are inclined to perform all good offices for us> for else they should do less for us now, being in a state of the highest perfection in heaven^ than they did^ or were billing to do, in their imperfect state on earth.
" Ai'g: 3. f A M'ill, or testament (as Ulpian defines it) is the '^'just sentence, or declaration of our minds, concerning that ^' which we would have done after our decease. These testaments " have always, and among ail nations, been religiously observed, ^' as the a|X)stle witnessetb. Gal. iii. 15. The reasons oi^ this so " religious observance are a presumption, that those who made " them when alive, continue in the same mind and will after '• death ^ that they take care for the fulfilling of them ; and re- " venge the non-perfoi'mance upon the unjust executors." For otherwise there can be no reason whv so o^reat a stress should be laid upon the will of the dead, if thev care not Avhether their wills be performed or no. Why should we be solicitous and stu- dious about it, and pay so great a* reverence to it, but upon this account ?
"" A7'g\ 4. J The scriptures forbid consultations with the dead, " Deut. xviii. 10, 11. This prohibition supposcth some did con- •' suit them, and received answers from them ; which must needs " imply some commerce betwixt the living, and the souls that are ''"' departed :" And, considering he had belbre forbidden their con- sultation with the devil, it appears tliat here we must needs un- derstand the very souls of the dead, and not the devil personating 'them only.
These are the arguments of this learned author for the fiffirma- 'tirve, which he closes with two necessary cautions : First, That this
^ (2.) Ecdesia est corpus unum, cujus membra quo melwra, eo vwgis ad aliis ejusdem corporis membris opitulandiim sunt jiropensa : hvhts civtem corjjoris pars altera est Iti' umphans in ccelis^ altera viililinis in terris: Ilia melior, luec opis magis iiidigcty &c.