Question: What  is  the  Anninian  doctrine  on  this  point  ?

Answer: It is an inseparable part of the Arrainian system, flowing necessarily from their views of election, of the design and effect of Christ's death, and of sufficient grace and free will, that those who were once justified and regenerated may, by neglecting grace and grieving the Holy Spirit, fall into such sins as are inconsistent with true justifying faith, and continu- ing and dying in the same, may consequently finally fall into perdition. — "Confession of the Remonstrants," xi. 7. The Lu- therans and the Arminians agree on this point. They both believe that the "elect" (those whom God has chosen to eter- nal life because he has certainly foreseen their perseverance in faith and obedience to the end) can not finally apostatize. The true question between them and the Calvinists, therefore, is not whether the "elect," but whether those once truly "regenerate and justified" can finally apostatize and perish. 5. What objection is iirged against the orthodox doctrine on the ground of the free agency of man? Those who deny the certainty of the final perseverance of the saints hold the false theory that liberty of the will consists in indifference, or the power of contrary choice, and conse- quently that certainty is inconsistent with liberty. This fal- lacy is disproved above. Chap. XV., see especially Ques. 25, 2Q. That God does govern the free acts of his creatures, as a matter of fact, is clear from history and prophecy, from uni- versal Christian consciousness and experience, and from Script- ure.— Acts ii. 23; Eph. i. 11; Phil. ii. 13; Prov. xxi. 1. That he does secure the final perseverance of his people in a manner perfectly consistent with their free agency is also clear. He changes their affections and thus determines the will by its own free spontaniety. He brings them into the position of children by adoption, surrounding them with all of the sources and instruments of sanctifying influence, and when they sin he 544 PERSEVERANCE. carefully chastises and restores them. Hence the doctrine of Scripture is not that a man who has once truly believed is secure of ultimate salvation, subsequently feel and act as he may; but, on the contrary, that God secures the ultimate sal- vation of every one who is once truly united to his Son by faith, by securing, through the power of the Holy Ghost, his most free perseverance in Christian feeling and obedience to the end. 6. What objection is urged against the orthodox doctrine upon the ground of its supposed unfavorable iyifuence upon morality ? The objection charged is, that this doctrine, "once in grace always in grace," must naturally lead to carelessness, through a false sense of security in our present position, and of confi- dence that God will secure our final salvation independently of our own agency. Although it is certain, on the part of God, that if we are elected and called, we shall be saved ; yet it requires constant watchfulness, and diligence, and prayer to make that calling and election sure to us. — 2 Pet. i. 10. That God powerfully works with us, and therefore secures for us success in our con- test with sin, is in Scripture urged as a powerful reason not for sloth, but for diligence. — Phil. ii. 13. The orthodox doctrine does not affirm certainty of salvation because we have once believed, but certainty of perseverance in holiness if we have truly believed, which perseverance in holiness, therefore, in opposition to all weaknesses and temptations, is the only sure evidence of the genuineness of past experience, or of the validity of our confidence as to our future salvation, and surely such an assurance of certainty can not encourage either carelessness or immorality. 7. What objection to this doctrine is founded on the exhortations to diligence; and on tJie ivarnings of danger in case of carelessness^ addressed to believers in the Scriptures ? The objection alleged is, that these exhortations and warn- ings necessarily imply the contingency of the believer's salva- tion, as conditioned upon the believer's continued faithfulness, and consequently involving liability to apostasy. We answer — 1st. The outward word necessarily comes to all men alike, addressing them in the classes in which they regard themselves as standing; and as professors, or "those who think they stand," are many of them self-deceived, this outward word truly implies the uncertainty of their position (as far as man's knowledge goes), and their liability to fall. OBJECTIONS STATED AND ANSWERED. 545 2d. That God secures the perseverance in holiness of all his true people by the use of means adapted to their nature as rational, moral, and free agents. Viewed in themselves they are alwaj^s, as God warns them, unstable, and therefore, as he exhorts them, they must diligently cleave to his grace. It is always true, also, that if they apostatize they shall be lost; but by means of these very threatenings his Spirit graciously secures them from apostasy. 8. What special texts are relied upon to rebut the arguments of the orthodox upon this subject ? Ezek. xviii. 24; Matt. xiii. 20, 21; 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21, and espe- cially Heb. vi. 4-6 ; x. 26. All of these passages may be naturally explained in perfect consistency Avitli the orthodox docti'ine which is supported upon that wide range of Scripture evidence we have set forth above. Question 2. They present either, 1st, hypothetical warnings of the consequences of apostasy with the design of preventing it, by showing the natural consequences of indifference and of sin, and the necessity for earnest care and effort; or, 2d, they indicate the dreadful consequences of misimproving or of abus- ing the influences of common grace, which, although involving great responsibility, nevertheless come short of a radical change of nature or genuine conversion. 9. What argument do the opponents of this doctrine urge from Bible examples and from our own daily experience of apostates? They cite from the Scriptures such instances as that of David and Peter, and they refer to the many examples of the apos- tasy of well-accredited professors, with which, alas ! we are all familiar. All these examples, however, fall evidently under one of two classes, either, 1st, they were from the beginning without the real power of godliness, although bearing so fair an appear- ance of life in the sight of their fellow-men, Rom. ii. 28 ; ix. 6 ; 1 John ii. 19; Rev. iii. 1; or, 2d, they are true believers who, because of the temporary withdrawal of restraining grace, have been allowed to backslide for a time, while in every such case they are graciously restored, and that generally by chastise- ment.— Rev, iii. 19. Of this class were David and Peter. No true Christian is capable of deliberate apostasy; his furthest departure from righteousness being occasioned by the sudden impulse of passion or fear. — Matt. xxiv. 24 ; Luke xxii. 31. 546 PERSEVERANCE. AuTHOEITATrVE STATEMENTS OF ChuKCH DoCTEINE. EOMISH DOCTKINE. ^'■Conc. Trident.,''' Sess. 6, ch. 15. — "It is to be maintained that the received grace of justificiition is lost, not only by infidelity, whereby even faith itself is lost, but also by any other mortal sin whatever, though faith be not lost." lb., can. 23. — "If any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified . . . let him be anathema." lb., chap. 11. — "For, although, during this mortal life, men how holy and just soever, at times fall at least into hght and daily sins, which are also called venial, not therefore do they cease to be just." lb., Sess. 14, ch. 5. — "For venial sins, whereby we are not excluded from the grace of God, and into which we fall more frequently, although they be rightly and profitably, and without any presumjition, declared in confession, as the custom of pious persons demonstrates, yet may they be omitted withoiit guilt, and be expiated by many other remedies. But, "whereas all mortal sins, even those of thought, render men children of wrath, and enemies of God, it is necessary to seek also for the pardon of them all from God, with a modest and open confession." Bellarmia, " De Amii^s. Ora.," Sess. 14, cap. 5.— " (1.) Venial sin is distinguished from mortal sin, as of its own nature, and without any relation to the jsredestination or the mercy of God, or to the state of the regenerate, deserving a certain but not an eternal punishment. (2. ) These sins are either venial from their own nature, having for their object a thing evil and inordinate, but which does not oppose the love of God and of our neighbor — as an idle word, or they are venial from the imperfec- tion of the action, i. e., (a) such as are not perfectly voluntary (delib- erate), as arising from a sudden movement of cupidity or anger, and (b) such as relate to trifles, as the theft of one obolus." LtJTHEKAN Doctrine. "Fonnxla Concoi'due," p. 705. — "That false opinion is to be earnestly confuted and rejected, which certain feign, that faith, and realized jus- tification, and salvation itself, can not be lost by any sins or crimes whatsoever." lb., p. 591. — "We condemn that dogma, that faith in Christ is not lost, and that the Holy Spirit continues to dwell none the less in a man, although he knowingly and willingly sins, and that the sanctified and elect retain the Holy Spirit, although they fall into adulteries or other crimes, and persevere in them." ''Apol. Aug. Con/.," p. 71. — "Faith can not coexist with mortal sin." lb., !>. 86. — "That faith, which receives remission of sins . . does not remain in those who indulge their lusts, neither can it coexist with mortal sin." Befokmed Doctrine. " Can. of the Si/aod of Dart," ch. 5, c. 3.— "Because of the remains of indwelling sin . . . the converted could not continue in this grace, if they were left to their own strength. But God is faithful, who confirms them in the grace once mercifully conferred on them, and pow- erfully preserves them in the same, even unto the end. Can. 4. — But though that power of God, confirming the truly faithful in grace, and preserving them, is greater than what can be overcome by the flesh, yet the converted are not always so influenced and moved by God, that they can not depart in certain ijarticular actions, from the leading of grace, AUTHORITATIVE STATEMENTS. 547 and be seduced by the lusts of tlie flesh, and obey them. They may fall even into grievous and atrocious sins Can. 5. — But by such enormous sins they exceedingly olfend God, they incur the guilt of death, they grieve the Holy Spirit, they interrupt the exercise of faith, they most grievously wound conscience, and they sometimes lose for a time the sense of grace, until by serious repentance returning into the way, the paternal countenance of God again shines upon them. Can. 6. For God, who is rich in mercy, from his immutable purpose of election, does not whollj^ take away his Holy Spirit from his own, even in lamen- table falls, nor does he so permit them to glide down that they should fall from the grace of adoption, and the state of justification, or commit the sin unto death, or against the Holy Spirit, that being deserted by him, they should cast themselves headlong into eternal destruction. . . Can. 8. — So that not by their own merits or strength, but by the gratui- tous mercy of God they (the elect) obtain it, that they neither totally fall from faith and grace, nor finally continue in their falls and perish." " Wesit. Gonf. Faith," ch. 17, § 1.— "They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, elfectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. § 2. — This perse- verance of the saints depends not upon their own free-will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and un- changeable love of God the Father; upon the efiicacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof." XXXVII. DEATH, AND THE STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. 1. What department o/tJieology are we noiu entering^ and what subjects are embraced in it ? The department of Eschatology or the discussion of last things ra sdxara. It embraces the subjects of death, the state of the soul after death, the second advent of Christ, the resur- rection of the dead, the final judgment, the end of the world, heaven and hell.


Question: By  ivhat  forms  of  expression  is  death  described  in  the  Bible?

Answer: A departure out of this world. — 2 Tim. iv. 6. A going the way of all the earth. — Josh, xxiii. 14. A being gathered to one's fathers. Judges ii. 10; and to one's people, Deut. xxxii. 50. A dissolving the earthly house of this tabernacle. — 2 Cor. V. 1. A returning to the dust. — Eccle. xii. 7. A sleep. — John xi. 11. A giving up the ghost. — Acts v. 10. A being absent from the body and present Avith the Lord. — 2 Cor. v. 8. Sleep- ing in Jesus. — 1 Thess. iv. 14


Question: What  is  death  ?

Answer: The suspension of the personal union between the body and the soul, followed by the resolution of the body_ into its chemical elements, and the introduction of the soul into that separate state of existence which may be assigned to it by its Creator and Judge. — Eccle. xii. 7.


Question: Hoiv  does  death  stand  related  to  sin  ?

Answer: The entire penalty of the law, including all the spiritual, physical, and eternal penal consequences of sin, is called death in Scripture. The sentence was, "The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." — Gen. ii. 17; Rom. v. 12. That this in- cluded natural death is proved by Eom. v. 13, 14; and from the fact that when Christ bore the penalty of the law it was necessary for him to die. — Heb. ix. 22. IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 549


Question: Why  do  the  justified  die  ?

Answer: Justification changes the entire federal relation of its sub- ject to the law, and raises him forever above all the penal con- sequences of sin. Death, therefore, while remaining a part of the penalty of the unsatisfied law in relation to the unjust, is like all other afflictions changed, in relation to the justified, into an element of improving discipline. It is made necessary for them from the present constitution of the body, while it is to both body and soul the gateway of heaven. They are made free from its sting and fear. — 1 Cor. xv. 55, 57; Heb. ii. 15. They are now " blessed " in deatli because they die " in the Lord," Rev. xiv. 13, and they shall at last be completely deliv- ered from its power when the last enemy shall be destroyed. 1 Cor. XV. 26. 6. What evidence have we of tJie immateriality of tJie soul, and what argument may he derived from that source in proof of its con- tinued existence after death ? For the evidence establishing the immateriality of the soul see Chap. II., Question 18. Now although the continued existence of any creature must depend simply upon the will of its Creator, that will may either be made known by direct revelation, or inferred in any partic- ular instance by analogical reasoning from what is known of his doings in other cases. As far as this argument from anal- ogy goes it decidedly confirms the belief that a spiritual sub- stance is, as such, immortal. The entire range of human ex- perience fails to make us acquainted with a single instance of the annihilation of an atom of matter, i. e., of matter as such. Material bodies, organized or chemically compounded, or mere mechanical aggregations, we observe constantly coming into existence, and in turn passing away, yet never through the an- nihilation of their elementary constituents or component parts, but simply from the dissolution of that relation which these parts had temporarily sustained to each other. Spirit, how- ever, is essentially simple and single, and therefore incapable of that dissolution of parts to which material bodies are subject. We infer, therefore, that spirits are immortal since they can not be subject to that only form of death of which we have any knowledge. 7. What arguinent in favor of the immortality of the soul may he derived from its imperfect development in this ivorld ? In every department of organized life every individual crea- ture, in its normal state, tends to grow toward a condition 550 STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. of complete development, which is the perfection of its kind. The acorn both prophesies and groAvs toward the oak. Every human being, however, is conscious that in this life he never attains that completeness which the Creator contemplated in the ideal of his type ; he has faculties undeveloped, capacities unfulfilled, natural desires unsatisfied ; he knows he was de- signed to be much more than he is, and to fill a much higlier sphere. As the prophetic reason of the Creator makes provi- sion for the butterfly through the instinct of the caterpillar, so the same Creator reveals the immortal existence of the soul in a higher sphere by means of its conscious limitations and in- stinctive movements in this. 8. Wliat argument on this subject may he derived fr<ym the dis- trihutive justice of God? It is an invariable judgment of natural reason, and a funda- mental doctrine of the Bible, that moral good is associated with happiness, and moral evil with misery, by the unchangeable nature and purpose of God. But the history of all individuals and communities alike establishes the fact that this life is not a state of retribution ; that here wickedness is often associated with prosperity, and moral excellence with sorrow; we must hence conclude that there is a future state in which all that appears at present inconsistent with the justice of God shall be adjusted. — See Ps. Ixxiii.


Question: Hoiu  do  the  operations  of  conscience  point  to  a  future  state  ?

Answer: Conscience is the voice of God in the soul, which witnesses to our sinfulness and ill-desert, and to his essential justice. Except in the case of those who have fovnid refuge in the righteousness of Christ, every man feels that his moral rela- tions to God are never settled in this life, and hence the char- acteristic testimony of the human conscience, in spite of great individual differences as to light, sensibility, etc., has always been coincident with the word of God, that "after death comes the JUDGMENT." 10. How is this doctrine established by the general consent of manJcind ? This has been the universal faith of all men, of all races, and in all ages. Universal consent, like every universal effect, must be referred to an equally universal cause, and this con- sent, uniform among men differing in every other possible rcr spect, can be referred to no common origin other than the con- stitution of man's common nature, which is the testimony of his Maker. THE OLD TESTAMENT DOCTRINE. 551 11. Sliow that the Old Testament teaches the same distinction between soul and body that is taught in the New Testament. 1st. In the account of the creation. The body was formed of the dust of the earth, and the soul in the image of the Al- mighty.— Gen. i. 26; ii. 7. 2d. In the definition of death. — Eccle. xii. 7. " Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall re- turn to God who gave it." — See also Eccle. iii. 21. 12. What does the Old Testament teach concerning Sheol? and how is it shown, from the usage of that icord, that tJie immortality of the soul loas a doctrine of the ancient covenant? Sheol is derived from the verb h^f^ to ask, expressing the sense of our English proverb, that the "grave crieth give, give." It is used in the Old Testament to signify, in a vague and gen- eral sense, the state of the departed, both the good and bad, intermediate between death and the resurrection of the right- eous (Hosea xiii. 14), generally invested with gloomy associa- tions, and i^idefinitely referred to the lower parts of the earth. Deut. xxxii. 22 ; Amos ix. 2. Thus_it is used for grave as the j;ec&ptacle of the body^after death (Gen. xxxvii. 35; Job xiv. 13), but principally to designate the receptacle of departed spirits, without explicit reference to any division between the stations allotted to the righteous and the wicked. That they were active and conscioiis in this state appears to be indicated by what is revealed of Samuel. — 1 Sam. xxviii. 7-20; Is. xiv. 15-17. With regard to the good, however, the residence in Sheol was looked upon only as intermediate between death and a happy resur- rection.— Ps. xlix. 15. In their treatment of this whole subject, the Old Testament Scriptures rather take the continued exist- ence of the soul for granted, than explicitly assert it. — Fair- bairn's "Herra. Manual"; " Josephus' Ant.," xviii., 1. 13. What is the purport of our Saviours argument on this sub- ject against the Sadducees? Luke XX. 37, 38. Long after the death of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jehovah designated himself to Moses as their God. Ex. iii. 6. But, argues Christ against the Sadducee who denied the resurrection of the dead, " he is tlie God, not of the dead, but of the living." This more immediately proves the immor- tality of their souls, but as God is the covenant God of persons, and as the persons of these patriarchs included alike body and soul, this argument likewise establishes the ultimate immor- tality of the body also, i. e., of the entire person. 552 STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. 14 What passages of the Old Testament assert or imply the Jwpe of a state of blessedness after death ? Num. xxiii. 10; Job xix. 26, 27; Ps. xvi. 9-11; xvii. 15; xlix. 14, 15; Ixxiii. 24-26; Is. xxv. 8; xxvi. 19; Hosea xiii. 14; Dan. xii. 2, 3, 13. 15. What other evidence does the Old Testament afford of the continued existence of the soul ? 1st. The translations of Enoch and Elijah, and the tempo- rary reappearance of Samuel. — Gen. v. 24 ; Heb. xi. 5 ; 2 Kings ii. 11; 1 Sam. xxviii. 7-20. 2d. The command to abstain from the arts of necromancy implies the prevalent existence of a belief that the dead still continue in being in another state. — Deut. xviii. 11, 12. 3d. In their symboHcal system Canaan represents the per- manent inheritance of Christ's people, and the entire purpose of the whole Old Testament revelation, as apprehended by Old Testament believers, had respect to a future existence and in- heritance after deatii. This is directly asserted in the New Testament. — Acts xxvi. 6-8 ; Heb. xi. 10-16 ; Eph. i. 14. 16. What does the New Testament teach of the state of the soul immediately after death ? "The souls of the righteous, being made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, Avaiting for the full redemption of their bodies."— Luke xxiii. 43; 2 Cor. v. 6, 8; Phil. i. 23, 24. "And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they re- main in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day." — Luke xvi. 23, 24; Jude v. 6, 7. "Confes- sion of Faith," Chap, xxxii., § 1. This statement represents the doctrine of the Lutheran and Keformed churches. It includes the following points: 1st. The state of souls between death and the resurrection may properly be called intermediate when viewed with relation to the states which precede and follow. 2d. Whether there be also an intermedi- ate place or not the Scriptures do not definitely declare, but they suggest it. — See below, Ch. XL., Ques. 3. 3d. The souls both of the righteous and the lost continue during this state active and conscious. 4th. The moral and spiritual character and destiny of each is irrevocably decided at death either for good or evil. 5th. The righteous are immediately made per- fect in holiness. 6th. They pass at once and remain during the whole period in the presence of Christ. 7th. This interme- HADES, PARADISE, AND GEHENNA. 553 diate differs from the final state of the redeemed — (1.) Because of the absence of the body. (2.) Because redemption is not yet realized in its final stage. 17. What is the signification and usage of the ivord aiSr]<i, Hades, in Scripture? "AiSrj^, from a primitive, and idsiv, designates generally the invisible world inhabited by the spirits of dead men. Among the ancient classical heathen, this invisible world was regarded as consisting of two contrasted regions, the one called Elysium, the abode of the blessed good, and the other Tartarus, the abode of the vicious and miserable. It was used by the authors of the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word Slieol, compare Acts ii. 27, and Ps. xvi. 10. In the New Testament this word occurs only eleven times. Matt. xi. 23; xvi. 18; Luke x. 15; xvi. 23; Acts ii. 27, 31; 1 Cor. XV. 55; Kev. i. 18; vi. 8; xx. 13, 14. In every case, except 1 Cor. xv. 55, where the more critical editions of the original substitute the word OdvavE in the place of adrj, hades is translated hell, and certainly always represents the invisible world as under the dominion of Satan, as opposed to the king- dom of Christ, and as finally subdued under his victorious power. See Fairbairn's " Herm. ]\Ianual." 18. What is tJw signification and usage of the words napadetdoi and ydevva? JJapddEido';, Paradise, derived from some oriental language, and adopted into both the Hebrew and Greek languages, sig- nifies parks, pleasure gardens. — Neh. ii. 8; Eccle. ii. 5. The Septuagint translators use this word to represent the garden of Eden. — Gen. ii. 8, etc. It occurs only three times in the New Testament, Luke xxiii. 43 ; 2 Cor. xii. 4 ; Rev. ii. 7 ; where the context proves that it refers to the " third heavens," the garden of the Lord, in which grows the "tree of life," which is by the river which flows out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Rev. xxii. 1, 2. new a is a compound Hebrew word, expressed in Greek letters, signifying "Valley of Hinnom, Josh. xv. 8, skirting Jerusalem on the south, running westward from the valley of Jehosaphat, luider Mount Zion. Here was established the idol- atrous Avorship of Moloch, to whom infants were burned in sac- rifice.— 1 Kings xi. 7. This worship was broken up and the place desecrated by Josiah, 2 Kings xxiii. 10-14, after which it appears to have become the receptacle for all the filth of the city, and of the dead bodies of animals, and of malefactors, to consume which fires would appear to have been from time to time kept 554 STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. np, hence called Tophet, an abomination, a vomit, Jer. vii. 31." Robinson's " Greek Lex." By a natural figure, therefore, this word was used to designate the place of final punishment, forci- bly carrying with it the idea of pollution and misery. It occiu'S twelve times in the New Testament, and always to signify the place of final torment— Matt. v. 22, 29, 30; x. 28; xviii. 9; xxiii. 15, 33; Mark ix. 43, 47; Luke xii. 5; James iii. 6. 19. What various vieivs are maintained as to the intermediate state of the souls of men between death and the judgment ? 1st. Many Protestants, especially of the Church of England, retaining the classical sense of the word Hades, as equivalent to the Jewish Sheol (as given above. Question 12), hold that there is an intermediate region, consisting of two distinct de- partments, in one or other of which the disembodied souls, both of the lost and of the redeemed, respectively await the resur- rection of their bodies, tlie award of judgment, and their trans- lation to their final abodes of bliss or misery. They differ from the common Protestant doctrine chiefly — (1.) In j^ositively as- serting that the place as well as the state is intermediate. (2.) In asserting that it is situated "under" in respect to this world. (3.) In holding that it is not the "highest heavens" where God manifests his special presence, and where Christ habitualh/ abides. — See the Rev. E. H. Bickersteth's " Yesterday, To-day, and Forever," and " Hades and Heaven, or State of the Blessed Dead." 2d, For the complete statement of the doctrine of the Ro- manists, see below. Question 22. 3d. Materialists and some Socinians hold that the souls of men remain in a state of unconsciousness or suspended life from death until the moment of the resurrection. This opinion is also held by the advocates of the ultimate annihilation of the wicked, and advocated most ably by C. F. Hudson in America, and as probable by the late Archbishop Whately in England ("View of Sc. Concerning a Future State"). The arguments are — (1) We have no experience and can form no conception of conscious mental activity in a disem- bodied state. (2.) That the Scriptural evidence relied upon for the support of the church doctrine is obscure and inconclusive. (3.) That the original and simple meaning of the word death is "extinction of being." God said to Adam, "The day thou eat- est thereof thou," not thy body, but thyself, "shall surely die." Matt. X. 28. (4.) That the great prominence afforded in the NeAv Testament to the future resurrection of the body, as the effect of redemption, and the object of Christian hope, proves that the only future life the apostles expected was subsequent THE SOUL CONSCIOUS AND ACTIVE. 555 to and dependent upon that event. — 1 Cor. xv. 14. (5.) They quote many passages to prove that the Scriptures teach that the dead remain at present in a state of bodily and spiritual inactivity. — Ps. vi. 5. "For in death there is no remembrance of thee, in the grave wlio shall give thee thanks." — Ps. cxlvi. 4; Jer. li. 57. This doctrine was first taught by certain heretics in Arabia in the time of Origen, called Thnetopsychites. It was revived as an opinion of some theologians in the thirteenth and four- teenth centuries, but condemned by the University of Paris, 1240, and by Pope Benedict XII., 1366. It was revived by some Anabaptist and refuted by Calvin in his "Psychopan- nychia, etc." It has never been held by any church or per- manent school of theologians. Isaac Taylor, in his "Physical Theory of Another Life," ch. 17, concludes, purely on Biblical grounds, that the intermediate state of redeemed souls is one "not of unconsciousness indeed, but of comparative inaction, or of suspended energy. A tran- sition state during the continuance of which the passive facul- ties of our nature rather than the active are to aAvake." 20. State the Scriptural grounds upon tvhicli the Protestant doctrine stated above., Ques. 16, rests. Ist. The reappearance of Samuel in the use of all his facul- ties.— 1 Sam. xxviii. 7-20. The appearance of Moses and Elias at the transfiguration of Christ on the mount. — Matt. xvii. 3. Christ's address to the thief upon the cross. — Luke xxiii. 43. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus. — Luke xvi. 23, 24. The praj^er of dying Stephen. — Acts vii. 59. In 2 Cor. v. 1-8 Paul declares that to be at home in the body is to be absent from the Lord, and to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and hence he says (Phil. i. 21-24) that for him to die is gain, and that he was in a strait betwixt two, "having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better, never- theless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." He de- clares (1 Thess. V. 10) that the sleep of death is a living together with Christ. — See also Eph. iii. 15; Heb. vi. 12-20; Acts i. 25; Jude 6, 7; Heb. xii. 23; Rev. v. 9; vi. 9-11; vii. 9, and xiv. 1, 3. 21. Hoio can it he shoivn that the Intermediate State does not afford afwtlier probation for those who depart from this life out of Christ ? An opinion is becoming prevalent among some classes of Protestants that another opportunity for repentance and faith will be afforded to Christless souls between death and the res- urrection. That this is unfounded appears — 1st. From the fact 556 STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. that it is nowhere taught in Scripture. It is a hope at best suggested by the wish, but without any foundation in the Avord of God. Even if the " preaching to the spirits in prison " (1 Pet. iii. ID) is rightly referred to Christ's personal ministry in the sphere of the intermediate state, it certainly did not apply to those who had rejected him on earth, and it would, in that case, probably apply only to true believers under the Old Testament Dispensation, as the Catholic Church has always taught. 2d. The assumption is built upon the grossly unchris- tian principle that God owes to all men a favorable opportunity of knowing and of receiving Christ. If this Avere true the gos- pel would be of debt and not of grace. 3d. All the teaching of Christ and his apostles implies the contrary. " It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." — Heb. ix. 27. "I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go ye can not come." — John viii. 21. " And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they Avliich would pass from hence to you, can not, neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." — Luke xvi. 26; Eev. xxii. 11. 4th. The law of habit, and of confirmed moral character would, of course, even if conditions of repentance were offered, render the moral state of the sinner far more obdurate and hopeless in the intermediate state, than it was during the earthly life. The " Hope," is as much unwarranted by reason as it is by revelation. 22. What do Romanists teach luitli regard to the souls of men after death? 1st. That the souls of unbaptized infants go to a place pre- pared expressly for them, called the '■^limbus infantum" where they endure no positive suffering, although they do not enjoy the vision of God. This is placed in a higlier part of the Infernus which the fires can not reach, and they suffer only a paenam damni (penalty of loss), and have no share in the pmnam sensics (penalty of actual suffering), which afflicts adult siiniers. 2d. That all unbaptized adults, and all those who subse- quently have lost the grace of baptism by mortal sin, and die unreconciled to the church, go immediately to hell. 3d. That those believers wlio have attained to a state of Christian perfection go immediately to heaven. 4th. That the great mass of partially sanctified Christians dying in fellowship with the church, yet still encumbered with imperfections, go to purgatory, where they suff"er, more or less intensely, for a longer or shorter period, until their sins are both atoned for and purged out, when they are translated to heaven, ROMISH DOCTRINE STATED AND REFUTED. 557 during- which intermediate period they may be efficiently as- sisted by the prayers and labors of their friends on earth. 5th. That Old Testament believers were gathered into a re- gion called '■'•llmhus fcdrnm',' called "Abraham's bosom," where they remained without the beatific vision of God, yet without suifering, until Christ, during the three days in which his body lay in the grave, came and released them. — 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. "Cat. Rom." Part I., Chapter vi., Question 3; "Council of Trent," Sess. xxv., de Purgatorio. As to purgatory the Council of Trent settled only two points, 1st, that there is a purgatory ; 2d, that souls therein may be ben- efited by the prayers and mass of the church on earth. It is generally held, however, that its pains are both nega- tive and positive. That the instrument of its sufferings is ma- terial fire. That these are dreadful and indefinite in extent. That satisfaction may be rendered in this world on much easier terms. That while there their souls can neither incur guilt nor merit any thing, they can alone render satisfaction for their sins by means of passive sufferings. They confess that this doctrine is not taught directly in Scripture, but maintain, 1st, that it follows necessarily from their general doctrine of the satisfaction for sins; 2d, that Christ and the apostles taught it incidentally as they did infant baptism, etc. They refer to Matt. xii. 32; 1 Cor. iii. 15, 23. How may the Anti- Christian character of this doctrine he shoivn ? 1st. It confessedly has no direct, and obviously no real foundation in Scripture. This consideration alone suffices. 2d. It proceeds upon an entirely unchristian view of the method of satisfying divine justice for sins. (1.) That while Christ's merits are infinite, they atone only for original sins. (2.) That each believer must make satisfaction in his own per- son for sins which he commits after baptism, either in the pains of penance or of purgatory. This is contrary to all the Script- ures teach, as we have above shown under their respective heads, (1) as to the satisfaction rendered to justice by Christ; (2) the nature of justification ; (3) nature of sin; (4) relation of the sufferings and good Avorks of the justified man to the law; (5) state of the soids of believers after death, etc., etc. 3d. It is a heathen doctrine derived from the Egyptians through the Greeks and Romans, and currently received through the Roman empire. — Virgil's "Eneid," vi. 739, 43. 4th. Its practical effects have always been, 1st, the abject subjection of the people to the priesthood; 2d, the gross de- moralization of the people. The church is the self-appointed 558 STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. depository and dispenser of the superabundant merits of Christ, and the supererogatory merits of her eminent saints. On this foundation she dispenses the pains of purgatory to those wlio pay for past sins, or sells indnlgeiices to those who pay for the lib- erty to sin in the future. Thus the people sin and pay, and the priest takes the money and remits the penalty. The figment of a purgatory under the control of the priest is the main source of his hold upon the fears of the people. — See Ch. XXXIL, Q. 19. AUTHOKITATITE STATEMENTS OF ChTXRCH DoCTKINE. Romish Doctrtne. ''Cat. of Cone. Trident;' Pt. 1, ch. 6, ^ 3.— "There is also the fire of purgatory, in which the souls of the just are purified by puuishment for a stated time, to the end that they may be admitted iuto their eternal country, into which nothing that defileth. entereth. And of the truth of this doctrine which holy Councils declare to be confirmed by the testimonies of Scripture, and by apostolic tradition, the pastor will have occasion to treat more diligently and frequently, as we are fallen on times when men endure not sound doctrine." Bellarmin, '■'■Purgator" \\. 10. — "It is certain that in purgatory, as there is also in hell, there is punishment by fire, whether that fire is understood literally or metaphorically." His own opinion is that it is corporeal fire. Doctrine op the Greek Chtjbch. — "■The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic, Eastern Church," now the most authoritative stand- ard of the Orthodox Grseco-Eussian Church. On the 11th Article, Ques. 372-377. — "From death till the general resurrection the souls, of the righteous are in light and rest, with a foretaste of eternal hai3piness ; biit the souls of the wicked are in a state the reverse of this. We know this because it is ordained that the perfect retribution according to works shall be received by the perfect man after the resurrection of the body and God's last judgment. — 2 Tim. ii. 8 and 2 Cor. v. 10. But that they have a foretaste of bliss is shown on the testimony of Jesus Christ, who says in the parable that the righteous Lazarus was immediately after death carried into Abraham's bosom. — Luke xvi. 22; Phil. i. 23. But •we remark of such souls as have departed with faith, but without having had time to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, that they may be aided towards the attainment of a blessed resurrection by prayers offered in their behalf, esi^ecially such as are offered in union with the oblation of the bloodless sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, and by works of mercy done in faith for their memory. " Protestant Doctrine. "Articles of SnvdcaUr (Lutheran), p. 307.— "Purgatory, and whatever of religious rites, worship, or business pertains to it, is a mere disguise of the Devil." ''Thirti/-nine Articles of the Church of England," Art. 22.— -"The Rom- ish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardons, worshipping and adoration as well as of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the word of God." "Shorter Catechism if WeM. Assemhlii," Ques. 37.— " The souls of be- lievers are at their death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory ; and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.


Question: What  Old  Testament  passages  hear  upon  this  subject  ?

Answer: Job xix. 25-27; Ps. xlix. 15; Is. xxvi. 19; Dan. xii. 1-3. 3. What are the principal passages hearing upon this subject in the New Testament ? Matt. V. 29; x. 28; xxvii. 52, 53; John v. 28, 29; vi. 39; Acts ii. 25-34; xiii. 34; Ptora. viii. 11, 22, 23; Phil. iii. 20, 21; 1 Thess. iv. 13-17, and 15th chap, of 1 Cor. 4. What is the meaning of the phrases, dcS/na ipvxtHov, natural hody, and dc^/ua TtvEv^aviHov, spiritual body, as used by Paul, 1 Cor. XV. 44 ? The word ipvxVi when contrasted with Ttvavjua, always desig- nates the principle of animal life, as distinguished from the principle of intelligence and moral agency, which is the nvlvj-ia. A (>fo//a tpvxiHov, translated nafurcd body, evidently means a body endowed with animal life, and adapted to the present condition of the soul, and to the present physical constitution of the world it inhabits. A d(^jiia TtvevjuartKoi^, translated spirUnal body, is a body adapted to the use of the soul in its future glorified estate, and to the moral and physical conditions of the heavenly world, and to this end assimilated by the Holy Ghost, who dwells in it, to the glorified body of Christ. — 1 Cor. xv. 45-48. 5. Hoiv does it appear that the same body is to rise that is de- posited in the grave ? The passages of Scripture which treat of this subject make 560 THE RESURRECTION. it plain that the same bodies are to be raised that are deposited in the grave, by the phrases by which they designate the bod- ies raised: Ist, "our bodies," Phil. iii. 21; 2d, "this corruptible," 1 Cor. XV. 53, 54; 3d, "all who ai'e in their graves," John v. 28; 4th, "they who are asleep," 1 Thess. iv. 13-17; 5th, "our bod- ies are the members of Christ," 1 Cor. vi. 15 ; 6th, our resurrec- tion is to be because of and like that of Christ, which was of his identical body. — John xx. 27. 6. How does if appear that the final resurrection is to he simul- taneous and general ? See below, Chap. XXXIX., Questions 9 and 10. 7. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the nature of the resurrection body ? 1st. It is to be spiritual. — 1 Cor. xv. 44. See above, Ques- tion 4. 2d. It is to be like Christ's body.— Phil. iii. 21. 3d. Glorious, incorruptible, and powerful. — 1 Cor. xv. 54. 4th. It shall never die. — Rev. xxi. 4. 5th. Never be given in marriage. Matt. xxii. 30. 8. How may it he proved that the material hody of Christ rose from the dead ? 1st. Christ predicted it. — John ii. 19-21. 2d. His resurrec- tion is referred to as a miraculous attestation of the truth of his mission, but unless his body rose literally there was noth- ing miraculous in his continued life. 3d. The whole language of the inspired narratives necessarily implies this, the rolling away of the stone, the folding up of the garments, etc. 4th. He did not rise until the third day, which proves that it was a physical change, and not a mere continuance of spiritual ex- istence.— 1 Cor. XV. 4. 5th. His body was seen, handled, and examined, for the space of forty days, in order to establish this very fact. — Luke xxiv. 39. Dr. Hodge. 9. Hoiv can the materiality of Christ's resurrection body he rec- onciled ivith whcd is said as to the modes of its manifestation., and of its ascension into heaven ? The events of his suddenly appearing and vanishing from sight, recorded in Luke xxiv. 31 ; John xx. 19 ; Acts i. 9, were accomplished through a miraculous interference with the ordi- nary laws regulating material bodies, of the same kind pre- cisely with many miracles which Jesus wrought in his body- before his death, e. g., his walking on the sea. — Matt. xiv. 25; John vi. 9-14. OBJECTIONS STATED AND ANSWERED. 561 10. How does the resurrection of Christ secure and illustrate that of his jjeojjle ? Body and soul together constitute the one person, and man in his entire person, and not his soul separately, is embraced in both the covenants of works and of grace, and in federal and vital union with both the fii-st and the second Adam. Christ's resurrection secures ours — 1st. Because his resurrection seals and consummates his redemptive power; and the redemption of our persons involves the redemption of our bodies. — Eom. viii. 23. 2d. Because of our federal and vital union with Christ. 1 Cor. XV. 21, 22; 1 Thess. iv. 14 3d. Because of his Spirit which dwells in us (Rom. viii. 11), making our bodies his members. — 1 Cor. vi. 15. 4th. Because Christ by covenant is Lord both of the living and the dead. — Rom. xiv. 9. This same federal and vital union of the Christian with Christ (see above. Chap. XXXI.) likewise causes the resurrection of the believer to be similar to, as well as consequent upon that of Christ.— 1 Cor. xv. 49; Phil. iii. 21; 1 John iii. 2. 11. How far are ohjecfions of a scientific character against the doctrine of the resurrection of the body entitled to iveight? All truth is one, and of God, and necessarily consistent, whether revealed by means of the phenomena of nature or of the words of inspiration. On the other hand, it follows from our partial knowledge and often erroneous interpretation of the data both of science and revelation, that we often are un- able to discern the harmonies of truths in reality intimately related. Nothing can be believed to be true which is clearly seen to be inconsistent with truth already certainly established. But, on the other hand, in the present stage of our develojD- ment, the largest proportion of the materials of our knowledge rests upon independent evidence, and are received by us all as certain on their own respective grounds, although we fail as yet to reconcile each fact with every other in the harmonies of their higher laws. The principles of physical science are to be taken as true upon their own ground, i. e., so far as they are matured, and the testimony of revelation is to be taken as infallible truth on its own ground. The one ma}^ modify om* interpretation of the other, but the most certain of all principles is that a matured science will always corroborate rightly in- terpreted revelation. 12. Hoiu may the identity of ovr future ivith our present bodies he reconciled luiih 1 Cor. xv. 42-50 ? In verses 42-44 this identity is expressly asserted. The 562 THE RESURRECTION. body is to be the same, though changed in these several partic- lalars. 1st. It is now subject to corruption, ilicn incorruptible. 2d. It is now dishonored, it will tlien be glorified. 3d. It is now weak, it will then be powerful. 4th. It is now natural., i. e., adapted to the present condition of the soul and constitution of the world. It will then be spiritual, i. e., adapted to the glori- fied condition of the soul, and constitution of the "new heavens and new earth." Verse 50 declares simply that " fiesh and blood," that is, the present corruptible, weak, and depraved constitution of the body can not inherit heaven. Yet the passage as a whole clearly teaches, not the substitution of a new body, but the transforma- tion of the old. 13. What facts does physiological science estahlish with respect to the perpetual changes that are going on in our p)resent bodies, and tvhat relation do tlwse facts sustain to this doctrine ? By a ceaseless process of the assimilation of new material and excretion of the old, the particles composing our bodies are ceaselessly changing from birth to death, effecting, as it is com- puted, a change in every atom of the entire structure every seven years. Thus there will not be a particle in tlie organism of an adult which constituted part of his person when a boy, nor in that of the old man of that wliich belonged to him when of middle age. The body from youth to age is imiversally sub- ject to vast changes in size, form, expression, condition, and many times to total change of constituent particles. All this is certain ; but it is none the less certain that through all these changes the man possesses identically the same person from yoi^th to age. This proves that neither the identity of the body of the same man from youth to age, nor the identity of our present with our resurrection bodies, consists in sameness of particles. If we are sure of our identity in the one case, we need not stumble at the difficulties attending the other. 14, What objection to this doctrine is derived from the known fact of the disp)ersion and as.similation into other organisms of the p)articles of our bodies after decdh ? The instant the vital principle surrenders the elements of the body to the unmodified control of the laws of chemical affinity, their present combinations are dissolved and distributed throughout space, and they are taken up and assimilated by other animal and vegetable organisms. Thus the same particles have formed, at different times, part of the bodies of myriads of men, in the successive periods of the growth of individuals, and in successive generations. Plence it has been objected to the THE CONDITIONS OF IDENTITY. 563 scriptni"il doctrine of the resurrection of the body, that it will be impossible to decide to which of the thousand bodies which these particles have formed part in tm-n, they should be assigned in the resurrection; or to reinvest each soul with its own body, when all the constituent elements of every body have been shared in common by many. We ansioer that bodily identity does not consist in sameness of constituent particles. See above, Question 13. Just as God has revealed to us through consciousness that our bodies are identical from infancy to age, although their constituent elements often change, he has, with equal certainty and reasonableness, revealed to us in his inspired word that our bodies, raised in glory, are identical with our bodies sown in dishonor, although their constituent particles may have been scattered to the ends of the earth.


Question: What  is  essential  to  identity?

Answer: 1st. "It is evident that identity depends upon different con- ditions in different cases. The identity of a stone or any other portion of unorganized matter consists in its substance and form. On tlie other hand, the identity of a plant from the seed to its maturity is, in a great measure, independent of sameness of substance or of form. Their identity appears to consist in each plant's being one organized whole, and in the continuity of the succession of its elements and parts. The identity of a picture does not depend upon the sameness of the particles of coloring matter of which it is composed, for these we may con- ceive to be continually changing, but upon the drawing, the tints, the light and shade, the expression, the idea which it embodies," etc. 2d. Bodily identity is not a conclusion drawn from the com- parison, or combination of other facts, but it is itself a single irresolvable fact of consciousness. The child, the savage, the philosopher, are alike certain of the sameness of their bodies at different periods of their lives, and on the same grounds. This intuitive conviction, as it is not the result of science, so it is no more bound to give an account of itself to sci- ence, i. e., we are no more called upon to explain it before we believe it than we are to explain any other of the simple data of consciousness. 3d. The resurrection of our bodies, although a certain fact of revelation, is to us, as yet, an unrealized experience, an un- observed phenomenon. The physical conditions, therefore, of the identity of our "spiritual bodies" with our "natural bodies," we can not now possibly comprehend, since we have neither the experience, the observation, nor the revelation of the facts 564 THE RESURRECTION. involved in such knowledge. This much, however, is certain as to the result — 1st. The body of the resurrection will be as strictly identical with the body of death, as the body of death is with the body of birth. 2d. Each soul will have an indubi- table intuitive consciousness that its new body is identical with the old. 3d. Each friend shall recognize the individual char- acteristics of the soul in the perfectly transparent expression of the new body. — Dr. Hodge. 16. How far ivas the doctrine oftJie resurrection of the hody held by the Jews? With the exception of some heretical sects, as the Sadducees, the Jews held this doctrine in the same sense in which we hold it now. This is evident — 1st. Because it was clearly revealed in their inspired writings, see above. Question 2. 2d. It is af- firmed in their uninspii-ed writings. — Wisdom, iii. 6, 13; iv. 15; 2 Maccabees vii. 9, 14, 23, 29. 3d. Christ in his discourses, in- stead of proving this doctrine, assumes it as recognized. — Luke xiv. 14; John v. 28, 29. 4th. Paul asserts that both the ancient Jews (Heb. xi. 35), and his own contemporaries (Acts xxiv. 15), believed this doctrine. 17. What early heretical sects in the Christian church rejected this doctrine? All the sects bearing the generic designation of gnostic, and imder various specific names embodying the leaven of oriental philosophy, which infested the church of Christ from the begin- ning for many centuries, believed, 1st, tliat matter is essentially vile, and the source of all sin and misery to the soul; 2d, that complete sanctification is consummated only in the dissolution of the body and the emancipation of the soul; 3d, that conse- quently any literal resurrection of the body is repugnant to the spirit, and would be destructive to the purpose of the whole gospel.


Question: What  is  the  doctrine  taught  by  Swedenhorg  on  this  subject?

Answer: It is substantially the same with that set forth by Professor Bush in his once famous book, " Anastasia." They teach that the literal body is dissolved, and finally perishes in death. But by a subtle law of our nature an etherial, luminous body is eliminated out of the Tpvx?? (the seat of the nervous sensibility, occupying the middle link between matter and spirit), so that the soul does not go forth from its tabernacle of flesh a bare HERETICAL VIEWS. 565 power of thought, but is clothed upon at once by this psychical body. Tliis resurrection of the body, they pretend, takes place in every case immediately at death, and accompanies the out- going soul. — See " Religion and Philosophy of Swedenborg,'' Theophilus Parsons. 19. How do modern rationalists explain the passages of Scripture luhich relate to this subject? They explain them away, denying their plain sense, either, 1st, as purely allegorical modes of inculcating the truth of the continued existence of the soul after death ; or, 2d, as conces- sions to the prejudices and superstitions of the Jews.


Question: What  is  the  Scriptural  doctrine  concerning  the  miUennitim?

Answer: 1st. The Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, clearly reveal that the gospel is to exercise an influence over all branches of the human family, immeasurably more extensive and more thoroughly transforming than any it has ever realized in time past. This end is to be gradually attained through the spiritual presence of Christ in the ordinary dispensation of Providence, and ministrations of his church. — Matt. xiii. 31, 32; xxviii. 19, 20; Ps. ii. 7, 8; xxii. 27, 29; Ixxii. 8-11; Is. ii. 2, 3; xi. 6-9; Ix. 12; Ixvi. 23; Dan. ii. 35, 44; Zech. ix. 10; xiv. 9; Rev. xi. 15. 2d. The period of this general prevalency of the gospel will THE PREMILLENNIAL ADVENT THEORY. 569 continue a thousand years, and is hence designated the millen- nium.— Rev. XX. 2-7. 3d. The Jews are to be converted to Christianity either at the commencement or during the continuance of this period. Zech. xii. 10; xiii. 1; Rom. xi. 26-29; 2 Cor. iii. 15, 16. 4th. At the end of these thousand years, and before the coming of Christ, there will be a comparativel}^ short season of apostasy and violent conflict between the kingdoms of light and darkness. — Luke xvii. 26-30; 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4; Rev. xx. 7-9. 5th. Christ's advent, the general resurrection and judgment, will be simultaneous, and immediately succeeded by the burn- ing of the old, and the revelation of the new earth and heavens. "Confession of Faith," Chaps, xxxii. and xxxiii. 8. What is the vieiv of those who maintain that Christ's coming loill he '•'• premillennial,'' and that he loill reign jpersonally upon the earth a thousand years before the judgment ? 1st. i\Iany of the Jews, mistaking altogether the spiritual character of the Messiah's kingdom, entertained the opinion that as the church had continued two thousand years before the giv- ing of the law, so it would continue two thousand years under the law, when the Messiah would commence his personal reign, which should, in turn, continue two thousand years to the com- mencement of the eternal Sabbath. They expected that the Messiah would reign visibly and gloriously in Jerusalem, as his capital, over all the nations of the earth, the Jews, as his espe- cial people, being exalted to pre-eminent dignity and privilege. 2d. 'riie Apostolical Fathers of the Jewish Christian branch of the church, such as Barnabas, Hermes, and Papias, adopted it. It prevailed generally throughout the church from a. d. 150, to A. D. 250, being advocated by Irena^us and Tertullian. Since that time the doctrine taught in this chapter has been the one generally recognized by the whole church, while Millenarianism or Chilianism has been confined to individuals and transient parties. Its advocates based their doctrine on the literal inter- pretation of Rev. XX. 1-10, and held — 1st. That after the de- velopment of the anti-Christian apostasy, at some time very variously estimated, Christ was suddeidy to appear and com- mence his personal reign of a thousand years in Jerusalem. The dead in Christ (some say only the martyrs) were then to rise and reign with him in the world, the majority of \^'hose inhabitants shall be converted, and live during this period in great prosperity and happiness, the Jews in the mean time being converted, and restored to their own land. (2.) That after the thousand years there shall come the final apostasy for a little season, and then the resurrection of the rest of the dead, 570 SECOND ADVENT. L €., the wicked and their judgment and condemnation at the last day, the final conflagration, and new heavens and earth. 3d. Modern premillenarians, while differing among them- selves as to the details of their interpretations, agree substan- tially with the view just stated. Hence they are called pre- millenarians, because they believe the advent of Christ will occur before the 3Iillennium. > 9. What are the principal Scriptural arguments against this vieiv ? Ist. The theory is evidently Jewish in its origin and Juda- izing in its tendency. 2d. It is not consistent with what tlie Scriptures teach. (1.) As to the nature of Christ's kingdom, e. g., (a) that it is not of this world but spiritual, Matt. xiii. 11-44; John xviii. 36; Rom. xiv. 17; (b) that it was not to be confined to the Jews, Matt. viii. 11, 12; (c) that regeneration is the condition of admission to it, John iii. 3, 5; (d) that the blessings of the kingdom- are purely spiritual, as pardon, sanctification, etc., Matt. iii. 2, 11; Col. i. 13, 14. (2.) As to the fact that the kingdom of Christ has already come. He has sat upon the throne of his Father David ever since his ascension. — Acts ii. 29-36; iii. 13-15; iv. 26-28; v. 29-31; Heb. x. 12, 13; Rev. iii. 7-12. The Old Testament prophecies, therefore, which pre- dict this kingdom, must refer to the present dispensation of grace, and not to a future reign of Christ on earth in person among men in the flesh. 3d. The second advent is not to occur until the resurrec- tion, when all the dead, both good and bad, are to rise at once. Dan. xii. 2; John v. 28, 29; 1 Cor. xv. 23; 1 Thess. iv. 16; Rev. XX. 11, 15. Only one passage (Rev. xx. 1-10) is even appar- ently inconsistent with the fact here asserted. For the true interpretation of that pavssage, see next question. 4th. The second advent is not to occur until the simulta- neous judgment of all men,' the good and the bad together. Matt. vii. 21, 23; xiii. 30-43; xvi. 24, 27; xxv. 31-46; Rom. ii. 5, 16; 1 Cor. iii. 12-15; 2 Cor. v. 9-11; 2 Thess. i. 6-10; Rev. XX. 11-15. 5th. The second advent is to be attended Avith tlie general conflagration and the generation of the " new heavens and the new earth." — 2 Pet. iii. 7-13; Rev. xx. 11; xxi. 1. "Brown on the Second Advent." 10. What considerations favor the spiritual and oppose the lit- eral interpretation of Rev. xx. 1-10. The spiritual interpretation of this difficult passage is as THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF REV. XX. i-io. 571 follows: Christ has in reserve for his church a period of uni- versal expansion and of pre-eminent spiritual prosperity, when the spirit and character of the "noble army of martyrs" shall be reproduced again in the great body of God's people in an unprecedented measure, and when these martyrs shall, in the general triumph of their cause, and in the overthrow of that of their enemies, receive judgment over their foes and reign in the earth; while the party. of Satan, "the rest of the dead," shall not flourish again until the thousand years be ended, when it shall prevail again for a little season. The considerations in favor of this interpretation of the passage are — 1st. It occurs in one of the most highly figurative books of the Bible. 2d. This interpretation is perfectly consistent with all the other more explicit teachings of the Scriptures on the several points involved. 3d. The same figure, viz., that of life again from the dead, is frequently used in Scripture to express the idea of the spiritual revival of the church. — Is. xxvi. 19; Ezek. xxxvii. 12-14; Hosea vi. 1-3; Eom. xi. 15; Rev. xi. 11. The considerations bearing against the literal interpretation of this passage are — 1st. That the pretended doctrine of two resurrections, i. e., first of the righteous, and then, after an interval of a thousand years, of the wicked, is taught nowhere else in the Bible, and this single passage in which it occurs is an obscure one. This is a strong presumption against the truth of the doctrine. 2d. It is inconsistent with what the Scriptures uniformly teach as to the nature of the resurrection body, i. e., that it is to be "spiritual," not "natural," or "flesh and blood." — 1 Cor. XV. 44. It is, on the contrary, an essential part of the doc- trine associated with the literal interpretation of this passage, that the saints, or at least the martyrs, are to rise and reign a thousand years in the flesh, and in this woidd as at present constituted. 3d. The literal interpretation of this passage contradicts the clear and uniform teaching of the Scriptures, that all the dead, good and bad, are to rise and be judged together at the second coming of Christ, and the entire revolution of the present order of creation. See the Scripture testimonies collected under the preceding question. 11. Shoio that the future general conversion of the Jeios is taught in Scripture? This Paul, in Eom. xi. 15-29, both asserts and proves from 572 SECOND ADVENT. Old Testament prophecies, e. r/., Isa. lix. 20; Jer. xxxi. 31. See also Zecli. xii. 10; 2 Cor. iii. 15, 16. 12. State the argument for and against the opinion that the Jeics are to he restored to tJieir oivn land? The arguments in favor of that return are — 1st. The literal sense of many old Testament prophecies. Isa. xi. 11, 12; Jer. iii. 17; xvi. 14,. 15; Ezek. xx. 40-44; xxxiv. 11-31; xxxvi. l-3(i; Hosea iii. 4, 5; Amos ix. 11-15; Zech. x. 6-10; xiv. 1-20; Joel iii. 1-17. 2d. That the whole territory promised by God to Abraham has never at any period been fully possessed by his descend- ants. Gen. XV. 18-21 ; Num. xxxiv. 6-12, and renewed through Ezekiel, Ezek. xlvii. 1-23. 3d. The land, though capable of maintaining a vast popula- tion, is as preserved unoccupied, evidently waiting for inhabi- tants.— See Keith's "Land of Israel." 4th. The Jews, though scattered among all nations, have been miraculously preserved a separate people, and evidently await a destiny as signal and peculiar as has been their his- tory. The arguments against their return to the land of their fathers are — 1st. The New Testament is entirely silent on the subject of any such return, which would be an inexplicable omission in the clearer revelation, if that event is really future. 2d. The literal interpretation of the Old Testament proph- ecies concerned in this question would be most unnatural — (1.) Because, if the interpretation is to be consistent, it must be literal in all its parts. Then it would follo\y that David himself, in person, must be raised to reign again in Jerusalem. Ezek. xxxvii. 24, etc. Then the Levitical priesthood must be restored, and bloody sacrifices offered to God. — Ezek. xl. to xlvi. ; Jer. xvii. 25, iix Then must Jerusalem be tlie centre of government, the Jews a superior class in the Christian church, and all worshippers must come monthly and from Sabbath to Sabbath, from the ends of the earth to worship at the Holy City.— Isa. ii. 2, 3; Ixvi. 20-23; Zech. xiv. 16-21. (2.) Because the literal interpretation thus leads to the revival of the entire ritual system of the Jews, and is inconsistent with the spiritual- ity of the kingdom of Christ. — See above. Question 9. (3.) Be- cause the literal interpretation of these passages is inconsistent with what the New Testament plainly teaches as to the aboli- tion of all distinctions between the Jew and Gentile; the Jews, when converted, are to be grafted back into the same church. Rom. xi. 19-24; Eph. ii. 13-19. (4.) Because this interpretation is inconsistent with what the New Testament teaches as to the THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 573 temporary purpose, the virtual insufficiency, and the final aboli- tion of the Levitical priesthood and their sacrifices, and of the infinite sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ, and the eternity of his priesthood. — Gal. iv. 9, 10; v. 4-8; Col. ii. 16-23; Heb. vii. 12-18; viii. 7-13; ix. 1-14. 3d. On the other hand, the spiritual interpretation of these Old Testament prophecies — which regards them as predicting the future purity and extension of the Christian church, and as indicating these spiritual subjects by means of those persons, places, and ordinances of the old economy which were typical of them — is both natural and accordant to the analogy of Script- ure. In the New Testament, Christians are called Abraham's seed, Gal. iii. 29; Israelites, Gal. vi. 16; Eph. ii. 12, 19; comers to Mount Zion, Heb. xii. 22; citizens of the heavenly Jerusa- lem, Gal. iv. 26; the circumcision, Phil. iii. 3; Col. ii. 11, and in Rev. ii. 9, they are called Jews. There is also a Christian priesthood and spiritual sacrifice. — 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9; Heb. xiii. 15, 16; Rom, xii. 1. See Fairbairn's "Typology Appendix," Vol. I.


Question: Wlio  is  to  be  the  judge  of  the  ivorld  ?

Answer: Jesus Christ, in his official character as Mediator, in both natures, as the God-man. This is evident, Ist, because as judge he is called the "Son of Man," ]\Iatt. xxv. 31, 32, and the "man ordained by God." — Acts xvii. 31. 2d. Because all judgment is said to be committed to him by the Father. — John v. 22, 27. 3d. Because it pertains to him as Mediator to complete and publicly manifest the salvation of his people, and the overthrow of his enemies, together with the glorious righteousness of his work in both respects, 2 Thess. i. 7-10; Rev. i. 7; and thus accomplish the "restitution of all things." — Acts iii. 21. And this he shall do in his own person, that his glory may be the more manifest, the discomfiture of his enemies the more humil- iating, and the hope and joy of his redeemed the more complete.


Question: Who  are  to  he  tJie  subjects  of  the  judgment  ?

Answer: 1st. The whole race of Adam, without exception, of every generation, condition, and character, each individual appearing in the integrity of his person, " body, soul, and spirit." The dead will be raised, and the living changed simultaneously. Matt. xxv. 31-46; 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52; 2 Cor. v. 10; 1 Thess. iv. 17; 2 Thess. i. 6-10; Rev. xx. 11-15. 2d. All evil angels. 2 Pet. ii. 4; Jude 6. Good ahgels appearing as attendants and ministers. — Matt. xiii. 41, 42. 574 SECOND ADVENT.


Question: In  iclicd  sense  is  it  said  that  the  saints  shall  judge  the  ivorld  ?

Answer: See Matt. xix. 28; Luke xxii. 29, 30; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3; Rev. XX. 4. In virtue of the union of believers with Christ, his triumph and dominion is theirs. They are joint heirs with him, and if they suffer with him they shall reign Avith him. — Rom. viii. 17; 2 Tim. ii. 12. He will judge and condemn liis enemies as head and champion of his church, all his members assenting to his judgment and glorying in his triumph. — Rev. xix. 1-5. Hodge's "Com. on 1st Cor."


Question: Upon  ivhat  principles  tvill  his  judgment  be  dispensed  ?

Answer: The judge is figuratively represented (Rev. xx. 12), after the analogy of human tribunals, as opening " books " in judg- ment, according to the things written in which the dead are to be judged, and also " another book," " which is the book of life." The books first mentioned doubtless figuratively repre- sent the law or standard according to which each one was to be judged, and the facts in his case, or " the woi'ks which he had done." The "book of life" (see also Phil. iv. 3; Rev. iii. 5; xiii. 8; xx. 15) is the book of God's eternal electing love. Those whose names are found written in the " book of life " will be declared righteous on the ground of their participation in the righteousness of Christ. Their holy characters and good deeds, however, will be publicly declared as the evidences of their elec- tion, of their relation to Christ, and of the glorious work of Christ in them.— Matt. xiii. 43 ; xxv. 34-40. Those whose names are not found written in "the book of life " will be condemned on the ground of the evil " deeds they have done in the body," tried by the standard of God's law, not as that law has been ignorantly conceived of by each, but as it has been more or less fully and clearly revealed by the Judge himself to each severally. Tlie heathen who has sinned with- out the written law "shall be judged without the law," i. e., by the law written upon his heart, which made him a law unto himself — Luke xii. 47, 48; Rom. ii. 12-15. The Jew, Avho "sinned in the law, shall be judged by the hiw." — Rom. ii. 12. Every individual dwelling under the light of the Christian rev- elation shall be judged in strict accordance with the whole will of God as made known to him, all of the special advan- tages of every kind enjoyed by him individually modifying the proportion of his responsibility. — Matt. xi. 20-24; John iii. 19. The secrets of all hearts, the inward states and hidden springs of action, will be brought in as the subject matter of judgment, as well as the actions themselves, Eccle. xii. 14; 1 THE FUTURE CONFLAGRATION OF THE EARTH. 575 Cor. iv. 5 ; and publicly declared to vindicate the justice of the Judge, and to make manifest the shame of the sinner. — Luke viii. 17; xii. 2, 3; Mark iv. 22. Whether the sins of the saints will be brought forward at the judgment or not is a c^uestion not settled by the Scriptures, though debated by theologians. If they should be, we are sure that it will be done only with the design and effect of enhancing the glory of the Saviour and the comfort of the saved. 17. Wliai do the Scriptures reveal concerning the future con- flagration of our earth ? The principal passages bearing upon this point are Ps. cii. 26, 27; Is. li. 6; Rom. viii. 19-23'; Heb. xii. 2(3, 27; 2 Pet. iii. 10-13; Rev. xx. and xxi. JMany of the older theologians thought that these passages indicated that the whole existing physical universe was to be destroyed. This view is now universally discarded. Some held that this earth is to be annihilated. The most common and probable opinion is that at " the res- titution of all things," Acts. iii. 21, this earth, Avith its atmos- phere, is to be subjected to intense heat, which will radically change its present physical condition, introducing in the place of the present an higher order of things, which shall appear as a "new heavens and a new earth," wherein "the creature itself, also, shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God," Rom. viii. 19-23, and wherein the constitution of the new Avorld Avill be adapted to the " spiritual " or resurrection bodies of the saints, 1 Cor. XV. 44, to be the scene of the heavenly society, and, above all, to be the palace-temple of the God-man forever. — Eph. i. 14; Rev. v. 9, 10; xxi. 1-5. See also Fairbairn's "Typology," Vol. I., Part II., Chap, ii., sec. 7. 18. What should he the moral effect of the Scripture doctrine of Christ's second advent ? Christians ought thereby to be comforted when in sorrow, and always stimulated to duty. — Phil. iii. 20; Col. iii. 4, 5; James V. 7 ; 1 John iii. 2, 3. It is their duty also to love, watch, ivait for. and hasten unto the coming of their Lord. — Luke xii. 35, 37 ; ICoY. i. 7, 8; Phil. iii. 20; 1 fhess. i. 9, 10; 2 Tim. iv. 8; 2 Pet. iii. 12; Rev. xxii. 20. Unbelievers should be filled with fearful apprehension, and with all their might they should seek place for immediate repentance.— ]\Iark xiii. 35, 37; 2 Pet. iii. 9, 10; Jude 14, 15. Brown's " Second Advent." 576 SECOND ADVENT. AUTHOEITATIVE STATEMENTS OF ChUKCH DoCTBINE. Aucinsdne {" De Cirifafe Dei," 20, 7) states, that he once held the doctrine of a millenarian sabbath, but then rejected it and advocates the doctrine of this chapter, which has thenceforward prevailed in the Roman Church. " Amjsburrj Con/esfiion," Pt. 1, Aj't. 17. — " They also teach that Christ will ajipear at the end. of the wor/d for judgment, and that he will resusci- tate all the dead, and that he will give to the pious elect eternal life and perpetual joy, but condemn wicked men and devils, that they shall be tormented without end. Tliey condemn the Anabaptists, who believe that there will be an end of the future punishment of lost men and devils. And they condemn others who scatter Jewish opinions, to the effect that before the resurrection of the dead the pious will occupy the kingdom of the world, and the wicked be everywhere in subjection." " The English Confession of Edwiird VI." — "Those who endeavor to recall the fable of the Millenariaus, oppose the sacred Scriptures, and precipitate themselves into Jewish insanities." " Beli/ic Cotfession," Art. 37. — "Lastly, we believe, from the word of God, that our Lord Jesus Christ will return from heaven bodily and vis- ibly, and with the highest glory, when the time predetermined by God, but unknown to all creatures, shall arrive, and the numher of the elect be compltite. . . . At that time all who have heretofore died on the earth shall arise." " Westminster Gonf Chaps. 32 and 33; ''Larger Gat.," Ques. 87-89.— These teach — 1. At the last day shall be a general resurrection of the dead both of the just and of the unjust. 2. All found alive shall be im- mediately changed. 3. Immediately after the resurrection shall follow the general and final judgment of all angels and men, good and bad. 4. That the date of this day and hour is puri:)osely kept secret by God. In Ques. 53-56, we are further taught, that Christ's second coming will not occur until " the last day," " the end of the world," and that he will then come "to judge the world in righteousness." CHAPTER XL. HEAVEN AND HELL. 1. What is the New Testament usage as to the terms 6vpav6z, *^ heaven" and rd Inovpavia, ^^ heavenly places?" 'Ovpaj^o? is used chiefly in three senses. Ist. The upper air where the birds fly. — ]\Iatt. viii. 20; xxiv. 30. 2d. The region in which the stars revolve. — Acts vii. 42; Heb. xi. 12. 3d. The abode of Christ's human nature, the scene of the special mani- festation of divine glory, and of the eternal blessedness of the saints. — Heb. ix. 24; 1 Pet. iii. 22. This is sometimes called the "third heaven." — 2 Cor. xii. 2. The phrases "new heaven," and " new earth," in contrast with " first heavens," and " first earth," 2 Pet. iii. 7, 13; Rev. xxi. 1, refer to some unexplained change which will take place in the final catastrophe, by which God will revolutionize our portion of the physical universe, cleansing it from the stain of sin, and qualifying it to be the abode of blessedness. For the usage with regard to the phrase "kingdom of heaven," see above, Chap. XXVIL, Question 5. The phrase m snovpdvia is translated sometimes, " heavenly things," John iii. 12, where it signifies the mysteries of the un- seen spiritual world; and sometimes "heavenly places," Eph. i. 3, and ii. 6, where it means the state into which a believer is introduced at his regeneration ; see also Eph. i. 20, where it means the "third heavens"; and Eph. vi. 12, where it signifies indefinitely the supermundane universe. 2. What are the principal terms, both literal and fgurative, ivhicJi are used in Scripture to designate the future hhssedness of tJie saints ? Literal terms: "life, eternal life, and life everlasting. — IMatt. vii. 14; xix. 16, 29; xxv. 46. Glory, the glory of God, an eter- nal weight of glory. — Rom. ii. 7, 10; v. 2; 2 Cor. iv. 17. Peace. Rom. ii. 10. Salvation, and eternal salvation. — Heb. v. 9." 37 578 HEAVEN AND HELL. Figurative terms: "Paradise. — Lnke xxiii. 43; 2 Cor. xii. 4; Rev. ii. 7. Heavenly Jerusalem. — Gal. iv. 26; Rev. iii. 12. Kingdom of heaven, heavenly kingdom, eternal kingdom, king- dom prepared from the foundation of the world. — jVIatt. xxv. 34; 2 Tim. iv. 18; 2 Pet. i. 11. Eternal inheritance. — 1 Pet. i. 4; Heb. ix. 15. The blessed are said to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be in Abraham's bosom, Luke Xvi. 22; Matt. viii. 11; to reign with Christ, 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12; to enjoy a Sabbath or rest, Heb. iv. 10, 11."— Kitto's "Bib. Ency."


Question: What  is  revealed  tvith  respect  to  heaven  as  a  place  ?

Answer: All the Scripture representations of heaven involve the idea of a definite place, as well as of a state of blessedness. Of that place, however, nothing more is revealed than that it is defined by the local presence of Christ's finite soul and body, and that it is the scene of the pre-eminent manifestation of God's glory. John xvii. 24; 2 Cor. v. 9; Rev. v. 6. From such passages as Rom. viii. 19-23; 2 Pet. iii. 5-13; Rev. xxi. 1, it appears not improbable that after the general destruction of the present form of the world by fire, which shall accompany the judgment, this world will be reconsti- tuted, and gloriously adapted to be the permanent residence of Christ and his church. As there is to be a " spiritual body," there may be in the same sense a spiritual world, that is, a world adapted to be the theatre of the glorified spirits of the saints made perfect. As nature was cursed for man's sake, and the creature, through him, made subject to vanity, it may be that they sliall share in his redemption and exaltation. — See Fair- bairn's "Typology," Part H., Chap, ii., sec. 7. 4. Wherein does the blessedness of heaven consist as far as revealed ? 1st. Negatively, in perfect deliverance from sin, and from all its evil consequences, physical, moral, and social. — Rev. vii. 16, 17; xxi. 4, 27. 2d. Positively. (1.) In the perfection of our nature, both material and spiritual; the full development and harmonious exercise of all our faculties, intellectual and moral, and in the unrestrained progress thereof to eternity. — 1 Cor. xiii. 9-12; XV. 45-49; 1 John iii. 2. (2.) In the sight of our blessed Re- deemer, communion with his person, and fellowship in all his glory and blessedness, and through him with saints and angels. John xvii. 24; 1 John i. 3; Rev. iii. 21; xxi. 3, 4, 5. (3.) In that "beatific vision of God," which, consisting in the ever increasingly clear discoveiy of the divine excellence lovingly THE BLESSEDNESS OF HEAVEN. 579 apprehended, transforms the soul into the same image, from glory unto glory. — Matt. v. 8; 2 Cor. iii. 18. In meditating upon what is revealed of the conditions of heavenly existence two errors are to be avoided: 1st, the ex- treme of regarding the mode of existence experienced by the saiats in heaven as too nearly analogous to that of our earthly life; 2d, the opposite extreme of regarding the conditions of the heavenly life as too widely distinguished from that of our present experience. The evil effect of the first extreme will, of course, be to degrade by unworthy associations our concep- tions of heaven; while the evil efiect of the opposite extreme will be in great measure to destroy the moral power which a hope of heaven should naturally exert over our hearts and lives, by rendering our conceptions of it vague, and our sym- pathy with its characteristics consequently distant and feeble. To avoid both of these extremes, we sliould fix the limits within which our conceptions of tlie future existence of the saints must range, by distinguishing between tliose elements of man's na- ture, and of his relations to God and other men, wliich are essential and unchangeable, and those elements which must be changed in order to render his nature in his relations per- fect. 1st. The following must be changed: (1) all sin and its consequences must be removed; (2) "spiritual bodies" must take the place of our present flesh and blood; (3) the new heavens and the new earth must take the place of tlie present heavens and earth, as the scene of man's life; (4) the laws of social organization must be radically changed, since in heaven there will be no marriage, but a social order analogous to that of the " angels of God " introduced. 2d. The following elements are essential, and therefore unchangeable. (1.) Man will continue ever to exist, as com- pounded of two natures, spiritual and material. (2.) He is essentially intellectual, and must live by knowledge. (3.) He is essentially active, and must have work to do. (4.) Man can, as a finite creature, know God only mediately, ?. e., through his works of creation and providence, the experience of his gracious work upon our hearts, and through his incarnate Son, who is the image of his person, and the fulness of the Godhead bodily. God will therefore in heaven continue to teach man through his works, and to act upon him by means of motives addressed to his will through his understanding. (5.) The memory of man never finally loses the slightest impression, and it will belong to the perfection of the heavenly state that every experience acquired in the past will alwa^'s be within the perfect control of the will. (6.) I\Ian is essentially a social being. This, taken in connection with the preceding point, 580 HEAVEN AND HELL. indicates the conclusion that the associations, as well as the experience of our earthly life, will cany all of their natural consequences with them into the new mode of existence, except as far as they are necessarily modified (not lost) by the change. (7.) Man's life is essentially an eternal progress towards infinite perfection. (8.) All the known analogies of God's works in creation, in his providence in the material and moral world, and in his dispensation of grace (1 Cor. xii. 5-28), indicate that in heaven saints will differ among themselves both as to inherent capacities and qualities, and as to relative rank and otfice. These differences will doubtless be deter- mined («) by constitutional differences of natural capacity, (/v) by gracious rewards in heaven corresponding in kind and degree to the gracious fruitfulness of the individual on earth, (c) by the absolute sovereignty of the Creator. — Matt. xvi. 27 ; Rom. ii. 6 ; 1 Cor. xii. 4-28. 5. What are the principal terms, literal and figurative, which are applied in Scripture to thefidure condition of the reprobate ? As a place, it is sometimes literally designated by aidr/?, Hades, and sometimes by vsewa, both translated hell. — Matt. V. 22, 29, 30; Luke xvi. 23. Also by the phrase, "place of tor- ment."— Luke xvi. 28. As a condition of suffering, it is literally designated by the phrases, "wrath of God," Rom. ii. 5, and " second death," Rev. xxi. 8. Figurative terms. — Everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. — Matt, xxv, 4L The hell of fire, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. — Mark ix. 44. The lake which biu'neth Avith fire and brimstone. — Rev. xxi. 8. Bottomless pit. — Rev. ix. 2. The dreadful nature of this abode of the wicked is implied in such expressions as " oiiter dark- ness," the place "where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth," Matt. viii. 12; "I am tormented in this flame," Luke xvi. 24; "unquenchable fire," Luke iii. 17; "furnace of fire," Matt. xiii. 42; "blackness of darkness," Jude 13; "torment in fire and brimstone," Rev. xiv. 10; "the smoke of their torment ascendeth forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night," Rev. xiv. 11. — Kitto's " Bib. Ency." 0. What do the So'iptures teach as to the nature of future punishments ? The terms used in Scripture to describe these sufferings are evidently figurative, yet they certainly establish the following points. These sufferings will consist — 1st. In the loss of all good, whether natural, as granted through Adam, oFgi-acious, as offered through Christ. 2d. In all the natural consequences THE PENALTY OF SIN ENDLESS SUFFERING. 581 of unrestrained sin, judicial abandonment, utter alienation from God, and the awful society of lost men and devils. — 2 Thess. i. 9. 3 J. In the positive infliction of torment, God's wrath and curse descending upon both the moral and physical nature of its objects. The Scriptures also establish the fact that these suf- ferings must be — 1st. Inconceivably dreadful in degree. 2d. Endless in duration. 3d. Various in degree, proportionately to the deserts of the subject. — Matt. x. 15 ; Luke xii. 48. 7. What is the -usage of the ivords, dioov, eternity, and dioavioi, eternal, in the New Testament, and tJie argument thence derived establishing the endless duration of future punishment ? 1st. The Greek language possesses no more emphatic terms with which to express the idea of endless duration than these. 2d. Although they are sometimes employed in the New Testa- ment to designate limited duration, je,t, in the vast majority of instances, they evidently designate unlimited duration. 3d. They are used to express the endless duration of God. (1.) dioov is thus used, 1 Tim. i. 17, and as applied to Christ, Rev. i. 18. (2.) dioavioi is thus used, Rom. xvi. 26, and as applied to the Holy Ghost. — Heb. ix. 14. 4th. They are used to express the endless duration of the future happiness of the saints. (1.) dioov is thus used. — John vi. 57, 58; 2 Cor. ix. 9. (2.) diojvioi is thus used. — Matt. xix. 29; Mark x. 30; John iii. 15; Rom. ii. 7. 5th. In Matt. XXV. 46, the very same word is used in a single clause to define at once the duration of the future happiness of the saints, and the misery of the lost. Thus the Scriptures do ex- pressly declare that the duration of the future misery of the lost is to be in precisely the same sense unending, as is either the life of God, or the blessedness of the saints. See the learned, independent, and conclusive critical examination of the New Testament usage of these words by the late Prof Moses Stuart, " Stuart's Essays on Future Punishment," published Presby. Board of Publication. 8. What evidence for the truth on this subject is furnished hy the Neil) Testament uscuje of tlie word dCdios? This word, formed from dsi, always, forever, signifies, in classical Greek, eternal. It occurs only twice in the New Tes- tament, Rom. i. 20, " even his eternal power and Godhead," and Jude 6, " Angels reserved in everlasting chains." But lost men share the fate of lost angels. — Matt. xxv. 41 ; Rev. xx. 10. Thus the same word expresses the duration of the Godhead and of the sufierings of the lost. 582 HEAVEN AND HELL.