prophecy, which, though in reality a prophecy of the first resurrection, was, doubtless, by its Jewish readers, as indeed it is by most modern commentators, understood as one of the general resurrection: "Thy dead men shall live; my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead" (Isa. xxvi. 19). And, lastly, Daniel, casting aside the prophetic ambiguity in which it had hitherto been veiled, announced it in these clear and unequivocal terms, And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. xii. 2). And hence we find, that in the time of Christ the belief of the resurrection of the body was held not only by the Pharisees, but by the great body of the Jewish people, as we may learn from the words of Martha respecting her deceased brother, when, in answer to the Lord's promise, "Thy brother shall rise again;" she said, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John xi. 23, 24). "Indeed," says Dr. KITTO, "they seem to have regarded the future life as incomplete without the body; and so intimately were the two things-the future existence of the soul and the resurrection of the body-connected in their minds, that any argument which proved the former, they considered as proving the latter also." Which opinion, it may be added, appears to have been sanctioned by Christ Himself (Matt. xxii. 23-32; Luke xx. 39). But,

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no reason to believe that the general resurrection is a part of the mediatorial economy;" but, on the contrary, there are weighty reasons for concluding that it is not so. To say, as Mr. BIRKS does, in his Outlines of Unfulfilled Prophecy," that "the theology which asserts that there is no common principle in the two cases, is erroneous and antiscriptural," is, despite his acknowledged ability and acuteness of mind, to manifest entire ignorance of "the mystery of the kingdom of heaven." Upon 1 Cor. xv. 22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," one of the very few texts he could quote on his side of the question, Mr. Birks asserts, "No words could more plainly extend the resurrection, here announced, to all who die in Adam. As bodily death comes upon all men through the sin of Adam, so a bodily resurrection is assured to all men through the redemption of Christ."* This statement we hesitate not to deny as alike exegetically, theologically, and morally false.

(1.) It is false exegesis, inasmuch as the apostle, not only in this verse but throughout the whole chapter, is treating expressly of the first resurrection of the saints, and not of the general resurrection at all. The word "all" therefore, according to a canon of interpretation universally recognised, must be understood as corresponding in the extent of its meaning with the subject of which the apostle is treating; i.e., the resurrection of the saints. And the meaning of the verse is, that "as in Adam all (the saints) die, even so in Christ shall all (the saints) be made alive." Which in2. We observe, secondly, that the resur- terpretation is confirmed by what folrection of the dead generally, is in no re-lows: "But every man in his own band spect the consequence of Christ's media- (Tayμari): Christ the first fruits; aftertorial work. Nowhere in scripture do we ward they that are Christ's at His coming. find the resurrection of the bodies of all After that (eira)† cometh the end, when men connected, as the first resurrection of He shall have delivered up the kingdom the saints is confessedly connected, with to God, even the Father; when He shall the resurrection of Christ; or any in- have put down all rule and all authority timation given that apart from Him there Iwould have been no resurrection at all.

*Page 217.

bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the + Compare Mark iv. 28, "For the earth blade, then (eira) the ear; after that (ELTα) the full corn in the ear.' The Greek word to denote immediate sequence is not era. but Tore, e.g., (Matt. xxv. 1). "Then (TOTE) shall the kingdom of heaven be likened," &c..

and power. For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet" (verses 24, 25).

The

heavenly. And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall also
bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor.
xv. 47-49). Can this be said of
any
but the saints of God? "The earthy
is Adam, whose image we all bear; "the
heavenly" is Christ, whose image His
elect alone are to be conformed to. Yet
all those of whom the apostle speaks
are to bear the image of the heavenly.
Of what nature the resurrection-bodies
of the wicked shall be, the scriptures
give us but little information. This
much, however, we may safely infer:
(1.) That they will be but natural
bodies; for as the wicked die "flesh
and blood," so they will rise again "flesh
and blood," there being in their case no
provision made (by impartation of the
Spirit) for the passing of the soulical
into the spiritual. For while it is said,
indeed, that "flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither
doth corruption inherit incorruption"
(1 Cor. xv. 50), it is not said that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the king-
dom of darkness, or that the corruptible
cannot inherit corruption. And though
it may appear a slight, it yet seems to
us a most significant circumstance, that
the word incorruption (ἀφθαρσία)
which the apostle here uses to describe
the character of the spiritual body, is
never in scripture applied to the wicked.
No; bodily incorruption is to be the in-
heritance of the saints alone; for "he that
soweth to the flesh, shall," we are told,
" reap corruption" (Gal. vi. 8); corrup-
tion in body as well as soul, corruption
not only in this world but in the next.
(2.) The wicked shall rise "to shame and
everlasting contempt" (Dan. xii. 2);
and this shame and contempt will, we
can hardly doubt, attach to their bodies
as well as their souls. Their bodies
will reflect but too plainly,
the corrup-

(2.) Again; it is false theology. statement of this 22nd verse is, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." And without looking beyond it, it might suffice to ask, Are all men in Christ? To be "in Christ," as we have long ago seen, is to be united to Him, to be a partaker of His resurrection-life. As Paul says in his second epistle to the same church, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor. v. 17). Unless, therefore, the Bible teaches that all men are in Christ," and that all being united to Him shall attain to everlasting life, it is obvious that this verse has reference only to the people of God. But further; the meaning of this verse is explained and opened out in a subsequent part of the chapter. We read, at the 45th verse, “And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening | spirit." Here, then, we see that it is not upon the same principle that men are "made alive" in Adam and in Christ. In the one case the life is soulical, in the other it is spiritual. The resurrection, however, of which the apostle speaks is a spiritual resurrection, a resurrection dependent upon the fact of Christ's being made a quickening spirit" to those who partake of it. But again we ask, Is Christ made a quickening spirit" to all men? No; "The Son quickeneth (only) whom He will" (John v. 21). This," He says, "is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him may have everlasting life; and Ition and loathsomeness of the souls will raise him up at the last day" (John within. No longer will a fair face mask vi. 39, 40). a rotten heart; externally as well as internally, "he that is filthy shall be filthy still;" and, to adopt the fearful language of the prophet, we may say, perhaps without a figure, that the very carcases of the men who transgressed against the Lord, shall be an abhorrence unto all flesh" (Isa. lxvi. 24).*

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Moreover, according to the "principle" upon which the dead are raised, will be the nature of their resurrectionbodies. "The first man," the apostle tells us, "is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As (therefore) is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are

66

وو

*"All that we learn is, that the wicked

.

(3.) But, above all, this opinion that believe, "equally in the scope of the the general resurrection is dependent on law and in the mind of the Lawgiver, the mediatorial work of Christ, is morally when the sentence was denounced, false. It is utterly repugnant, not only Thou shalt die-thou shalt return to to the true sense of the passage quoted the ground.' It is a universal event. in support of it, and to the whole teach- The body being the organ of the mind, ing of scripture, but even to our natural is held to an account beyond this conscience. It is quite absurd to speak sentient life. The full development of of the resurrection of the wicked as a the mind depends upon the restoration result of Christ's redemption, since it is of its organs. Justice could in neither altogether an act of judicial punishment, instance be exercised unless by their not of redemptive grace. The resurrec- rejunction. If it has relation to man in tion of the body, after death, is in fact a future state of existence, it is to the just as necessary for the purposes of whole man. That man may be modified; moral retribution as the immortality of he is now constantly modified in every the soul itself. The wicked are to advancing stage of his being; but he is receive for the deeds done in the body, still the same. He is the fitting subject of which deeds the body was the instru- for the same justice." Thus we see ment. It was not the soul alone that that the resurrection of the wicked is in sinned, but the man composed of soul fact the consummation of their righteous and body; and as the man (both soul but awful doom. Happy had it been and body) sinned, so the man (both for them had there indeed, as the Sadsoul and body) must receive the wages ducees supposed, been no resurrection, of sin. neither angel nor spirit." The immortality of the soul itself is to them a fearful curse, but by the resurrection of the body this curse is intensified in the highest degree. And this consideration brings the question to a point. Are we to regard this augmentation of the misery of the lost as a result of the redemption of Christ? Did He who

The resurrection of the body was, therefore, a moral necessity, and as such it could not be dependent on the work of redemption, for which no such moral necessity existed. The righteous government of God demanded the punishment of the sinner, but in the gracious character of God alone is found the reason of redemption. Hence the resurrection of the body was, we must

shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt; and hence we may probably infer, that their external appearance will be such as is befitting the character of criminals, and will exhibit marks of the curse by which their whole person is devoted to irretrievable perdition."-Dr. JOHN DICK, "Lectures on Theology," vol. 4, p. 49.

"The wicked shall be raised in dishonour, or, as the prophet Daniel expresses it, 'to shame and everlasting contempt.' Some marks of dishonour will doubtless be impressed on their bodies. They shall be raised with all those natural blemishes and deformities which rendered them the object of contempt. That part which the body bore in tempting the soul to sin, shall tend to its everlasting reproach; and when re-united to it, those habits of sin which were contracted shall incurably remain, as well as the tormenting sense of guilt consequent upon them; so that the body shall be exposed to the wrath of God for ever."-DR. RIDGELEY, "Body of Divinity," vol. 2, pp. 268, 269.

* Dr. R. W. HAMILTON'S "Revealed Doctrine of Rewards and Punishments." To much the same purpose Brown of Haddington, observes: "Reason hints, that the law of God is given to our whole man, and is violated by our soul and body in connexion. The body, as an open part, admits incentives of good, and temptations to evil; the carnal affections depending on the body, corrupt and mislead the mind and affections. What ontward acts the soul designs, whether good or evil, the body executes. When the heart is filled with hatred of God, and all unrighteousness, the tongue and other bodily members are instruments to execute it. When the renewed soul loves and cleaves to Jesus Christ, the tongue utters his praise, and other bodily members labour, or endure suffering, for His sake. If these different parts of human nature share thus in actions, good or bad, it is reasonable that they share together the everlasting reward or punishment; and hence the body must be restored to life, and re-united with the soul, never more to be separated."-" Dictionary of the Bible," art. Resurrection.

came not to destroy men's lives in this world, yet come to increase their misery in the next? Does the sacrifice of love increase the fury of the fire that never shall be quenched? or does the glorious fact that Christ rose a quickening Spirit, add a new sting to the worm that never dies? No; we repudiate the thought with horror. Truly does Dr. DICK say, "Of all opinions none is more absurd than that of certain divines, who have maintained that the general resurrection is a privilege which Christ has procured for mankind in general by His death. To the wicked the resurrection is not a privilege, but a curse; it is not the effect of the goodness, but of the avenging justice of God. What the saints owe to his mediation is a happy resurrection, the change of a tremendous evil into an unspeakable blessing."* For, be it observed, it cannot be said in this case that it is the rejection of the blessing that entails the curse; that the

* " "Lectures on Theology," vol. 4, pp. 49, 50.

whole work of Christ was intended
to be a blessing, but to those who reject
it, it becomes a curse. Even on more
general grounds, as regards the recep-
tion or rejection of the gospel, we are
not prepared to concede this; but in
the special instance before us the argu-
ment fails utterly, because while all men'
are to experience a bodily resurrection,
multitudes of them have never heard the
name of Christ, and cannot possibly,
therefore, have rejected His gospel.
Even in the case of the saints it is not,
as Dr. Dick intimates, the mere fact of
their resurrection that is to be connected
with the resurrection of Christ, since that
depends, in their case, as much as in the case
of the wicked, on a moral necessity. But
what they owe to Christ, as a quicken-
ing Spirit, is the abnormal character of
their resurrection; that it is to be the
resurrection not of a natural but of a
spiritual body; that it is not the resur-
rection of damnation, but of life and
glory.
(To be continued.)

A DREAM.

“In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep fulleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed."-Job. xxxiii. 15.

WITHOUT entering upon the subject beautiful water should be allowed to run of the nature of dreams, whether super- away as it does; and the man who had natural or otherwise, I will relate a cir- guided him to that place said, Taste it; cumstance which struck me as a remark- and as he was tasting it he awoke. able illustration of the above text. The From that time he was for months under person who related it to me was the indi- deep distress of soul on account of his vidual who had the dream, or vision. past life of sin; and he is now seeking It was as follows:-While on his bed, for that living water which shall quench as he supposes asleep, he appeared to his thirst. May He, whose arm has, we be in company with another person, hope, snatched him as a brand from the drawn onward till he came to the place burning, lead him to fountains of living of the lost, whom he thought he saw; water, and wipe all tears from his eyes. and as he looked thereon, much affrighted, those suffering in the torments of the fire seemed to be calling upon him to come, and beckoning with their hands; and he seemed to draw nearer and nearer, when he felt the pressure of a hand, by which he was snatched away from the burning; and being led by this person, he came to a beautiful place, where he found a spring of inost delicious and clear water. He remarked to his companion, what a pity this

Is it at all improbable that the Lord works by such means? The Word assures us it is not. But, as I told him, there would be no doubt as to the genuineness of the seed (the Word) sown, when the fruit is brought forth. "Make the tree good and the fruit will be good." If this change is of God, and a remarkable change there is in the poor man, Satan cannot overturn God's work.

W. T.

SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON BY AN EMINENT DISSENTING

MINISTER.

"But Christ as a Son over His own house; whose house are ye."—Heb. iii. 6.