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The apostle Paul, in his own peculiar way, describes a two-fold present death, each with its appropriate sequel. There is first a death in sin, which, if it continue, must, at the resurrection of the unjust, end in death in its fullest and most awful sense. Then there is a death to sin, which has for its necessary counterpart a resurrection to God and holiness, with the glorious issue of eternal life at the resurrec tion of the just. It is true, as the work before us maintains, that, in both of these senses, respect is always had to the final issues of the judgment. But it is equally true that in a multitude of passages it is not possible to restrict the words life and death, by a mere prolepsis, to the events of the resurrection. This would involve us in contradictions and absurdities without end. We might refer to Eph. 2: 1-6, and the whole of the sixth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, where the apostle's language is too explicit to be misunderstood. But we will restrict ourselves to some passages in the epistle to the Colossians. In exhibiting the glorious nature and results of our union with Christ, he

says:

"In whom also ye are circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ buried with him in baptism, in whom also ye have been raised up along with him (ἐν ᾧ καὶ συνηγέρθητε) through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead. And you being dead' in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he hath made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." ch. 2: 11—13.

It is manifest that the "circumcision not made with hands," and the resurrection in and with Christ, are coëval in time. They have both taken place, and they both im ply a previous state of death in sin, and a resurrection from that death, through Christ, to God and holiness.2 Accord

1 νεκρούς, which is used in a spiritual sense as well as ἀποθνήσκω, the former denoting a state, the latter an act or process. See Rom. 6: 11, 13; Eph. 2: 1.5; and Matt. 8: 22: "Let the dead bury their dead,” which cannot be explained as simply meaning those doomed to die.

2 This spiritual resurrection, which has for its sequel the resurrection of the body and the full glory of heaven at the last day, is always represented as taking place with Christ (συνηγέρθητε, συνεζωοποίησε), where the preposition denotes

ingly he says a little further on: "If ye have died (aπedá(ἀπεθάVETE) with Christ from the elements of the world, why as if living in the world are ye subject to ordinances?" And in the beginning of the next chapter: " If ye then have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God,"2 and immediately afterwards: "For ye have died” (åπeðávete) — died with Christ to this world and sin (ch. 2: 20)" and your life is hid with Christ in God," a passage which our author has wholly misapprehended, from not considering it in its connection with the preceding context.

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And precisely because the sacred writers regard this spiritual death to the world and sin, with its accompanying resurrection to God and holiness, as so connected with the literal resurrection at the last day that the two are but parts of one glorious whole, they slide easily and almost insensibly from the one to the other. In the passage last quoted, we have a striking illustration of this. "For ye are dead" - he begins with that death to the world and all its vanity which believers have already undergone" and your life is hid with Christ in God." This death to the world and sin has introduced them to a new life with Christ. But of this they have now only the earnest. Its full glory is hid with Christ in God. See how his mind goes, like a flash of lightning, from the present spiritual resurrection of believers to the resurrection of the last day! Hence he adds: "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory." In the sublime passage, John 5: 21-29, there is the same play of the mind between the two ideas. To the superficial reader it seems like confusion,

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not only union with Christ, but similitude. Once the point of similitude seems to be the abolishing of sin, though in different ways (Rom. 6: 10, 11, compared with Heb. 9: 26). In a more general sense, however, it is not merely the abolishing of sin, but also all that suffering to which the conflict with sin, implied in our dying to it and being crucified to the world, exposes us. Compare 2 Tim. 2: 11, 12: "For if we have died with Christ (ovvanεvúvoμɛv) we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him."

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whereas it is but a blending of the parts which are, in the economy of grace, indivisible.

It is now, we trust, abundantly manifest that the writers of the New Testament employ the words death and life to denote a present spiritual condition of the soul; always, however, with a reference to the final destiny connected with this condition, which destiny is also itself expressed by the same terms. With respect to the sinner, it is now a living death, and therefore no argument can be drawn from the term it self to show why it should not be such a death hereafter. Analogy, on the contrary, points wholly to a death of sinfulness and misery, not of annihilation.

3. The second death. This expression, borrowed from the usage of the Jewish doctors, occurs four times in the Apocalypse. Since the inspired penman has given, as we shall see, an exact definition of the sense in which he uses it, we need not here pause to consider the various ideas attached to it by the Jewish writers.

II. Passages of Scripture examined.

The way is now fully prepared for the examination of some passages of Scripture. Here we need only to bear in mind the following simple rules:

First, the Scriptures employ the language of common life, and are to be interpreted accordingly. Philosophical definitions and metaphysical distinctions are not to be sought in them.

Secondly, the first and obvious meaning of Christ and his apostles, as it must have been understood by their hearers or readers, and as they must have known that it would be understood, is, of course, the true meaning; not some interpretation that is afterwards forced upon their language from dogmatic considerations. This true meaning may indeed cover some deep principle which is but feebly apprehended at the time. In other words, the language of inspired men may have a greater fulness of meaning than those to whom it is originally addressed are able to apprehend. Yet this

meaning must be legitimately contained in it, needing only a true development that it may be brought to light.

Thirdly, in comparing different passages of Scripture which treat of the same doctrine, the obscure and ambiguous is always to be explained by that which is clear and certain.

Fourthly, it is always pertinent to inquire what were the received ideas of the persons addressed, or, at least, ideas with which they were familiar. Yet we cannot suppose that our Saviour and his apostles accommodated their teaching to the false notions of the age. On the contrary, they sepa rated the true from the false, shedding new light upon the former, while they rejected the latter.

With the aid of these few plain rules, which are not original with us, we shall be at no loss to determine what the New Testament teaches on the momentous question now under consideration.

The Rich man and Lazarus. It may be at once conceded that this is a parable, and not real history. But in the lips of our Lord the whole force of a parable consists in its illustrating a true principle. Whether the parable of the Pharisee and the publican was, or was not based, on a literal historic event, is of no consequence. In either case it teaches the same great doctrine. Just so in the parable now under consideration. And that doctrine is too obvious to be misapprehended. An ingenious fancy might invent fifty modes of explaining it away, but it would still remain perfectly plain that our Lord intended it to apply to the condition of men's souls after death.

It may be conceded, again, that the fire in which this rich man is tormented, with the other drapery of the parable, is symbolical. Since he is a disembodied spirit, it would seem that it must be so understood. But the thing symbolized cannot be less terrible than the symbol itself.

1 Luke 16: 19-31.

2 Such, for example, as that the scope of the parable is to represent the calling into the church (Abraham's bosom) of the Gentiles, or of the "publicans and sinners" represented by Lazarus, and the rejection of the scribes and pharisees for whom the rich man stands.

It is conceded, once more, that this man is in Hades (ev To adŋ), not in Gehenna (yeévva). The scene is laid be (ἐν τῷ fore the final judgment, for his five brethren are yet living on earth. We are not certain, however, that our Lord meant to lay any stress upon this distinction. It is very possible that he intended simply to represent the awful reverse in the condition of wicked men after death, taken as a whole. But if the distinction between Hades and Gehenna be insisted on, this only makes the representation ten-fold more terrible. For the New Testament teaches, beyond the possibility of doubt, that the happiness of the righteous and the misery of the wicked are consummated, not in the intermediate state, but at the resurrection. It is when Christ comes to be glori fied in his saints, that he also takes vengeance on them that know not God. If now this rich man, tormented in the flame of Hades and asking in vain for a drop of water to cool his tongue, is yet waiting with horror for the day of Christ's vengeance, what must be that vengeance! Can it be the everlasting cessation of all suffering by annihilation? To believe such a contradiction is impossible.

The reader is especially requested to notice the fact that in this parable fire is employed, in entire accordance with Jewish usage, as the symbol of torment, not of destruction: "I am tormented in this flame." No intimation is given that in this torment there is any approach towards annihilation. On the contrary his state of misery is represented as fixed: "Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence" -and there he is left.

2. Parable of the tares in the field. The scene of this parable is expressly placed at the end of the world: "The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels." Our Saviour proceeds to say:

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be

in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and

1

v. 26.

2 Matt. 13: 24-30, 36-43.

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