ing, it seems strange that any one should imagine that the apostle meant to say the same body should rise again, when his words so plainly imply the contrary. "Thou sowest not that body that shall be.". Had he omitted the negative adverb not, and said, "Thou sowest that body that shall be," we might then suppose that, in this expression, he advocated the resurrection of the same body; but then he must have contradicted himself; because in other parts of the chapter he talks very differently.

But the truth is, the apostle, in this expression, had particular reference to the act of depositing seed in the earth, as a figure to show the nature of the resurrection. For as it is with seed which is put into the ground, having a principle of life in itself, and being quickened by the power of vegetation, the body of it dies and rots in the earth, before a new body of the same species can rise from it, and come to maturity; so it is with the natural man when sown in the gospel field, his spirit must be quickened by the renovating power of Christ, and all that belongs to that earthly nature in which he was born and brought up, must die in him; and the soul must be renewed and grow up into the heavenly nature of Christ, who is the resurrection and the life. When it is thus raised, it is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven, but not before.

Again: "Some will say, How are the dead raised up, and with "what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is "not quickened except it die." If we are to understand by this sowing, the act of putting the dead body into the grave, as some suppose, then we must also understand that the dead body dies after it is put into the grave, which is a most glaring absurdity. But if this be not granted, then the dead body can have no part in the resurrection: "for that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die."

"It is sown a natural body." The apostle, in this expression, evidently alluded to the sowing of the seed of man, which produces a mortal being, in which is a spiritual substance clothed with a mortal body, composed of the elements of this world, and in a fallen, depraved, corrupted and feeble state, subject to death and exposed to sin and misery. And this spiritual substance is that which constitutes the real man, which, as the apostle says, "is sown "in corruption and raised in incorruption-is sown in dishonor, "and raised in glory-is sown in weakness, and raised in power"is sown a natural body (that is, in a natural body) and raised a 66 spiritual body:" for it is evident, and well understood, that while the soul is in a fallen state, it is considered and accounted natural. Its life is natural; and this life must die before it can be raised to a heavenly life. Thus it is plain that, "there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."

"It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." As

the sowing alludes to the introduction of the natural man into the natural world by generation; so the raising alludes to the rising of the soul into the heavenly world by regeneration, and thus it becomes a spiritual body. Hence it is not the natural, but the spiritual body which is the subject of the resurrection. This may be clearly seen and understood in the close of the apostle's discourse on this subject, where he respectively points out the descent and order of the natural man from the first Adam, who was "of the earth, earthy;" and the descent and order of the spiritual man from the second Adam, who was "the Lord from Heaven, a quickening spirit."*

"There are celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial," saith the apostle; "but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." The terrestrial bodies of men and women, like the terrestrial bodies of other animals, are composed of the temporal elements, and are created for time. But the celestial or spiritual bodies of mankind are composed of spiritual elements, and are created for eternity. The true glory of the former consists in their operating in their proper places and order, in doing the work required of them in this terrestrial world; while the true glory of the latter consists in their operating in their proper places and order, in doing the work required of them in the heavenly world.

Thus we may see that the true resurrection consists in the rising of the spiritual part of man from the terrestrial elements, into which it has been sown by generation, to the celestial. By the operation of the Spirit of Christ, in the work of the regeneration, it is formed into a celestial and heavenly body, endowed with immortality and eternal life, and thus it becomes an everlasting inhabitant of the celestial world; and thus it is that, "this corruptible puts on incorruption, and this mortal puts on immortality." This glorious work of the resurrection has commenced, and will continue with increasing power and progress, until all souls shall have experienced its effects, either by coming forth to the resurrection of life, or to the resurrection of damnation.

CHAPTER VI.

The Day of Judgment.

THE Day of Judgment is inseparably connected with the Resurrection; and tho the belief in both is probably as extensive and universal as the profession of the christian religion; yet mankind appear to be as much in the dark with respect to the former as the latter. But that "God hath appointed a day in which he will

* See 1 Cor xv. 45. &c.

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judge the world in righteousness," and render impartial justice to every rational soul, is a truth which cannot reasonably be disputed. Such a judgment was frequently alluded to, by the patriarchs and prophets, from the earliest ages of the world; and was afterwards more fully declared and confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles. Indeed such a judgment is indispensably necessary from the very nature of righteousness and justice in God.

But what is this day of judgment? and in what manner is it to be brought about? These are questions of no small concern to mankind, and especially to those who profess the christian religion. Many who call themselves christians, are firm and confident in the belief, that the day of judgment is a certain appointed day, yet future, in which the whole creation will be put in the most terrible commotion; when the Lord Jesus Christ will suddenly descend from beyond the starry regions, and personally appear in the natural elements of clouds and flaming fire, surrounded with myriads of saints and angels, and with a voice surpassing ten thousand thunders, will call up all the dead bodies of Adam's race from their graves, and their souls from the eternal world, and cause them to appear, soul and body, in full form and stature, and in all their former life and sensation, before his awful throne in the skies, there to receive their final and irrevocable sentence of salvation or damnation.

But we would ask, how these ideas of the day of judgment can be reconciled with the opinion generally entertained, by these same sort of christians, that the final and everlasting fate of the soul is decided at the hour of death? If the soul of a man or woman who falls a victim to the grim messenger of death, is thenceforth immediately adjudged and consigned to eternal happiness or misery, without the possibility of a reversal, why should it be called up again to receive a second sentence, which, upon these principles, must necessarily be the same as the former? If the day of probation ends at death, and the fate of the soul is then unalterably fixed, according to the opinion of these christians, what can be the object of a day of judgment of the preceding description? Such a resurrection would undoubtedly afford a miraculous display of power to the view of the natural man; but if those who were thus raised from the dead had already received their final sentence, what advantage is to be derived from such a day of judgment? The resurrection may be needful to answer their plan; but of what use is the judgment, since their fate is already decided?

But we view the day of judgment in a very different light from all this. We view it as a work which has already commenced; a work which we ourselves have seen and felt, and can therefore testify from our own experience, that it is a work which, tho unseen by the natural man, is real and substantial; and tho gradual

and progressive in its operations, it is certain and effectual; and will continue to increase in power, till a full and final separation shall be made between good and evil. This work will be accomplished, both by the order and course of God's providence, and by the operations of the Spirit of Christ in his chosen witnesses, agreeable to ancient prediction: "Behold, the Lord cometh in ten thou"sands of his saints,* to execute judgment upon all, and to con"vince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds "which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard "speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."+

Here is a true description of the work of the judgment day. First, to separate between the principles of good and evil, and to convince souls of their ungodliness; and secondly, to render impartial justice to all souls, according to their works, after giving them a free and fair choice between good and evil. The same work is also alluded to, in the visions of the prophet Daniel. "The "kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under "the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of "the Most High ;" and "the judgment was set, and the books 66 were opened."‡

ans;

66 Do

That the saints are to judge the world, is a doctrine which was taught in the primitive church. Thus saith Paul to the Corinthiye not know that the saints shall judge the world ?"|| And again; "Some men's sins are opened beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after." Hence it is evident that all sin must be brought to judgment; and this work of judgment commences by bringing souls to an honest confession of their sins. Here a door is set open, and a free offer is made for all souls to enter in, and bring their sins to judgment by confession. And those who honestly do this, will have their sins separated from them by the spirit of judgment, and the purifying fire of the gospel: and thus the soul will be justified. But those who refuse to come to this equitable and righteous judgment of Christ, their sins will follow after them to the judgment of condemnation. "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."¶ if we try ourselves by the righteous judgment of God, and condemn all evil, and separate ourselves from it, and cleave only to that which is good, we shall not be judged to condemnation. But if we do not judge ourselves in this manner, we shall be judged unworthy of any portion with the righteous.

That is;

This Day of Judgment has now commenced, and God has begun to judge the nations of the earth, who have long been erring in judgment, and straying from the paths of justice and truth; and

*« In myriads of his saints," according to the original: the Greek proposition έv signifies in, and ought to be so translated.

Jude 14, 15.

Dan. vii. 10 & 27.

|| 1 Cor. vi. 2

T1 Cor. xi. 81.

this righteous judgment will never cease until the work of God shall be fully accomplished. It will prove efficacious in its operations, and will be made manifest in the conviction of evil of every description, and in the full developement of error of every kind, whether in judgment, opinion or practice. It will produce in the willing and obedient, the effectual destruction of all kinds of vice and immorality, and every principle of evil. It will enlighten mankind in the knowledge of the truth, and widely extend the benign principles of peace and good-will to man. It will greatly increase the practical duties of humanity, benevolence and charity, and produce a universal diffusion of divine light, and the knowledge of salvation; and in the end, it will effect the final decision and termination of the probationary state of all souls.

This Day of Judgment will be gradual and progressive, but certain and effectual; and it will continue till a full and final separation shall be made between good and evil. Then shall the righteous no longer suffer under the oppressive hands of the wicked; nor shall the wicked any more shelter himself under the banners of the righteous; but each shall reap the reward of his own doings, whether they be good or evil: for God will search the heart and try the reins of every creature. Then shall the covering be taken off from all people, and the veil be removed from all faces. Then shall Antichrist no longer beguile mankind with the mere name of religion in which there is no reality; nor his ministers any more deceive souls with the hope of salvation in their sins. Fraud and violence, theft and robbery, pride and ambition, malice and envy, falsehood and deception, and every species of wickedness will be completely uncovered, and appear in all their naked deformity; nor will it be in the power of man to conceal the smallest crime: for every secret sin will be brought fully to view. Then shall be accomplished the testimony of the Lord Jesus; "There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be known.”*

All these things will be effectually accomplished by the unerring Judgment of God. The judgment is already set, and the books are opening, and all flesh shall be judged according to the deeds done in the body. The book of life will be displayed, in due time, before the face of every human being, and every secret action will be brought to light, and it will be seen and known what kind of lives all have lived. Good and evil will then be made manifest to all, and in all; and that which was long ago spoken by the prophet Malachi, will then be clearly known and understood: "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand "when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's "soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he

*Luke xii. 2