soul, but the resurrection of the body. Accordingly Job says, in verse 12, "Man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."

"If a man dies shall he live again?" Is a question human wisdom could never answer in the affirmative. All past experience and daily observation answer it in the negative. It is true that several persons, under both the Jewish and Christian dispensations, were raised from the dead, but they all died again. They were examples of the power of God, but gave no certainty to man, that he should be raised from death to die no more. This depends entirely on the good pleasure and promise of the author of life, and deists would confer a favor by informing us, how his pleasure respecting this could be known without a divine revelation. No miracle could be better suited to attest a divine revelation than raising a dead person to life. It was a specimen of the thing promised, attested the truth of the promise, and proved that he who wrought it was from God.

Scripture and facts show, that the hope of a resurrection from the dead formed a broad line of distinction between believers in a divine revelation and all the heathen world. The latter had no hope of this, 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. They deemed it incredible, Acts 23: 6-9. 24: 21. 28: 20. Even the learned Athenians mocked at it, Acts 17. Among the Jews, the sect of the Sadducees denied the resurrection, but the Pharisees believed it, hence when Paul expressed his hope of the resurrection, the two sects. were immediately at variance, Acts 23: 6-8. 26: 8. Our Lord imputed the Sadducees? denial of the resurrection to their ignorance of the Scriptures. The doctrine of transmigration, which was considered a kind of resurrection, was believed by some in the

days of our Lord, John 9. 1-3. Matt. 14: 1, 2. 16: 14. Mark 6: 15, 16. Luke 9: 7, 19. But this, with many other notions, the Jews had learned from their intercourse with the heathen. See Essay i. sect. 3.

We have seen from the preceding Section, that Christianity is founded on the fact, that Christ rose from the dead. This fact was the constant theme of the apostles; but in connexion with it they preached "through Jesus Christ the resurrection from the dead," Acts 17: 18, 32. To the hope of this men were be gotten by the labors of the apostles. They considered all their labors lost, where this hope was not produced; and to all who enjoyed it, it was a constant theme of gratitude, and the most powerful motive to a holy life, 1 Peter 1: 3, 4. 1 John 3: 3. He who abandoned this, abandoned Christianity, 1 Cor. 15. 2 Tim. 2: 18.

In considering the subject of man's resurrection from the dead, an answer to the following questions will embrace the substance of what the Bible says on this subject.

1st, Who is to raise the dead? This is always ascribed in Scripture to the power of God. No man, who believes in his power, can doubt it. Paul declares it is God who raiseth the dead, 2 Cor. 1: 9. But he is to raise the dead by Jesus Christ in the last day, 2 Cor. 4: 14. John 6. Stephen knowing this, commended his spirit or himself to Jesus. Had the Sadducees duly considered the power of God, they would not have denied the resurrection, for our Lord imputes their denial of it to their ignorance of his power, as well as their ignorance of the Scriptures.

2d. Who are to be raised from the dead? Paul says, Acts 24: 15, "and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust." Our Lord had said, Luke 14: 14, thou shalt

be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” But, some it is thought affirmed that the unjust were not to be raised, but were to be blotted forever out of existence; hence, in opposition to this sentiment, Paul declared his faith in the resurrection of the unjust as well as the just. Some now affirm that the wicked are not to be raised. This is just what the heathen world believed concerning all, for they deemed a resurrection of the dead impossible. It has become a popular doctrine among all sects in our day, that Jesus Christ died for all. We hope it will soon come to be as popular, that he rose for just as many as he died, and this was for their justification. It appears to me a strange doctrine, that Christ should be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, yet rise only for a few. Does not Paul plainly intimate that he rose for the justification of all for whose sins he was delivered? Rom. 4; 25, and is it more certain that in Adam all die, than that in Christ all shall be made alive? 1 Cor. 15. There is only one passage which speaks of the resurrection of the wicked: as our orthodox friends and Mr. Hudson lay great stress on it, in proving their respective views of an endless and limited punishment, we shall here consider it. It is

John 5: 28, 29. "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." This passage we have considered very fully in the Universalist Magazine, vol. 7. to which I must refer the reader for many remarks which my limits will not permit me to introduce. Passing over a full examination of the context there given, I would only remark, that this passage occurs in a discourse of our Lord's to the unbelieving Jews,

defending his conduct for healing a man on the Sabbath day. Keeping this in view, let us come directly to the passage. It is said "Marvel not at this for the hour is coming." Marvel not at what, let it be asked. Answer: at what our Lord had just stated, verses 26, 27, that the Father had given to the Son to have life in himself, and had also given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the son of man. Two things demand attention:

1st. To what period of time did our Lord refer by the expression "the hour is coming?" Mr. Hudson, in common with our orthodox brethren, say, the end of this world, or the general resurrection of the dead. But they take this for granted, and here their mistaken view of the passage originates. Scripture usage of this expression is entirely against them. It occurs only in the following places, which I shall quote at once. The Greek phrase is erhatai hora, "the hour is coming," and is used by our Lord, verse 25 of this chapter. "The hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live." Again, John 4: 21. "Jesus saith unto her, woman, believe me the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Verse 23,"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." Again, John 16: 2, "the hour cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." Verse 4, "and these things have I told you, that when the time shall come ye may remember that I told you of them." Verse 25, "these things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father." Verse 32,"behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come,

that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me."

Mr. Hudson contends that the passage before us "holds forth the idea of a retribution—a retribution which is to take place at a specified time or period." But, does he proceed to show that this specified time is at the resurrection of the dead? No, let the reader turn to his Letters, p. 173-185, and he will see that he does not even attempt this, but assumes it, and proceeds as if his readers were bound to take his word for it. But this was the first, yea, the chief thing he ought to have settled, for he may now see that all he has said in these thirteen pages is at once overturned from those places where the phrase erhatai hora, "the hour is coming," is used. The word hora, rendered hour, is in other places rendered by the word time, and is so rendered by some in the passage under consideration. That the whole phrase "the hour is coming," or "the time is coming," has no reference, in any one of these texts, to the time of the resurrection I am confident Mr. Hudson will admit. He, and all others, will allow, that a moral, not a literal, resurrection is referred to at verse 25. I ask him—did our Lord mean that at the general resurrection people should not worship at mount Gerizim, nor at Jerusalem? Dr. Whitby, quoted in the Magazine referred to, shows that he alluded to the time when the Jewish system was to be abolished, as Malachi foretold, ch. 1: 11. and which Paul, Heb. 8: 13, says was ready to vanish away. The Hebrews saw this day approaching, 10: 25. And John, 1st epist. 2: 18, says the last hour of it had arrived. The very same language our Lord uses at verse 25, "the hour cometh and now is," he had used, John 4: 23.. But will Mr. Hudson or any other man say he referred to the resurrection of the