CHAPTER XII.

THE SLEEP OF THE SOUL

CONCLUDED.

WHEN Jesus was discoursing with his disciples just prior to his apprehension, he said, "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me; and as I said to the Jews, Whither I go ye can not come,' so now I say to you." Observing the effect of this announcement upon their minds, he, after a few other remarks, added as follows:

"Let not your heart be troubled: . . . . . In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told I you. go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare [, better, "when I shall have gone and prepared"] a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John xiv. 1-3.

It is scarcely supposable that the Saviour's meaning in the above passage was really to the effect that in his Father's house are many sleepingrooms; and that he was going thither to fit up an apartment for his apostles to repose in, through a long, long night of unconsciousness, which was to intervene between the time of their deaths and the far-off morning of a yet future resurrection. But what less could He have meant, if the doctrine under examination was really His doctrine?

The apostles were at that time in His company - in the enjoyment of His society; but He had

1 John xiii. 33; vii. 34; viii. 21.

just notified them that he was about to leave them, and to go where they could not follow him. For their comfort, therefore, he assures them that he will come again, and will himself conduct them to his heavenly Father's house, that they may again be with him. Now, laying preconceived opinions aside, does it not really seem as though the Saviour intended to be understood as promising them that when they should again be where He would be, they should again enjoy his society? And how could they do this, unless they should be in a conscious state?

That the primitive Christians did not expect to remain in an unconscious state for a long term of time before being received by their ascended Master, is clearly indicated by the circumstance that Stephen, on being favored with a view of Him in heaven, exclaimed, while being stoned to death, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Query. Is it to be believed that this, the dying petition of the first Christian martyr, has not yet been granted?

At the close of the parables of the one lost sheep and the lost piece of silver, the Saviour avers that there is "joy" "in heaven," "in the presence of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth."1 Observe, here, that our Lord's affirmation is not that the angels rejoice over the repentant sinner(this, though by no means incredible, but quite the reverse, He neither affirms nor denies) what He affirms is precisely this, that there is joy in their presence. But this affirmation of His most clearly implies-what almost any person not asleep is abundantly capable of perceiving-that, at that time, there were beings in heaven who not only were not angels, but 1 Luke xv. 7, 10.

were in some sense inferior to angels, being in their in like manner as presence, in Luke i. 19-the angel Gabriel claims to "stand" habitually "in the presence of God." And it is as clearly implied also, that such beings, other and somewhat "lower than the angels," are the ones who the Saviour would have us understand were affected with "joy" at the repentance of sinners. But if Adam and Eve, and all their then deceased posterity, were at that very time in a state of profound sleep, and had been ever since their deaths, who could those "joy" affected beings have been?

Says Paul to the brethren at Philippi, "I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.' He was thus willing to abide here a while longer, yet rather desirous to depart. While remaining in the flesh, he would enjoy at least the satisfaction of doing good by his active labors in the cause of Christ; can it be, then, that he was really and understandingly desirous of entering upon a condition characterized by an entire suspension of enjoyment, as well as of activity?

The apostle was not merely a thoughtful manhe was an active, vigorous thinker. Could he possibly, then, consider it so very "far better" than the present life, to go into a state of thoughtless sleep for a series at least of years? being indeed "with Christ," in the sense of being laid away for repose in that particular department of the universe inhabited by Christ, yet totally incapable of enjoying even that fact, because unconscious of it? unconscious even of the Saviour's existence, yea, of the existence of God,

Phil. i. 23, 24.

and indeed that there was then such a being as himself, or ever had been? I confess I think not.

In an other place, the same apostle declares as follows:

"Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. (For we walk by faith, not by sight.) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Cor. v. 6-8.

Observe, here, that it was while the Christians were absent from the Lord they had to walk by faith instead of sight-the time when they could not see the Saviour, but had to be content with believing in him, was while they were in the body. And why should the apostle throw in that parenthesis,("we walk by faith, not by sight,")

unless he meant to give them the idea that when they should come to be present with Christ they would be privileged to walk by sight, and not alone by faith? According to Paul, then, the early believers would not only be with the Saviour on leaving the body, but when with him would be quite aware of the fact.

As regards seeing Christ in his glorified state, take the following from the beloved disciple, observing that John sometimes uses a pronoun to designate the Saviour, without havin first used the appropriate noun. The rendering given varies somewhat from that in the Common Version, being more literal, and, as is believed, more correct.

66

Beloved, now are we children of God; but what we shall be, has not yet been manifested; we know, however, that, when it shall have been manifested, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John iii. 2.

Those seeing, must certainly know something; and those knowing any thing, are, of course, in a

conscious state. How can we rationally, then, receive as a Scripture doctrine, that form of faith which teaches that when we leave the body we fall into a state of total insensibility and utter dormancy, which may last for perhaps thousands and thousands of years, during all which time we shall sleep, and sleep, and sleep, in wakeless, dreamless, motionless hibernation, not even for one instant knowing enough to know that we know not any thing.

The query may now arise, Is not the writer aware that the Scripture declares, in just the words used by him, that the dead "know not any thing"? I reply, I am perfectly aware of it. It was for the special purpose of calling attention to the text alluded to, that I employed its particular phraseology, instead of the stronger and more natural expression, "know nothing."

I defer to the authority of the Scriptures; but, like every other Bible man, I receive Scripture. testimony "as I understand it."

In interpreting a Scripture text, there is danger of mistaking the topic upon which the writer is treating, and so of being led into erroneous conclusions by the mere sound of words. Thus,

The same Bible which teaches, unequivocally, that "in Christ shall all be made alive," as also that "there shall be a resurrection of the dead," universally, declares just as plainly concerning certain persons, "They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise." 1 This sounds

as if teaching that some shall not live after death; shall not rise after their decease; but is it truly a Scripture doctrine that some of mankind

11 Cor. xv. 22; Acts xxiv. 15; Isa. xxvi. 14.