Certain Scriptures are supposed to recognize the existence of various races of angels; but it is quite as natural an understanding of those texts to consider them expressive of different degrees of official rank, as it is to consider them declarative of different grades of being. What is said of Michael, the archangel, does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that he belongs to a higher race of beings than do his fellow-angels.

The Scripture testimony herein presented from the Revelation, being direct, is, with the writer of this, sufficient to fully settle the question as to the origin of angelic beings; but he adds the following indirect evidence, for the benefit of such, if any, as may need it.

The fact that the Scriptures contain no historical account of the creation of angels, as such, seems to be a fair and legitimate argument, of considerable force, in favor of the doctrine herein advanced, that angels are departed human beings.

The fact that in the early history of the human race contained in the book of Genesis, no account is given, for many years, of the appearance of any angels, has been adduced (by some one) as an argument in favor of their Adamic origin.

The fact that celestial angels have always appeared in human form, and are, in the Scriptures, sometimes even called "men," may have some proper bearing upon this subject.

By supposing angels to have once been human mortals, the circumstance of their having always manifested a very great degree of interest in the well-being of mankind, is more naturally and fully accounted for than it is upon any other theory.

In the light of this doctrine, certain questions of considerable interest to most persons, are quite

as readily and satisfactorily answered as they can be by adopting some other view of the subject:

1. In the heavenly life, shall we remember having existed here?

Most certainly we shall. Did not the angel who declared himself to be of the number of John's brethren that had "the testimony of Jesus," remember having been a Christian believer and witness on earth?

2. Shall we recognize, and be recognized by, those whom we have known, and who have known us, in the earth life?

This much must be true-almost certainly, more. Those who come after us we shall recognize; those who have gone before us will recognize us. Was not the Revelator known by his angel-brother? Did not Stephen know the Saviour when, by spiritual sight, he saw him in heaven? When Christ appeared to John in Patmos, was not the recognition mutual?

3. In the spirit world, shall we know any thing of the affairs of earth?

We shall know concerning the affairs of the earth-world all that will be desirable to be known. Much in which mortals feel the most intense interest, will doubtless be estimated by us at about the rate we now estimate those things and events which are the most interesting to very young children. We shall rejoice over the repentance of sinners, shall know, of course, that there are sinful practices here, and also what they are,shall be aware of the sad consequences of wrongdoing, in both an individual and a social point of view, shall be cognizant of the progress of human reform, in all its branches, aspects, and bearings,shall not be ignorant as to who are engaged in the promotion of that cause, &c., &c.;

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-which manifestly supposes some acquaintance with many things and matters appertaining to terrestrial affairs.

4. Shall we sometimes visit the earth sphere?

We may, if we are permitted; we shall, if we are sent; we shall be sent, if that shall be necessary; and in such an event we shall be angels, as truly as is Gabriel, at least until our mission is accomplished.

It will now be perceived —, and, as I trust, with entire clearness, that, allowing the origin of angelic beings to be such as is herein argued, a very intimate connection exists between the Scripture doctrine concerning angels, and the Scripture doctrine concerning the anastasis of the dead. The Scriptures undeniably teach that human beings in the resurrection world are as the angels, or like them; and now, if angels are departed human beings, then the angels are human beings who have been raised. The existence of angels, then, is not only a proof of an after-death life for man, -which, by the way, is a fact not generally recognized, but it is also, in a multitude of instances, a manifest verification of the occurrence of that process denominated anastasis. The Sadducees, who denied any anastasis of the dead, were consistent in denying also the existence of angels..

If the Scriptures really teach that angels are human beings who have passed the resurrection, then, to be consistent, they should also teach that the resurrection of at least some human beings takes place soon after the death of the body. To show that the Scriptures do actually teach such a resurrection for mankind at large, will be the subject of the next three or four chapters.

CHAPTER XXVI.

A PRESENT OR PASSING RESURRECTION.

IT is related of the great Teacher, that being in and near Jerusalem during the last few days of His mortal life, He was attacked, polemically, by the chief Priests, the Scribes, the Elders of the people, the Herodians, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, each party, in turn, endeavoring, by art ful questions, to draw Him into saying something that might be brought, as an accusation, against him.

The Sadducees, as we have seen, denied there being any resurrection - a denial which our Lord, in his reply to them, treats as equivalent to a denial that there is any life for man after the death of the body. It will be recollected, too, that Josephus represents them as holding that when the body dies the soul dies with it. (See Chap. i. of this work.) They appear to have taken the ground that the Jewish Scriptures, particularly the writings of Moses, are silent as to any after-death life, therefore that such a life is not.

The Sadducee doctors had invented, as it would seem, and perhaps for that very occasion, the eversince familiar case of the seven deceased brothers, with the deceased woman who, in life, had successively been the wife and widow of the whole seven. Calling His attention to the well-known

circumstance that the law of Moses sometimes requires a man to marry his brother's widow, they narrated their case, containing six instances in one family where this requirement had been complied with, and then demanded of Him, as to those seven men, whose wife, in the resurrection, this seven-times widowed woman would rightfully be.

In replying to the Sadducees, Jesus proceeds to show them that, in regard to the subject in hand, they had erred greatly; and further, that the cause of their thus erring was their ignorance of the Scriptures, and of the Divine power or capability. Their errors, thus arising, seem to have been, First, the assumption that life after death, if a reality, must needs be such as the Pharisees taught; and Second, the notion that even the writings of Moses, to say nothing of the other Scriptures, are really silent as to the after-death life.

The Saviour endeavors to show to the Sadducees and all in attendance, that the fact of Jehovah's saying to Moses, "I am the God of Abraham," &c., is a clear proof that the patriarchs mentioned, though dead as to their bodies, were yet actually alive, else God could not at that time have been their God; also, that as certain as it was that those patriarchs were then living, so certain it was that they were living in some other than this earthly state. He would have His hearers all consider too, that the universal FATHER, who, of course, must be disposed to do for His offspring whatever is truly desirable, is abundantly capable of bringing mankind into a state of existence higher than the present-even into a heavenly, angelic, immortal one.

The substance of our Lord's reply to the Sadducee doctors, is given, in varying language, by