66

up the ghost, is certainly the body, therefore that which dies, is the body. The question in the second line, "where is he?" is obviously not a call for information, but is equivalent to saying, he is not; and it corresponds to the phrase in the first line, wasteth away." And as it is evidently the body that wastes away, so it is the body, or, in other words, man, as a visible, tangible entity, concerning which or whom it is asked, "where is he?" the implied answer to which is manifestly this, "He is gone he is wasted away · he is

not." Job continues:

"As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth, and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job xiv. 7–12.

If in the above passage Job has reference to a mode of being other than the present, then he certainly declares, in opposition to the Christian Scriptures, that there is not, and will not be, any resurrection at all. To me, however, he merely declares, in opposition to the doctrine of transmigration, that when a man is once dead he lives no more here that death is a perpetual sleep so far as living again in this state of mortality is concerned. Says he, "There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, But man dieth, and wasteth away, . man lieth down, and riseth not."

There is an other text demanding our particular consideration here- the text which instructs us that, at least in some instances, men's "thoughts perish" at death. Let it be assumed as it has been-that, in this text, the word "thoughts" signifies the faculty of thinking, and the doctrine

under examination will seem to be pretty plainly proved. But it may not be unprofitable to consider, that

By a man's thoughts are more usually meant his ideas, that is, the things which are thought by him; as his desires, designs, expectations, and the like. In one text, we read, " Commit thy works to the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." Thy designs or calculations. It is said of some, "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever." Such a thought or expectation must most certainly have perished; yet that in the thinkers of the thought the power of thinking has perished, does by no means necessarily follow.1

In like manner, a man may think, may desire, design, calculate, plan, expect, to leave, when he dies, a vast amount of money to his children; but he may die moneyless, or childless, or both; and in such case, such thought will perish, of course; yea, this must happen in the very day that he dies, if not sooner; - yet it is not therefore certain that the man's thinking faculty will perish, or be even suspended.

The passage embracing the text in question, reads thus:

"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God." Psalms cxlvi. 3--5.

The sense of the above passage I take to be, substantially, as follows: Trust in God, rather than in man, for even princes die, and when dead can do nothing for you. Death brings to nought their designs and plans. It is an appropriate exhorta

1 Prov. xvi. 3; Psalms xlix. 11.

tion, Put not your trust in any son of man, for he will die, and his plans perish; but Trust not in man, for he will die, and his thinking power perish, is say ing nothing suitable to the case over and above the mention of man's mortality. Does any one imagine that the Psalmist thought we might advantageously depend on kings after their decease, provided they but retained the power of thinking?

N. B. Some of the objections presented in this chapter, are effective against some form of the doctrine examined in the previous chapter. Also, some of the Scriptures which will be considered in the second chapter from this, are likely to be occasionally cited in support of the doctrine examined in the present chapter.

It is freely admitted that the Scriptures no where say that the soul or spirit of man is immortal; and it is a fact, also, that it is not said in that Book that the soul or spirit is incorruptible. But as no one would infer from the latter fact that the spirit is subject to putrefaction, so I, for one, do not infer from the former fact that the spirit literally dies. The truth is, that, scripturally, man's immortality is predicated of his spiritual body, and his mortality, of his animal body.

-

CHAPTER XI.

THE SLEEP OF THE SOUL.

IT is held by some, that, on the death of the body, the soul or spirit sinks into a state of sleep -that the dead of the present and all past generations are reposing in blank and dreamless unconsciousness, to be aroused at some future time, along with those of all future generations, at which period the entire race of man, from Adam to the last of his posterity, shall recommence conscious existence at the same moment.

In disproof of this doctrine, I propose to present, in this and the subsequent chapter, certain scriptural facts and statements, with some reasonings therefrom, which, if the reader please, he may consider as directed not only against this, but against the doctrine examined in our last chapter also.

Certain circumstances connected more or less intimately with our Lord's transfiguration, afford a strong argument against the continued sleep of the soul.

By combining and comparing the accounts given by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Peter, the incident alluded to seems to have been, substantially, as follows: 1

1 Matt. xvii. 1-9; Mark ix. 2, 10; Luke ix. 28-36; 2 Peter i. 16-18.

Not many weeks previous to the Saviour's crucifixion, and in about one week after first plainly announcing to the twelve his approaching sufferings, death, and resurrection, He took with him his three confidential disciples, Peter, James, and John, and ascending a high mountain, (for that particular region,) to a place away from any line of travel, and not exposed to view from any inhabited point in the surrounding country, he engaged for a time in special prayer, as was his custom in view of any special event about to happen in his public career. In the course of his devotions, a sort of sleep came upon his three attendants; (perhaps from the advent of spiritual beings, though as yet unseen by the disciples;) and on its passing off, these were very greatly surprised at observing that the general appearance of His countenance was most marvelously changed; that his face shone as with the brilliancy of the sun; and that even his clothing glistened with a lustre not of earth. And presently observing also, that two men, of like shining appearance, were with him, who-they soon learned- were no other than "Moses and Elias," their surprise and wonder became mingled with the profoundest reverence and awe. These emotions, however, were, in a little time, nearly absorbed in a feeling of intense curiosity and agitating concern, on their perceiving that the topic of conversation between their Master and the two visitants, was His "decease" or departure, and that this was soon to be accomplished at Jerusalem, as indeed he had so lately apprized them. Thus somewhat awe-stricken, but as yet unterrified, the wandering disciples very naturally remained silent, until the conversation closed, and the men were departing, when Peter, with characteristic forwardness, essayed to hold forth upon the interest