tures, that signifies the place of departed spirits. It is to be regretted, that in our English translation, no other term could have been found to express it, than the word "hell,”—which also denotes "the place of future torment,”—and without a regard to the original language, the one hell is sometimes likely to be mistaken for the other. When David said, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption," he was not speaking of a place of torment, but of the region of departed spirits. His language was perfectly understood by the Jews, and is confirmatory of the doctrine upon which I am discoursing. Why were Enoch and Elijah translated so as not to see death, but that they might be illustrations of raising both the soul and the body to eternal life? The Almighty is styled the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; but as "he is not the God of the dead but of the living," we infer that the spirits of those patriarchs still exist. The length of days, and the possession of the land of Canaan which were promised to them,-and in short, all the temporal promises to them and their posterity, were pre-significations of eternal life, and were so understood. For St. Paul tells us, that "they desire a better country, that is an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." They all died in faith,-"not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced

them." Jacob, therefore, when he was introduced to Pharoah, spoke of his life as his pilgrimage, meaning not only a wandering existence on earth, as his had really been, but also a state of absence from his final and eternal home. When pronouncing his dying benediction upon his sons, he exclaimed that he had waited for God's salvation,—a term which the Jewish interpreters themselves, in that passage of Scripture, apply to the Messiah :—and it is a remarkable fact-but this is not the time to go into details in proof of it—that salvation is, in the prophetical and other books, a name for the Messiah, and that our Saviour's name Jesus signifies not a Saviour, but salvation. If, indeed, the Messiah was not to be expected as "the Author of eternal salvation," the promises of his coming could not have comforted and cheered the many generations of God's faithful servants, who, with their forefather Abraham, had all sunk into the grave. What could have enlivened the faith of the patriarchs and of their descendants, but the hope and confidence that they should, in virtue of the Messiah's great work, rise again from their sepulchres, and share the blessings of his re*demption? "I know," says Job, "that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; And tho' after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God ;Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.' It was an opinion of the Pharisees, as Josephus tells us, that the resurrection

of good men from the dead was an easy thing. We are told also by other writers, that the Jews doubted whether the Messiah himself should come from the living, or from the dead. That there was a prevalent expectation of him from the dead, is evident from the report which the disciples brought to our Saviour, as to his own person and character. "Some say that thou art John the Baptist ;-some, Elias ;—and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." If, indeed, the human soul is not immortal, then it must by some means be destroyed:-and as its destruction implies, or rather is the same thing as, its annihilation, there must be a miraculous power employed to enable it to pass from a state of existence to a state of nonexistence, between which, according to the principles of all philosophy, there can be no natural medium. Now the ancient Scriptures, to which our Saviour directed the attention of the cavilling Jews, teach us that in regard to the immortalizing of our nature, God will work a miracle;-not, however, by changing the essential qualities of the soul, but by restoring the body to a state of life. Thy dead men," says the prophet Isaiah, "shall live;-together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." The declarations of the prophet Daniel are still more explicit for he says, "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,-some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

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must not be attributed to any deficiency of evidence in its claims, or of solidity in its truths, but to the folly, and obstinacy, and incredulity of men. "The day-spring from on high has visited the world, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide their feet into the way of peace." When men will be so perverse as choose death, and to fly from peace, then, "let God be true." who has amply performed what mercy and goodness could incline him to do; but "let men be liars," who will be slaves of their own passions instead of being subjects of his truth.

But farther. These extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were not an essential part of Christianity. They were intended as means of facilitating its progress; but the end and design of the Christian religion itself was the salvation of men. The methods by which this salvation is attainable are repentance and amendment of life,-a remission by baptism, through the merits of Christ, of sins that are past,— and a ready and sincere obedience to his laws for the future. Those persons who were endowed with the miraculous powers, were, indeed, enabled by them to teach and confirm their doctrines with so much the greater strength and evidence; but their own salvation did not necessarily follow from their exercise of those powers. Hence it is, that some of them are mentioned to us in Scripture not only as "full of the Holy Ghost," but also, and by way of describing a distinct part of their character, as "good men."

Their supernatural abilities qualified them to be instrumental to the salvation of others, but did not, at the same time and as matter of course, ensure their own salvation. There was yet "a more excellent way." There were other important points, such as righteousness, and mercy, and charity, to be observed," lest, after they had preached to others, they themselves should be cast away." Therefore, as the promises and benefits of the Gospel were not annexed to these extraordinary graces, which were distributed by the Almighty for the general advantage, according to his own will, it was reasonable to expect, that they would be withdrawn when that end of the general advantage was sufficiently answered, -lest (as was actually the case in the Corinthian Church) men should grow presumptuous, and fix their pride upon them, to the neglect aud prejudice of those indispensable duties, the performance of which makes us true subjects of Christ, both in his kingdom of mercy here, and in his kingdom of glory hereafter.

"How," then, "shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Our religion is built upon the strongest evidence,-upon truth itself, and upon the authority of God. Yet that truth will lose its force, and that authority will be checked in its influence, if we do not observe its dictates, and obey its commands. Heaven is not to be gained by force of genius or superiority of understanding. The brightest faculties are insignificant, if they do not tend to