Flesh and blood, indeed, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but infinite power could change the mortal parts of this good man, in a moment, and fit him for an immortal life; even as those saints shall be changed, who shall be living at the second coming of Christ as in the cases of Enoch and Elijah, the Redeemer "shall change their vile bodies, and fashion them like unto his own glorious body," and SO shall they be ever with the Lord.”

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The frequent appearance of angels to good men, is worthy of notice. Every such visit would remind them of another world. But to be reminded of another world, where some of God's creatures enjoy his presence, and into which they were never to enter, would be an occasion of extreme pain to those good men who loved God and his service. And we cannot think that God would unnecessarily put his creatures to pain.

By these appearances, holy men of old time, were obscurely taught, what has been more plainly revealed to us by the gospel, (viz.)" that the angels are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who shall be the heirs of salvation."

Let us next examine the following passages. Moses informs us that the Lord said unto Abraham, "Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and Abraham was gathered unto his people." "Isaac, also, gave up the ghost, died, and was gathered unto his people." From these passages we collect two ideas,

relative to Jewish opinions. And in these passages we see that the pious Jews believed that Enoch was taken up to a better world, to enjoy the gracious and everlasting reward of his piety.

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which we think must impress every reader, whose mind is not blinded by hypothesis. First, that the ghost or spirit yielded up, was a distinct substance from the body. Compare Luke xxiii. 46. with Acts vii. 59. Secondly, that the expression, " gathered to their people," means, not that their bodies were buried in the family sepulchres of their fathers; but that they, i. e. their immortal souls, were conveyed to the region of departed spirits in the invisible world: or, in the language of the New Testament, "to the assembly of the spirits of just men made perfect," in heaven. That this is the fair and legitimate meaning of the phrase, we think is apparent from the following considerations. When Abraham gave up the ghost," and "was gathered to his people," we are told that "his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron." His body, therefore, could not be said to be gathered to the bodies of his people, for there was no general burial place for the bodies of the patriarchs, collectively. Their sepulchres were as wide apart as their respective places of residence; and each body had its own appropriate grave. The phrase in question, consequently, could only refer to the mansion of their departed spirits. Hence the propriety of that declaration of Christ to his disciples, that they" shall sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob; for God," he adds, " is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Other parts of the Old Testament illustrate and confirm this meaning. Thus when Jacob says, "that he would go down into the grave, unto his son,

says,

mourning," his meaning undoubtedly was, not into the grave, properly so named, (for he thought his son had been devoured by a wild beast,) but into the invisible state, the state of departed souls.* Job "The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered." The good king Josiah was told by Hildah the prophetess, "Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, I will gather thee to thy fathers." Such passages require no comment. The intelligent reader will readily perceive, that, in both instances, the phrase "to gather," is employed in exact conformity with the interpretation we have annexed to it above.

Further, that the promise of eternal life was couched under the type of the land of Canaan, may be clearly seen from comparing Gen. xvii. 7. with Heb. xi. 13—17. From these portions of holy writ it is apparent, the views of the patriarchs extended far beyond the present transitory scene, that their faith had reference to " a better country," even " an heavenly." It could not relate to their paternal country, Chaldea, for we are told, "if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned;"" but now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath provided for them a city." Our Lord himself, to whose testimony no reasonable objection can be made, is very explicit

Parkhurst's Heb. Lex. art. Sheol.

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upon this point. In reasoning with the Sadducees he affirmed that the promise to give to Abraham and his immediate descendants, the everlasting possession of Canaan, was virtually, a promise to raise them from the dead.* "Now that the dead are raised," he says, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; for he is not a God of the dead, but of the living." Can there be more decided evidence to show, that the patriarchs knew that a future life was promised to them under the image of Canaan; and that this promise influenced their conduct accordingly?

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We find, then, unequivocal intimations and recognitions of a future state, in the first book of the pentateuch. We see that the patriarchs themselves believed in this doctrine, that it was their hope in life, and their comfort in death; for they all expected "a better country" than the temporal Canaan, and they died in faith, as seeing him that is invisible." Moses himself not only asserted it at the bush, as Christ informs us, but believed it, for he " chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, for he had respect unto the recompence of reward."

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* We have a remarkable corroborating testimony, that the resur rection of the just was an article of belief amongst the pious Jews, from 2 Mac. vii. particularly the 9th and 36th verses. "And when he was at the last gasp he said, Thou like a fury takest out of this present life, but the KING of the world shall raise us up, who have died for his laws, unto everlasting life. For our brethren who have now suffered a short pain, are dead, under God's covenant of everlasting life," &c.

Exod. iii. 6. "Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

This must evidently mean more than being their Creator and Preserver, for this he is to all mankind. In scripture, that God is our God, and that we are his people, are correlative propositions. To be his people, is to be governed, protected, provided for, and loved by him. Therefore, to be our God, is to be our governor, protector, supplier, and friend. But God cannot be the governor, protector, &c. of dead people; that is, of non-entities. Therefore Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were all then living, though they had died long before.

1 Sam. xxviii. 7. “ Then said Saul unto his servants, seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said unto him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor."

The practice of witchcraft and necromancy which prevailed amongst the Jews, and the power they ascribed to magicians and sorcerers of calling up the souls of the dead, are strong proofs that they believed in the existence of the soul after death, and the possibility there was of maintaining intercourse with it. When Saul went to consult the witch of Endor, and to ask her to bring up the person he should name unto her, he undoubtedly considered his demand as easy to be performed, and therefore probably acted under the influence of popular opinion. Respecting the reality of Samuel's appearance, there have been various opinions, but whether it was the departed spirit of Samuel that appeared to Saul, as we are disposed