Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

At the day of judgment Christ shall destroy them which destroy the earth.

xii. 11. ". And they loved not their lives unto the death. 12. The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

[ocr errors]

The devil knoweth he hath but a short time, not an eternal dominion,

xiii. 8. "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Hin, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Their names are not in the book of life.

xiv. 9. "If any man worship the beast, 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.'

"

The torment here spoken of, is limited to the day of judgment, being in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb, who will cease to form a court when Christ has set down on the right hand of God.

xvii. 8. "The beast that thou sawest, was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder (whose names were not written in the

N

book of life from the foundation of the world) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

The beast shall go into perdition.

xviii. 7. "How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her. 8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she When they shall be utterly burnt with fire; 9. — shall see the smoke of her burning, 10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment. 21. Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."

As her sin, so shall her torment be; and she shall be utterly burned with fire, and be found no more at all.

xix. 2. "For he hath judged the great whore. 3. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever." There is a grammatical impropriety in this expression, "rose up for ever and ever." I suggest that the meaning may be, "rose up incessantly," or without intermission."

1

18. "That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them. 20. And the beast was taken, and with him the fulse prophet. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone. 21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceedeth out of his mouth."

The flesh of kings and of horses are both eaten. The beast and the prophet are cast alive into the lake, but the remnant are slain,

XX. 4. " -And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again, until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ."

The first resurrection appears to include the whole of the righteous; on such the second death hath no power: but the first death included all mankind, the righteous and the wicked-the second death must be in kind the same: that which is common to both is the loss of life, but the righteous have life eternal; therefore, on them the second death hath no power.

9. "And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10. And the devil that deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

It is said, where the beast and false prophet are; what follows may mean, shall be tormented incessantly, as long as day and night continue.

12. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in

it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works."

This must include that spiritual works shall obtain immortality; earthy sensual ones, destruction.

14. "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire: This is the second death."

15. "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire."

Death and hell (or the grave) are equally abolished, and that by sharing in the second death.

xxi. 4. "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away... 5. And he that sat upon the throne, said, behold, I make all things new."

And there shall be no more death: then the power of death must end over his subjects.

8. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death." (See c. 20, v. 15.)

xxii. 1. "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life. 2. And on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3. And there shall be no more curse. 5. And there shall be no night there. 12. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 14. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may

.

have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Here the gates of paradise are opened again, and the tree of life may be approached, and man put forth his hand, and eat, and live for ever.

[blocks in formation]

For without are dogs, having only animal life.

19. "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in

this book."

If Eternal Misery be a scripture doctrine, I must have furnished arms against myself, for I have quoted every text that appears to me to bear upon the question, (with the exception of some few, reserved for more particular consideration.) I now proceed to inquire into the authority for man's natural immortality, since the doctrine of Eternal Misery can only be defended by assuming that man is naturally immortal; and if the foundation on which a doctrine rests can be shewn from the word of God to be false, no doubt can remain that the doctrine itself is erroneous. Now it never can be pretended that the words construed to imply Eternal Misery, confer the immortality necessary to that construction; then it is assumed. Now, if man be immortal, it must be derived to him, either through Christ or Adam; from God or himself.

[ocr errors]

With respect to the wicked, Christ Himself most expressly disclaims it; "He came not to condemn the world; for it was condemned already, but to save." "I come to send a fire into the world; and what will I, if it be already kindled?"

« ElőzőTovább »