acquitted and others condemned. We read it thus: And as, under the Legal dispensation, it is appointed unto the high priest figuratively to die once the year, but after this, justification before God; so Christ was once offered a sacrifice for the many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without an offer ing for sin, unto their salvation. We see no other rational conclusion. There is no similarity, or reasonable comparison, between literal death and the sacrifice of Christ. The apostle could not have been so illogical in his comparison. But to say, As Legal justification followed the sin-offering of the high priest, even so deliverance and justification shall follow the offering of our Saviour, once for all, is perfectly consistent, logical, and conclusive. The apostle sanctions the above in the following. Chapter 10:11-14, "And every priest standeth daily ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man (Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." The high priest was typical of Christ, the antitype; the former was under the necessity of offering himself often, or yearly; but the latter, Christ, "now once in the end of the world (age) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." In 2 Peter 2:4, and in Jude 6, we have another account of God's judgment. Peter says, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (tartarosas), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment" (krisin). Jude says, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." By observing the reading of these two passages and their connection, it will be seen they both allude to the same time and thing. Peter speaks of false teachers, and those who followed their damnable heresies, as bringing upon themselves swift destruction, and whose damnation slumbereth not. Jude speaks of the same characters, who denied the Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ. They both labor to show the certainty of punishment, or reward of wrong doing, in which effort they bring in the angels (messengers), which sinned and kept not their first estate, &c. Now, observe, they immediately connect with the transaction of these angels, or messengers, the circumstance of Egypt, Sodom and Gomorrah, of filthy dreamers, the punishment of the old world, &c., as though they were all connected - of a like kind - in the same state of being - this world, &c. Here we remark, that they could have had reference to no other than the twelve messengers chosen from the twelve tribes of Israel to search the land of Canaan. See Numb. 13:1-4. Each tribe furnished a man, a ruler among them, which were sent from the wilderness of Paran. But, ten of these heads and rulers in Israel, who were sent on this important message, proved traitors, were not true to their trust, brought a false report of the land they searched, and caused the people to murmur against Moses and Aaron. In consequence of these evils, they were visited by a judgment in the form of a plague. Those messengers who sinned in bringing the false report were cast down from their dignified state as rulers, and were bound in chains of darkness, obscurity, and wretchedness, mingling with the rebellious and murmuring class in deep disgrace. In this degrading condition they were held until the judgment of the great day overtook them. See Numb. 14: 37, "Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land died by the plague before the Lord." This was the tartaros, hell, which those angels, or messengers, were thrust into, and their tragical death closes with them the scene of judgment. 2 Tim. 4: 1, "I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom." Paul here alludes to the judgment and calamity which was about to fall on the Jewish nation. Peter speaks of the same in 1 Peter 4: 5, "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." In Acts 10 : 42, we find that Christ "was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and dead." Now, when these texts were written, this judgment was near at hand. Christ was ready to judge - it was near by - about to come upon them. If it should be asked, What is meant by the phrase, quick and dead? we reply - By the expression quick and dead might have been meant Jew and Gentile, as distinguishing the former, who had received the oracles of God, from the latter, who were dead to that light. But, more strictly we think the phrase quick and dead signifies the believer and unbeliever, the righteous and unrighteous, the obedient and disobedient - all were judged promiscuously and collectively, but every one agreeably to his merit or demerit. Nothing is said about the resurrection, or eternity, in the text or its connection; but the morally dead, and the morally living, were evidently meant. Paul says, Eph. 2:1, "And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." Verse 5, "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." By this, we see, the unbelieving and disobedient are called dead. The believing and obedient are the quickened, and in the judgment referred to they were acquitted of evil; while the former were driven away in their wickedness, to share the wretchedness of that calamitous time. Peter, in his 2d Epistle, speaks of the same time, the close of the Jewish polity, and their national death. 2 Peter 3: 7, "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." Peter, firstly, reminds his brethren of what the prophets and themselves had previously informed them should come; of scoffers that should appear in the last days, and of the world which perished by water. But the heavens and the earth, which now are, are kept in store by the same word; reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Now, by referring to Section VIII., Chapter I., it will be seen that the last day, last times, &c., point directly, not only to the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, expressed in this text, but also to the day or time of God's wrath and retribution at the close of the Jewish age. The judgment in the text is identified with the above period. Some may suppose that the heavens and earth, which now are, being reserved unto fire, &c., may allude to the destruction of the material heavens and earth; but we find no evidence of this, either from the text or any other scripture authority. The ecclesiastical heavens and earth are what is here alluded to. Observe the expressions of the prophet. Mal. 3:1-3, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" &c. The prophet here had the same time and judgment in view of which Peter speaks. Christ was the messenger and judge who sat upon the throne of his glory in power, over the wreck and fall of expiring Jerusalem. Malachi calls him the messenger of the covenant who shall come; but, "who shall abide the day of his coming?" By this, we see it was a day of trial and affliction. In chap. 4:1, he says, "For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." This clearly illustrates Peter's day of judgment and fire, unto which the ecclesiastical heavens and earth were reserved. When the unclean, impure, and abominable were consumed, then would be left the obedient, who feared his name, and had made their escape from the scene of impending ruin. Such were adjudged worthy of life ; and, upon such, this same Judge, who sat in fire, will spread his balmy wings as the Sun of righteousness, who will heal their infirmities, and continue to shine as a wall of fire round about them, and a glory in their midst. Peter, in connection with the text, says, "The Lord is long suffering to us-ward." Showing that the Lord was then procrastinating, deferring the time, about to burst upon them. In verses 10-12, he says, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth, also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat?" What can we understand by Peter's question and declaration here, more or less than this: - that he expected that consuming day of fire and convulsion would actually transpire during the literal lives of his brethren to whom he then wrote? He says, "Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, the heavens pass away with a great noise, the elements melt with a fervent heat, the earth, also, and the works therein, be burned up, what manner of persons ought ye to be........... looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?" If this language does not imply, and explicitly teach, the then sudden coming and destruction of the things referred to, it can mean nothing; and the apostle had better been silent, than to have been tingling the ears of his brethren with a mere empty sound. But it is clear to every observer that the time was then at hand. In verse 13, the apostle says, "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Nevertheless that is, notwithstanding this ordeal by fire is soon to be upon us, yet we who?- the apostle and his brethren, look for new heavens and a new earth. Some of them then living, it was expected, would see the time gone by when there should be new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. The new heavens and new earth looked for were undoubtedly the established orders of Christ's kingdom on earth, when previous rites and ceremonies should have fully passed away. And should it still be objected that the heavens and earth, which were to be destroyed, must be the literal heavens and earth, because they were contrasted with the old world that perished by water, we have only to cite them to verses 5 and 6, "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water, whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." Now, we ask, what heavens and earth, or what world, was destroyed? Surely not the literal heavens or earth! but simply the inhabitants, with their rites and customs. The same material earth yet stands; but men, with all their works, were swept away and lost in oblivion. The same is measurably true of the latter. In reality, we know not how long the vacuum has been lit up by the starry worlds, or even how long the earth has continued to roll; much less do we know how long it will hold its age, and continue its stated course, at the rate of sixty-eight thousand miles an hour. See Chapter IX. John, in Rev. 20: 12, 13, speaks of a judgment, which undoubtedly is the same as above referred to. John says, "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. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell (hades) delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every mar cccording to their works." So much has been said, and ably said |