FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>  
nd will humbly endeavor to present you my views on the immortal resurrection of the human dead. The ideas I have advanced in my sermons on the _new birth_, require me to do this. And no one has more occasion to rejoice than myself, that we are bound by no creeds, and that the preachers of our order encourage and cherish free investigation. Among such able and benevolent theologians, I feel conscious, if I err, that they will endeavor, in the spirit of meekness, to set me right. I therefore hold no one responsible for the ideas I am now about to advance. I am by no means in favor of new theories built upon mere human speculations, nor do I deem it an enviable task to make innovations on the long and universally established opinions of the christian community. I shall simply appeal to the scriptures to sustain me in my present exposition, and by that standard I am willing my views should be tried, for by that alone, they must ultimately stand or fall. From the text we have selected, it might, perhaps, be expected, that we should proceed to prove the final holiness and happiness of the human family by showing, that he who is "made alive in Christ is a new creature"; but as this has, heretofore been done so often and so ably, we shall confine our attention, principally, to the different scripture accounts of the resurrection of the dead, and endeavor to ascertain whether it is indeed, to take place at the end of time and be general, or whether it is continually transpiring as gradual as the successive deaths of our race in Adam. And here I would distinctly remark, that the dead are represented as being raised at the coming of Christ. This is admitted and believed by all. But where, I ask, is there in the Book of God _one passage_ to prove any coming of Christ after the destruction of the Jewish polity when he commenced his _gospel reign_, called the _judgment of the world_? This was his _second_ coming; but where but where is there a _scrap_ of scripture to prove his _third_ coming at the end of time? For one, I have searched in vain for such testimony. That Christ came in his kingdom, during the life time of the persons he addressed, and then commenced the judgment of the world, is certain. This is not, however, admitted to be that coming of Christ when the dead will be raised immortal. Where then is revealed that _third_ coming of our Lord, at the end of time, to raise the dead? I think it will be an unsuccessful task
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>  



Top keywords:
coming
 

Christ

 

endeavor

 

judgment

 

commenced

 
scripture
 
raised
 

admitted

 
resurrection
 

immortal


present

 

deaths

 
transpiring
 

gradual

 
revealed
 

continually

 
general
 
successive
 

accounts

 

heretofore


unsuccessful

 

confine

 

ascertain

 

attention

 

principally

 

destruction

 

Jewish

 

polity

 

passage

 

testimony


called

 
searched
 

gospel

 

represented

 

remark

 
distinctly
 

addressed

 
persons
 

kingdom

 
believed

ultimately
 

spirit

 
meekness
 
conscious
 

benevolent

 

theologians

 
advance
 

theories

 
responsible
 

investigation