One reason, among others, why the doctrine of a future state is not frequently adverted to, and treated in detail, in the writings of the Old Testament, undoubtedly is, that it was a truth so well understood, so generally recognised, and so essential to the very idea of religion, that it would have been superfluous to have dwelt upon it in detail, or to have brought it forward as a new discovery. This doctrine is implied in the phraseology of the Old Testament, in many cases where there is no direct reference to a future world, as in such passages as the following: "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob:" Exod. iii. 6. Our Saviour has taught us to consider this and similar passages as embodying the doctrine of a future life. "For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." If the holy patriarchs whose names are here commemorated with so much honour, were reduced to the condition of the clods of the valley, and if their intellectual part were not in existence, Jehovah would never own the high relation of a God to those whom he has finally abandoned, and suffered to sink into non-existence. Consequently, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were living and intelligent beings, in another state, when this declaration was made to Moses at the burning bush. The phrase, "He was gathered to his people," implies a similar sentiment. In Gen. xxv. it is said, "Abraham gave up the ghost, and was gathered to his people." This expression is not to be viewed as importing that he was buried with his fathers; for the fathers of Abraham were buried several hundreds of miles from the cave of Machpelah, in which Abraham's mortal remains were deposited,—some of them in the land of Chaldea, and some of them in the country of Mesopotamia, which lay at a considerable distance from the land of Canaan. The true meaning must therefore be, that he was "gathered" to the assembly of the righteous, to the blessed society of those congenial spirits, eminent for their piety, who had passed before him into the invisible world. Hence, says the Psalmist, "Gather not my soul with sinners."Hence, says Job, when describing the miseries of the wicked, "The rich man shall lie down" in the grave, "but he shall not be gathered;" and the prophet, when personating

the Messiah, declares, "Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah.”

These remarks may suffice to show, that the doctrine of a future state was known, and generally recognised, by the venerable patriarchs and other illustrious characters that flourished under the Jewish dispensation.

That this doctrine is exhibited in the clearest light in the Christian Revelation, has never been disputed, by any class of religionists, nor even by infidels themselves. In this revelation, however, the doctrine of immortality is not attempted to be proved by any laboured arguments, or supernatural evidences, nor is it brought forward as a new discovery. It is evidently taken for granted, and incidentally interwoven through all the discourses of our Saviour and his Apostles, as a truth which lies at the foundation of religion, and which never ought for a moment to be called in question. In elucidating this topic, it will be quite sufficient simply to quote a few passages from the New Testament writers.

Paul, when looking forward to the dissolution of his mortal frame, declares, in his own name, and in the name of all Christians—“ Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we aim not at things which are visible, but at those which are invisible; for the things which are visible are temporary, but those which are invisible are eternal. For we know, that, if this earthly house of our tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." When the time of his departure from the body was at hand, he declared, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them that love his appearing." The apostle Peter declares, that believers "are regenerated to the lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them." " When the chief Shepherd shall appear, we shall receive a crown of glory, which fadeth not away.' Our Saviour declares, in refe. rence to his servants, "I give unto them eternal life, and

they shall never perish." "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And I will come again, and receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also.' And again, "Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

While these and similar passages clearly demonstrate the certainty of an eternal world, and the future happiness of the righteous-the apostles and evangelists are equally explicit in asserting the future misery of the wicked. "The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God," but "shall go away into everlasting punishment.' "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and who obey not the gospel: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.' "At the end of the world, the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." "The fearful and unbelieving, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. There shall in nowise enter into the heavenly Jerusalem any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.”

The way by which happiness in the future world may be obtained is also clearly exhibited. "Eternal life is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his son. "The God of all grace hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus."-The dispositions of those on whom this happiness will be conferred, and the train of action which prepares us for the enjoyment of eternal bliss, are likewise distinctly described. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap

corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." "To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality, God will recompense eternal life." "The pure in heart shall see God." "He that doth the will of God abideth for ever." "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out." "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."

The nature of the heavenly felicity, and the employments of the future world, are likewise incidentally stated and illustrated. The foundation of happiness in that state is declared to consist in perfect freedom from moral impurity, and in the attainment of moral perfection. "No one who worketh abomination can enter the gates of the New Jeru salem.' "Christ Jesus gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, and that he might present it to himself a glorious church, holy, and without blemish." The honour which awaits the faithful, in the heavenly world, is designated "a crown of righteousness." The inheritance to which they are destined is declared to be "undefiled" with moral pollution; and it is " an inheritance among them that are sanctified." "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear," says the Apostle John, “ we shall be like him," adorned with all the beauties of holiness which he displayed on earth as our pattern and exemplar.--The employments of that world are represented as consisting in adoration of the Creator of the universe, in the celebration of his praises, in the contemplation of his works, and in those active services, flowing from the purest love, which have a tendency to promote the harmony and felicity of the intelligent creation. "I beheld," said John, when a vision of the future world was presented to his view, "and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, clothed in white robes, crying with a loud voice, Salvation to our God that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, be ascribed to our God for ever and ever. That the contemplation of the works of God is

one leading part of the exercises of the heavenly inhabi. tants, appears, from the scene presented to the same Apostle, in another vision, where the same celestial choir are represented as falling down before Him that sat on the throne, and saying, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created." Such sublime adorations and ascriptions of praise, are the natural results of their profound investigations of the wonderful works of God. In accordance with the exercises of these holy intelligences, another chorus of the celestial inhabitants is exhibited as singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."

The resurrection of the body to an immortal life, is also declared, in the plainest and most decisive language. This is one of the peculiar discoveries of Revelation; for, although the ancient sages of the heathen world generally admitted the immortality of the soul, they seem never to have formed the most distant conception, that the bodies of men, after putrefying in the grave, would ever be reanimated; and hence, when Paul declared this doctrine to the Athenian philosophers, he was pronounced to be a babbler. This sublime and consoling truth, however, is put beyond all doubt by our Saviour and his apostles.-"The hour is coming," says Jesus, "when all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth: they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." "Why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead?" "We look for the Saviour, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the energy by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself." "We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."-The nature of this change, and the qualities of the resurrection-body, are