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must be the time of his second coming and of the resurrection of the saints [Note K].

These various considerations therefore, taken from a view of the passage itself would, without any reference to what is laid down concerning the resurrection of the ungodly, convince me that the first resurrection is not the same as the resurrection of the saints in glory.

[K] I cannot conceive how the book of life could be said to be opened at the period in Rev. xx. 12 to 15, if only the ungodly are raised at that time, not one of whom is written in it. Or what meaning could be annexed to the exception marked in ver. 15, Whosoever was not found written in the book of life (i. e. upon its being opened) was cast into the lake of fire, if those who are written therein have been raised and reigning with Christ in glory more than a thousand years; and if only those who are to be cast into the lake of fire are raised at this time. Upon such an interpretation of the first resurrection, the expressions the book of life was opened (ver. 12), and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (ver. 15), would appear to me to be either mere expletives, or suited only to mislead the mind; and therefore I feel convinced this is not the true interpretation of the first resurrection.

CHAPTER II.

CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTER.

Various passages of Scripture which relate to the resurrection of the Ungodly, considered, in order to prove, 1. That the first resurrection is not the same as the resurrection of the saints at the second coming of Christ; and, 2. That the time of the judgment set forth in the latter part of Rev. xx. is that of Christ's second coming.

CONTENTS OF THE NOTES.

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L. The comings of Christ foretold Matt. xvi. 28, and in some other passages, not personal.-M. The term "all nations," and the criterion of judgment, in Matt. xxv. 32.-N. Salvation by grace as pointed out Matt. xxv. 32, 33.-O. On John v. 28, 29.-P. Acts xvii. 31.Q. On the translation of 1 Cor. xv. 24, 26.-R. The "kingdom' which Christ will deliver up, as indicated in 1 Cor. xv. 24.-S. The manifestation of the saints indicated 2 Thess. i. 10.-T. On "his kingdom," in 2 Tim. iv. 1.-V. On the mode of expression in 2 Peter iii.-X. The creation of a new heavens and earth in 2 Peter iii.

My object in the present chapter will be to bring before the reader numerous passages which relate to what is to take place with respect to the ungodly, as well as the saints, at the second coming of Christ.

I. Matt. xiii. "37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed, is the Son of man. 38 The field is the world: the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one: 39 the enemy that sowed them, is the devil: the harvest is the end of the world: and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered, and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

From the parable of the wheat and the tares, and the

explanation herein given, I collect the following points :First, That, as the wheat represents all the children of the kingdom of every period previous to the second coming of Christ, whom he has sown, or shall sow, in the field of the world (vers. 37,38); so the tares represent all ungodly professors, the children of the wicked one, of every period previous to the second coming of Christ, whom the devil has sown, or shall sow, among the children of the kingdom (vers. 38, 39). Secondly, That at the harvest, or, as explained in ver. 40, the end of the world, evidently signifying the coming of the Son of Man, he will send forth his angels, and will first gather together all the tares (ver. 30), all the children of the wicked one of all periods of the Gospel, and will cast them into a furnace of fire (ver. 42). Thirdly, That this will also be the time when the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their hea venly Father (ver. 43).

From the points thus collected from the parable, and its explanation, I deduce two inferences, which appear to me to follow necessarily from it. First inference: The saints will not be raised before the ungodly. The parable plainly lays down that the casting of the children of the wicked one into the furnace of fire, and the shining forth of the children of the kingdom will take place at one and the same time. But as the children of the wicked one are to be cast into the furnace of fire at the end of the world, those of them who have died must be raised at that time, even as the children of the kingdom who have died must, in order that they may shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. From this, therefore, it follows that the resurrection of the children of the kingdom will not take place before the resurrection of the children of the wicked one. Consequently, what is called the first resurrection cannot be the resurrection of the saints in glory, or the time when they shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their heavenly Father.

Second inference: The period here described must, I conceive, be the same as that of the judgment, Rev. xx. 12 to 15, on account of the striking coincidence of the description, which convinces me that the Holy Ghost intended to point out that the events and periods were one and the same. 1. The casting of the children of the wicked

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one into a furnace of fire, coincides with the casting all who are not written in the book of life into the lake of fire (Rev. xx. 15); and 2. The shining forth of the righteous in the kingdom of their heavenly Father, coincides with the opening of the book of life, by which all who are written in it, all the righteous, will be manifested, and made partakers of the glory and blessedness subsequently described. Nor can we, I conceive, suppose that an event which the Holy Ghost describes as the shining forth of the righteous in the kingdom of their heavenly Father, can take place one moment before the time which he also describes as the opening of the book of life, and the discovery of those who are written therein; that is, of the righteous. These two striking coincidences, therefore, prove to my mind that the shining forth of the righteous must begin at the time of the judgment, Rev, xx. 11 to 15, and not at the first resurrection; and, consequently, that the first resurrection cannot be the same as that of the children of the kingdom, at the second coming of Christ; but must be something which takes place, under the Gospel, and more than a thousand years before Christ's coming in glory.

II. Matt. xiii." 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just; 50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Upon this we may observe, First, the good fish evidently represent true believers of all ages, all who, during any period of the Gospel previous to the net being drawn to shore, have been brought to know and believe in the Lord Jesus; and the bad fish represent mere professors of all ages, all who, during any period of the Gospel previous to the net being drawn to shore, have been gathered into it by mere profession, but were not really the children of God.-Secondly, when the Gospel net is full, and the period, during which the Gospel is to be preached, is completed, which is called the end of the world, (evidently

signifying, as in the parable of the wheat and tares, the time of Christ's coming with all his holy angels; compare Matt. xxv. 31; 2 Thess. i. 7), the angels will come forth, and will separate the wicked (mere professors of all ages) from among the just (sincere believers of all ages); and will cast the former into the furnace of fire, and gather the latter into vessels, that is, into everlasting glory; the casting of the wicked, and the gathering of the just taking place at one and the same time.

From these points thus collected from the parable, I draw two, in my view, incontrovertible inferences similar to those from the parable of the wheat and tares. First inference: All mere professors who have died during any period previous to the net being drawn to shore must be raised, in order to their being cast into the furnace of fire, as certainly as all true believers, who have died during any period of the Gospel previous to the net being drawn to shore, must be raised in order to their being gathered into glory. Consequently the resurrection and gathering into glory of all true believers will not take place before the resurrection and casting into the furnace of fire of all mere professors. But what is called the first resurrection is more than a thousand years before the casting of the ungodly into the lake of fire Rev. xx. 4, 12, 15, and, therefore, cannot be the same with the resurrection and gathering into glory of the saints at the second coming of Christ.-Second inference: 1. The gathering of true believers into glory, which the Holy Ghost indicates by the gathering the good fish into vessels, and which is to take place in the presence of the angels and by their ministration, in the presence of one another, and in the presence of all mere professors, cannot be before the event which he describes (Rev. xx. 12, 15) as the opening of the book of life; at which period, those who are written therein (that is, the good fish, all true believers) will be found out or discovered. 2. The casting of all mere professors of the Gospel into the furnace of fire, which the Holy Ghost here describes, cannot, I conceive, be before, but must be the same as the event which he describes in Rev. xx. 15, as the casting into the lake of fire of all who are not found written in the book of life. This double coincidence, therefore, in the two descriptions

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