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Third consideration. The promise given in ver. 6. concerning those who partake of the first resurrection; namely, on such the second death hath no power, would also lead me to conceive, that these persons do not signify the saints risen and reigning in their glorified bodies. For, 1. The Holy Ghost has, in the preceding parts of the Scripture, given such express assurances that the saints after the resurrection will, like their risen Head, Rom. vi. 9, die no more (see Matt. xxv. 46; John xi. 26 Gr.; 1 Cor. xv. 52, 53; 2 Cor. v. 1; 1 Thess. iv. 17; 1 Pet. i. 4, and v. 4), as would lead me to conceive that the promise, on such the second death hath no power, cannot be given with reference to the risen saints. 2. I find the same promise made in this very book in relation to the saints, not after they are risen and reigning in glory, but while in this life, suffering persecution, and exposed to the first death, the death of the body, for Christ's sake. In the epistle to the persecuted church at Smyrna, to which Jesus had previously given an exhortation to be faithful unto death, the Spirit adds this very promise, He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Hence, therefore, the superfluousness, if I might so speak, of such a promise in reference to the risen and glorified saints, and its peculiar suitableness and actual previous application by the Spirit, to suffering saints before the first death, and exposed thereto, would confirm my conviction that the reigning with Christ cannot signify that of the saints with their glorified bodies.

Fourth consideration. If the first resurrection be interpreted to signify the resurrection of the saints, then the rest of the dead in ver. 5, and the dead small and great, in ver. 12, must be interpreted to signify the ungodly dead; and to be the same, the one as the other. It appears to me, however, that the rest of the dead cannot be interpreted to be the same as the dead small and great, because the expressions are so widely different. I cannot but conceive, that if the Holy Ghost had intended the same persons in ver. 5 and ver. 12, he would have given the same description in each; and that ver. 12 would have been, And I saw the rest of the dead stand before God, &c. This would have been such a clear agreement as I should expect, considering its immense importance, if the first resurrection were really intended

to signify that of the saints. Instead, however, of any such agreement, there appears to me a striking variation in the mode of expression in two respects:-1. The words rest of, which occur in ver. 5, are omitted in ver. 12. These words had been introduced in ver. 5 to mark, I conceive, that only a part of the dead signified in ver. 4 arose at the first resurrection. Hence the omission in ver. 12 not only of these words, but of any others which would express that a part only of the dead, are therein signified, would, I think, of itself prove that the dead in ver. 12 are not the same as the rest of the dead in ver. 5. 2. Not only, however, are the words the rest of, in ver. 5, omitted in ver. 12, but the words small and great are added in the latter. This phrase, small and great, is uniformly, as far as I can discover, added in other passages, in order to mark that all the persons to which it is joined are signified ch.xi. 18, xiii. 16, xix.5, 18; and therefore it must be added here for the express purpose of marking that the dead in ver. 12 include all the dead without exception. This striking variation, therefore, of the mode of expression in ver. 12, from that in ver. 5, in the above two points, convinces me that the same dead are not described in ver. 5 and in ver. 12.

Fifth consideration. The time when the rest of the dead lived again, in ver. 5, appears to me equally to differ from the time when the dead small and great stand before God, in ver. 12. It seems to me to be clearly implied that the resurrection of the rest of the dead signified in ver. 5 will take place after the ending of the thousand years; at the same time that Satan is loosed from his prison, ver. 7. But the dead small and great stand before God, not after the ending of the thousand years, but of the intervening period described vers. 7 to 10. Consequently, this cannot be the same as the living again of the rest of the dead described in ver. 5, but must be separated from it by this intervening period. I would call the reader's particular attention to this point. The Holy Ghost appears to me to have defined the periods in this prophecy in a peculiar manner. He has noticed the ending of the thousand years in three verses, 3, 5, 7 (the same Greek word ended being in each); and has given us a minute description of the separate and independent period which follows the thousand years, vers. 7 to 10; and has expressly called

this period a season, though but a small (uкpov) one, ver. 3. Hence as the dead do not stand before God till after not only the thousand years, but also the period 7 to 10 are ended, I cannot but conceive that if ver. 5 had been intended to describe the same event as ver. 12, the description of the time in each verse would have agreed. And therefore, as the little season is expressly noticed both before and after the 5th verse which foretells the living of the rest of the dead, I conceive the 5th verse would have been, But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years and the little season were ended. Instead, however, of this, not the least notice is taken in ver. 5 of this little season; and the mode of expression which is adopted evidently implies that the rest of the dead here signified will live again as soon as the thousand years end, and either immediately before or at the commencement of the period described vers. 7 to 10. This evident non-agreement of time in verses 5 and 12, convinces me that the events also do not agree; and that the rest of the dead living again ver. 5, is not the same as the dead standing before God in ver. 12.

Sixth consideration. The omission of any declaration as to the sea, death, and the grave giving up the dead at the first resurrection, and the making such a declaration respecting the dead in verse 13 convinces me both that the first resurrection is not that of the saints, and also that the dead in vers. 12, 13 include all mankind, both the saints and the ungodly.

In every other part of the word of God, the information given concerning the resurrection of the saints is not only much more frequent, but also much more explicit, than concerning the resurrection of the ungodly. I feel convinced, therefore, that in this portion also of Scripture, if it were intended to foretell a resurrection of the saints distinct from that of the ungodly, more explicit information would be given concerning the former, than concerning the latter. I find, however, that the information given concerning the first resurrection, instead of being much more, is much less explicit, than that concerning the resurrection intimated in vers. 12, 13; for there is not the least allusion to the sea, death, and the grave giving up the dead at the first resurrection, and it is expressly declared that they do this at the time of

the resurrection set forth in vers. 12, 13. By contrasting this, therefore, with the course pursued in other portions of the word of God, I feel convinced that the first resurrection cannot be that of the saints; and that vers. 12, 13, do not describe the resurrection of the ungodly only, but that of the saints also, and include all the dead without any exception. And I would request the reader to observe the harmony of this consideration with the fourth, in which I endeavoured to shew that the omission in ver. 12 of the words the rest of, and the addition of the words small and great, imply the same universality as to the dead who are signified in that verse.

Seventh consideration. Those which have been already adduced are confirmed by the introduction in ver. 15 of the phrase of distinction, whosoever was not found written in the book of life, in describing who are to be cast into the lake of fire. There could be no occasion for this distinction unless those who are written in the book of life had formed a part of those who stood before God and were judged. For otherwise the dead, in ver. 12, would include only the ungodly; and consequently all the dead would, without exception, be cast into the lake of fire. In this case the mode of expression in ver. 15 would have been as general as in ver. 12; and as ver. 12 speaks of the dead small and great standing before God, so ver. 15 would have declared, and the dead, small and great were cast into the lake of fire. Instead, however, of this, the expression in ver. 15 is altered from that in ver. 12 in two points. 1. The phrase small and great, which, as already observed, signifies all the persons to which it is joined, is dropped. 2. Another phrase, namely, whosoever was not found written in the book of life, is added; which evidently distinguishes the dead who stand before God, into two classes, those who are, and those who are not, written in the book of life.

This phrase of distinction appears to me to be added for the express purpose of shewing that the dead small and great are not cast into the lake of fire, but only those of them who are not written in the book of life.

Eighth consideration. The declaration made in ver. 12, concerning the opening of the book of life, at the time when the dead are judged, and the reference made to it

in ver. 15, convince me that the first resurrection cannot signify the resurrection of the saints at the second coming of Christ. The opening of the book of life, as observed page 11, appears to me to signify the manifestation of those who are written in it. Two reasons lead me to conceive, that this must take place at the second coming of Christ.

First. When Christ comes in glory, all the holy angels will be with him, Matt. xxv. 31: all his dead saints will be raised with glorified bodies, and all his living saints will be changed in like manner moreover, all the ungodly living upon the earth at that time, will be gathered together before him, and will witness the glory of the saints. I mention merely the living ungodly, because I wish in this chapter, to consider the Millenarian interpretation upon its own basis; and to shew, that, if we suppose merely the living ungodly to be gathered together before Christ, according to their own hypothesis, the view cannot be correct. Let me therefore observe, that it is utterly inconceivable to me that all this glory can be conferred upon the saints, and such a manifestation of them be made in the presence of Christ, of all the holy angels, of one another, and of all the ungodly living in every part of the earth, one moment before what is called the opening of the book of life The very absurdity of the idea would convince me that such a manifestation of the glory of those who are written in the book of life must coincide with and be the same as the opening of that book. And the expression in ver. 15, whosoever was not FOUND written in the book of life still further prove that this is the time when the open discovery or manifestation is made of those who are written therein. Secondly. It is expressly set forth that the manifestation of the sons of God will take place at their resurrection, Rom. viii. 19, 23. As, therefore, I am convinced that this manifestation cannot take place before the book of life is opened, in which their names are written, but must be the same as the discovery of those who are written therein, I feel assured that the resurrection of the saints will be at the time of the opening of the book of life, and not at the resurrection. These two reasons, therefore, prove to my mind that the time when Christ sits upon the throne of judgment and the book of life is opened,

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