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separate the soul from the body by death. This is what the Jews term the first excision (Le-Goph) as pertaining to the body-" and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites," which act the Psalmist terms gathering with sinners. This is the second excision (Le-nephesh) as pertaining to the soul. This punishment is what Christ in another passage terms the darkness that is most remote ;* that is, at the greatest distance from the abode of glory. Josephus terms it the darker Hades; and the Psalmist, speaking of the soul, says, “it shall go to the generation of its fathers, who never see the light.† 49.19

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* To exôteron skotos. Est ergo status qui longissime remotus est a cœlesti gaudio, quod lucis nomine appellare solet. Grotius in Mat. viii. 12.

The future tense is often put in Hebrew to supply the place of the relative asher. So also in Psal. lxxxiv. 5. "Blessed are the dwellers of thy house, who praise thee (aud) evermore." This is the very word employed by St. Paul, as characteristic of the upper temple. "Our twelve tribes serving God day and night, en ekteneia in continuance;" i. e. evermore. Acts, xxvi. 7.

CHAPTER

CHAPTER XIII.

The Period of Faith, Hope, and Love.

For now we see, by means of reflection (di' esoptrou) [we see] in figure (en ainigmati) but then face to face. Now there remaineth faith, hope, love: these three, but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinth. xiii. 12, 13.

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HAVE, in another chapter, touched on some circumstances which are mentioned here, but not so fully as to supersede all further investigation. P.134. See

The point proposed to be considered at present, is the period to which the apostle refers the ceasing of prophecies, tongues, and knowledge, and as surviving these, faith, hope, and love, whether to the state after death, or to that which succeeds to the resurrection.

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It would seem that the apostle decided the excellence of spiritual gifts, by the time of their continuance, and that it lay in the ratio of their exercise, and the mode of its extent.

Prophecies, tongues, and present knowledge," are confined to the limits of time. Faith and hope step beyond it, and still maintain their place in the soul, till they are justled out by sight and fruition. Love is that abiding principle which remains.

through

through every change, and will continue to burn with unabating ardor through ever-during ages.

"All prophecies," say the Rabbins, "universally concern the kingdom of Messiah." So says Rev. 19.10.St. John, "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." To a person arrived in that happy world, prophecies will be no longer necessary, in as much as he will be now in full possession of the things to which they pointed. Tongues shall cease, as no difference of language can exist in that region. Present knowledge, as obtained through mirror reflections, and the language of figure, will be done away.

1 Cor. 13.12

Of our present knowledge, the apostle mentions two sources, the speculum, and the language of figure. These two, our translation condenses into one, rendering the sentence "as in a glass, darkly;" as if this latter term were an attributive of the former, whereas it, in itself, marks another channel of this knowledge, quite distinct from the other. It is true, the action of seeing agrees rather to the term glass, than to the enigma or language of parable; but this sense is now of such general application that we usually say of whatever is transmitted through the channel of of the senses, we see it. The two prepositions, through and in, still maintain their propriety. We look through the mediums of the Old Testament, such as the priests, the sacrifice, and the altar, to

any

the

the others of a more sublime degree, which these reflected. In the parable, we see set forth the things of heaven. Of these latter, the former is the veil, and while time remains, our sight cạn penetrate no farther.

Let us now take a view of these two sources apart. 1st. The glass from which reflections are given us of the things of heaven, may comprehend every part of matter, which, according to the place it holds in creation, reflects a proportional degree of the Creator's glory: for "the invisible Rm.1.20 things of HIM are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." These rays, either more or less, are reflected from every object that falls under the notice of the senses-in every plant, in every insect, in every animal: their figure, structure, pursuits, are all so many glasses which reflect this glory, and the quicker and more penetrating the genius, the more of these rays will meet the view and reward the search. In search of these, while we are left to range over the works of God, as the book of nature, the christian revelation makes a particular selection, and expressly tell us that they are intended as elements to spell out, although very imperfectly, invisible things. Indeed, the language of earth in general, when applied to describe the things of the heavenly world, must unavoidably be figurative, and its various descriptions be at best but mere substitutions.

This speculum was variously applied by Christ to the eyes of his disciples. In the lilly, which, without any labour of its own, is so beautifully arrayed, he bid them contemplate the care and adorning hand of their heavenly Father, who in like manner, when the season should arrive, would clothe them in robes of light, in the preparation of which they were to be as passive as the lilly. In the spring, and in the name Siloam, they were bid to read the living stream, which, through him, perpetually flows to thirsty souls. In the fields, which by the suns and showers of heaven were become white to harvest, he calls them to view the state of men's hearts, now in preparing for the reception of the gospel. In the various apartments of the temple, he leads them to view by reflection, the many mansions in his Father's house, which await the souls of the righteous. In the shepherds who brought their sheep to Jerusalem to supply the temple with sacrifices, he directs them to behold this character in Him who takes the lambs in his arms, and carries them in his bosom, and who lays down his life for his sheep. In the vine, luxuriant with its branches and fruits, he declares to them his office, which was to communicate to them a similar fruitfulness; "I am the true vine, if ye abide in me ye shall bring forth much fruit."

Hagar and Sarah were the specula in which St. Paul saw the children of bondage, and the chil

dren

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