^, ^ ^ ^^^o. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ^ A // ^^^ ^ m^ ^ z. 1.0 I.I ii&IM 125 » 1)4 m II 1'^^ iiii'-^ III 1-6 ^ 6" » ^ > >> V Photographic Sciences Corporation iV ^v ^ ^ ^\ 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTH.N.Y. MSM (716) •72-4S03 4r CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. ClHM/iCIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Tachnicai and Bibliographic Notaa/Notas tachniquaa at bibiiographiquas Tha Instituta has anamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad bolow. □ Colourad eovars/ ' Couvartura da coulaur [~~| Covars damagad/ D n n D n D Couvartura andommagAa Covars rastorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raataurte at/ou palliculia Covar titia miasing/ La titra da couvartura manqua Colourad mapa/ Cartaa gtegraphiquas tt coulaur Colourad ink (i.a. othar than biua or black)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua blaua ou noi Colourad platas and/or illuatrations/ Planchas at/ou illustrations 9n coulaur D Bound with othar matarial/ RaliA avac d'autras documants Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along intarior margin/ La r« liura tmrrim paut cauaar da I'ombra ou da la distoraion la long da la marga IntAriaura Blank laavas addad during rastoration may appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar possibla. thasa hava baan omittad from filming/ II sa paut qua cartainas pagas blanchas ajoutiaa lors d'una rastauration apparaiaaant dana la taxta. mais. lorsqua cala ttait possibla. cas pagaa n'ont pas «t« filmtea. Additional commants:/ Commantairas suppiimantairas: L'Institut a microfilm* la maillaur axamplaira qu'il lui a iti possibla da sa procurar. Las details da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du point da vua bibliographiqua. qui pauvant modifier una imaga raproduita. ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dans la mithoda normala da filmaga sont indiquAs ci-daasous. r~^ Colourad pagas/ D Pagaa da coulaur Pagaa damagad/ Pagas andommagtes Pagas rastorad and/oi Pagas rastaurAas at/ou palliculAas Pagas discolourad, stainad or foxai Pagas dicoiorAos. tachatias ou piquAas Pagas datachad/ Pagas dAtachias Showthrough/ Transparanca Quality of prii^ Qualiti inigaia da I'imprassion Includas supplementary materia Comprend du metiriel supplAmentaire Only edition available/ Seule Mition disponibie pn Pagaa damaged/ I — I Pagas restored and/or laminated/ r~7| Pagas discolourad, stained or foxed/ [~n Pages detached/ rr] Showthrough/ pn Quality of print varies/ pn Includes supplementary material/ rn Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Lea pages totalement ou partieilement obscurcies par un feuillet d'arrata. une pelure, etc., ont iti filmies i nouveau de fapon i obtenir la mailleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux da reduction Indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X lex aox MX 28X 32X 1 »tails 1 du odifiar r una Th« copy filmad hun haa baan raproduead thanka to ttw ganaroaity of: g4n4roait* do: Library of ParlianiMit and tha National Library of Canada. RlhiitrthimM Mtionaia du Canada. maga Tha imagoa appoaring hara ara tho boat quality poaaiblo eonaidaring tho eondltion and laglbiHty of ttw original copy and in koopbig with tho niming coniraoi apacincaaana* piua grand aoin. eompto tonu do io condition at do la nottoti do I'OKomplaira filmA, at an eonformit* avac loa conditiona du contrat da s Original copioa in printad popor covoca aro filmad boginnkig with tho front eovor and anding on tho laat paga with a printad or illuatratod improa- aion, or tho bocic covor whon appropriato. All othor original eopioo ara fUmad boginning on tho firat pago with a printad or Hluatratad impraa- aion, and anding on tho loot paga with a primad or illuatratad impraaaion. popior aot imprimoo aont filmaa an ooniinonoant par Io promior plot ot an tarminant aoit par la damiira pago qui comporto uno amprainta dimproaaion ou dlHuntration, wit par la aacond plot, aalon Io coo. Toua laa autraa asampiairaa originoux aont fUmda an eommon^ont par la pramlira paga qui comporto uno amprainta dtmpraaalon ou dtHuatration at wn tarminant par la damiAra paga qui comporto uno toilo omprointo. Tho laat racordod 'raiiia on ooch niiorofloho ahali contain tho aymbol — *> (mooning "CON- TINUeO"). or tho aymbol ▼ (mooning "END"). wMchovof appllaa* Un daa aymboioo auivanta apparaltra sur Io damioro imaga da citaqua microficho, aoion Io coa: Io aymboio ->» aignifio "A SUIVRE". Io aymbolo ▼ aignifio "HN". Mapa, piataa. cliarta, ate., may iia filmad at d i ffarant raduction ratioa. Thoaa too lorgo to bo a n t i raly ineludod in ono axpoaura ara filmad baginning in tiM uppar loft hand comor, loft to right and top to bottom, aa many fra ma a aa raquirad. Thia following diagramo iHuatrato tho plonchoa. tairiaaux. ate., pauvant itra fHmia i daa taux do rMuetion diff ^onta. Loraqua Io dooumont aat trap grand pour Atra raproiduit an un aoul ciiehi. ii aat fRmA i partir do I'angia aupMaur gaueha. da gauoho k droito. ot do hiMt an baa. an pranant la nombro dimogoo ni c aa a airo. Laa dlogrammaa auivanta iNuatrant la mAthodo. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 f % u W we how eacli other there f 'A-bsent from the body, . . . present witli the Lord." (2 Cor. v. 8.) W. L. M, iltAC^. With Him everlasting ages, Reigning with Him on His throne, Singing forth our endless praises, For the love which He has shown : Here we praise His matchless grace, Tliere we'll see Him face to face. #ttafo« : 1882. "Shall we know each other there?" n Him and if not on Him no longer on the purchase )f His blood) brought His redeemed people out fr m under the hand of the greater Pharaoh. , ,f " All scripture which bear upon our Lord's goin^; down to Hades, such as Ps. xvi. 9-11. Eph. iv. 9. 1 Peter iii. 18-19, represent it as an unprecedented act of redeeming love and condescension. Nor are there wanting intimations in the word of God, that the ac- complishment of Christ's work on earth, was a mighty promotion in the bliss of those who had already fallen asleep in Him. Then, and not till then, are they called " the spirits of just men made perfect." ("Yesterday, To-day, and Forever." Notes on line 914 of book 7, page 420.) And the same authority quotes Alford on Heb. xi. 40, who comparing that verse with the 23rd 11 verae of the 12th chapter of the same epistle says, **The writer seems to testif}'^ that the advent and work of Christ have changed the estate of the Old Testament fathers and saints into ^reatoi" and perfect blinp, an in- ference which is forced on us by many other passages in Scripture." I have been led to make this divergence, as much confusion appears to exist relative to the state or place of departed spirits. Scriptuie when rightly divided ever shows a beautiful accord. To return to the narrative of the rich man and Lazarus in the 16th of Luke; we find in this Sciipturo H statement so plain, so simple, so concuisive of depar- ted spirits recognizing each other, that it is of itself sufficient assurance that we shall know each other there ; that is in the separate state when the spirit is separate from the body, and if this is so as regards the spirit separate from the body, how much more can we confidently hope we shall know each other when we are " clothed upon with our house which is from heaven," 2 Cor. v. 2. " And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abra- ham's bosom, the rich man also died and was buried and in hell (Hades) he lifted up his eyes being in tor- ments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame." But Abraham could not comply with his leqnest for there was a great gulf fixed, over which neither could pass to the other. The rich man then asked that Lazarus be sent to his five brethren to testify to them " lest thej'^ also come into I ! 12 this place of torment" and " Abraham saith unto him they have Moses and the Prophets let them hoar them." So it ever was and is, man would have a way of t^alva:- tion different from God's. God's way was to hear ' Moses and the Prophets ;" the rich man's was " if one went unto them from they dead they will repentf ' And men are yet choosing their own way, they will not submit to God's way — the cross of Christ. Refus- ing to come unto the fountain of living waters, they hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water, indifferent to the awful fact that they are going down into the "pit wherein is no water." Men are not saved by seeing or hearing spii'its. They are saved by hearing and believing God's Word. — Rom. x. 17. , » .* We have then in this narrative in Luke, conscious existence, identity, remembrance, recognition, and interchange of communications in the disembodied state, conveying the most positive assurance to us that should the Lord tarry and we fall asleep, we shall join our loved ones, who went before; shall see and know them, holding holy converse, waiting with them and all the blessed dead, the resurrection morn and Bridal of the Lamb. ' / * If then the disembodied state is one of such blessed- ness and felicity in the Lord's presence, how incom- parably greater will be the joy of the resurrection, when with bodies of beauty and glorj'', " fashioned like unto His glorious body," we shall give glory to God, Christ in our midst,' Himself leading His Church in songs of adoration. . , We have seen then from Scripture that we will en- joy the blessedness of knowing each other in that 13 -H state which intervenes death and resurrection, and it only remains to ascertain whether we shall know each other in our risen bodies, in our tlxed eternal estate, and it need scarcely be urged, that if we know each other in the separate condition, with what certainty we can look forward to recognition when spirit and body are iiguin united, for if identity is not lost when the spirit is separated from the body, we may assure ourselves that identity will not be wanting when body and spirit are again joined together. Scriptui'o how- ever does not leave us to conjectui-e on this point. In the scene on the Holy Mount, whei*e Peter, James and John were eye witnesses of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Chj'ist, we find, Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus, Moses who had passed into the disembodied state, and Elijah who was translated without seeing death. The former the type of that portion of God's people who have fallen asleep in Jesus; the latter the type of that portion of God's peo- ple who will be alive at the coming of the Lord, and who like Elijah shall be translated, eaught up to meet the Lord in the air. Hence it is unscriptural to state that, " It is appointed unto all men once to die," for scripture nowhere asserts it, but it is indeed expressly negatived by St. Paul, in the 4th chai)ter of 1st Thes- salonians, and again, if there could be a stronger ne- gation, in 1st Corinthians xv.*51, where he expressly states that " we shall not all sleep." In this blessed scene on the mount, we find, if Moses was known, so also was Elijah. But further, we read, that at Christ's death the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of their graves after His resurrec- r 14 tion' and went into the Holy City and appeared unto many. We have, however, in the resurrection of our ador- able Loi*d and Saviour Jesus Christ, and subsequent events between His resurrection and ascension, th^ fullest testimony to the precious truth that God's risen saints shall know each other. The Lord was seen and known by many of His people. Paul states in Ist Cor. xv. " that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve, and after that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once," and not only was He seen by His disciples but He spake to them, and they to Him, and even Thomas who was slow to believe that the Loi*d was risen, exclaimed when he saw Jesus, " My Lord and my God." Our Lord when He stood in the midst of His disciples, said, '' behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see me have." The L6i*d's risen body which could be seen and felt, was capable of receiving food, for He did eat before them, and though visible and invisible at will, was visible and material, " flesh and bone," as He Himself declares. Mark, the Lord did' not say flesh and bloody for " flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." In the blood the vital principle dwells. The life of all flesh is in the blood thereof, but at death we leave our present tabernacle behind, and our resurrec- tion or translated bodies will be instinct, not with bloody but with spirit^ not transformed into spirit, but palpable bodies — refined and subtile indeed — instinct with spirit — a spiritual body. And John in his 1st Epistle and 3rd Chapter as- snref> us that when Christ shall appear we shall be like > 15 Him. Like Jesus ! Like Him whose glory shut out the light from Saul's eyes — as breathing out slaughter against the Lord's disciples he journeyed to Damascus — and brought him a trembling penitent to the feet of Him, whose people he so cruelly persecuted I Like Jesus I Whose glory smote the lonely seer at Patmos prone to the earth ; whose eyes were as a flame of fire ; w^hose feet were like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace, and whose countenance w^as as the sun shining in its strength I Even so, for He "shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Him- self." Phil. iii. 21. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John iii. 2. Weil might the Psalmist exclaim, " I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness." Let not God's people then sorrow, over their blessed dead, as others who have no hope ; but look forward with calmness and full assurance to that joyful hour when in our glorified bodies, with friends and loved ones again surrounding us, we will unite in hymns of adoration unto Him who loveth us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. In the Tth of Luke we have the blessed Loixi speak- ing in tones of tenderest compassion to a bereaved one, saying to her, " Weep not." Would that all God's people could hear and obey the Master's voice as they bury their dead out of their sight — saying, "Weep not." Has the Lord forgotten how to be gracious? Do not all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose? Does not 16 the Lord see the end from the beginning? Does He not know His own pui'pose ? He did in the case of the Widow of Nain, and hence the consoling words, "Weep not." This son-owing woman whom the Lord met coming out of Nain (Pleasant) had already been bereft of her support, for she was a widow, and now carrying out her only son to the grave — her only com- fort gone — she is met by Him who alone can comfort, who " had compassion on hei*, and said unto her, Weep not;" and then after comforting her — delaying to raise to life till she became the recipient of His divine com- passion — " He came and touched the bier, .... and He said, young man, I say unto thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother." Blessed scene ! death and soiTow fleeing away from the presence of Him who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for man}', and who mini- sters 3'et to His members on the earth out of all His fulness through the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. This is the day of compassion and "Weep not." To-morrow He will deliver our loved ones to us. " For the Lord Himself shall descend." Mark, . the Lord Himself, not an angel, not Michael, Heaven's Archangel ic Prince, but the Lord Himself shall des- cend, shall come onward to this earth, the City of Nain, (called pleasant place by many — sad misnomer that to a bereaved one whose cup is full), and having raised His sleeping saints and translated His living ones, having changed our vile bodies that the}^ may be fashioned like unto His glorious body. He will restore our loved ones to us and us to them. 1 Thess. iv. IS- IS. " Weep not." But "Comfort one another with these words." • ? i / y And here I venture to repeat what has already been stated, that it is only proposed to consider the state of those who die in the Lord, and I may add that while such is the object, it is with no desire to conceal that there is an awful reverse, to what we have been con- sidering, awaiting those who die without Christ. And although space and time forbid, the writer cannot for- bear from entreating any one who has not drunk of the living water, to hasten for his soul's sake and de- lay no longer, but now, as these pages are read, to take the water of life, which Christ is off'ering so free- ly, that he may never thirst ; lest he go down into the pit in which is no water and thirst there j and let not such an one be delayed by the enemy of his soul, who like a lion is seeking to devour him — persuading him to put the time off till he is fitter to come ; but come now, just as he is, in all his sins, for Christ died to save sinners : — "God in mercy sent His Son To a world by sin undone; Jesas Christ was crucified, ' Twas for sinners Jesus died." Delay no longer, then, as you value your eternal welfare. " Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men." 2 Cor. v. 11. Hesitate not to cast yourself upon God's love, God's grace, a crucified and risen Christ, for " The word m nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach ; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans x. 8-9. In earnest and humble hope that He who " hath 18 done all things well," may use what has been written to the comfort of sorrowing hearts surrounded by dead and dying, the writer easts his bread upon the waters in simple reliance on the promise, " thou shalt tind it after many days."