And so, on that most memorable evening of the journey to Emmaus, the incidents of which are described with wonderful pathos by Luke, "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets," the risen Lord expounded to His rapt listeners"in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." And shortly afterwards, appearing "in the midst of the eleven and them that were with them," we find this momentous record:-" And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke xxiv. 27, 44-49).

From the fall to the era of the restitution, from the promise in Eden to the vision of the new heavens and earth, from the irruption of moral evil into our world down to the time of its everlasting expulsion from the universe, attention is directed constantly to a PERSON-the glorious Christ of God. There is vast variety in the historical and prophetic incidents, but they all cluster around this blessed One, of whom Paul said nothing at variance with the accepted writings of Moses and the prophets. To Him give all the prophets witness; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

3. The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the supreme fact of the Gospel. The verification of this alleged fact by competent witnesses is of the utmost importance. We must have the testimony of men who saw HIM alive after the spear had pierced His heart, and His death and burial had been officially attested. It is common enough to say in pulpits and books that Christ's soul was alive in heaven during the time that His dead body lay in the tomb; that the souls of believers go to Him when they-that is their bodies-die-" the death of the body" is the current and deceptive expression-and that these souls of believers are glorified and crowned in heaven now, many of them being so glorified and crowned, of course, for ages. I have many objections to these statements, the enumeration of which would prove that they are absolutely ruinous to the whole scheme of grace. I could easily show that if they are true, there is no accepted sacrifice, no bearing of the curse for us, no putting away sin, no atonement, no justification of the believer, and no eternal life for any of the sons of men! But instead of detail, let one comprehensive objection to these popular notions suffice-they are all contrary to Scripture. There is no Divine truth in any of them. The man who undertakes to

prove their harmony with the Word of God will find his task as laborious and fruitless as that of Sisyphus.

No Christian assembly needs to be reminded-that is to say, if it has not been led astray by erroneous teaching about the immortality of human souls and glorification at death,—that the resurrection of the Redeemer from the dead-the anastasis, the standing or rising up-is absolutely essential to prove that He is the Redeemer. If there be a link deficient in the chain of evidence in this essential matter, everything is deficient. The holy life, and wonderful works, and extraordinary teaching of Jesus are unprecedented phenomena in the history of the world; but if He was not restored to life, or did not rise, or was not raised from the dead,— it matters not here whether you view it in the active or passive form-we are yet in our sins, they who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished, the Apostles are false witnesses, and the whole thing is an elaborate, complicated, and astonishing imposture! This unspeakably important matter must be looked at with all solemnity and earnestness. If Jesus, the entire personality, did not actually die, if He did not really "pour out His soul unto death," if there was a part of Him, a part of the man Christ Jesus, alive in heaven during the time that the Holy One lay in the tomb of Joseph, then it cannot be said, with strict attention to the meaning of words, that "He rose from the dead." But if He did not rise, and the disciples were deceived by a phantom of their over-heated imagination, as we have been told by some who wish to be considered teachers, "though they understand neither what they say nor whereof they affirm," then the entire doctrine of redemption is baseless and the Bible loses its radiant crown of prophetic and historical glory.

I purposely stop here, having said enough to indicate the disastrous consequences logically involved in the notion, on the one hand, of some of Christ's friends that He was alive when He was dead, and in the notion, on the other hand, of some of His enemies, that He is dead when He is alive. Let us now hear the deliverance of the Apostle on this great matter:-"I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, He was seen of James: then of all the apostles. And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. . . . Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because

we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

This is satisfactory, authoritative, divine. There is a tone about direct revelation which vouches for its genuineness, like the fragrance borne on the breeze from "Araby the blest." Faith rests when inspiration speaks, and inspiration speaks that faith may rest. It is God's will that believers should have perfect peace, and not be tossed about on a restless sea of uncertainty concerning matters of the very first importance which, from their very nature, can only be made known through Divine revelation. "Christ is risen from the dead." Sublime assurance! "Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." Note three points in this glorious revelation: (1.) the wavesheaf (Lev. xxiii. 10, 11) involves and consecrates the harvest; (2) they that sleep in Christ shall rise from the dead; (3) their resurrection takes place at Christ's coming-parousia, presence; so that there will be no resurrection, and consequently no glorification of the saints until He who is the Resurrection and the Life returns to raise them.

According to our text Paul told Agrippa that Christ should be the first (protos) to rise from the dead. But a first implies others. Here, again, is the glorious fact that He rose from the dead, not for Himself alone, but as the Head and Representative of many sons who are to be raised and glorified at His coming. He is the first begotten of the dead, and His people are begotten again unto a living hope by His resurrection. What a prospect! An assured and eternal victory over death and the grave, by resurrection, and that wonderful event the result of union with Him, who says in words of majestic sublimity: "Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and have the keys of Hades and of death." song of Moses after the miraculous passage of the Red Sea is jubilant and spirit-stirring, and we quite enter into the spirit of the scene when Miriam and her sisters danced with irrepressible joy. It was a holy dance, like that of David, long afterward, when the

The

ark of God was delivered from heathen captivity. But what will it be when a multitude numerous as the dewdrops of the morning, with the holy beauty of eternal youth upon them, shall sing the song of the Lamb? We may not enter now on this inviting theme. Another opportunity may be granted. Meantime, here is a joyous trumpet blast:-"When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory!" This is the gospel of resurrection!

JOB'S FAITH IN A FUTURE LIFE.

HE question of the faith of Job in a future life has been lately at by the writer of the first paper is, that Job had no faith or hope whatever in any future life of any kind, but that he contemplated, with the deepest sorrow, death as putting an end for ever to his, and every man's existence. As the question is a very important one, I am sure that the readers of the RAINBOW will not be displeased at my giving my view of it. I have long come to a conclusion opposite to that of Mr. Phillips. It is, that Job had a firm faith in a future life, to which the resurrection from the dead was to introduce him.

It strikes me that it would be a very extraordinary thing indeed, and scarcely compatible with human nature and the general teaching of Scripture, that Job could live such a life as he lived before God, not only in his prosperity but in his adversity, without a faith in a future life for himself. Job was one of the very greatest of the ancient saints. He ranked in God's mind as equal with Noah and Daniel (Ezek. xiv. 14). Both of these men were undoubtedly sustained in their life by the hope and the faith of immortality. It would seem impossible for human nature to live their godly life without such a faith. Certainly if Job lived his life of love for God, and faith in Him, and obedience to Him, all the while believing that death would terminate his existence for ever, he would present to view the specimen of a man nowhere else to be met with in or out of Scripture Biography.

But in addition to this consideration, it appears to me to be the indubitable testimony of the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews that every one of the faithful men of the Old Testament had faith in the doctrine of a future life through resurrection. I do not know how we can carefully read the 11th chapter of this book without seeing this. Let us mark that it is of a future life in connection with resurrection that the writer speaks (ver. 35). Those of whom he spoke did not, he tells us, obtain what they hoped for in death (vers. 13, 39). The better heavenly country

which they desired lay, in all their estimation, beyond, not during, death. But to this better country they, one and all of them, looked on in faith (vers. 13-16).

Now, can we believe for a moment that all those of whom this chapter speaks, had faith in a resurrection and that Job knew nothing about it, and had no faith in it whatsoever? Those who lived before his time had faith in it, as Abel, Enoch, Noah (verses 4, 5, 7). Noah, who gave its tone to the theology of the world after the flood, was a believer in it. Those who lived at periods probably embracing, or nearly so, the lifetime of Job, had faith in it, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses (vers. 8, 21, 22, 24). The saints who came after these all believed in resurrection (ver. 39). Those who are named in this chapter are confessedly but samples of others, too numerous to be mentioned (ver. 32); and can we suppose that all of these held the glorious faith of resurrection, and that Job alone of the ancient faithful did not?

But we go much farther than an inference from this chapter. The 6th verse tells us that, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Now, what is the faith which is here declared to be essential? It embraces two great dogmas. The first is faith in the personal existence of God; the second is faith in Him as the rewarder of all who seek Him. Now, where does this chapter tell us that the reward is given to believers? Not in this life to so much as a single one of them. Some of them, as Abraham and Moses, had as great a share as Job had, in what is called worldly prosperity. Others of them partook largely of the most terrible calamities of life. But neither to one or other of these classes was the reward they looked for given in this present life (ver. 13). But without faith in such a reward as was promised, i.e., faith in a future life, we are told that it is impossible to please God, and we therefore conclude that Job, who pleased God, had such a faith as well as Abel, or Noah, or Abraham, or Moses. Let us now turn to Job's own testimony in his book.

There are two things which Mr. Phillips concedes to have existed in Job's mind on this question of resurrection. The first is, that Job had the idea of it in his mind; the second is, that he longed for it very much (RAINBOW, p. 522). Now, where did Job get his idea of resurrection? Whence could he possibly get it? Resurrection is not an idea of natural conception. In Nature, that which dies does not rise again. The history of religion, as known to us, is the history of the dying out of the idea. It is possible that the Egyptians in the embalming of their dead intimated the retention of this idea from older times (Gibbon, v. 411). It is very probable that the original idea of resurrection merged into the much more accepted view of the immortality of the soul, which obliterated the idea from whence it sprung. (H. Hody, D.D., "The Resurrection of the Body," p. 11). But certain it is that the idea of resurrection is not an idea of natural growth, that it has