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of the mighty theme ! Yet what he can do lie will endeavour to perform ; he will transfer , in immortal strains , from the table of his heart , to succeeding generations , the praises of the Most High ; and call upon " all flesh to bless his holy name for ever and
ever /' Mr . Addison observes , that the passages .- » in-- ' ¦ i ' salm xvi ., relating to the Messiah , " had a present and ^ personal sense , as well as a futfure and prophetic one : " for though David himself " fell on sleep and saw corruption /* yet he could not consider this event as final and irreversible , for he
immediately adds , " Thou wilt shew me the path of life : in thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore ? ' therefore " his flesh did rest in hope . " And if all this should be referred to the
Messiah alone , it would be strange , indeed , if the Psalmist , who had such clear views of the Messiah ' s being raised to an immortal life , should nevertheless conclude , that this great
future Prophet and Restorer , " the hope and consolation of Israel , " so long waited for , should himself prove only a single and solitary instance of the Divine power and goodness in this respect ; and all the people of God besides , from the beginning to the end of time , should lie down for ever in the land of silence and forget fulness ! The ideas are so absurd and incongruous , that they will not bear a moment's discussion ; especially when in other psalms he is as precise and determinate on this point as words
run well admit of . " Depart from evil and do good , and dwell for evermore . —Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And there is none upon earth I can desire besides thee ! My flesh and iny heart shall fail , but thou art the strength of my heart and iny portion for ever . —Though J walk through the valley of the shadow of-death , I will fear no evil , -foV thoujirtwith me ; thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me ! — Precious in the siglrt of the Lord is the death of his saantft !—I shall he satisfied , when I awake , with . thy likeness !"
1 hus it appears , as it should seem , that there are sufficient evidences in the Old Testament to prove , to the satisfaction of any reasonable inquirer , that the ancient fathers of the primi-
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tive church , and their successors , believed in and expected a future state and if the comparative silence on this important subject in the Jewish Scri ptures be objected , it may be replied
( besides observing , * by the way , that we are to find- « ui » -religion ^ - and not to make it ^) that we are * r ¥ o t to reject any doctrine or opinitin , reasonable in itself * ' and honourable t ©* * h e Supreme Being , on 'account » of a comparative , or even an absolute * ' silence in the
sacred writings . - We know little from the ' Bible of the state , the numbers and the orders of angels ; yet who can doubt of their existence , and of their important services in the creation ? A scale of beings above us , supposing the use of our faculties , being almost an intuitive proposition ; as a scale below us is a matter of fact and
experience . We know nothing , from this source , of the plurality of worlds ; but every Tyro in modern philosophy can almost demonstrate the fact . And who will say , it is not as reasonable that there should be a future state , as
that there should be superior orders of intelligent beings , or a plurality of worlds in the regions of immeasurable space ? Doubtless , there were sceptics in the primitive churches , as well i (
as in our Saviour ' s time , who said there was no resurrection , neither angel nor spirit ; " and who , with the rebellious Israelites , in the days ot
the prophet Malachi , said , " It is in vain to serve God ; and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance , and walked mournfully before him ?" But . in such evil times . " " Thev that Butin such evil times They that
, , feared the Lord spake often one to another , and the Lord hearkened and heard , and a book of remembrance was written before him , for them that feared the Lord , and that thoug ht upon his name ; and they shall he
mine , saith the Lord of hosts , in that day when I make up my jewels , and 1 will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him . Then shall ye discern between the righteous and the wicked , between him that serveth ( tod , and him that serveth him not . "
But the New Testament places this subject in the most convincing point of view , so that " he may run that reudeth . " Our Saviour , alluding t () the prophecies concerning hiinselt , refers the unbelieving Jews to their own Scriptures , in which also they Pr 0 ~
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2 76 Belief of the Patriarchs and Israelites in a Future State .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1822, page 276, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2512/page/20/
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