A STUDY OF THE SOUL by William Covert

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Sep 21, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 37.

A STUDY OF THE SOUL.

By William Covert

BY WILLIAM COVERT.

(Continued.)

"FOR the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for the soul." Lev. 17:11. "The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." 1 Sam. 18:1. "And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him [his life was gone]. . . . And he [Elijah] said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. . . . And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord and said, O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's soul [life] come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul [life] of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child. . . . and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth." 1 Kings 17:17-23. "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, tho he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?" Job 27:8. "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine." Ps. 33:18, 19.

"When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." Isa. 53:10.

The life which every Christian believer has in Jesus is wholly out of the reach of man to destroy; and, for this reason, none who trust in the Saviour need to fear what man can do unto them. These enemies may take the present life through violence, as by martyrdom, but that is as far as they can go. By so doing, they have not injured the life which Christ holds in His power.

In commenting on Matt. 16:26, Dr. Clarke, says, "On what authority many translate the word 'psuche' in the 25th verse 'life' and in this verse 'soul,' I know not; but am certain it means 'life' in both places." This criticism is undoubtedly true; and the same is also true of Matt. 10:28, 39. In verse 28, the word "psuche" is rendered "soul," while in verse 39, the same word is translated "life." "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it." The thought is that the man who refuses Christ, thinking to save his present life, will lose eternal life. It is this life beyond which the enemies of Christ can not destroy.

These references make it plain that the Scriptures do not teach that the soul of man is an immortal entity.

Whence Comes the Doctrine?

The reader will doubtless wonder how the doctrine of the soul's immortality could ever have obtained a footing in the world if it is not taught in the Bible. But when the subject is studied, its origin seems plain enough.

In Eden the doctrine was generated by Satan himself. Egypt harbored and fostered it. At a very early age it formed an

alliance with the idolatry of Babylon, and in their multiplied forms this union of darkness has sent all its offspring into the world. Herodotus says, "The Egyptians were also the first who asserted the doctrine that the soul of man is immortal, and that when the body perishes, it [the soul] enters into some other animal."

Embalming the Body.

Mitchell's "Ancient Geography" says: "The Egyptian priests adopted the doctrine of the transmigration of the soul, while the belief that it will continue as long as the body endures, obtained with the people; whence came the care displayed in the preservation of embalmed bodies, or mummies, and the vast expense of excavating tombs in solid rocks." (Lesson 24, p. 60, Art. Egypt.)

Their idea was that the soul would be made better during the transmigration cycle, and that if the body could be preserved during the transition period of the soul, then it would cause the body to revive, and happiness would be secured.

(Concluded next week.)