BRIEF THOUGHTS

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 27, 1856

ON THE NATURE OF THE SOUL, THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, AND THE FINAL DESTINY OF MAN.

FROM the Scriptures alone can we obtain satisfactory information concerning the nature of the soul. Reason may lead to conjecture, but reason alone cannot give us confidence. The wise men of antiquity have reasoned without the light of revelation, and remained in unhappy uncertainty. We are shut up to seek light from the Scriptures, shining as a light in a dark place. The first question that presents itself to our mind will be, Is the soul of man a conscious and intelligent existence, when separated from the body, immortal in its nature, and destined to exist for ever? My object in the brief thoughts on this subject will not be to examine all the isolated passages which appear to present objections to the views I shall present on this question; but to inquire what is the current testimony of Scripture; and this not so much to present all the evidence from the Scriptures that go to support my views on the subject, as to suggest trains of thought for others, as to what is truth on this subject.

1st. I should not think the soul of man an immortal, conscious, and intelligent existence, separate from the body, from the silence of the Scriptures on the subject. The Scriptures speak of the nature of man as plainly as they do of the nature of God; of his mortality, depravity, his perishing condition by nature, yet in this volume, written by Prophets and Apostles, recording the teachings of Christ, their own teaching and preaching to men of all classes and conditions—yet in all this volume composed by so many writers, under so many different circumstances, and discussing so many subjects, the soul's immortality is never stated as a fact plainly and explicitly, nor the subject discussed. This appears the more strange, supposing the writers to have believed the doctrine, from the fact that religious teachers in our day, who believe the doctrine, often discuss the subject; speak of the soul's immortality in most of their sermons and exhortations, so that no one who hears them, or reads their writings, is in the least doubt as to their real sentiments on the subject.

2d. I should not infer the doctrine of the soul's immortality from the terms used in the Scriptures in speaking of it. I shall examine but a few of the most prominent passages on this point, and refer the reader to "Bush on the Soul" for a full examination of this class of passages. The first mention of the soul is, "and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul," or a living creature.

There is no intimation that what God breathed into man, had an intelligent, and conscious existence previous to its entrance into the body, or that it became such after its entrance into the body. But its entrance into the body made man a rational, and intelligent creature. The Scriptures call it the spirit, the life. By whatever name it is called, it is evidently nothing more nor less than the principle of life, which, before it entered the body, had no conscious, and intelligent existence; and after it leaves the body has no conscious and intelligent existence. But, united, makes a rational and accountable being. This is what Paul tells the Athenians, "seeing he giveth to all life and breath;" and that Jesus refers to when he says, "but are not able to kill the soul;" and that Solomon designates when he says, "the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The breath of life, or the principle of life, that gift of God to man, returns to God who gave it; not as a rational and intelligent existence, but as the principle of life merely. Man cannot destroy it. As Paul says, "your life is hid with Christ in God." "When Christ who is our life shall appear," though our enemies kill this body, yet our life shall not be lost, but shall be restored to the body in its incorruptible state—"and then shall ye also appear with him in glory." "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he who loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Though they kill your body, the principle of life shall return to God who gave it. And he shall restore it again, though apparently lost, to your incorruptible body; and thus shall you keep it unto life eternal. "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul; or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" The question does not speak of the happiness of the soul, but of the soul itself, as a thing that may be lost, or hartered away. The previous verse calls it life: they mean the same thing. If the soul of man was immortal by nature, it could not be lost, or exchanged for something less valuable.

3d. From the punishment threatened to the ungodly, I should not infer its immortality, but its destruction and extinction. The first penalty held up to Adam previous to the fall was, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This curse was, after the fall, explained to Adam: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." No intimation was given to Adam that he was to have an existence beyond the grave. The punishment threatened ended at the grave. Sorrow in life followed by death: "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The prospect held up before Adam, was that he should go back to the dust from whence he was taken, and God would take back the principle of life he had conditionally given to Adam. An extinction of being was the prospect before his mind. If Christ had not come as the resurrection and the life, there would have been no future existence for man. And until he was promised, there was no curse that reached beyond the grave. It is in this verse that as "in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." All lost their existence in Adam: all shall have it again in Christ restored to them. But there is a second death; and as there was an extinction of being in prospect before Adam which was only prevented by Christ's coming as the resurrection and the life, the second death will be an entire extinction of being—a destruction for which there is no remedy, being a destruction of both soul and body in hell. The principle of life will be destroyed, and there can be no resurrection from the second death. "I have set before you life and death"—"the soul that sinneth, it shall die." "For, behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." "When the wicked spring as grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever." David speaking by the Spirit, says, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul." "And gather his wheat into the garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Will the chaff remain burning yet unconsumed because it is burnt up with unquenchable fire? "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto life eternal." The punishment is the opposite of life eternal. What is the doom here threatened? Or what does this final, eternal, and everlasting punishment consist? Let the apostle Paul speak: "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Is not God's glory, power, and presence in all parts of his universe?—then where will the wicked be after their destruction? They must be out of God's universe, or out of existence. "Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction," "Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them." When burnt, do they not become extinct? "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." Not his happiness only shall be destroyed, but himself. "Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly." Not only their happiness is to have an end, but they are to have an end.

The wicked will not rise with immortal bodies. Paul, referring to the resurrection, says, "He that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Here corruption, and life everlasting, are placed in contrast. Corruption is the opposite of immortality and incorruption. If the wicked are to reap corruption, they are not to be immortal nor incorruptible; "for corruption doth not inherit incorruption." All whose corruption puts on incorruption, and whose mortal puts on immortality, can sing, "death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

4th. I should not suppose the soul to be immortal by nature, from the fact that eternal life, or immortality, is a conditional gift; both these terms express the same idea. God said of Adam in his fallen state, lest he "eat and live for ever." God called a wicked man's eternal existence, eternal life. These terms when applied to the righteous, always imply an eternal existence of blessedness. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever." "This is that bread which came down from heaven; he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever." "To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality; eternal life." Immortality is a thing to be sought for. This does not appear as though all were possessed of it. "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." If men by nature are immortal, will not those who do not God's will abide for ever, or remain for ever? "Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel?" Immortality and life are brought to light, and no immortality but one of life. Death and immortality are no where brought to light through the gospel.

5th. The future existence of man is predicated on the resurrection of the dead, and not on the immortality of the soul. Christ says, "That I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." "That every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day." "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day." Paul says, "of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." "Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead." The final judgment is here made to depend on the resurrection of the dead. "And have hope towards God . . . that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." The resurrection is the Apostle's ground of hope. "If Christ be not raised, . . . then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." "If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." The Apostle here makes the resurrection of the dead the ground of hope for future existence. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others who have no hope." Why, because the soul is immortal. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." "And the dead in Christ shall rise first." "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth." "Their works shall follow them." This passage is not general in its application. The words "from henceforth" limit it to the specified time. "For the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection

of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

I should suppose from such language that this was the opening scene of rewards and punishments. Of a similar character is all the language describing the resurrection and final judgment. "So shall it be at the end of the world, the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just." Who would suppose, from such language, that the mass of them had been separated previously? So in the parable of the sheep and goats; then shall he separate them and shall say, "come ye blessed," and "depart ye cursed." This certainly looks like the first and final separation; the opening scene of reward and punishment. When the Son of man shall come in the glory of the Father, THEN shall he reward every man according to his works. This confirms the previous inference of no reward till the coming of the Son of man.

In Christ's interview with Mary and Martha, he did not attempt to comfort them as many would in our day, by describing the rapturous joys of a soul in heaven. No intimation of this kind was made. For with all their regrets at losing their brother, we cannot suppose they would consent to have him called from such scenes to the sorrows of earth again. But Christ comforted them by saying: "I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live again. Martha says, 'I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.'" "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." We are not to see Christ as he is till his second appearing. "When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." We shall not appear with him in glory till his second appearing. And not only they, but "we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." We have the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. But the adoption itself does not take place till the body is redeemed. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." We are to be judged only for the deeds done in the body. Yet if the souls of wicked men possess a conscious and intelligent existence, some of them have been sinning for thousands of years.

If the foregoing thoughts are correct, the redeemed will owe to the Lord Jesus Christ, not only their eternal felicity, but their eternal existence also. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

"It cost him death to save our lives; To buy our souls it cost his own; And all the unknown joy he gives, Were bought with agonies unknown."

"But man dieth and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fall from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; so man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job xiv, 10–12.

"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. cxlvi, 4.

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us to this day. For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts ii, 29, 34.—Selected.