The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1878-04-03

and buried, and bis sepulchre is with US unit
this day. Therefore being q prophet, ant
knowing that God had sworn with an oath
that of the fruit Of his loins, according to tn
flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on hi'
throne; He seeing this, spake Of the resur
rection of Christ, that his SOUL" Chat is hil
life) was not left in hell THAT is in an extinct
state) neither did his body see corruption.
Acts ii: 25-31. Consequently We say in
our Catechism, in answer to the question
"Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?'
+" Christ's humiliation consisted in His being
born, and that in low condition, made under
the law, undergoing the miseries Of this life
the wrath of God and the cursed death Of
the Cross; in being buried and continuing
under the power Of death for time" His
being under the power of death therefore was
the hell" in which "his soul was" from bis
crucifxion until bis resurrection.
Having now seen what we are to under
stand by "soul' and what by "hell," and
[" life, as they stand connected with the SUBJ
ject under consideration, I will show next
what we are to understand by "Psradise. "
In Rev. ii 7, our Saviour says, "To him
that overcometh will give to eat of the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God" "The tree of life" of which, if our
first parents had eaten they would not have
fallen, was in the midst of the garden Of
Eden. Gen. ii: 9. This garden is called by
man, "the terrestrial Paradise" "The tree
of life" of which Christ will "give to him to
eat that overcometh" "is in the midst of the
paradise of God" Rev. ii 7. But where
is "Paradise ?" Paul speaking Of himself
says, " knew man in Christ about four
teen years ago, whether in the body I can
not tell, or whether out of the body l cannot
tell, God knoweth, such an one caught up
into the third heaven. And I knew such a
man, whether in the body, or out of the body
cannot tell-God knoweth; how that he
was caught up into paradise, and heard IN.
speakable words which it is not lawful for q
man to utter" II Cor. xii /: 2, 8, 7. In the
Bible our upper regions are divided into
three parts. The first of these is the region
of the clouds. Gen i: 90. The second is the
region of the fixed stars. Gen. i: 16, H.
The third is +" Paradise The Paradise of
God" By this suppose We are to under.
stand in some sense His special residence,
and hence the following lines in one of our
hymns:
"From the third heavens where God resides,
That holy, happy place."
We will next see where Christ went when
eHe in person left the world. Shortly before
his crucifxion He said to His disciple: "1
60 to prepare place for you, and if l g
and prepare place for you, will come
again and receive you to myself that where
l am ye may be ALSO" John xiv: 8.
To his Father He said, "And now c
Father glorify thou me with thine own self
with the glory had With thee before tht
world was." Again, "And now come l tt
thee" John xvii S, 13. Accordingly, after
His resurrection "He led his disciples out
as far as Bethany, and lifted up His hands
and blessed them, and it came to pass tina
while He blessed them He was parted from
them and carried up into heaven, and So
down on the right hand of God" Luke xiv
81, Heb. K II. Thus We see where Chris
went. But where do His people 60 wher
they die? We have seen already that wheI
He was about to go he said to His disciples
eff 1 60 away I will come again and receiv'
you to myself" Accordingly to His Fathe
He said, "Father will that they also whom
thou hast given me may be with me where
am that they may behold my glory" JOhl
xvii "a. We therefore have the following
from Paul. "We are always confident
knowing that while we are at home in tn
body we are absent from the Lord" "W
are confident say and willing rather to b
absent from the body and present with tb
Lord" II Cor. v: 6, 8. "For me to liv
is Christ, and to die is gain -. yet wha
l shall choose wot not, for am in a strai
betwixt two, having desire to depart and t
be with Christ which is far better" Phil.
81, %.
These scriptures require no comment. 1
accordance with them we say in our Cate
chsm: The souls Of believers are at thei
death made perfect in holiness and do immt
diately pass into glory, and their bodies bein
still united to Christ do rest in their grave
until the resurrection" HENRY BROWN.
OLD FASHIONED HEREsIEs.- Sundd
School Times says: "With all the rage fc
old-fashioned andirons, and clocks, and bl
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