Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-10-05
COMMUNICATEONs.

To the Editor ofthe JOURNAL AND COURIER:
The apostle Peter, in his second epistle,
chapter iii, verses 19 90, uses this language
concerning Christ: "Being put to death in
the flesh, but quickened by the spirit; by
which he also went and preached unto the
spirits in prison, which sometimes wsre dis
obedient, when once the long suffering of
God waited in the days of Noah, while the
Ark was preparing.' The leading thought
here presented is that Christ, after his death
in the body, was made alive again in spirit,
and that in this spirit he preached to certain
spirits mentioned. He has in his view here,
in this historical allusion, beyond all ques-
ton, the passage in Genesis vi, 81 "And
the Lord said my spirit shall not strive with
man forever, for that he is also flesh; yet
shall his days be one hundred and twenty
years. These antsdiluvians, we are here
taught, were by God put on trial for def
mite period and SO kept, as it were, in prison,
that is, under his immediate watch and Gus
tody. The term of this grace was limited,
because of their excessive devotion to the
things of the f1esh-to ''feshly lusts," as the
apostle puts it in this epistle, little before
~o1A
sideration of these two passages must unhes-
itatiugly, it would seem, bring to the con-
clusion that the spirits, striving in Genesis,
and the preaching of Christ in the epistle,
are the same thing, as the apostle clearly
identifies Jehovah's (myl spirit in the form
er with that of Christ in the latter; that the
men striven with by the spirit in the form er
are the spirits preached to by Christ in the
latter; and that the limited time of hun
dred and twenty years of Gods gracious
worship, so to speak, in the former, is the
term ''when once the long. suffering of God
waited in the days of Noah while the Ark
was preparing" in the latter.
That "the spirits in prison" preached to by
Christ through his spirit, spoken of by the
apostle, were those unbelieving antediluvians
of the days of Noah and not spirits in hell
after Christs crucifxion would certainly
seem thus to be beyond all reasonable ques-
ton. For. accepting this natural interpreta-
ton the true Interpretation, we have the
authority combined Of the soundest common
sense, the profoundest biblical learning and
it may be added, the purest and most sensi-
tive christian consciousness" These quail
ifications for authoritative biblical interpre-
tation are represented in most admirable
union and excellence in the commentary of
Archbishop Leighton on this first epistle of
Peter altogether the best commentary on
! this portion of the Bible ever written. His
| words are: ''This place is somewhat obscure
| in itself, but, as it usually happens, made
| more so by the various fancles and contests
of interpreters" He adds further on: f'They
| who dream of the descent of Christ's soul in
| to hell think this place sounds somewhat
| that way, but being examined it proves no
way suitable nor can by the strongest wrest-
| ing be drawn to fit their purpose The
| learned archbishop in this strong language
| utterly rejects the Interpretation which, so
to speak, a consciousness called Christian,
| surcharged with wild Pigments about ''purga-
| tory' aud ''an intermediate state,' had foist-
| ed into the apostles phrase. So he takes
| it ''as agreeable to the whole strain of the
| apostles words that Jesus Christ did,
| before his appearing in the flesh,
| speak by his spirit in his servants
| to those of the foregoing ages, yet the most
| ancient of them, declaring to them the way
of life though rejected by the unbelief of
| the most part" "The apostles aim ls, }" he
| adds, eve may conceive to be this" NJ $50 to
| instruct his brethren in Christ's perpetual
| influence into his church in all ages even be-
| fore his incarnation, that they might, at the
same time, see the great unbelief of the
| world, yea, their opposing of divine truth
and the small number of those who receive
| it, and SO not be discouraged by the fewness
| of their number, and the hatred of the
| world These words and thoughts of emf
nent learning and piety, how fitted to Their
times of worldliness, OF unbelief,
and vain speculationl While it
| may be believed from this simple
| view of the meaning of this passage in the
light and with the authority of the eminent
| archbishop's exposition, that it caunot by
| the strongest caressing be drawn to Fit" the
recent speculation that the Bible teaches OIL
| warrants the thought that the offers of divine
grace and salvation will be made to the
heather world in future life. 1t may be
opportune just now to examine more CLOSELY
two of the most difficult points in the exposi
ton. as we may avail ourselves of the present
advanced stage in the process of the science
or art of biblical interpretation. These
| points are, 1, The designation of the persons
to whom Christ is said to have preached by
the phrase "Spirits, in Prison." and 2, the
time or reference in the words, "When once
| etc."
That the apostle, plain, simple-minded
| practical man that he was, used Language
which would be readily understood by those
to whom he wrote is, of course, to be pre-
sumed This consideration utterly excludes
the notion that the phrase rendered in oul
translation sin prison. meant in hell, fol
there is not to be found in all known litera
ture, biblical or secular, extant in his time
any such use of the word. Without further
| explanation it would have been impossible
for his readers to get any such notion from
the expression. Archbishop Leighton accepts
as probable superstition that the apostle
may have had in his mind the prophecy in
Issiah Xxi, l, of Christ's mission "to pro
| claim liberty to the captives." But this SEEM
to be far-fetched and unnatural for man lik
the apostle. His thought was upon tn
passage in Genesis, which must have beei
also familiar to those to whom he was writ
ing-the spirit of Christ Striving" that is
preaching to the unbelieving spirits befor
the food. They were exceeding wicked, be
ing given up to what he had spoken of a
"feshly lusts which war against the soul.
They were threatened with the withdrawal O