The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-09-03

10 the Editor Of the Fr oprD,.y

mere beng nothing in all the Scriptures to
Justly the idea that there is such place as pur
gatory Tor the spirit of the sleeping dead; and
nlI:e oeing no possible good to us that we should
oInese 1t, lei us look through the Scriptures
Mnich snow much clearer light on the present
state of the dead
II tuere IS an intermediate state OF cOnciOus.
ness' men that might remove the necessity of
preaching the pOspel on earth for the dead. now
asleep could there repent, and ask for mercy
anu l'Huon on the promise thai is, ASK and We
shall receive, seek and We Shall find" But as
me scriptures teach that the spirits OF the dead
are asieep, 50 purgatOry is asleep; and the doc
iiluc o. Z conscious state Of the dead is all
Apa'ln% imagination, and vain blbling as Paul
cans II. Some Of the learned clergy appear dis
ia l>hed that The dead should sleep. should
De understood that man was made az became. =
living soul; and it being living, il c4nno, cease
10 c\ist; but y can sleep, in the body is We see
aH0 Wren asleep it knows nohiog o. what is
done around II and 50 il is al,cr (jcntn, before
me 2eAtIai resurrection, IS we ;fe lid IN Ec-
tltSht>leS TX .. Bal thc dead know not ANY,
tang; either have they any more Il rev3rj
mat Is, there IS no probationary sta:c beyond
'he grave. As he dead know not anything ii
mere Is q pdrgaloy, i i uncoM~cinus; ii has
gone - sleep; and nnHe o! The believers in il
are able t. awake It. Noth#vjn9 space to y Tie
al! The Scriptures which teach that Tie dc III are
asleep, please he 80 favorable with vnur,c.i, near
referred to-
job NV, u; Jon VIZ 4, D,uin III. ,; Mat
}hcW XXvII, %; Matnew TX, 81; Fns1 Cnrin-
thAns Nv, 81; Ac;> Nil &c Fuss Thc>snon
ans WA; ST john II, II All he above
Scriptures teach Us that the spirits 81 HE dead
are asleep. a. the Sculptures cannon contradict
themselves then What is S id ct she rcn mau
ANA lazarus, is a parable, spoken 10 show me
Jews that being sons al Ahranum after The Il .>h
would not save tAem from lhe flames OF II H.
Some will blinily bring ZIP Flrst Peter XIV 6,
TO prove an intermediate state and also First
Peter III, IS, 10, and 90 and ask what VIII DO
with those Scriptures: Ii IS not SQUAD theo)n-
gy, nor sound philosophy, 10 pretend lhA' The
gospel was ever preached where there was no. y
person to speak and All audience t. hear.
Christ never spoke on earth IN person uM;M
after be took flesh upon lIimsrlf, or was IN t,iv
flesh, but 10y HIS SPIRIT He jaarht men Ills will
concerning man; as he prcactiel The Gospel To
those ANA deiuvians, having hundreds OF veals
to benefit them thereby, i'll Noah'> life iime and
not during he few hours that Christ cpt IN the
grave, as some vainly prcicni. T1r:c j, Gthin@
III the Scriptures 10 prove That the G pei has
ever been i)r".c ca to l'cople at'cY trji Do,iitS
were dead
Christ was Put to oca'A in the flesh, ant was
quickcned hy the spnil, by which (~pirD lie
went and preached 20 those >pilIts III person,
(When = wncn once the l0ngsui rim oi God
waited in the days OF Noah Tnrt prI.o. >:as
only moral death; which rejgntl ilo!n \ lam
to Moses. over theta Who ha! not smne,i after
the similitude OF Adams >r&nsg:ession. Nv ul-
ject III writing these things i, and has been that
at least some people M chit believe the ruth, and
not have their faith ovorthrpWn by }he WOULD
bc-;hoUght learned clergy who are IN ling void
the word of Goa that they may 'eac, their owu
tradition. | do non expect Jha all Wh4 SIC the
the Scriptures have referred To Will be bcnt Il ed
by them; for though thou >houlde> bray a TOOL
IN Il mortar among wheat With pesilc vel viii
not his fOolishntss depart from him.
Coo has appointed IA day in which He Will
judge the world; and TO say that lhe rc,rrlec
tDn is passed already IS AN overthrow Of The
Christian faith, anl Pad calls il vain habbliBg.
Pau tells us that the Lord hiGScl! shall de-
scend from heaven with shout, with lne voice
OF tie aTch angel, and with the trump OF God
ana HE dead in Christ shall rise fir,t Tn&l
trumpet We have not yet heard; nor has the
rightc0ns dead or living been caught up To meet
The Lord in the ali. That viii be The first rts>ir-
leclion, bu the rest Of the dead will live not
again until thousand years are finished. s.
then none that have died have been raised 10
spiritual lite except Christ himself, that He in ali
things might have the prominence.
Ii is true that some were raised to natural life
before Christ was raised, but none Were raised TO
spiritual lfe before that time.
No dead body can be raised to be asleep, for
sleep indicates life
If The spirit of dead human bodies go>to any
other sphere but this before the general resuirtc
ton, thea The resurrection OF those spirits is
passed already hut all such pretencc in PauPs
day was called hy him vain babbiing, aud il
oyerhrew TIE faith of some, which WAS TO them
evident token of pcriltion, for without faith
il IS impossible to please God.
Puu's strait be- Wiki ;WO appears TO be beyond
the c apprehension o. many cXp0undeTo of The
gospei who are often learning. but seem not to
come to the knowledge OF the truth. l. is evi
dent tha, the lut!c words, I'VE" and "us," used
by the Apostle Pui in his letters 10 The Romans,
8'h chapter and 3 to 80 verse, and in +! 'hes-
ans Isl chapter and 3 10 II Ii verse, all that is
there written O! prencstina'ion applies i self 10
the Apostles, aud that to show u, The immuta
bity of the foundation ct our faith. The Father
having glorifed the Apostles no other per-
sons on earth were ever glorlfied, and made a
special gift OF them to Christ that they might be
kind of first fruits of his creatures Before Christ
lett them, in his prayer for them he SAID Father,
| will that they also whom thou hast given me
may be with me where l am that they may behold
nv glory which thou hast given me" ST. John,
17lh chapter and part ct the Gath verse Paul
knowing all this, he could consistently say that,
"If our earthly house OF this tabernacle were
dissolved we have a building OF God, a house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens"
And though Paul knew ii was best for the
churches that he should remain with them yet
he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ,
which would be for him far better than to suffer
aff1iction here 10 the world. Thus we see that
Paul was in strait betwiXt two; knowing that
the Apostles were made by the prayer of Christ
to be the first fruits of his creatures, while his
spirit was at home in the body he was absent
from the Lord. Yet he is the very one that
speaks of the vain babbling OF those who taught
that the resurrection was passed already, and
overthrow the faith of some.