Brother Campbell-In the Millennial Harbinger, vol. 5, No. 2, page 54, in your essay on the coming of the Lord, No. 2, you say, "My object is simply to produce scriptural evidences. We shall in the sequel argue from them as established points." Now, sir, however clear the scriptural evidence that you have adduced may be to yourself and others, it is not so to me upon the third event. Will you, therefore, please notice the following before you proceed to argue from that point as established? On page 53 you say, "But we might have also connected with these two grand events the resurrection of all the wicked. Our Lord himself is first witness here. He says, John v. 39., Marvel not at this; for the hour cometh in the which all that are in their graves shall come forth: they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation."" Our Lord truly testifies here that all the wicked shall be raised; but does he say that this will take place at his coming? You have italicised the word hour. In the 25th verse he says, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God." I understand hour to be here put for time indefinitely, and not for the precise moment or hour in which Lazarus and others was or should be raised. Now if hour is used indefinitely in the 25th verse, (and this I think you will not dispute,) may it not be so used in the 28th verse? And if the resurrection of the 25th took place in different hours and different days, may it not be the same with the resurrection of the 28th, instead of all taking place in the hour, or day of the Lord's coming? See also Mark xiii. 30-32. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, not even the angels." Here it is evident to me that hour is used indefinitely for time. Surely the things to be done before that generation passed were not done in an hour, or a day. John ii 4. "Woman, my hour is not yet come." And iv. 21. "Believe me the hour is coming when neither on this mountain," &c. &c.— These last quotations need no comment. Now unless it be proved that the hour means the identical hour of the Lord's coming, your proof is not so unequivocal as you seem to think. You next say,

Then cometh the general judgment, which is connected with the coming of the Lord in glory.' Here again it appears to me you are not clearly sustained. You have italicised then and every man. Now if it were found that every man meant the whole of Adam's family, then your point would be gained. See 1 Cor. xii. 7-13. "Does every man and all, in this text, mean the whole of Adam's family? But you say the context must decide. Well, the text may mean, for aught I can see in the context, every man that is living upon the earth at the time of the Lord's coming. If the saints were raised at the coming of the Lord before the Millennium, and the rest of the dead at the end of the world; every man might mean, every one of those that will be raised at the time. Now if it were proved unequivocally that all the dead will be raised at the coming of the Lord, then indeed this text would be in point; but as it is, it adds nothing to my mind. See also Ps. Ixii. 12. Does this mean the general judgment? Your fourth proof Rev. xxii. 12., is of the same class, and subject to the same difficulties. The third is from Mat. xxv. 31, 32. You here again italicise all nations. Now if all nations means all the dead, then your point would be gained. Does all nations, (Isa. xxii., Mat. xxviii, 19.,) or

all flesh, (Joel iii. 8.,) mean all the dead? If not, why not the above text mean that the all nations who have flown into the Lord's house, the all nations who have been taught and baptized, and the all flesh upon whom the Spirit has been poured out, shall be gathered together before him? For surely you will admit that some that have flown into the Lord's house, that have been taught and baptized, and upon whom the Spirit has been poured, are wicked. And again, might not all nations mean all that are upon the earth at the time of the Lord's coming? See Isa. Ix. 18-21; Joel iii. 2; Jer. iii. 17. These are plain without comment. In 1 Cor. xv. 22-26., Paul says that every man shall be be raised in his own order: so I understand him. Now if all the dead are raised at once at the coming of the Lord, where and what is the order?

Yours in the love of truth,

A. S.

The argument of the second essay on the coming of the Lord is this:-1st. Ascertain the events concomitant with the second coming of the Lord. 2d. Then examine whether these events can be viewed as compatible with a subsequent Millennium. The conclusion from such a comparison must be either that they are, or are not, compatible. If, however, they are shown to be compatible, it will not prove that a Millennium must follow them; but, on the other hand, if they are not shown to be compatible with such a state of things, then it will logically follow that there is no Millennium after the second coming of the Lord, unless we change the names of things, and call heaven and eternity a Millennium. Four events alleged to be concomitant with the second coming of the Lord were adduced in that essay The first two are admitted by our correspondent: the third, questioned. These four events are

1st. The resurrection of all the dead saints.

2d. The transformation of all the living saints.

3d. The judgment and final separation of the righteous and wicked.

4th. A change in the structure of the material universe, as connected with our planet; or the creation of new heavens and earth.

Now to consider attentively his objection to the 3d event, we observe-1st. That if the general judgment immediately follows upon the second coming of the Lord, which we all agree to be a literal and personal return to this planet, the resurrection of the wicked must also be contemporaneous with that event. In logic, however, it matters not whether one prove the resurrection of the wicked to accompany his coming by express testimony; provided only, we exhibit such testimony that the wicked dead, or that all mankind are to be rewarded at his coming. We indeed attempted both-the demonstration of such resurrection of the wicked; also, the demonstration of a general judgment. We are redundant rather than deficient in proof. Our corre

spondent appears to distrust the evidence for the simultaneous resurrection of the wicked more than that for the simultaneous judgment of the righteous and wicked. Now it so happens the latter, being spoken of more frequently than the former, affords numerically more testimonies, and perhaps somewhat clearer; nevertheless, that the wicked are raised at the same time with the righteous, is as evident from the fact of their simultaneous judgment, as it could be from any direct affirmation concerning their resurrection. Still, however, the passage quoted from John v. 39., indicates not only by the word, but by "all in the graves" and "hearing his voice," one and the same voice and hour, for all in the graves. "All in the graves" is the subject of the proposition, and certainly includes both good and bad, as defined in the passage. Now as hour and voice are applied equally to the whole subject of the proposition, it is unreasonable that the "hour" means periods a thousand years apart; and the "voice" means two voices at immense intervals. It is, then, not in the word hour the point and strength of the argument lies, though that may be shown from similar passages to denote a particular day or time; but in the facts of all in the graves hearing the voice in that hour and coming forth the doers of good and the doers of evil-the one for life, the other for condemnation. To rescue the mind of our correspondent from all difficulty on the term hour, it will be only necessary for him to reflect that although it were clearly proved to denote a lifetime, no one pretends that in any sort of language, literal or figurative, it ever meant a thousand years.

Our correspondent assumes too much about the indefinite import of the word hour in verse 25, and in chap. iv. 21; ii. 4.,* as well as labors unnecessarily on the phrases “all nations," "every man," Matth. XXV. The stress lies not on these words, but on the fact that the Lord then makes a separation, placing the parties on different sides. and addressing them accordingly; and more especially on the word then, Matth. xvi. 27. "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his holy angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Then, not before, but at that time he will reward, &c.

But express and definite as is this language, it is neither more precise nor unambiguous than are two passages in Paul's epistles-Rom. ii, and 1 Thess. i. 6-10. The whole passage, Rom. ii., read together needs no comment. "God will render to every man according to his

* Hour either literally or figuratively denotes a definite time; but that definite time means not always sixty minutes. Jesus said, The boar is come," John xvii. }; xii 23, 27; xiii. 1; Luke xii 53, &c. Even in the passage quoted by our correspondent, it is used definitely My hour is not yet come." John ii. 4; and "the hour is coming,” iv. 21., denote a particular time, not an age, not a thousand ears, but a certain day, an era, the commenɔement of a new period-not the whole period, but the beginning of it.

works." Two questions arise-Who are included in "every man”? and When are these to be judged? Both questions are most distinctly answered in this passage. Continues the Apostle, "God will render to every man-to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor, (he will render, eternal life. But to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, (he will render) indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil-of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good-to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God: for as many as have sinned without law shall perish without law; and as many have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law-(WHEN?)—in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" The persons and time are here clearly noted. If any thing can be wanting to fill up the picture and to establish the fact, it will be found in the words of the same Apostle, 2 Thess. i. 6-10. "It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And to you who are troubled, wait with us (till, or) when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired by all them that believe."

May we not now ask, What need have we of farther witness? Here we are most expressly informed that the Pagans who know not God, and the Jews and Pagans who disobey the gospel, shall be punished with utter destruction WHEN the Lord comes to be glorified and admired by his saints. Till farther informed I shall therefore hold it as established by divine testimony, that the coming of the Lord to be glorified and to be admired by his people, is the day of the destruction and perdition of ungodly men, Hence the resurrection and ultimate condemnation of the wicked are to be at the coming of the Lord-are to be simultaneous with the resurrection of the just, and not to be a thousand or three hundred thousand years after.

But when I say that the resurrection of the just and of the unjust are to be simultaneous events, I am far from thinking that there may not be an order and a priority, even in a resurrection consummated in one literal hour or day. When I am taught by Paul that the dead in Christ shall be raised before the living saints shall be changed, I do not suppose an interval of a day nor an hour, much less a thousand

years. And when I affirm my conviction that the dead saints shall be raised first, the living saints changed in the second place, and the ungodly raised in the third place, I would not be understood as intimating an interval of one week, or one day, or one hour, much less a thousand years. There may be order—a first, second, and third, in one minute as well as in a million of years.

Not observing this fact may be the occasion of my correspondent's embarrassment, intimated in the closing period of his communication. In 1 Cor. xvi. 22, Paul says that "every man shall be raised in his own order." Now if all the dead are raised at once, at the coming of the Lord, where and what is the order? I answer, What or where is the order when the dead saints are raised first, and the living saints changed next, and yet both are taken up together at once to meet the Lord in the air! I will be told it is very plain. Though all is done in one day, there is a first, second, and a third. So say I. But to contemplate 1 Cor. xv. 22. "Every man in his one band," as Macknight renders it. Christ the first fruits, by himself; then the dead in Christ at his coming. What next? "Then cometh the end." No resurrection of the wicked at all, then, according to Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 22, unless it follow immediately that of the just: for it cannot be after the end, If it be before the end, it must instantly follow the resurrection of the just. The mistake is, that Paul here writes only of the just; but to the Romans and to the Thessalonians, of just and unjust. We, then, expound Paul to the Corinthians by Paul to the Romans and to the Thessalonians, and not as some others who expound Paul to the Romans and Thessalonians by Paul to the Corinthians. The difference of our method expounds the difference in the conclusions to which we have come.

I hold it, then, that my third event, or fact concomitant with the coming of the Lord, is unequivocally established. But if any yet doubt, I have other reasons and evidence to offer.

Some there are who have indirectly assailed my fourth event contemporaneous with the coming of the Lord. This they aim at by alleging the new heavens and earth to be created when the Lord comes, or making out of them a mere moral improvement in governments and in society. But as this is not formally avowed, I shall not assume the labor of demonstrating that however often heaven and earth may be used figuratively in visions and symbolic apocalypses, they are not so used in Peter's writing. I, for one, look for new heavens and a new earth when the Lord comes. Of this, however, we have something more to say in its proper time. From different sources I have learned that remarks on

my

Rev. xx.