door of the sepulchre. He is in Hades, "the fold,) who hasten after another god," in im¿ place of departed spirits"-under the mild ages or in the heart: for them He will not and pure beams, we may say, (but its locality plead by His intercession above, nor there is unknown,) of mid-heaven-of tempered "take up their names (as their advocate,) luminousness, as of the "lesser light" in per- into His lips," nor there, at the mercy-seat, fect orb, the adornment of the two nights em- "offer (ratify) their drink-offerings of blood," bracing the Passover. Nor are edifying in- be it the blood of victims, or the blood imtimations withheld of His grateful condition molated to self, of their own souls. Thus in that unknown intermediate world. As one doth the Redeemer after the release of His prophetic sacred effusion (Ps. Ixix.) narrates spirit, avow that "in all His house," in the His quitting the habitable earth and ap- whole economy' of redemption and of proaching Hades, pictured there, and often judgment, He will continue "faithful to Him as the deep and dark inner region, the "pit" that appointed Him." That avowal renewor abyss-so another, (Ps. xvi.*) while re-ed, He speaks His gratitude for the comfort cording the promise, "thou wilt not leave and happiness of the territory of Hades in my soul in Hades," describes His entrance which He sojourns, that "godly inheritance," into the "undiscovered bourn" of that calm the lines in pleasant places," where the domain. As Hades opens on Him, He, still "lot" of the disembodied saint is "maintainunexalted and a dependent on the Father, ut- ed," his saintly condition and hopes perpetters the ejaculation, "Preserve me, O God; uated and upheld,-for all this "portion of for in thee do I put my trust." Thus com- His cup," instead of the “ quick burning mended to Him who is "there also," His coals, and fire and brimstone," which are the prayer or devout action expands. Having ac-" portion of the cup" of the wicked,-accomplished His righteous' work, His work knowledging thankfully the agreeableness of on earth for man's justification, He declares the consecrated intervening home. In this that, as "the Lord is His Lord," "greater calm and deep enjoyment, the spirit of the than He," so His "goodness (righteousness,) Redeemer "blesses the Lord" for the inward extendeth not to HIM, but to the saints that "counsel given" through life, and for that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom "innermost (reins) instruction" continued “in is all His delight," and whom He justifies by the night seasons" of the dark land of spirits, the obedient suffering and toil He hath just whose beams are but nocturnal: "setting the completed; the expiatory labor and its re- Lord always before Him, because He is at sult being thus connected at the moment the His right hand," there as ever since His inone was issuing in the other. To the godly carnation, "He will not be moved." is His "goodness" for ever appropriated. O my soul, art thou not cheered by this But those who deny Jehovah, whether by view of Jesus, overflowing with devotional palpable or virtual idolatry, He will not jus- satisfaction, in that unseen abode where thou tify; and His trueness to truth brings this also must "rest for a little season," for the determined fidelity, equally with His tender-"season" interposed between thy dismissal ness to the upright, into His devotion: from the body and thy reunion with it at the "Their sorrows shall be multiplied (the pang resurrection? But, is indeed all this true of of their guilty conscience shall become seven-Hadès, the place of spirits! Let the remainder of the Psalm determine its clear application to that tranquil abode. * This Psalm is interpreted of Jesus by St. Peter, in Acts ii. 31, and by St. Paul, in Acts xiii. 35. That it applies to Him in the intermediate state, is evident from verses 9, 10, (10, 11, Prayer book.) And that it may justly "I shall not be moved;" His final beatitude is now unalterably certain. "Therefore His heart is glad, and His glory (His hope' of glory 'springs exulting') rejoiceth" be regarded as prenuntiating and celebrating his devo tional communing while there, is reasonably inferred from its aptness throughout to His case under exactly-His human spiritual nature, "gloriously" those circumstances, and to no condition of any other person whatever. Clearly it is the Psalm of Messiah in Sheol or Hadès. like God, reposes in delight and in praise. Sure of eternal bliss, "His flesh also shall 64 intermediate world, and his reentrance into life, and assuming "the path of (unending) life." The Omnipotent was pledged, by unfailable promises long recorded, thus to "give Him the victory." 66 rest in hope;" the tomb will surrender its charge, awaking to immortality on high. So infallibly it will be: "for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell," in Hades; from that abode it will be liberated, and exalted to the world supreme. Nor, in my case, will that enlarge- That sure engagement was fulfilled. The ment be long delayed, till the body shall de- angel of the Lord descended" to the tomb, cay and dissolve, but be soon effected-for struck terror into the sentinels, and heaved thou wilt not suffer thine Holy One to see from its place the door of stone-while the corruption," to reach the fourth day of death soul of Him who had won the "keys of and be seragrams, like Lazarus-four days death," traversed back from the opening doors in that climate marking the decisive transi- of Hades to the conquered grave, and resumed tion: not later than within the third day, He its oneness with His body. He who "dwellof whom David spake will rise again. His eth in light to which mortal cannot approach,” soul will be released from Hades, His body unclosed to the now immortal Redeemer an revivified in the tomb, and the again perfect entrance into day and the passage to glory,— God-man come forth among the living, ready filling with living radiance, by the beams of for what shall remain of the reward of the the angelic presence, the sepulchral place o upright and of His own matchless destiny.* the shadow of death,-and "showing," to Thus was Jesus in the place of spirits. Him who first was recovered from its power, "strong in the Lord and in the power of His the " path" back again into the "life" from might," happy, overabounding with content-which He had lately departed. And thus ment unmingled with care, full of thanksgiv-He was again abroad on the earth, though ing: and His most inspiriting meditative devotion was the lofty conclusion of the hadal psalm, Thou wilt show me the path of life," the passage from death to immortality; "in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thymore than "five hundred brethren." To the right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Thus He expects the welcome hour when "the First fruits of them that sleep" will be awaked from the slumber of the tomb, and from the musings of the separated soul, to the collectedness of complete re-existence. He has "drunk of the brook by the way," and it is the prophetic decree that "He shall lift up His head." And His own psalm in Hades had been forevouched for centuries, predicting His release from the grave and the While in Hades, the soul of Jesus "preached to the *pirits in prison" or 'under guard;' also, He there "spoiled principalities and powers," the "ruler of darkness" and his angels, "overcoming the strong men in his house" of death, and "bruising the head of the Serpent,"-thus " through death," destroying him who had the power of death," and gaining "the keys of hell (Hades) and death," "the key of the bottomless pit:" moreover, He "made a show of them (the van. quished rebels) openly, triumphing over them," exposed publicly their defeat, by freeing from the mortal bond the "bodies of many saints, who came out of the graves, and appeared unto many in the holy city, after His resur. rection." it was no longer His home. He was often seen of his disciples, "showing Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs," —to the eleven, with Matthias, to others, to eleven, He expounded and expanded the gospel He had revealed. In the eleven, He completed the organization, soon to be followed by the mature celestial endowment, of the Church, which He had founded in the baptisms that were first administered in His Name, soon after His inauguration at Jordan. And the "path" to more exalted "life" was "shown" the Redeemer. When He had finished "prolonging His days" on the earth,-as He stood on a mountain with the disciples, angelic messengers came, to bear Him to heaven. Jesus, promising to "be with" the apostles "to the end of the world," rose from the earth to the "cloud" which Ile "made His chariot," and was "taken up out of their sight.". Two angels, who came with the heavenly vehicle, delayed a moment to assure the wondering spectators that He had gone into heaven" to His own lofty would "come in like manner" to judge the seat at the right hand of God," and that He world:-and then they followed the sky-borne 66 chariot, to bid the eternal gates open to the That the saints in the intermediate world King of glory.' Jesus, in that triumphal will use devotionally the hadal psalm, we solemnity, (Ps. xxiv.)* was "shown the path may justly believe; and we find comfort, to life" in the "presence of God." THERE, sublime and holy comfort, in the beautiful is "fulness of joy." There, He who sank thought. They likewise use it now antici under wo inconceivable can look with ineffa-patively, both to celebrate what Christ hath ble complacency on the stupendous work Hedone in their behalf, and for their own enhath accomplished," seeing of the travail of couragement and hope while yet here. The His soul," the innumerable multitude of His greater portion of the sweetly majestic effuspiritual progeny, and "satisfied:" this Hission will apply to every saint,-to their exjoy is fulfilled. At the right hand of the pectation of the incorporeal happiness primFather's Majesty, He whom "it was impos-arily,-and further, to their confidence of the sible" for death to "hold" gains the com- "perfect consummation and bliss, both in body pletest happiness of those who are "made and soul," in the "mansions of their Father's alive,”—the most trancendant of the "plea-house." sures for evermore,"-for He adds to the beatitude of the human that of the Divine nature, His eternally the wide beatitude of the two natures in one Individual. The same human body and soul, which once suffered, were "bruised" in the agony, and pierced by the "sting" of death,-the soul in Hades, widowed of its innocent mate,-the same body and soul, inextinguishably one with his God-sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven head, are now in bliss supreme. But not for Himself were His wo and His triumph. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive:" as surely as the death of our “first father" is followed by the death of all the race, so surely will the rising of Jesus be their glad resurrection also of whom He becomes the Head by their new birth, for whom at God's right hand He intercedes,-whom He there justifies, "extending to them His goodness." Our Saviour was the first-fruits of them that sleep," the pledge that the whole harvest will be gathered and consecrated. The "path of life" will be opened to them, from the grave and Hades to the earth, they will be gathered as the elect," the "path" of supernal "life" will be "shown" them, from the earth to heaven. * The Ascension Psalm : just as Ps. xxii. is the Passion Psalm; and Ixix. the Departure (to Hadés) Psalm; and xvi. the Hadal Psalm. Consider, O my soul, that in the celestial presence of God there will be "FULNESS of joy." Is there not pleasure here in discerning God and heavenly things, though it be only "through a glass, darkly?" Infinitely greater the delight when "seeing face to face!" when in that radiance where light of the moon shall be as the light of the the fold!" But not in the vision only of that glory wilt thou triumph, but wilt be a partaker of it: for, "beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, thou art changed into the (same image," and complete will be the change when beholding it with the glass removed,— "we shall be LIKE Him, for we shall see Him as He is." And this will suffice for thy deepest longing for happiness; no "void" will be left, craving something more; it will be "fulness of joy." The "children of the resurrection" will utter forth the unbounded gratitude, "I am SATISFIED, for I awake, with thy likeness." |