does not mean spiritual dying, nor future misery. The reader will find the word die, or death, or dead occur in the 32, 35, 36, 42, 52, 54, 55, and 56th verses. And I am persuaded, that a mere

ses will convince him that they refer to the death of the body, and that alone.

twenty times in this chapter besides in the verse now before us; and in every one of these other · places natural death, or the death | of the body is most evidently intended. Christ died for our sins, ver. 3. Now if Christ be preach-glance of the eye on these vered that he rose from the dead, how say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead: But if there be no resurrection of the dead, &c. ver. 12, 13. It is evident that Christ's resurrection from the dead means from among those who were literally dead, i. e. from a state of natural death. It is also evident, that the word dead, which occurs twice more in the 12th and 13th verses, intends those who are in their graves. In the 15th, 16th, 20th, 21st, and 22d verses the words dead, death and die are most evidently used in exactly the same sense as before; the same subject is continued. These, I believe, are all the places, where death is spoken of in this chapter, until we come to the text under consideration. This we will pass for the present, and try to find how the word is used in the rest of the chapter. In the 29th verse, the word dead occurs three times, and though the sense of this verse is rather obscure; yet the meaning of dead is pretty clearly determined by this clause, "If the dead rise not."

It is very evident that natural death is intended, by the way in which it is connected with the graye, ver. 55, O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? Now, we know that the death, which prepares us to be lodged in the grave, is the death of the body. If the word death is used in the same sense through this chapter (as it manifestly is) the 56th verse makes it clear that it is not sin or spiritual death, which is intended; for here it is said, "The sting of death is sin." Sin, we know, is the thing which makes us afraid to die. If death in this passage be used synonymously with sin it would make no sense at all.

Can it now remain a doubt in our minds what is the true meaning of the word death, in the passage before us? It would be strange indeed, if the apostle should in the middle of such a connected discourse, where he has occasion to use this word so frequently, make use of it in quite a different sense, without giving us any intimation of it, or any thing, whereby we could find out that he had used it differently from what he did in the rest of the discourse.

The apostle in the 31st verse says, "I die daily." Tho' die here does not mean the actual cessation of natural life, still he has his eye upon. natural death, and would be understood to say, that in standing for the defence of the gospel, I do as it were undergo a kind of daily" dying I am beaten, I am imprisoned, I am stoned, I am called to fight with beasts. Die here

When the apostle declares, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death," he means that kind of death, which has dominion over the bodies of the

ing called the last enemy is enough to determine what kind of death is meant. Eternal death God's children never suffer; spiritual death they are completely delivered from (that is most of them) long before the day of judgment; but natural death, like a mighty conqueror,

saints and now holds them prisoners in the grave, which is his prison house. Death is personified, i. e. treated of as though a living person. It is addressed, ver. 55, as though it were a person; "O death where is thy sting?" It is here called an enemy. But why? Is not death put in the list of the Christian's priv-mows them all down, and impriileges? 1 Cor. iii. 22. And did sons their bodies in the grave. not this same apostle, at another But in the morning of the resurtime, say, "to die is gain?" It rection, when the trump of God is true, that a Christian is far shall sound, this mighty conhappier after death than he is queror will be conquered-at in this sinning world; but he is once, in the twinkling of an eye, not so happy now as he will be he must resign all his prisoners, at the resurrection of the just, without a hope of ever regaining when his body will be raised up them for then shall be brought all refined, and will appear glo- to pass the saying that is written, rious like Christ's body. The Death is swallowed up in victoprophets and apostles and saints, ry. who are in heaven, are now perfectly holy, but the resurrection will greatly advance them in glory and blessedness. Death is therefore considered as their enemy, because it keeps them, at present, from their most perfect and happy state.

Why is death called the last enemy? Because all the other enemies of God's people are overcome before this. The conquest of sin is begun in regeneration, carried on by sanctification, and completed at the moment of death, when the soul is separated from the body. Spiritual death in the saints is conquered, when natural death conquers them. Then the world and the devil are for ever vanquished. There is nothing now remains to interrupt their most perfect blessedness, except the dominion which death has over their bodies. This then must be the last enemy, since they have long before gotten the victory over every other foe. It be

After the resurrection and the day of judgment, the church of Christ will be in its triumphant state; placed out of the reach of all its enemies. Though devils remain, and will always retain their sinful temper, still they cannot molest the children of God; for they will be confined to their prison; where also wicked men will be bound hand and foot, unable any more to give vent to their malice, so as to distress the lambs of Christ. The time, when this last enemy is to be destroyed, is manifestly the day of judgment, Christ's second coming see ver. 23," Afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." This is the time when the last enemy is to be destroyed.

This passage being, as I hope, fairly and intelligibly explained, I shall be borne with, if I add several remarks, which are suggested by the foregoing expla nation.

Remark 1. The only way in

which this text ever came to be | &c. are sometimes evidently us

pressed into the service of the Universalists is the misapprehending the meaning of the word death. They have considered it as signifying either sin, (spiritual death) or future misery, which is called eternal death. If death in this passage does not mean either of these, then I do not see how this text helps their cause. We believe in a universal destruction of natural death, and yet we believe that some will awake to shame and everlasting contempt.

ed in a limited sense. It is always candid to attend to the scope of an author, to determine in what sense he uses words. By not attending to this, we shall often do the greatest injustice to an author. I do not know that Doctor Watts was ever considered as a universalist; yet one disposed to be uncandid, and to catch at a word might infer his favoring such sentiments from reading this verse in one of his psalms;

Cheerful they walk with growing strength,

"Till all shall meet in heaven at
length;

"Till all before thy face appear,
"And join in nobler worship there."

Do you not see, might this uncandid person say, do you not see, that Doctor Watts held to

Remark 2. The way which this mistake, about the last enemy death, has arisen, is by not comparing the text with the context ; and this is a very fruitful source of mistakes. If we compare this text with the chapter, it fixes the meaning of death, beyond a doubt, to be natural death. But when a favorite point is to be establish- general restoration? Has he not, in one stanza, twice expressed, then a mere word, or sounded this sentiment, as plain as is catched at, without honestly seeking for its true meaning. It is well known that language is so barren, that words, not only of the same sound, but writ-pear in heaven at length? This

ten with the same letters, are

made use of to signify quite different things. In general, there is not much difficulty to determine in what sense any accurate speaker or writer uses his words, if we will but carefully attend to all that he speaks or writes, and take it in connection. It is probable that when Christ said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again," he pointed to his body, or introduced the words in such aconnection, that those who candidly attended might have understood him to mean not Solomon's temple, but the temple of his body. The words all, whole,

language could do it?has he not said all will appear before God's face, and that all will ap

appears plausible-this looks a
good deal like proving Doctor
Watts a universalist; but by
only casting our eye back on the
preceding stanza, we can see
that Doctor Watts may still hold
concerning the way of the wick-
ed,

"And down it leads to endless pain:"
for there we find something to
limit all in the stanza quoted.
"Blest are the men, whose hearts

are set

"To find the way to Zion's gate;
"God is their strength, and through
the road,
"They lean upon

their helper God.”

When in the next verse, he comes to speak of all meeting in

t

ed.

heaven at length, it is perfectly | thing, which God never designeasy, if we will exercise a grain of candor, to understand, that he means all those men, whose hearts are set to find the way to Zion's gate.

This 15th chapter of Corinthians is considered as containing much, which favors universalism; but there is nothing which Such want of candor they are really favors it, only let the true guilty of, who would attempt to design of the apostle be looked prove from 1. Cor. iv, 5. “And at. The 22d verse of this chapthen shall every man have praise | ter is one of the most noted texts of God," that every man living which the universalists bring to will meet the approbation of his support their sentiment. These Judge. The connection leads are the words; "For as in Adus to this idea, that all who are am all die, even so in Christ Christ's, who build on this foun- shall all be made alive." Since dation will be rewarded of God, this passage is introduced, suflet men say and think as they fer me to observe, 1. That die will of them. here means natural death, and Remark 3. With this sub- of course made alive, which is ject before us, I would remark its opposite, means the literal upon what is sometimes said resurrection. In the verse which concerning certain errors, That immediately precedes this, it is though they do not believe them said; "for since by man came to be true; yet they acknowl- death, by man came also the reedge, their advocates have a good surrection of the dead." And it deal of scripture on their side. is evident, that " made alive," in This is as much as to say, either this verse means the same as that the Bible is not the word of resurrection of the dead in the God, or that the God of truth preceding one. The verse which bears witness on both sides, in follows also determines the time favor of the truth and also in when they who are in Christ, are favor of error which is its op- to be made alive, viz. at Christ's posite. If God be true, and the coming. The saints are regenBible his book, we may rest as- erated and sanctified and, in this sured, there is not a single word sense made alive before Christ in it in favor of an error. comes to judgment. Besides, testimony of the Holy One is all we notice that Christ himself is on one side, and that the side of the first fruits of this being made truth and holiness. Therefore alive, spoken of by the apostle. let no one say, I believe that is Christ never rose from the death not a true doctrine, but there is of sin; but it was necessary that a good deal of scripture in favor he should suffer and that he of it. There may be a good should be the first, that should deal of scripture, which is rise from the dead. And the brought to prove an untruth, whole scope of the chapter is but let it be scanned, and it will manifestly to prove a literal renot bear the light-let it be ex-surrection. We all believe in a amined in its connection, like universal resurrection, both of the passage just now explained, the just and of the unjust; a reand it will be seen, that its advo-surrection to life and a resurreccates have made it speak some- tion to damnation. But we would

The