inhabitants of earth, and the (epouranioi) those of the heavenly regions, in ascribing "blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, unto him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever;" which is an evident proof that these(Katachthonioi) are the spirits of the righteous in the separate state, because it is not to be thought that the opposite class would join in such ascriptions, a work of which their nature is now utterly incapable.

When Messiah expired upon the cross, his soul went to Paradise. The words of St. Paul establish an express distinction between this and the heaven of heavens to which he ascended after his resurrection from the dead. "But this [expression] he ascended, what is it but that he descended ?" In other words, what is it but a measuring back his previous descent, which had been to the lower parts of the earth? He then subjoins, as quite distinct from, and additional to this, " he who descended is also the same who ascended far above all heavens, that he might fulfil all." Eph. iv. 8-10. These two last words will open a field of further investigation.

It is evident that here, the apostle views the verb of ascent as commensurate with that of descent, and that the first arose out of the second. By making these two, co-relates, he evidently meant not ascending into heaven, but in confor

mity to the vulgar notion of the situation of Sheol, only (Eis-upsos) to the upper world. This is what the Latins, adopting the same notion, term the upper sky. Superasque evadere ad auras. And Virgil in another passage, speaking of those who had, with their own hands, taken their dismission from life, says, "how willing would they be now to submit to poverty and severe toils in the world above!" æthere in alto.

Having shewn that the phrase he ascended, implied in it a previous descent to the lower parts of the earth; he adds, in the last place, that it was the same person who ascended, not as in the former instance, on high, but above all heavens. A proof of this appears in the reply of Christ to Mary. Jn 20-17 “I am not yet ascended to my Father." This

could not have been said, had his spirit ascended during the interval between his death and resurrection. "While his flesh rested in hope, his soul was in Sheol," where other separate spirits are.

The captivity which Christ led captive, was then, when he returned from Sheol to earth, Commentators have applied this to his triumphing over the spirits of darkness; but this is marked by St. Paul as happening, not when he ascended, but in the hour of suffering on the cross. "He openly made a shew of them in it." Col. 2.15.

Should it appear somewhat strange to term the souls of the righteous captives, we ought to con

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sider that these, whatever comfort, joy and peace they may be favoured with in Paradise, are yet kept there by a law which nothing can reverse but the sound of the last trumpet. This will tend to shew how we are to understand (aichmalosia captivity, and to what persons to apply it to the souls of all the righteous which are in the invisible state. The captivity then which Messiah led captive, were those souls, which, by the resurrection of their bodies, were released from that situation, and which went, after that, into the holy city, and appeared unto many. The doing of this was one of the particular acts of power that was expected from the character of Messiah. "To Js. 61.1 proclaim (keruxai aphesin) dismission to the captives." This act may be viewed as the earnest of that general dismission which will take place at the last day. Such as were raised then, may be viewed as the primitia, or the first fruits of all who sleep in Jesus.

"He ascended," says the apostle, "that he Eph4.10 might fulfil all." When Messiah, in the 16th psalm says, "thou wilt make me to know the path of life.",". We are ready to pause, and to ask how is this applicable to Messiah, to need to be informed as to the path of life, when he says of himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life ?" J4-6 Now, in the Hebrew idiom, to make to know, sometimes signifies to give an experimental proof

of.

of. Taken in this view, there arises a secret connexion between these words and the verse imme

diately preceding. "Thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol." No. Thou wilt complete the work, and give me to tread the whole path to its conclusion. This path of life is nothing else but the line that extends through this mortal scenethrough death-through the interval between death and the resurrection, and terminating with the ascension into heaven. To these different steps the primitive fathers gave the appellation of the lex mortuorum, or the different processes, so to speak, which the dead must go through, before they gain the summit of their happiness. To this law Christ himself, as the forerunner, submitted, and through death trod that path of life which none of the children of Adam had ever trod before. For this reason he is called the first fruits of them that slept.

This path of life which he went over, takes in from the time of his crucifixion to that of his as

cension into heaven, about the space of forty-three days; which path, to the greater part of his people, will lie through the extent of many ages. Eph.4.10 He ascended far above all heavens, that he might

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fulfil all; i. e. tread over every step of the journey, termed also the race that is set before us. therefore," says Irenæus, "the Lord conformed to the law of the dead, when he departed to the

shadow of death, where the souls of the dead are, then afterwards rose bodily, and after his resurrection was taken up into heaven; it is clear that the souls also of his disciples, for whose sake the Lord wrought these things, shall depart to the invisible place, appointed for them by God, and there shall remain until the resurrection, waiting for the resurrection, afterwards recovering their bodies, and rising in full perfection, that is bodily, in the same way as the Lord hath also risen, so shall they come into the presence of God."

I have more than once endeavoured to obviate the objection, as if the situation supposed below, and the incumbent darkness were circumstances very unbefitting a paradise, when both the situation and the darkness are nothing but the drapery of body hung about an object, the existence of which is fully ascertained, although, as it really is, not described. These were vulgar adaptations to the then opinion of the figure of the earth, which was imagined to be one extended plain, and of a depth altogether unknown and indeterminate; whereas in truth there is no part of earth under, and another above, it being every way encircled by the visible skies, and suspended in the illimitable void.

Descending into the lower parts of the earth, is just saying in other words, he submitted to the condition of mortality, or law of the dead, which