6. But were not the souls of good men in heaven?

No: heaven was not open to man, till after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

7. Do we know what he did whilst he was there?

we die his body was deposited in the grave like the bodies of other men; and his soul, like those of others, descended to the general abode of departed souls. This is plainly indicated by St. Peter, when applying the words of the psalmist to the resurrection of our Saviour, he says, God did not leave his soul in hell-the abode of souls -nor suffer his holy one to see corruption—that is, suffer his body to moulder away in the grave. (Acts ii. 27, 31.)

6. Heaven was not open.-The disobedience of Adam had closed heaven against all his posterity: it was thrown open to man by the obedience of Christ, who took away the sin of the world (John i. 29), and was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world. (1 John ii. 2.) Hence, it was the doctrine of the ancient Church that the souls of the patriarchs, of the prophets, and of good men, were detained in some other abode till Christ had paid their ransom by his death; and then ascending up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men; that is, he delivered the captives from confinement, and allotted to them their respective portions in heaven. (Eph. ii. 8.) 7. He preached the gospel.-There is a remarkable passage in the first epistle of St. Peter, which appears to refer to this subject. Being indeed put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit, in which moreover he went and preached ot the spirits in prison, who once had been incredulous, when the

We We are told that he preached the gospel, that is, the doctrine of redemption through his death.

patience of God waited in the days of Noah. (1 Peter iii. 18, 20.) There can be no doubt that the apostle alludes to some historical fact of ancient times, well known to those to whom he directed his epistle, but which has been permitted to fall into oblivion. But whatever that fact may have been, we may fairly draw from his words the following inferences:-1. That the spirits in question were the souls of men who had lived in the days of Noah: 2. That through disobedience and obstinacy they had not profited by some benefit, offered to them by the patience of God: 3. That they were on that account detained in confinement, and suffering punishment; which is plainly indicated by the word prison coupled with their incredulity: 4. That to them the spirit or soul of our Saviour went, and ministered some kind of instruction, for he is said to have preached to them: 5. That this happened when he had been put to death in the flesh but was quickened in the spirit, evidently between his death and resurrection.

After

But what was this instruction which he preached to them? We may discover it in another passage of the same epistle, following the former. mentioning the judgment of the living and the dead, the sacred writer adds, for to this end was the gospel preached to the dead, that having been judged according to man in the flesh, they might be saved according to God in the spirit. (1 Peter iv. 6.) Now though there may be some doubt with respect to the correct rendering and meaning of this passage, there can be none with respect to

8. How long did his body remain in the grave? Till the third day; when his soul was reunited to the body, and he rose again to life. 9. On what day do we keep the memory of his resurrection?

On Easter Sunday.

It

the fact so plainly stated, of the gospel having been preached to the dead, and preached to them to the end that they might be saved. But when was it preached to the dead? On no other occasion, as far as we know, than that when our blessed Lord went and preached to the spirits in prison. Hence it is reasonable to infer that redemption through his death was the doctrine which he announced to them, the sum of what is meant by the gospel or good tidings. 8. Till the third day. He died before sun-set on Friday, and rose about sun-rise on Sunday. was therefore the third day. Yet in Scripture, it is sometimes said, that he rose after three days. It should, however, be remembered, that in Jewish phraseology, the two expressions bear the same meaning. In the enumeration of time, the Jews included both the first and the last term. Thus our Saviour was circumcised on the eighth day, and yet St. Luke affirms that it was after eight days had been accomplished. (Luke ii. 21.) 8. Re-united-1°. That our Saviour possessed a real body after his resurrection, is proved by his words : Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see that I have. (Luke xxiv. 39.) 2o. It was the same body, which had been nailed to the cross. Look at my hands and my feet, for it is I myself; and, as he said this, he shewed them

ART. VI.

1. Did our Saviour remain on earth after his resurrection?

his hands and his feet. (Luke xxiv. 39, 40.) 3°. This body was animated with a human soul, for he conversed with his apostles, and interpreted the Passages respecting the Messiah in the whole Scripture. (Luke xxiv. 27.) And 4o. That soul was the same which had animated his body before his death for he adds, these are the words which I spake to you whilst I was with you. (Ibid. ver. 44.) It was then the same body and the same soul. 8. He rose again.-God raised him up on the third day, and shewed him openly not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen beforehand of God, unto us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts x. 40, 41.)

9. Easter Sunday-The spring was called Easter by the Anglo-Saxons, from the prevalence of easterly winds at that season. Hence, because the feast of the resurrection was the principal festival during the spring, that feast was called Easter Sunday; in the same manner as, according to Bede, they had, whilst they were idolators, applied the same epithet to a feast kept at that time in honour of one of their false deities.

1. He ascended.-With his ascent into heaven our Saviour closed his earthly pilgrimage. He ascended before the eyes of his disciples: and this visible ascent was calculated, 1o. not only to confirm them in the belief of his mission, but to disabuse their minds of the notion that his was an earthly kingdom, a notion which they had cherished till that very moment (Act. i. 6); 2°. to show

"No: he ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." 2. On what day did he ascend?

On the fortieth day after he rose again. 3. What do you mean by "sitteth at the right hand of God"?

that the place which he was going to prepare for his faithful servants, (that where he was, they also might be, John xiv. 2, 3) was not on earth, but in heaven; and 3°. to lay a firm foundation for our hope, since we now must know. that we have for our advocate with the Father (1 John ii. 1.), one who ever liveth to make intercession for us (Heb. vii. 25): and that, as God hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, so he will make us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. ii. 6.)

3. At the right hand. - This was foretold of the Messiah by the Psalmist: The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool (Ps. cix. 2); and the prediction was applied by our blessed Lord to himself; Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty. (Matt. xxvi. 34.) Its accomplishment is stated by St. Mark: He was taken up into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God. (Mark xvi. 19.)

Christ, inasmuch as he was God, was one with the Father; and this high pre-eminence of sitting on the right hand of God was given to him as man, because, in consequence of his sufferings and death upon earth, he had been appointed our Lord, according to the language of the second article of the creed. Having cleansed away our sins, he sitteth on the right hand of the Majesty on