tion without life. From such please excuse me. Elder Russell's after-death salvation proposes.

But this is just what

5. Judgment, not salvation, comes after death. Heb. 9:27-28: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation,” or without a sin offering. Christ came into the world once to save sinners. I. Tim. 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." The next time he will come for a different purpose. He will come next time without a "sin offering." If the people can be saved after Christ comes, they can be saved without an offering for sin. "But Christ shed his blood for the remission of sin" (Matthew 26:28). Therefore, if people can be saved after Christ comes, or after this life, they can be saved without a sin offering, the blood of Christ, which is impossible, "for without the shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22.)

6. Because of our sins we can not approach God without a mediator. (Isaiah 59:1-2.) "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it can not save; neither his ear heavy, that it can not hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear."

Jesus Christ is our mediator. 1. Tim. 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." But Christ is now in heaven in the presence of God for us. (Hebrews 9: 24.) "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." But Christ is to appear in the presence of God but the one time for us. (Hebrews 9:25-26.) "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

But if Christ comes back to this world to offer the people another chance of salvation after death, he will then be in the presence of the people instead of God. But the Bible teaches that He shall stand in the presence of God to intercede for the people. Therefore, if people can be saved after this life, they can be saved without a Mediator, which is utterly impossible.

7. If there be another chance of salvation after death, for those who lose out in this life, who knows but that they may have a third, or a fourth chance, and on without limit? Can Elder Russell tell? But it has been shown that Christ will never appear again in the presence of God for us after He comes; but at His coming, He will take vengeance on them who did not accept Him in obedience to the Gospel in this present life. (II. Thessalonians 1:7-10.) "And to you who are troubled rest with

us, 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 from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."

8. God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34.) "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." If this be true, and it most certainly is, then it is as reasonable and certainly as possible, that God would have given the Jews, who rejected the law of Moses, a second chance by that law, as to say that He will, through the Gospel, give a second chance to those who now reject it. But He did not give the Jews a second chance for the blessings of the law they despised; and Paul teaches that our chances are even less than theirs. (Hebrews 10:28-29.) "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace."

9. If it be contended that a second chance, or an opportunity for salvation after death, will be given the Jews, but that said opportunity will be offered by the Gospel now in vogue, I answer that this will not, in fact, be a second chance, but the first opportunity on a new proposition. Then, to be consistent, God will have to offer to those who now refuse the Gospel an entirely new proposition, even a new Christ; otherwise He will be a respecter of persons then in not offering them as new a proposition as He will the Jews.

10. If God gives the Jews, who lived under the law, a chance by the Gospel after this present life, and if He is to give to those who have heard the Gospel in this age, another chance after death and the resurrection, then, to be consistent and not a respecter of persons, he will have to raise the heathen from the dead, give them an opportunity by the Gospel, and if they or any of them refuse the first opportunity after death; then he must have them die and again raise them from the dead in order to give them a second chance so as to put them on an equal footing with us; otherwise, if the contention of my present distinguished opponent be true-which is doubted-God would be a respecter of persons. If every one except the heathen has two lives of probation, in either of which he has an opportunity offered for his salvation, I shall insist that the heathen shall have two lives and two opportunities after this life.

11. The Jews have had one opportunity through the law of Moses, and rejected it; they had another by the Gospel of Christ, and rejected that. If the contention of Elder Russell be true they will have another chance for

salvation after death, making three chances of saivation for the Jews. Then God will have to give the heathen a chance after death, let them die a second time, raise them again to life, let them die a third time and raise them again in order to give them a third chance of salvation, and thus put them on an equal with the Jews, and Himself avoid being a respecter of persons. Who doubts that some of them even in the third chance will reject the Gospel? This is one of the absurdities that the post-mortem salvation of Elder Russell leads to.

12. In Matthew 25:1-13, our Saviour gives us the parable of the ten virgins, in the following language:

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

us.

The coming of the bridegroom represents the coming of Christ; the wise virgins represent those who are ready for his coming, while the foolish virgins represent those who are unprepared for his coming. You will observe that the foolish virgins thought they could get ready after the coming of the bridegroom, just like my present distinguished opponent teaches. But they were not permitted to enter and be present at the marriage, for none have the promise of entering heaven, except those who do the will of God in this present life. (Matthew 7:21.) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." But if, as Elder Russell teaches-so contrary to the Word of God—that there will be another chance of salvation after the coming of Christ, and this chance be a better one, last longer and be more easily accepted than the present one as he teaches, then Christ has it wrong; the wise virgins were the foolish ones, and the foolish virgins were the wise ones in waiting till the coming of the bridegroom, Christ, to get ready, when they would have so much easier time to make preparation. I wonder if they had any of this secondchance preparation idea that my opponent is teaching? But you see,

they were shut out and had no second chance. Great men sometimes differ. Christ taught it one way and my opponent teaches in another and different way. Which will you take?

13. When the Holy Spirit came to the apostles to guide them into all truth he, through them, was to reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. (John 16:7-8.) "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment."

The great apostle Pau, acting under the commission of Jesus Christ, preached the Gospel to Felix, the wicked and adulterous Governor of Judea. (Acts 24:25.) Felix trembled under the power of God's word, but he put the matter off for a convenient season and another opportunity, just as my dear friend and opponent teaches, and was lost.

Better be wise and take the present opportunity. Will Brother Russell answer the following question: Wi Felix have another opportunity of salvation?

14. There is no hope for the truth after people go down into the grave. (Isaiah 33: 18.) "For the grave can not praise thee, death can not celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit can not hope for the truth." (Romans 6:20-23.) "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

15. This present life is man's last chance of salvation. (I. John 2: 17-18.) "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." This clearly teaches us God has given us His last revelation and this life is the last time, the last chance in which we will have to prepare for the life to come. (Hebrews 1:1-2.) "God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." (Ephesians 1:7-10.) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him." But

when was this purpose of God made known? (II. Timothy 1:9-10.) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Jesus Christ before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Thus you see this purpose of God was made known through Jesus Christ. When did the fullness of time come? The fullness of time came when Christ came. (Galatians 4:4.) "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." There is the fullness of time in the church of the living God, the body of Christ here on earth to-day.

(Ephesians 1:22-23.) "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all." (Romans 1:16.) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Then the purpose of God to save the human family through the Gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation, is manifest through Christ in these last days, last dispensation, which is the last time, and in it there is fullness; therefore, if saved by the Gospel, it must be in this present life.

16. Many of the human family are saved by faith in Christ and obedience to Him. (Acts 2:41, 47.) "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."

(Galatians 3:26-27.) "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

(Hebrews 7:25.) "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 5:8-9.) "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Rev. 22:17.) "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

These Scriptures show that the Gospel was addressed to these people, that they were capable of understanding it, obeyed it and were saved by it. These people were exponents of the moral and mental condition and responsibility of all mankind. All men having these powers and responsibilities in this life, and who refuse to avail themselves of such opportunities, are not entitled to further opportunities in the next life.