Page081

Page081

THE PRAC'rICAL CHRISTIAN.


DeToted to TloUtil and Ri;' hteousne! iso


No. 21.


" Some have mnde of sanctification a · stool


upon which alllTlllY sit" while othor Christians


muk e it a high sellt, upon whieh only a few


clln plnce themselves;' while it Ql! ght !&' be


con sid eretl rllther ns a ladder where we may


mount, withollt ever being certain toallain


here below the. highest round." '.


MENDON, MASS., J\ 1ARCH 1, 1841:


.


2. What powers do es the soul probllbly


ex ercise in the int ermediate stllte? I think


we may safely i~ fer that it exercises all those


which nre strictly pee~ liar to the mind in the


present state. ' There cnn be no met'e physicnl


action or passion. The sensual ceases at rlenth.


l\ lentnl action, enjoyment and suffering will


continue'; but extel: nal motion anrl commnni­cation


cannot be 8upposed to tak e plnce in that


I'tate . These require an organic vehicle, ­Hence


we may conchHle that sonls in the . in­terme,


liate stat e aro active chi efly within


and upon themselves- having littl e power of


~~ tward expression, 01' communicaiion one


with another. Thought, memory, I'eason,


will, fllith, affection, hope ~ n d fear probably


exi st there, and act with greater clearness and


strenglh than here. All the mol'll I powers


must be acute and vigorous; Tho soul still


retai\ ls all the essentials offree moral agency;


"\ oVait the great teach er Death, and God adore,"


h i; eyes,[;~~~~ I~~~ t" H e ' wo;:;- h~ v~:-~ d though circumscribed Withi; I-- it~~ o~- Wisd;;-- J; is'n-;; I~;~~-~~; ary; the grand


summoned La zarus to hi( relief, but was up- mental sphere ofaction, must be abl e to cher- system iu which our destiny is involved, than


prisedthat the gulf between th em c ut off all ish right 01' wrong . emotions, desires, and in - the present state, It ill adapted to the perfect


personal intercourse. It cannot be fairly in- tentious,- to think right 01' wrong- to reason equalization of / III the moral privileges and ad .


ferred frorn thi s parable, that our Lord meant right or wrong- to will right or wrong- in vantages of mankind; so that every human


to endorse all the cufreut opinions about tin e, to live according to God in th e Spirit, or being passes out of it into the resurrection


Hades ; but I think we must infer that he otherwise, so as to he judged hy its motives ' as state, liJlly prepared t~ understand and appre­meant


to recogn ize the fact of an iutermedinte righteou sly as if in the flesh, It may be in cinte that final judment wherewith the mysre­State,


and to teach the general doctrine of a rebellion against ' God, or in reconciliation to ry ofj ehovah is finished, No one will be able


future retribution. him, there as well as hel'e- though acting wh · ol- to say, o:: f"" l would have been wise; I would


Pnul and others, sp eaking of Puradise, seem Iy Wilhi~ 1 itself, . I cannot w~ 1I conceive that hav e believed ' and repented; I would' have


to depart somewhilt from the old lden thnt it th es e things sho uld he otherwise. done my duty ; ( would have been holy '; but


wns underneath th e surface of the earth in the 3. What distin ctions of moral character 1 had no suitable opportunities; I lived in the


subterranean world. To them it wus above, and . cond ition prevail i~ ~ he . interme~ Iiute midst ofdarkness; I henrd not the gospel of


in the aerial, 01' etherial regions, Hen ce we state r The two general distinctions of right- peace j I could not fiml th e path of truth and


may- conclude that, as respects the mailer of eons 1II, Id wicke~, happy and Illisernbl~, All righte on snes~." · There will be no room for


locntion, Hades was ' variously conceived of, who die rec~ r~ clled . to God" tog ether With all sU, ch apologies, and excuses, Every mouth


und thnt no specific revelation restrained the , I n fa n ~ and Jrhots- I: e. all • innocent of uct~ al Will be stopped with the p. rofoundeonviction,


irnaginntion ev en of th e good. If; th en, the eonsci ous transgression, find Hades 11 Paradise that th e. wuys of God are equal- that he has


qn estl cu shonld be propounderl- i- whsn, is the of rest _ a nll refreshment. They are ul~ , mor~ done as much, on the whole, for one as for


intermedinte stute P we rnny answer ill ge n- or I~ ss ha ppy, or nt I~ nst , fre ~ from pnin . and another. And each will be ready to exclaim,


ernl terms, o: rwher ev er thesouls ofmen are ~ nxl et~'. All wh~ die III ."?' nnreconeiled, "' 1 only nm in limit! He is holy, just and'


between death lind th e resurrection, The nnpemtent, and Wicked, of every grade, find good!" The infant will hecome a man, tho


soul is un ess en ce- n something: th er efore it Hades ~ Prison- i- « re gi~ n of ~ Ioom and f~ ar- idio! thoroughly ' inrelligent, the insane ration­mu


st lit any su pposable moment be some- ~ ullln~ lety, ofmenl~ 1 tribulation ' lI~ d anguls~, aI, th e benighted heathena christian in knowl­wh


er e in spuce. \ V e cannot sp eak of it as be- m ~ great e r or less degree, lI~ cortlmg to their . edge, the poor equal to the rich, the slnve a


ill" no- where. nor conceive ofit liS beiuz eve- vurrous moral eharueters, It IS not from mere compeer with his muster, and the izuomnt 1' 8­ryblChere.


N'or is it uurensonahle to conclude location or extern a l causes, that th e hnppiness plete with the knowledge of the wise. The


that it nlwavs hns somesphere asslsned to it nnd unnppiness of the two classes proceeds. only distinction which can accompany souls


beyond. , vhich for the time it c'nn n~ t pass:"": The gdiid h~ vtJ exhaustless resources of enjoy- : ncross the thresheld of'the resurrection must


The curious "! in& l in sists on knowiugdefinite- menr 8 p ri n~ i n g up ~\ oithin the, m. as a well, of be on~ ofmoml , charncter- the ' reSUlt of their


Iy wh er e ils ~ phere is durin" di semhodylllent. Wllter UlltO eternlll lifo, lind walt m expectalJon own J'Ight or wrong use of equnl light AmI


\ Vhere wer e Ah raham Ln: urus rind the rich of tbe " perfect dlly." The bad, . hnving no plivileges. Such al'e th e views I nm con­lIIan?


\\' here wer e ' tile shu ls of Chr ist lind such rebources, and yet feeling th e want of strained to entertain concerning the \ d~ sign of


lhe penitent thi ef lin lhe' ; Iny of theil' Ilenth ?- th em , recoil up on them selves with ~ elf- re- the intermedillte state. To ench individual it


\ Vhcre we;' e l\ Ios o ~ 111111 Elias befiJre th etrllns- pr onch , relllorse and shnme:- full of dread an- is rendered an indis~ ensable Bnd perfect pre-figul'lllion?


Wher e wer e the s pirits in prison, tic ipatiCJ~ s.' and dal ' k fur ebodings of future pnratiOl, 1 fOl' the resurrection and its final ef-to


wh olll Christ pr enched? And wh er e th e woes.. rhey cun no t for get themselv es, nOl' fectuafJudglllelll. ,


deUlI who had th e ' gospe l prenchcel to th elll, fly to sensunl plen snre, os in the pres~ nt gtate ; , 6" \ VlllIt is to be the rluration of the inter.


" that th ey might be judged accol'ding to men fUI' ull these wonted resorts hnve penshed for medlRt e state? As a stuttl it will cont! nue till


in th e flesh , b ~ t li" e nCCOrding to, God in th e eV, er" They IIIUSt find peac e nnd s~ t, i sfae t i o n ", death, the last ~ n e~ y , shall be destroyed ;"


s pi rit ?" \\' here is Pal'll clise? \ V e clinn ot wltlllllthemseiv es, or 110 wh ere. I hey lire till no soul relllalllS liubl e to disembodvment .


an sw el' these qll ei; tiqns with ' lInY""' grllphiclll ex- . COIl Il'U ' ioI, llo.: 1( t, lw~ IH u tl!" lIls" lve"- to se e Bnd Then will Deatli lJnd ' II nde>; ~ e'ri s h lO~ cther,


netn tlSSj for we ure un tllnght of Him unto kno,: Ih ell1sel,,' c!'-~' lll to ront~ st themselves and be kno,~ n no more, . S lic ii J pCl'iod i~


wholllt' 11I secret things he long, And of Whllt contm~ l all y With th eir ~ llIker, wllh th e blesseel, cJ ~ arly ' predicted, and will ce rtainly IIITive;


1' 0111 huportance is it to llIHlerstand tliese . lllut- and wll h what th ~ y , m l g ~ 1t h ~,'~ becom e hael but ! Olten remains unrevenled to th e children


tel's? \ Vh eth er Had es be in th o interio~ of th ey he'ldecl the dlvllI e hght III liS sen so n. · of meu, As it respects individuals nnd class-th


e ellr th 01' th e lIerial c ircle or in th e ' sml ' 4. Docs nny chunge of IIIoraI cha racte r es, the intermediate stato has a various , Iura-


, , ' I I ' I ' rl' , I .


01' / IIOOU, or IIny wh ( Jre withill th o sola r sy s - , tn \ e pllce m t ~ e 1Il1p; I'm e mte st a t~ . . t IS tion. Jesus relllai~ ed in it but a few hourll.-


teni, is of no couseq ne nce to us: If we could relll'on ahl e t~ beh ev e th nt th er e do es III sll~ ne. T~ e an cient saints who rose im mediately nf­ascel:


taiu its pr e,: istl lutitude IIlul longilllde, th e Tho, se who III th, e, present st~ t~ huv e , ve ry I~ U ~ tel' him, and with whom he prohahiy n~ r: et\ lt­'


knowledge would he IIllerly us eless, It is ~ erfe ct ° PP° l'tullltles lIud pl'II'll~ ges 101' nlli'lIl- ed into henven, wh eu he IIl e~ eaptiviry . ca p­enoug


h fOl' us to he assured that th er e is all IIIg to th e lmowl ~~ ge IIn/, 1 se rvICe of ~ od, nre tlve," had remained in it 1' 01' ages, His IIPO~ ­lnrermedinle


' stut o, ancl that for good or for doubtless there vlsll ed With a~ e~ nat e IZght and , ties nnd oth er emine n t martyrs of the primi­evil


we shall soon he IImon g its ! nllititudes.- ample , mora. 1 , advllntnges, 1 Ills . Jllny he ' the tive church, I in clin e to believe, allained to the


As to the nature of ex istonce in th atstlltl', holV cnse With nllihons ~ f l lJe henth en, JIIl, 1 s~ m:. resurrection of the glorified no long tim e nfter


tl I t " , ' I I olher clllsses who clie ullregellernte. Nor IS It the overthrow Ie SOli re alll s IS eonsc lousness, IUIIW lOt ' ofth e J ewl'sll State. Pro' I'".. lbly


pecll I, Inl' hnbl'ludes th" er e prevnll, we lIlay con- u, nreasonabl. e to hope tha't IImo!.,," g th ese mil- rnallY Iluve SI'IIce pliB'seIr tlII'ougII ' It, to tIIII


J'ec tlire . llIleI . unngm, e ! nu cII, Ililt cnn aillu'm I'It-" lion, s, thousands hecom e reconCi. led to th e In . nbodes ofimmortality. J ' lllc l'lll'e nlso to be -


tle. \ V e rl0 no t know enougIlOI'tIIe SOil IIlere filllt, e'F othe r, so" liS to hnv e part m, th e resul'- lieve thata large c1uss of the wl',"." le\ ll, consl'~. t-


, UI tl10 borIy I0 expIa" m Its con sll" tutlon. It'IS " rectlOn o, f life. . If C, hr ist p, reach, ed to thbe sprr - in" ofthose who dierl pr e v'lollS to •' Ind at the


. IU , Itself II world of mysten'es", ' m will ch we ure Us m III'I" SOU once dlsobelh ent m th e duy's of ( lest I'llct ' Ion of'Jer usa", em , were a bout t Imt l'tme \


I ' I d" I H Noah- If thus the gospel was declared to the rai sed Ii'olll the dead nnd judged by the Son


I III Y Iscovermg new p Jeu, omenn, , ow dead- anrl if after roclaimin I'll ' I . , . ' . .


much less th on cun we detel'llull e co nce l'nmg , p , , g , I el ty t~ t Ie of God. But of thIS l am not so confide! lI-;


its di ~ elllbodi ecl . existence? As no sound elJlbmlled , he led captiVity cllpltve ut hIS as- . nor wh eth er since thllt period the dead iu gen­miud


questious thut there is n human soul cension, as the. Scriptures set forth, we must _ eral have ti'om time to time successively ex- "


ho• re, however . lIlexpI'Icnble ' I, s mystert'e s ; so conclude that some moral changes do take "... erienced the resurrectl'Otl u~ rld tllel'r fillsl J. ' ullg -


we trust no such ml" lld Will pr esume IIga'mst 1IInce in Hudes, But to how great lin exte nt tnent. TI18t IiII'love passerI, or W'I11' III tIill


au " IIItermedlUte state, merely hecllnse so h, ttle it we, re safer not to sp eculate. " se, 1I0~ on of d'iVI" Ie appom' tm' ent pass throngh


' k . f" t ' th t II I b h · ' Vu h regard to tho se souls who III th e body thi s eXllerience I ' e utel'ta in ' no dOUbt Tile IS uown 0 I m e presen wor I . t e oves ,', ..' .


us to ' , enJoy grellt hght, anrl ubundant means OfIllOI'- pnl'ti culal' times nnd seusons, order and modell


ul improvement, which they abuse~ such as of opel'ation I leave with Him whose preroga­blasphemers


agllinst th e Holy Spirit, apos- tive it is to kill and make lllive, according to


tat es, h)' pocl'ites, cruel persecutors, m erciles.~ his own pleasure. He rloeth nil things well.


tyrants, nnd in gen eral the wilfut wicked, th ere Aud in contemplating thi~ deep, solemn, and


is no hop e of regen eration in the intermediate in ' ul/ lIlY respects oLscnre subject, we t a n bnt '


stlltO. , T hey are reserved under cha ins of exclaim, in the Innguuge of the apostle-,." d


dllrkness un, to th e day of th eir final Judgment. the depth of the riches, both of the wiedom


They hllve wantonly trampled on the grea test and ~ nowledgeof GOtl! How unsearchable


privileges, cO" rltemne~ all the calls, of God to a! e his judgments, and his ways past finding


repentance, abused IllS long- suffermg compas- out! For who hath known , the mind of the


sion, and done despite ~ o his spirit of grace.- Lord? 61' who hath heen his counsellor (_


Therefore they are senl ed up aud hounr! over Or wh o hllth firs; given to him and it slllill be


to a llIore co. ndign and tremllndous retrihution, recompens~ d unto him ngllin? For of hi iii


that th ey "? ay eat tl~ e ft'~ it ofthei~' doing~' , and ' and through him, ; IH! to him are allthiilg.;


be filled With the cmsclnef of thelrpel'luclouS to whom be glory forever. Amen."


W~ L / .


5, What is the ohiefdesign, or use of the


intermediate state? God always hilS a duign,


an end, in all his dispensations, The int erme- .


diate stnte, with its peculiar disciplin e, is not


without its purpose in his moral udministra. ­tion.


It fulfils an important aim of infinite


VOL. I.


\


1. \ Vhat is the general natnre of the Inter­mediate


Stllte? Divine re velation hilS done


little lIlore on this subject, than to . affirm these


. generlll truths- that there is such A state ; th, at


all souls enter upon it at death; thnt a just dis­ti


llction is nlllde there between the righteous


nnd the wick,: d ; that Christ'hy his resurrec­tion


becnme Lord of it" j tllUt he hus rendered


it sullservient to the great end of hi;; mediato ~ .


rinl reign, llIlel thut in the ' consummation ofall '


things he ' viII utterly destroy it. I desire,


. therefore, to tr eat all the qn estions relating to


it with a hecom ing humilily / lnd moderation;


so tllllt wbile J express my own sincere con­Vic:


lions I III IIi avoid all dogmatism, anll leave


others who differ from me" unjullged and un ·


denounced.. • .•


The ancients, both . inspirer! and uninspirerl,


appear to have loented the region of rleparted


spirits within the earth. To their imagination


it wns n vast subterranenn cavity, pervaded by


thick r! lIrkn e! lS, or at best reli ev ed only by a


dim twilight. Hence they generally spoke of


it as an abode beneath the habitnble ground­a


dllep imd dreary pit- a willI and ' ohsc u re


ahyss-" a land of llarkness and the ~ hadow ' of


death." In proce~ of tim e' populllr opinion


divi2, ed it into two great department,; the one


for I'ighteous, the other for wicked Eoulll. ­H


ence the Elysium and ' fartarus of the


Greeks; the Paradise and the Prison of the


Jews. " In the times of our Saviol' the gen­eral


name given to the world ofdeparted spir­its


was Hades. Paradise'and th e Pl'ison were


hoth in Hades, but separated by an impassa- .


ble gulf. The pllrable of the rich ( lIan nnd


Lazarus conforms to this then prevllient no­tion


of Hades. Lazarns. died and was borne


hy angels to Abraham's bosom in Paradise.':-'


The rich man died and in Hndes ( i, e. in the


Prison, - or miserable department,) he lifted up


EXPOSITION OF E:' AITH.


C HAP T E R VI.


SECTION ~ .


J believe that there is ari Intermediate State,


" 7 ' lte small and the great. are then'; and tlte'


servant is free from. his mast er," Joh 3: 19.


,11' IVObeli ev e in the immortality of the soul,


and in the resurrection of. the bod y, ns set forth


1n the first section of this ' Chnpter, th e doctrine


of an Intennediaul 81l1te follows ofnece:; sity.


According co those views of th e suhject there.


must he n cel'tuin s pace " ftillle hetween death


anrl the reslIITeetion• . The two e" ents lII'e not


simultuneous. Conse quently the period clur­iug


whicll , lh e ~ Il u l rHllIllins di~ ( JlClhoelierl, lIlay


with pHrft. lct I! rnpriet)' be denolllinateci the In-


~ ermediat e St ate, '


Is th ere any such state? If l hnve made a


correc't application o j'Scripture in the preced­ing


section, thi s point is settl ~: I, If ClOt, it will


IIll uSHles!' e ithc r to requote th e passages th ere


ifil , tlll~", I ;'' O? t o bl'in g forwant other. s ' oi- the


snule ~ euHrnl character. I shall assume thnt


my poillts in lhnt SHction, relative to the im­mortlllily


of the soul alllf the resurrection' of


th e hody, lire fairly su bsta ntinted oy the proofs


lIo1duced ; nnel proeeerl to answer a few im- '


portant illlluiries which naturally arise con­<:


eruing the Stllte between denth alld the res-urrection.


•


THE PRACTICAl. CHRISTIAN


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Regul ar Contributors to the , Work,- ADIN


BALLOU, ( Editor and Publishing Agent;) DAVID'


R, LAMSON, GEORGE \ OV, STACY , n .' NIEL S.


.\ VHITNEY, WILLIAM H. FUH, SAMUEL J.


!\ lAY,


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be sent ( Pllst paid) to AnIN BALLOU, Menllon,


Milss,


\ OVo love nil, hut can flatter none, Therefore


we solicit no per~ oll i o subscribe who is not willing


we should utter all our moral conviction s as freely


as the winds blow and the waters run. ' I'o all


such, of whatso ever name or persuasion, we make '


our respectful saluta t ion, and would say " Come


and see if any good thing can come out of Naza­rerh,


"

Page 81 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840