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someuuog Humorous, no assea a wmy of questions which were briefly answered.— We took him for a Yankee. 44 From what point of the compass do you come, and what is your destination“ From Georgetown, near Washington, I replied. 14 Ah! are jou acquainted with the Presbyterian minis-tvof that town ? 441 ought to be, was my reply, 44 for he is my immediate progenitor.” “Then/'he rejoined “you aq» my, nephew; I live four miles from Dandridge, on a Mossy creek farm. Some of our neighbors were at the Greenville meeting, and on their return reported a person of your name.I thought I would ride down and see whether you were a good looking gentleman, and ycu please me well except your diminutiveness. At that 1 rose and shook him warmly by the hand. The stage was ready, and the driver impatient. I was sorry the interview was so hurried. He appeared to be a sensible man, and bad often served in the Legislature of Tennessee.Nashville was a handsome town of five or six thousand inhabitants. It has since become a flourishing city. The Presbyterian church was a capacious building, but in ruins. It was situated on an elevation, but not inviting in its appearance. Its services were but sparsely attended, but the aspect of Preebyteriaaism has assumed new features .since the time to which we allude, through the ministry of such men as Drs. Jennings *nd Edgar, and the commanding influence of Dr. Liodsley, who presided over the I Diversity. The autumnal climate of the place was balmy as possible. But Dr. Blackburn stands as the caption to this paper, and to bin we must attend.The Presbyterians of Nashville were anticipating a visit from this highly popular preacher. The writer was anxious to make bis acquaintance for one or two reasons. In the early part of the present century he had boon employed by the General Assembly as a missionary to the Cherokee Indians on the frontiers of Tennessee. This mission excited a great deal of interest with the Presbyterian public. President Jefferson was farFor the Central Presbyterian.THE SECOND COMING OF CHEIST.I fully adopt the following sentiments of David Brown, a decided Posfc-millennialist, found in his book on the second advent. “It is frequently urged, for example that because * souls* were seen in this visioD, and no mention is made of boJirt, it cannot be a bodily resurrection that is meant. But this is to mistake what the apostle saw in the vision. He did not see a resurrection of souls. He saw 4 the souls of them that were slainthat is, he had a vision of the martyrs themselves in the state of the dead—after they were slain, and just before their resurrection. Then he saw them rise: 4 They lived’—not tbeir souls, but themselves. I ought to state however that Brown regards cbis literal resurrection as merely a symbol of the martyr spirit which will prevail duringa Millennium before Christ. Post-millennial expositors hold that the phrase “they lived does not denote a literal resurrection either of the martyrs, or of persons having the martyr spirit. But as they must find some kind of resurrection, they suppose it to be the resurrection of the martyr spirit. And believing that the souls seen by John were the souls of the martyrs onlyy they say nothing about the spirit or disposition of’ those who did not worship the beast, and yet were not slain. But the question must be distinctly answered— Who are those of whom it is said “they lived t” And why is their living called the first resurrection? Is it the martyrs themselves that lived, and is this the first re surrection ? Post millonnarians say not.— Then, is it the souls of the martyrs that “ lived,'* and is this the first resurreotion ? Surely not. Their souls never were literally dead and buried ; and the spiritual resurrection of their souls, that is, their regeneration, was experienced before tbe death of their bodies. Then is it the martyr spirit that 41 lived” and 44reigned with Christ? But is the martyr spirit dead? or is it to die be fore the Millennium ? Tbe Word of Godattached to that term—4‘the rest ot medeadAnother insuperable objection to the Post-millennial interpretation of this passage is tbat by that interpretation, the vision of John, instead of being a symbol of what is yet actually to take place, is a symbol of a symbol of what is yet actually to take place. Another insuperable objection to this interpolation is tlatjit makes tult; vision recorded in this (tho twentieth) chapter a different one from that recorded in the proceeding one, (the nineteenth’) It is very evident that the vision recorded in both chapters is tbe same. But we have proved that in tbe nineteenth chapter John records bis vision of the brideREADY FOR HER MARRIAGE WITH THE LAMB—that is, all the elect of God made perfectin holiness.But it may bo asked, how can the interpretation I have given be made consistent with tbe events which it is declared will take place during that 44 little season,” when the Devil will be let loose? Where are the people called Gog and Magog, who are to be deceived by Satan, and go to war with the saints, to come from ? The earth containing, at tbe end of the thousand years, glorified saints only, is there to be a mighty falling from glory, as was once the case in heaven? If the interpretation I have givon ot this chapter be the correct one, it is easy to see who these agents of the Devil are. The timo of the letting loose of their leader, is also the time of their letting loose, the time of the resurrection of the 44 rest of the dead, (the wicked dead.) At whatever time the events symbolized in the visions of Ezekiel (chapters 38-48) may take place, the Gog and Magog there spoken of were either the enemies of God by that name, inhabiting the north quarter of Asia, or they represented the enemies of God. The people called by the same name in Revelation, are the enemies of God from 44 the four quarters of the earthy among whom are theso people fromthe north quarter, risen from the dead, if Ezekiel had allusion to any particular people. All the wicked dead are called Gog
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Central Presbyterian
Richmond, Virginia, US
Wed, May 01, 1878
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