soul, inspired men quote to prove the mortality of man, and that therefore the resurrection from the dead is the only hope set before us.

Again what is it that is said in the sentence pronounced in the Garden of Eden? “And unto Adam he said, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou (the man Adam) return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." Here is portrayed in few words the origin, the nature, and the destiny of man. Here, remarkable to tell, in the account of man's creation we find nothing about man being invested with an immortal soul, and when Adam transgressed, and God pronounced judgment upon him, strange, very strange to tell, that the Judge of all the earth omitted to say anything about what disposal was to be made of Adam's soul, which he is supposed to have had, which is esteemed to be of infinite value — but confines his sentence exclusively to the disposal of his poor old body. How ridiculous do the advocates of this doctrine appear in the light of such testimonies when the veil is lifted from the subject and the light let in."The first man is of the earth, earthy," says the inspired teacher of the Gentiles. It is the man that is of the earth, and not the clothing of a

man.

THE EXISTENCE OF AN IMMORTAL SINNER PREVENTED

Why was Adam unceremoniously expelled from the Garden of Eden? for the record says that the Lord drove him out. We have already proved that Adam was of the earth, earthy, at the beginning, in the day that he was created, for Paul bases his argument upon what Moses says of Adam the day he was created, before he sinned, and says the apostle, "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." We have therefore borne, and the living do now bear the image of the earthy Adam in the day that he was created, and what Paul says was earthy, he afterwards in the same place says is mortal, and is not quickened except it die. Therefore we inquire, After Adam had transgressed the imperative command of God, and had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the Lord had passed the sentence of death upon him, why did the Lord drive him out of the garden, and what did he drive him out to prevent? Let the word of the Lord himself answer that most important question. "And the Lord said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever; Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man: and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (3: 22-24).

Here the question is fully answered. Here we are told that Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden lest he should put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever; and to prevent him from doing this, he was hurried out of the garden. But suppose that after Adam had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and had been sentenced to death, he had put forth his hand and taken and eaten of the tree of life also, what would have been the result? Why he would have been im

mediately transformed, or translated from mortality into immortality in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and that would have presented the terrible fact of the existence of an immortal transgressor. He had already become as the angels of God to know good and evil, and if he had then eaten of the tree of life, he would have been instantly translated into immortality and would then have been also as the angels of God are, never to die. By this act the sentence of death already passed upon him would have been cancelled, and the terrible spectacle of an immortal sinner in all its dreadful reality would have been manifested.

Now to prevent this very thing, Adam was driven out of paradise, and especial precautions were taken to prevent the occurrence of such a thing, and cherubims were placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Therefore if, after that, Adam had attempted to approach the tree of life to pluck and eat its fruits, he would have been instantly consumed on the spot.

Now what important lesson do we learn by these facts? It is this, that an immortal sinner God would not allow to exist. Then tell us, ye who teach that the teeming millions of transgressors who have lived on the earth in the ages past, and who now swarm upon the earth, are all possessed of immortality, how did they get it? From whence, we demand to know, did they derive their immortality? Or is the doctrine an egregious error? We do here affirm that it is, and that the first preacher of the natural immortality of sinners was the serpent in the garden.

The First Preacher of Natural Immortality Was the Serpent

The Lord had said to Adam, " In the day ye eat thereof, ye shall surely die." But the serpent said tauntingly to the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened; and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:2-5). Here the serpent taught the doctrine that notwithstanding she should transgress, still she would live forever and not die; and while the serpent told the truth in regard to their eyes being opened by eating of the forbidden fruit and their becoming as the gods (or angels of God) to know good and evil, yet on the subject of immortality he lied. As Adam and Eve found out to their sorrow; and all such who have and do now preach the doctrine of immortality in sinners, are liars like unto their ancient pioneer. But there has been another tree of life planted in the midst of the paradise of God, and that tree of life is Christ, and all who eat of this tree, shall not surely die, but shall surely live forever. For whosoever hath the Son hath life, but whoso hath not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. All, therefore, who desire to see good, and length of days, even days without end, instead of walking in the footsteps of the first Adam, must reverse the operation and walk in the footsteps of the second Adam who was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, for it is said. "For as by

one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous" (Rom. 5: 19).

In view of the above premises, therefore, we demand to know of those who hold and teach the doctrine that sinners are immortal, From whence did they derive their immortality? Did Adam, notwithstanding he was driven out of the garden, and notwithstanding especial precautions were taken to guard the way of the tree of life lest he should put forth his hand and pluck and eat of the fruit thereof and live forever, did he still steal into the garden unobserved, and eat of its fruits? If not, from whence did he get his immortality?

INFERENTIAL EVIDENCE

Nevertheless, as there are millions of human beings who have been taught from infancy, and who conscientiously believe that they are possessed of immortal souls, and are laboring hard to save them; and as we have found no direct proof in the Holy Scriptures in support of the doctrine, and as its advocates are obliged to fall back upon inferential evidence, and incidental expressions which upon the face of them at first sight appear to favor the doctrine, we will therefore now proceed to examine some of the principal Scriptures which are so employed, to see if they really favor the doctrine, or not.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

...

When one calls in question this doctrine, the first Scripture most commonly quoted in support of it is the reply of Jesus to a request of one of the persons who was crucified with him. Luke informs us as follows in the twenty-third chapter of his gospel, "And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. . . . And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

Now it is assumed by the advocates of the popular doctrine of the immortality of the soul that Christ meant by this reply that his soul and the thief's soul would meet in paradise immediately after their death, and within the period of the day of twenty-four hours in which they were crucified. But this interpretation is wholly inadmissible, as it would contradict the inspired writers. and the words of Christ himself, for he said, "As Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12:40).

But oh, say the advocates of this doctrine, We believe that his body was three days and three nights in the grave, but his soul was at the same time in heaven. But we reply, Oh no, we cannot allow that either, as that would flatly contradict another Scripture. For hear what Peter said on the day of Pentecost, interpreting the words of David upon this very subject, "David. being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit

on his throne; he seeing this before spake (in the sixteenth Psalm) of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (grave), neither did his flesh see corruption."

Take especial notice of what Peter is proving: it is the resurrection of Christ from the dead. And what Scripture does he quote to prove it? Why, this very saying of David, namely, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the grave)." Well then, if to raise Christ from the dead was to bring his soul out of hell (properly translated grave), then it is plain that his soul was dead, and in the grave, instead of being alive, and in heaven, for if he were alive and in heaven, then there would have been no resurrection manifested by bringing his soul out of heaven; and so superstition renders this Scripture void. We will now endeavor to expose the fraud and show where these champions of error conceal the truth and substitute a lie in its stead.

Christ's "Soul"

The prophet Isaiah spake of the sufferings of Christ, and in the fifty-third chapter of his prophecies, speaking of Christ's soul, he said, "Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin "; again, " He shall see of the travail of his soul"; and again, “He hath poured out his soul unto death." What more positive proof does any one want than this? Nevertheless, Jesus himself said, as he drew near the end, in the garden of Gethsemane, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death." Thus Christ's soul died, and was buried and was raised again from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, no matter how much men who have been bewitched by the errors of the times in which we live may be shocked at this statement.

"" In Hell"

The original word Sheol in the Hebrew which is translated hades in the Greek and hell in the English, does not mean a place of departed spirits, as the heathen of olden times and the religious teachers in these days say, but instead it means the place of the dead. It means the grave and should have been so translated in our language to express the truth in these places, which we will now proceed to prove. The condition of people who die and go down into Sheol is clearly and positively stated in the Scriptures, and therefore is not left open as a matter to be speculated upon by uninspired men. For the wise man - the preacher said (Eccles. 9: 10), "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." And why? "For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in sheol, whither thou goest" (properly translated grave in our version). Sheol in this place is the same word as David employed in the sixteenth Psalm, saying, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in sheol." Again in the thirteenth Psalm it is written, "O Lord thou hast brought up my soul from sheol" (translated grave). Again in the forty-ninth Psalm, "But God will redeem my soul from the power of sheol" (correctly again rendered grave). And again the Psalmist, speaking for Christ, says in the eightysixth Psalm, " For great is thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell" (lowest sheol, that is, the lowest grave). Again it is written in the sixth Psalm, "Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: Oh savę

me for thy mercies' sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in sheol (the grave) who shall give thee thanks?"

Nothing can be more clearly established than the condition of the souls of men, and Christ in sheol, hades, or the grave; for the question is asked in the eighty-eighth Psalm, "Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in sheol (the grave)? or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" The answer is contained in all these questions by implication, and is no, emphatically no. Jesus endorsed the above, and said, "I must work while it is day; the night (of death) cometh when no man can work."

Death is a land of forgetfulness, which, when people enter, they forget all that they ever knew, and God's wonders are not seen there in the dark, and God's righteousness is not known there. God shows no wonders to the dead, nor can the dead arise and praise him. Job described it in chapter 10, last verse, as "a land of darkness, and the shadow of death; a land of darkness as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness." And David says in the sixth Psalm, "O Lord, deliver my soul: Oh save me for thy mercies' sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave (sheol) who shall give thee thanks?" According to the prophet David, therefore, there is no mentality or remembrance of God in death; and he inquires, "In sheol (the grave) who shall give thee thanks?" The answer is, None, and is implied in the question.

Again, Hezekiah, a righteous king in Israel, was told to put his house in order, for he should die and not live, and when he prayed, the Lord added fifteen years to his life; then he rejoiced and said, "Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. . . . For the grave (sheol) cannot praise thee: death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth" (Isa. 38: 17-18).

This is most extraordinary language for a wise king to make use of in view of the theories that men have invented. How could an immortal soul be delivered from a pit of corruption? And how is it that he says that there is no praising God in sheol, which they say is the place of departed spirits? Again why does the prophet David say in the hundred and fifteenth Psalm, 'The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence"?

The wise men of old, who spake by inspiration of God, appear not to have had such bright visions of death before them, but appear only to have believed that men could praise God while they were alive, either before death, or after they had been raised from the dead. But the wise men of the world, the philosophers and ministers of evil things, who despise the knowledge of God, have multiplied their cunningly devised fables and boldly publish them abroad. They assume to know all about the doctrine of immortality without any revelation from God, and say that hades is the place of departed spirits, and say that the immortal souls of all men at death go into hades, and as these souls are both good and bad, therefore hades is divided into two parts, upper hell and lower hell; and while upper hell is the place where the righteous go, and is therefore called paradise, or heaven, which is a place of happiness; lower hell, the place to which the souls of the wicked are remanded, really is hell