THE RESURRECTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2104, 11 April 1889, Page 2

THE RESURRECTION.

The Rev 0. C. Brown delivered a second ltotare last evening on the subject of St Paul's desire "If by any means I may attain unto the resurreolion from the dead." Phil. 111., xr.

The Hall was again crowded to its utmost oapaoity, and the lecturer was listened to with great attention and interest while he proceeded rapidly to cite text after text of Sorlpture referring to the reiurreotion. Many of these he presented from an entirely new point of view to that taken by the Ohurohes generally, the view propounded by the leoturer being that all who die prior to the first resurrection will remain In their grkveß, and nowhere elae, In any sonse, the spirit or principle of life having returned to ctod In Whom all life exists, and without Whom no life Is possible, and the body and soul, or thinking part, being absolutely dead until raised again by Almighty power ; that those who are Christ 1 ! people will be bo raised a thousand years before the general resurreotlon of all men, and that those who have part m this reeuritaotlon will die no more ; that there will bo an actual and personal reign of Christ upon earth m a New Jerusalem which will descend from Heaven, and whioh Christ has gone into Heaven to prepare for his people, and that after the millenial age, when tbere shall be no more misery, and sorrow and suffering, there will ba a general resuireotlon of all man, the ransomed being ralsod to life

eternal and the wloked to punishment, followed by fxtlnotion m the devouriug fire that shall burn up all that is evil and sinful, and that thereafter the blessed will inhabit a new earth with Christ as their Great King. He took op at the outset several leading texts whioh are as usually interpreted totally opposed to the views he holds, as foi example that of Christ's promise to the dying thief " Verily I say unto thee to-day ahalt thou be with me m Paradise " contending that the comma wbioh appears after the word "thee" m the English translation of ?t Luke's gospel is wrongly inserted, and should instead appear, if inserted at all. after the word " to-day," the promise of our Saviour iiot being (aooordlng to Mr Brown) that the repentant thief should be that day with Christ m Paradise, but that Christ promised him that day (i c. on the day of his crucifixion) that ha the repentant thief should be with Him m Paradise, v'.z, when Christ came into his kingdom, his millenial reign upon the earth, whioh would be Paradise regained. At tbo close of tho lecture an immenoo number of questions wero auswerod, more or less satisfactorily to the questioners, some of whom, however, were by no moons oouvlnaed, and tho proceedings were brought to a close at about half-past ten by the Beuedlotlon, pronounced by the lecturer.