vi Death no barrier to God's mercy. 115 



this passage were understood according to its most 

 obvious meaning, it would be a denial of the possi- 

 bility of repentance in the present life. It is, how- 

 ever, only a statement of that law under which evil 

 is punished by its own increase, and goodness re- 

 warded in the same way ; and what makes it seem 

 strange is the use of the imperative where the sense 

 would appear to require the indicative ; but this 

 has parallels elsewhere in Scripture, especially in a 

 well-known passage of Isaiah, where a prophecy is 

 expressed as a command : " Hear ye indeed but 

 understand not, and see ye indeed but perceive 

 not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make 

 their ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they 

 see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and 

 understand with their heart, and turn again and 

 be healed." 1 This substitution of the imperative 

 for the indicative is a Hebraism, though rather of 

 thought than of grammar. 



When we are asked, In what passage of Holy 

 Scripture are we taught that repentance and for- 

 giveness are possible in a future life? it would be 

 enough to answer, In what passage are we taught 

 that they are impossible 1 ? where has God said that 

 He has put it out of His own power to follow with 

 His mercy the sinner across the barrier of death 1 

 But He has expressly taught, through His Apostle 

 Peter, that it is not impossible ; that the barrier 

 1 Isaiah vi. 9, 10. 



