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REV. CANON MACCULLOCH^ D.D.^ ON THE DESCENT 



best way I can and if I find myself wrong when I get into the other 

 world it will all be put right," Surely the Scripture was never 

 intended to encoura,ge such a state of mind as that. 



The Eev. J. J. B. Coles said : " We know that it is a golden 

 rule in the interpretation of difficult passages of Holy Scripture 

 such as 1 Pet. iii, 18-21, always to bear in mind the general tenour 

 and teaching of the book or epistle as well as to pay close attention 

 to the immediate context in which the passage is found. 



In 1 Pet. i, 2, we read: "Searching what, or what manner of 

 time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify (to iv ocvrots 

 Uvevixa XpicTTov) when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ 

 and the glory that should follow." 



It is then to the teaching of the " Spirit of Christ " through 

 Noah, to the men of those days, that the Apostle is referring — who 

 are awaiting the judgment, as also are the fallen angels who had 

 helped on the awful corruption which called for the destruction 

 by the Flood. 



That the Lord did descend " into the heart of the earth," that He 

 did go to the Paradise, to the place of the faithful departed, to 

 " Abraham's bosom " — He himself tells us when He promised the 

 dying thief — " This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." 



Now, may I suggest an important inference from what is found 

 in the next passage in the New Testament in which " Paradise " 

 occurs, 2 Cor. xii, 4, " Now that he (St. Paul) was caught up into 

 Paradise 1 " The Lord when He rose from the dead, vanquished 

 the power of death and the gates of Hades — and led captivity 

 captive. The principalities and powers and Satan who had "the 

 power of death " (Kpdros) were led as captives before Him while 

 God's faithful people of old time followed as the rescued ones in His 

 triumphal train. A triumph, the full effects of which will be seen 

 when in the glorious resurrection day resurrection bodies complete 

 the victory over Death and Hades — which was then eff'ected. 

 Since that first resurrection morn "to depart and be with Christ" 

 (for St. Paul was caught up to Paradise — so the place of Paradise 

 is no longer in the heart of the earth, but where Christ is) is the 

 happy lot of those who fall asleep in Him, and who can say, as 

 Stephen said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 



This teaching gathered from Holy Scripture alone, is certainly 

 " very far better " than the false doctrine of purgatory and 



