But there is another point leading to the same conclusion. It is not said that many of the dead shall rise; but that many of those that are asleep shall awake, and sleeping is not death, nor is awaking a resurrection of the body. The sleep which is spoken of is a natural state of the mind that is not yet sensible of spiritual things. It was to such a condition that the apostle referred when he said, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."[1] To sleep in the dust is to be immersed in all manner of worldly loves; and doubtless some of those who have been so circumstanced have awaked to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt; so that the passage has no reference whatever to the actual death and resurrection of the material body.
From this we will pass on to the New Testament, and there we have not been able to find any evidence of such a view. Of course the subject of rising from the dead and resurrection, is frequently spoken of, but this is not the point; the question is whether these things are, in any case, affirmed of the material body. We have no hesitation in saying that there is no instance of this sort. We will, however, notice a few of the strongest passages commonly advanced to favour that opinion.
The Lord said, "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."[2] Although the body is here referred to as being that which may be cast into hell, it is not said that it is the material body;
