MR. EDITOR-In your last number, a correspondent (R. B.) appears anxious to know the meaning of 1 Peter, iii. 18, 19 and 20. Whoever he may be, he might do well to compare spiritual things with spiritual. The first part of verse 18 appears so plain that every one that runs may read. The latter clause speaks of Christ being put to death in the flesh-that is, His fleshly body was put to death. This was done on the cross; but quickened by the Spirit. Now Christ says to the Jews in John's Gospel, chap v. & 17. " My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Again, verse 21, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." And in chap vi. & 62. "What, and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before." And in verse 64, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing," meaning, evidently, that even his own flesh would continue to rest in the grave, if his Spirit did not quicken it. Also Rom. viii. II, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." God is said to have raised up Christ from the dead. So also do we hear Christ affirming, "I lay down my life, that I may take it again”

hence the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are one Spirit, even as God and He are one; so that Christ was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, verse 19, By which Spirit Christ also went and preached to the spirits in prison. He by his Spirit preached to the Antedeluvians, who were shut up to God's announcement, that he would destroy the old world by water; but they were prisoners of hope, inasmuch as if they did repent of their unlawful deeds, God would also repent himself of the threatened judgment. But they were sometime disobedient, even an hundred and twenty years, until the longsuffering of God wore out, so that only eight souls were saved by water. But why are they called Spirits? I answer, men do not preach to the mortal body, but to the spirits of men, commonly called the inward man. But how can it be said that Christ preached to them? Consult the first chap. of 1st Pet. 10, & 11, and you will find that it was not so much the prophets that spoke, as the Spirit of Christ who spake in them; and that Noah was a prophet, is clear from the 9th chap. of Gen. 26, 27. He was also a preacher of righteousness, even of the righteousness of Christ.

Dundee.

G.R.

ED.]

FOR Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,

that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but

quickened by the Spirit, by which also he went and preached unto the Spirits in prison. Who sometimes were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, &c.

R. R. requests particular attention to the 19th verse. We shall therefore notice the ideas therein presented to us :—

First. The Preacher.
Second. Those preached unto.
Third. Their Condition or

state.

Fourth. The matter preached or proclaimed.

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In the first place we find that Noah was the preacher, or the Spirit by his mouth proclaimed. 2 Peter, ii. 5, (God)" Spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness." Heb. ii. 7, "By faith, Noah being warned of God of things not seen," &c.; again 2 Peter, i, 21, "Holy men of God spake,-moved by the Holy Spirit." In the second place, those preached unto," are called Spirits, which name expresses different ideas, all however in one way or other connected with, or springing from each other, such as breath, mind, understanding, heart, &c., thus the sentiments of the heart, as uttered by the mouth, aided by the breath. So" out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matt. xv. 19,"out of the heart proceed evil thoughts," &c., these uttered by the mouth are doctrines or spirits. 1 John iv. 1, "Beloved believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." Eph. iv. 18, "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Noah preached with the unbeliev

In the third place, "The state or condition of those preached unto "in prison. In the phraseology of the Scriptures, states of being are usually described by outward or sensible, tangible things; hence a prison or dungeon, represents a state of darkness or bondage, where there is neither light nor liberty. No knowledge of God, consequently no life.

"

John xvii. 3., "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God," &c. The following passages will show that the carnal or creature mind is the prison in which mankind are bound, having neither will nor power to secure freedom, until "God, who had commanded light to shine out of darkness," shines in the mind, giving the light of the knowledge of his manifestation in the face of Jesus Christ." Again, Isaiah xlii. 6, 7." I the Lord have called thee (my servant, mine elect) "for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, even them that sit in darkness, out of the prisonhouse. Isaiah xlix. 8, 9-" Thus saith the Lord, I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant for the people, that thou mightest say to the prisoners go forth, to them that are in darkness, shew yourselves." Isa. Ixi. 1, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

In the fourth place, what was the matter preached? Noah was a "preacher of righteousness," even the righteousness of God, which is

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the grand theme of revelation. It was witnessed by the law and the prophets, these pointed to the righteous branch, who was to be raised up, to "execute judgment and justice in the earth," even "the Lord our righteousness." This Gospel, or, the righteousness which is by faith in Jesus Christ, was preached in the garden, by Enoch, by Noah, to Abraham, in the plain of Bethlehem, and finally by the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour. The gospel makes known to man a state of being which his own wickedness debars him from, and which his own righteousness cannot introduce him to. It makes known the righteousness and faithfulness of the Holy Lord God, in whose sight evil cannot dwell. It declares that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so by one man, (Christ Jesus,) came righteousness and life eternal. And while it declares that all have sinned," that " there is none righteous," it also declares that Christ, the sinless one, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousnes of God in Him.

Our text informs us that "Christ hath once suffered for sin," not his own-he" did no sin "; it was the iniquity of his heels that compassed him about, therefore was the heel bruised. He was put to death in the flesh for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, (not sinful flesh) but in the likeness of sinful flesh! The antitype of the serpent which Moses set up, it was

made of brass, but like unto the fiery serpents which had bitten the Israelites, who spake against God and his servant Moses; or, as the Apostle says, 1 Cor. x. 9,"tempted Christ." They, by looking to the unbiting serpent, were healed of the deadly bite of the fiery serpents. So was the Son of Man lifted up, that whosoever (looketh to) believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life,

Noah became heir of, and was a preacher of "the righteousness which is by faith" in Him who lay all night between the breasts of law and prophecy; or during the darkness which preceded the sun rising, when the bridegroom came forth of his chamber to run his race, even to accomplish the salvation of his beloved. Noah practically illustrated the truth which he preached, by the Ark which he was preparing, as a figure of Him who was to raise his people from their carnal state-carry them safely over the floods of humanity, and all the strifes and commotions belonging thereto, and land them safely on the mountain of eternal peace and rest. As Noah's family were saved from the flood and its consequences, by means of the Ark, so is the family of God saved from sin and its consequences, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, as our surety and deliverer, sank in the deep mire, and was overwhelmed in the floods of ungodly men, but came forth of prison, to reign by the power of an endless life.

A.W.