Cergyman, maintains this opinion. In his "Notes upon the New Testament," on Acts ii. 27. Rev. i. 18. vi. 8. Rev. xx. 13, 14. he unequivocally avows it. On Rev. i. 18. "I have the keys of hell and of death," he observes→→→ "that is, the invisible world; the body abides in death, and the soul in hades." Rev. xx. 14. "And death and Hell gave up the dead that were in them" he explains "Death gave up all the bodies of men, and hades (hell) the receptacle of separate souls, gave them up to be reunited to their bodies."

Of the Protestant Episcopal Church-there is a sermon of the late Bishop SEABURY, of Connecticutt, on "Christ's descent into Hell," in which the principal arguments in support of the existence of a separate place of departed spirits are clearly and concisely exhibited.

In his lectures on the Catechism (page 36) Bishop WHITE, of Pennsylvania, observes, "It comes in the way in this place to notice a very common error which has even crept into the public confessions of some churches; as if the beatific vision of holy persons, or their being in heaven, took place on the dissolution of the body. This is not scriptural. Doubtless such persons are in peace, in some state answering to the figurative terms of Paradise,' and 'Abraham's bosom ;' with a measure of bliss, answering to what St. Paul must have implied, when he spoke of 'the spirits of just men made perfect.' Still, they have not yet reached the state intimated by the same Apostle, where he speaks of being 'clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.' And the sentiment here expressed is sustained by our Church, as in many places, so especially when she prays in the burial service, for 'perfect consummation and bliss both in body and soul.' But she no where speaks of passing immediately from this world to Heaven."

Of the Church of England,-the present Bishop of Lincoln, Dr. TOMLINE (formerly Pretyman) in his exposition of the 3d article concerning Christ's descent into Hell, considers that by this is meant "that in the intermediate time" between his death and his resurrection "his soul went into the common receptacle of departed spirits."

Dr. SCOTT in his Family Bible, in his commentary on the 16th Psalm, verse 10. and on Acts ii. 27. speaks without hesitation of a separate place of departed spirits between death and the resurrection.

Dr. MAGEET, the celebrated author of "Discourses and Dissertations on the Doctrines of Atonement and Sacrifice," in a very learned note (p. 346, &c.) of that work, maintains the existence of a region of departed spirits-of an intermediate state of the soul between its departure from this world and some future state of its being.

This doctrine is maintained with his usual acumen, force and erudition by Bishop HORSLEY, in the sermon quoted in the preceding address, on Christ's descent into Hell. In this sermon he maintains the position that Christ" descended to Hell properly so called, to the invisible mansion of departed spirits, and to that part of it where the souls of the faithful after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh are in joy and felicity ‡." In the notes on his commentary on Hosea, the same doctrine is advanced.

The eloquent and pious Bishop Horne in his commentary on the 10th verse of the 16th Psalm, maintains the doctrine of the place of departed spirits. "Although our mortal part must see corruption, yet it shall not be finally left under the power of the enemy but shall be raised

*Now Bishop of Winchester, 1824. + Now Archbishop of Dublin, 1824.

Ser. vol. ii. p. 91.

again and reunited to its old companion the soul, which exists meanwhile in secret and undiscernable regions, there waiting for the day when its Redeemer shall triumph over corruption in his mystical as he has already done in his natural body."

Archbishop SECKER in his lectures on the Catechism (lect, 9.) explaining the descent into Hell, observes, “the most common meaning, not only among heathens, hut Jews and the first Christians, of the word Hades, here translated Hell, was in general that invisible world, one part or another of which, the souls of the deceased, whether good or bad inhabit." "In what part of space, or of what nature that receptacle is, in which the souls of men continue from their death till they rise again, we scarce know at all; excepting that we are sure it is divided into two extremely different regions, the dwelling of the righteous, called in St. Luke Abraham's bosom, where Lazarus was; and that of the wicked, where the rich man was; between which there is a great gulph fixed. And we have no proof that our Saviour went on any ac count into the latter; but since he told the penitent thief that he should be that day with him in paradise; we are certain he was in the former; where they, which die in the Lord, rest from their labours, and are blessed; waiting for a still more perfect happiness at the resurrection of the last day"

The acute and learned " Author of the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion," Dr. Samuel CLARKE, Rector of St. James, Westminster, in his " Exposition of the Church Catechism," explains the word Hell in the Creed to mean "the invisible state of departed souls.”

Sir Peter KING in his "Critical History of the Apostles' Creed," proves, at some length, and with great clearness and force, the existence of a place of departed spirits,

into which Christ descended, in the interval between his death and his resurrection.

Among the Sermons of the famous Bishop BULL, the learned Author of the Defence of the Nicene Faith, is a Sermon on "the middle state of happiness or misery," which he explains and defends in the following terms"The souls of all the faithful, immediately after death, enter into a place and state of bliss, far exceeding all the felicities of this world, though short of that most consummate perfect beatitude of the Kingdom of Heaven with which they are to be crowned and rewarded in the resurrection. And so on the contrary, the souls of all the wicked are presently after death in a state of very great misery; and yet dreading a far greater misery at the day of judgment*.” “All good men without exception are in the whole interval between their death and resurrection, as to their souls, in a very happy condition; but after the resurrection they shall be yet more happy, receiving then their full reward, their perfect consummation of bliss, both in soul and body, the most perfect bliss they are capable of, according to the divers degrees of virtue through the grace of God on their endeavours, attained by them in this life. On the other side, all the wicked as soon as they die are very miserable as to their souls; and shall be yet far more miserable both in soul and body, after the day of judgment, proportionably to the measure of sins committed by them here on earth. This is the plain doctrine of the Holy Scriptures, and of the Church of Christ in its first and best ages, and this we may trust to +."

Bishop NEWTON, the author of the "Dissertations on the Prophecies," maintains, at considerable length, in a

* Bishop Bull's Works, Vol. i. p. 102, 103.

† Ibid. Vol. i. p. 126, 127.

dissertation in the 6th volume of his works, this doctrine of an intermediate state.

Bishop PEARSON, in his "Commentary on the Creed," (Art. 5.) observes "As the sepulchre is appointed for our flesh, so there is another receptacle, or habitation, or mansion for our spirits. From whence it followeth that in death, the soul doth certainly pass by a real motion from that place in which it did inform the body, and is translated to that place, and unto that society, which God of his mercy or justice bath allotted to it." "It will appear to have been the general judgment of the Church, that the soul of Christ, contradistinguished from his body, was truly and really carried into those parts below, where the souls of men before departed were detained; and by such a real translation of his soul, he was truly said to have descended into Hell." "We must confess that the soul of Christ was in Hell, and ho Christian can deny it," saith St. Augustine.

Bishop BURNET observes in his " Exposition" of the 3d Article, that "by Hell may be meant the invisible place to which departed souls are carried after their death." And therefore-that by our Saviour's soul descending into Hell is meant "his soul being removed out of his body, and carried to those unseen regions of departed spirits, among whom it continued till his resurrection."

The pious and learned Bishop TAYLOR advances the same doctrine in various parts of his writings. In a sermon at the end of his "worthy communicant," he observes, "In the state of separation, the spirits of good men shall be blessed and happy souls. They have an antepast or taste of their reward; but their great reward itself, their crown of righteousness shall not be yet. The confirmation of the saint's felicity shall be at the resurrection of the dead."