they are equal unto the angels, and are the He is." (1 John iii. 2.) But is Christ our Life? Do we come to Him as our Wisdom, our Righteousness, our Sanctification, and our Redemption? Do we feed upon Him in our hearts by faith? And, now that we are about to partake of His Supper, do we heartily desire to partake of His most Blessed Body and Blood, and to be fulfilled with His grace and heavenly benediction? If the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, as He does in all the faithful, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in us (Rom. viii. 11); and, not only so, but make them incorruptible, glorious, full of power and activity, and qualified for all spiritual and heavenly employments. "Now our very souls are carnal; then our very bodies will be spiritual."(Scott.) It doth not yet fully appear what we shall be; but this we know, that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, and have done with earthiness and dull mortality for ever. Seeing, then, that we look for such things, let us live answerably to these high hopes, and serve God in righteousness and true holiness all the days of our lives. SERMON X. 1 COR. XV. 46-49. "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” HE who made the first man Adam a living soul, made the last man Adam a quickening Spirit. But even the last man Adam was made a living soul before He was made a life-giving Spirit. He was made like unto us in all things, sin only excepted. Like us, He had an animal body and animal wants; like us, He ate, and drank, and slept; like us, He was hungry, and thirsty, and weary; like us, He went through labour and sorrow; and, like us, He died. But when He had finished the work of redemption, when He had suffered for us on the cross, and, by dying, destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, then He rose again for us, then He ascended up on high and received gifts for men. Then "God highly exalted Him" (Phil. ii. 9), gave Him all power in heaven and in earth, and made Him a life-giving Spirit; so that, as the Father had life in Himself, to the Son likewise it was given to have life in Himself (John v. 26), and to raise the dead, and quicken whom He would. (Ver. 21.) And those whom He has quickened from their death in trespasses and sins, He will quicken from their graves, and they shall come forth unto the resurrection of life, and shine in their Lord's image for ever and ever. Such is the glorious subject treated of in this chapter. In the verses before us we see that there is a regular order preserved; a twofold origin marked out; a certain similarity noticed; and a glorious change foretold. To these four points let me briefly call your attention; and may He who is the Resurrection and the Life shine upon us with the bright beams of His grace, enlightening our eyes, purifying our hearts, and sanctifying our souls, for His name's sake. I. First, we see that there is a regular order preserved. "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." God is a God of order. He does everything according to a settled plan; and, having eternity to work in, He is never in haste. As Christ was the firstfruits of the resurrection when He rose, so they that are Christ's at His coming will be the harvest. This is the proper order as regards Christ and His people. In like manner, there is a proper order as regards the existence of the animal body and the spiritual. While we are here on earth, we must have an animal body, a body suited for earth and earth's employments; but when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, and we |