Irreconcilable From a Literal Viewpoint. From a literal viewpoint the doctrine of the resurrection is irreconcilable, especially for those who look to the future for the second coming of Christ. For example, it is highly improbable that Paul, who was once "crucified with Christ," and was made alive with Him (and was raised up with Him) and walked in newness of life with Him, and made to sit in heavenly places with Him, and now dwelling in glory with Him, is waiting for another resurrection, is waiting for something to come from the graveyard to make him complete. I cannot believe that his wants reach beyond heaven's supplies. That which is born from above must be fed and clothed from above. Christ came from above and He said unto His disciples, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of."

The physical body is not necessary either to preserve our identity, for it is nothing more than our earthly, temporal dwelling. "Spiritual things are spiritually discerned." (I Cor. 2: 14.)

We should not like to think of Paul as being unknown to the great multitude which he has helped into our Father's house of many mansions. Paul's Desire.

If Paul's expectations were realized, he has certainly been fed and clothed and crowned

through all the centuries since the generation in which he said, "I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ (face to face), which is far better." (Phil. 1:23, a. v.) "Willing rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord" (II Cor. 5:8), "Earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." (II Cor. 5: 2, A. V.)

Paul declared that "We all beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same image." If Paul by beholding the glory of the Lord has been transformed into the same image, it is obvious that he needs nothing from this "terrestrial ball."

The Destiny of the Outward Man.

"The ancient Egyptians preserved the bodies of their dead in order to give the soul a home on its return to earth." Yet with all their skill those bodies are crumbling to dust. It could not be otherwise, for dust is their destiny. The destiny of the outward man, as it seems to me, was sealed forevermore when God said: "Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." O, brethren and sisters, let us teach a resurrection for the inward man but leave the outward man with the temporal things, as did Paul, to be "dissolved" and to "perish."

CHAPTER III.

THE SOURCES OF DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION.

The Death of Adam.

The first man, Adam, "was placed in a fruitful garden, among fruit-bearing trees, and all his surroundings were good and beautiful, for God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good, and He hath made everything beautiful in its time." Adam was doubtless as good and beautiful as his environment, for sin had not yet entered into the world to molest and make afraid. And Jehovah, God, commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:16, 17.)

"The tree was planted and why not for him? If not, why place him near it, where it grew The fairest in the center?

There can be but one answer

'Twas His will, and He is good."

-Byron.

Nevertheless, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree and "the eyes of them both were opened," and Jehovah, God, said: "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil." With the knowledge of good and evil came fear and shame a state of condemnation which is called death the death that all die in Adam, the appointed death mentioned in Hebrews 9: 27, since disobedience and death are universal with the human race. Paul said that "In Adam all die." (I Cor. 15:22.) And again that “We thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died." (II Cor. 5:14.) Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned." (Rom. 5:12.) "And you did He make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins." (Eph. 2: 1.) "So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation, even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life." (Rom. 5: 18.)

The Christ Life a Deathless Life.

In the light of the above Scriptures may we not reasonably conclude that Paul has reference to the soul of man and not the house in which it is con

fined? The soul does not surely die at first, again He "calleth things that are not, as though they were." (Rom. 4: 17.) It is, however, under the sentence of death and if death is not abolished, the soul will surely die. Paul says: "Death passed unto all men, for that all sinned." Therefore all come under condemnation or the first death, and for this death there is a resurrection; for Paul says: "God, being rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with Him." (Eph. 2:5, 6.) This is the deathless life. Christ said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you if a man keep My word, he shall never see death." (John 8:51.) Again He said: "Whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die" (John 11:26), physical death being overlooked and disregarded in comparison with that which is the only real death.

Christ's Love for Man.

We neither know how long it takes "grace" to perfect the soul nor how long it takes "sin" to destroy it. "We cannot," said Dr. Hathaway, "limit the mercy of God, nor set bounds of space and time to His love and compassion." James McLeod speaks most beautifully of His love: