24 ST. PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS. 1 COR. XV.

so, than in modern books or in objects immediately before our eyes. I shall endeavour, however, to bring forward the evidences I have to produce, with as little parade and formality as possible.

In regard to the Scriptures, one chapter only in the Bible, is likely to answer all my purposes, a chapter especially noticed by the compilers of our admirable Liturgy, in being made a part of the solemn service appointed for the burial of the dead. I speak of the fifteenth chapter of St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, a portion of Scripture eminently calculated to show, how closely all the higher doctrines of Christianity, all "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," (Matt. xiii. 11; Luke viii. 10) are interwoven and connected with the only authentic history of man. For there it is we find that very remarkable passage, already in some degree alluded to, "For since by MAN came death, by MAN came also the resurrection of the dead; for as in ADAM all die, even so in CHRIST shall all be made alive."

Let us first consider what is intimated in the leading member of this very striking passage.

It is exceedingly plain, that St. Paul, in these words, had some special reason for showing that as by one man (or "one man's disobedience," as he soon after wrote to the Romans, chap. v. 19), " sin entered into the world, and death by sin," the "resurrection of the dead," was accomplished and made manifest by Jesus Christ, in the very same nature; but had not our Saviour partaken of the Divine nature also, there could not possibly have been any necessity for such a remark; that is, I mean, to speak of his manhood or humanity in terms so pointed and emphatical.

THE MANHOOD OF J. C. SPOKEN OF EMPHATICALLY. 25

If it could have been expiated, if it had been at all reasonable to suppose, that our Saviour being man, in no other sense or respect, than HE who " brought death into the world," could have so overcome death, as to procure for all men a resurrection from the grave, it would have been sufficient to have stated the case simply, and not have sought so carefully to press upon his converts, the additional circumstance, that he who wrought this great redemption for us, was a MAN, ETTELON, "since," or because, he who brought death into the world was a man. The proper, natural inference, surely, to be drawn from the mode in which this matter is propounded in the words referred to is, that there was some very particular reason why HE, who was to overcome death, and so open to us the gates of everlasting life, should do it in the same nature, which had previously been overcome by death, and sin, the cause of death.

This fallen nature he was to redeem and restore-it had incurred the penalty of death and that penalty once paid by a mere child of mortality, must necessarily have extinguished all hope of an hereafter, with which the penalty itself, in its original rigour, was altogether incompatible.

There must, then, have been something in the manhood of Jesus Christ, peculiar to itself; and what could this be, but that it was, as the Scriptures plainly intimate, an assumed manhood; assumed, purposely to accomplish the great end of man's redemption.

I have said, that the Scriptures plainly intimate, that it was an assumed manhood; and surely a stronger proof could not be produced, than the following passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews. "Forasmuch then” (επει ουν, which is exactly equivalent to επειδη

26

HIS MANHOOD EVIDENTLY ASSUMED.

in the passage before), "Forasmuch then as," or because, "the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil,"-" for verily, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

Surely in the above passage alone, (numberless others might be cited) we have the reason why the manhood of our Saviour is often spoken of emphatically. Not as those who call themselves Unitarians, with an undeserved insinuation against our own belief, would pretend: namely, to prevent our fancying that he was, or could be, more than man; not to prevent our fancying, like the Docete of old, that his human body was a mere phantasm; but expressly to show, that if he were man, as undoubtedly he was, it was only out of mercy and condescension that he became such, in order manifestly and visibly to triumph over both sin and death, in that very nature, which, but for his interposition, had irrevocably sunk under their power.

We must not, therefore, suppose that when our Lord is spoken of as man, or the Son of man, even though it should be emphatically, that it derogates any thing from his divinity. The emphasis lies all the other way; it being necessary occasionally to lay some stress upon it, as an assumed manhood, lest we should doubt, as well we might, that if he were mere man, he could not have accomplished for us, what

NO MERE MAN COULD DO WHAT J. C. DID. 27

Christianity assures us he hath accomplished—he could not, for instance, have made atonement for sin; " One man cannot redeem another," saith the Psalmist "nor give to God a ransom for him," Ps. xlix. 7. He could not have paid the forfeit and penalty of death, and yet live. He could not have raised his own dead body from the grave. He could not have given life and immortality, by a resurrection of the dead, to those who were judicially dead in sin. None of these things could any mere man do, or if they could, why are such things ascribed exclusively to Christ? This is a question the Socinians must answer, who allege, that he came into the world, or was born, merely to be a prophet and example of righteousness, or a teacher of the will of God to mankind, and died only to bear witness to the truth of his precepts; but did not Moses, and all the succeeding prophets, come into the world to be teachers and examples, and expounders of the will of God, many of them also sealing their testimony with their blood? Why is the death of Christ spoken of as more than a mere testimony to the truth of what he taught? Why is it represented as a propitiatory and vicarious sacrifice ? Why did Christ himself say, he "came to give his life a ransom for many?" And why was this so readily assented to by Paul," Christ gave himself," says he, "a ransom for all." Could these things be said of Moses, or Jeremiah, or Peter, or James, or Paul? Are we justified by the grace of God through the redemption which is in Moses? Did Paul make peace by the blood of his cross? Was Peter, who also died on the cross, a propitiation, an aouos, the means of appeasing the anger of God, of recon

28

J. C. A "QUICKENING SPIRIT."

ciling him to us, and rendering him propitiatory to sinners?

But there are in Scripture other marked differences insisted upon as when we read that THE MAN by whom "came the resurrection of the dead," was born miraculously, in fulfilment of antecedent prophecies; when we read that he was born of a race and lineage foretold; at a time foretold; in a place foretold; that he was a being, who for particular ends and "made man," was "made flesh," purposes, was "took our nature upon him," became "a partaker of flesh and blood;" what can we conclude, but the being so spoken of was man, in a way that no other of the human race ever was man?

And this will appear still more plainly, if we look to the character given of him in other parts of the same chapter. We are there told that the first man, the man by whom "came death," was made "a living soul;" but what living soul, we may ask, after the transgression of our first parents, could overcome death? could counter-work what death had done? for that is the true force of the original word. Certainly no condemned or merely living soul could do this; and therefore the Apostle is careful to tell us, in the same place, that the second man, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ incarnate, who did overcome death, was not made simply a living soul, but also a "quickening spirit." Which is no less than to say, as is said of him in other parts of Scripture, that he had "Life and immortality in himself;" that as man he could in his body pay the penalty of sin, and as the everlasting Son of God, and one with the Father, remit of his own atonement, and by raising