fleshly and animal nature.

As "flesh and blood cannot innerit

the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. xv. 50), we "must be begotten again,' if we escape the fate of all flesh-corruption. We must be the subjects of re-generation. The same Spirit that begat the last Adam must enter these tenements of clay, these "earthen vessels," and work in our essential being the mysterious change by which we shall be fitted for an immortal future. "That which is begotten of the Spirit is spirit:" spiritual generation results in a spiritual, incorruptible nature. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Anointed, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a hope of life by the resurrection of Jesus the Anointed from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested" in due time for those who are "begotten again, not of corruptible seed," as we were in the first Adam,-"but of incorruptible, by the living and abiding word of God. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you." (1 Peter i.)

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Without animal generation we never should have been born into this world; without the generation of the Spirit we cannot be born into the immortal world. Hence without re-generation there is no future life. "Ye must be begotten again.'

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By being begotten again, we come into the relation of children, which relation will be perfected when we are born again, born into the immortal state. This birth occurs in one of two ways; either by a resurrection from the dead, or by a translation from mortality to immortality. The prospect of the resurrection prompted the prayer of Job: "O that thou wouldst hide me in sheol, that thou wouldst keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou wilt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thy hands." (Job xiv.) "Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in a book! that they were graven with an iron pen, and lead, in the rock forever! For I know that my

Redeemer lives, and in after-time he will stand upon the earth; and after this my skin is destroyed, and out of my flesh, shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another." (Job xix.) And David, although he shuddered at the brink of the grave, saying to YAHVEH, "In death there is no remembrance of thee: in sheol who shall give thee thanks?" (Ps. vi.) yet he reassured himself in looking forward to the great deliverance. Arise, O YAHVEH, deliver my soul from the wicked, from men of the world, who have their portion in this life. As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." (Ps. xvii.)

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But this faith of holy men of old was not so enlightened as that of those who were permitted to see the resurrection demonstrated and “life and immortality illustrated" by the Life-Giver. (2 Tim. i. 10.) "Jesus spake, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will who hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Because I live, ye shall live also." (John viii. 12; vi. 38–40; xi. 25, 26; xiv. 19.) Our beloved Lord completed his gracious work by rising from Joseph's tomb and exhibiting himself to "chosen witnesses." His resurrection proved that he was indeed what he professed himself. He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." (Rom. i. 4.) And so it will be with all who are born into the resurrection life. "Those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." (Luke xx.)

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the SONS OF GOD. Beloved, now are we the sons of God"—by generation of the Spirit: "and it doth not yet appear what we shall be"-when we are born into the future

life: "but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John iii.) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Anointed, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in the Anointed: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus the Anointed to himself." (Eph. i.) "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear" (Heb. ii. 15); "but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to the purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in the Anointed Jesus our Lord." (Rom. viii.)

Thus is solved the original mystery, "which is Christ"-begotten-" in you, the hope of glory." (Col. i.) And in this mystery "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. ii.)

THE MYSTERY OF SIN.

In the original purpose of God before the world began was provided for man a share in the divine dominion. "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Thus, the dominion of man was clearly defined. "The heavens, even the heavens, are YAHVEH'S; but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” (Ps. cxv.)

But man has never possessed what was thus given in the purpose. "Now we see not yet all things put under him." (Heb. ii.) "Man, that is born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble." (Job xiv.) He comes into the world the image of helplessness; he spends long years in acquiring by slow and painful processes knowledge barely sufficient to procure food, raiment, shelter; his life is an incessant struggle with nature; he is harassed by a thousand diseases; he is a helpless prey to famine and pestilence, to fire and flood and earthquake. Where, then, is his dominion? What dominion has he "over the fish of the sea"? Do they not shun his approach? Is it said that man eats the fish? So do they eat man. And he has no more dominion "over the fowl of the air" than over the fish; nor has he over the cattle, the beast of the field, excepting a portion which "must be held in with bit and bridle." The animal creation, instead of submitting to his government, evades his presence, or approaches to devour. And the worm, as it "feeds sweetly on him" (Job xxiv.), laughs at his dominion over "the creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” But the great proof that man has not the dominion is man himself. His whole history witnesses to his unworthiness of the dominion. He cannot agree with himself to seek it, but wastes his life in frantic attempts to subdue, what God never purposed he should do, his fellow man. Man is the great enemy of man. Through human deceit, human malignity, and human oppression, "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." (Ps. lxxiv.) "Vanity of vanities! all is vanity!" (Eccl. xii.)

And here is a mystery: "God said, Let us make man, and let them have dominion over all the earth;" and yet man has not the dominion. And this contradiction arises from no fault of ours, for God condemned the whole race as unworthy of the dominion before a soul was born to do good or evil. Adam was condemned in the garden of Eden, not merely as an individual sinner, but as representing in his person the whole unborn race. "The judgment was by one to condemnation. By the offence of one it came upon all men to condemnation. By one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners." (Rom. v.) So the mystery stands thus: God in his unchangeable legislation denied to man what he had given him in his unchangeable purpose.

This mystery of sin is a part of the mystery of Christ, and is solved in the same way that that is solved. As the purpose to make beings of the divine nature was not in the first Adam, but in the last; so the dominion was not intended for the first Adam, but for the last. "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them"-those who have the divine nature, those who are in the last Adam-" have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Hence, with a share in the divine nature comes a share in the divine dominion; but as the first Adam and his offspring are only animal, therefore they fail of the dominion. The solution stands thus: God in his unchangeable purpose gave man dominion over the earth. But his purpose was not in the first Adam, but in the last. Therefore God in his unchangeable legislation condemned the first Adam and his posterity as unworthy of the dominion.

"Now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus" (Heb. ii.), the last Adam, the victor over death and corruption, sitting in the heavens, a living guarantee that he and his will have the dominion which was purposed in the beginning. For David, by the Holy Ghost, foresaw the coming glory: “YAHVEH said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Ps. cx.) "This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth waiting till his enemies be made his footstool." (Heb. x.) Then, according to the eternal purpose which was purposed in the Anointed Jesus, shall "many sons" be brought "unto glory." (Heb. ii.) Then, "the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Ps. xxxvii.) Then will be sung the glad song of consummation :

"O YAHVEH our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Who hast set thy glory in the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained glory,

Because of thine adversaries;

To silence the enemy and the avenger.