National Republican., 1884-04-14
LIFE TnROuGH CHRIST.

REV. DIR. KENT, OF THE UNIvERsALIsT
CHURCH, THINKS THE RESURRECTION IN
ACCORDANCE WITH LAW.
] have power 20 lay my life down and have
received from my Father.-John X, 49,
Current views Of Christs resurrection
represent his part in it us purely passive.
The power to lay his life down and tako it
again, it is alleged, was not affirmed of His
human nature but of His divine He spoke
as God, not as man, or if He spoke as man it
was not of power that was, in any proper
sense, His own. l do not 30 interpret the
Scriptures. | understand them to teach, III
deed, that all power is from God. None con-
fessed moro entire dependence upon Him
than Jesus. "Of mine own self" Ho said
Il can do nothing" But His power was not
the less His own that it came from God.
We understand that Jesus, in His own
proper personality as the Son of Man, had
power to lay His life down and take 1t again,
Just as Ho had power to do any Of the other
works to which we have alluded. The value
Of this view of Christs resurrection over the
views before mentioned cannot fail to be an.
parent l think, to any one who will take the
trouble to comprehend it, First, it brings
the resurrection of Christ within the domain
Of law, and breaks the force Of that objection
that rises in the mind against the unnatural,
The student of nature finds himself in the
presence of law everywhere. What is true in
the nature OF matter must in this respect be
true in the realm of spirit Law is not an
entirety-has no existence apart from God IL
Is our name for His orderly operations,
These orderly operations must characterize
every part of His universe. In tho realm of
spirit, as in that Of matter, lie must work
according to law. The current views of
Christs resurrection nscribe it to what in
common parlance, is called divine interpos-
tion. He was raised By divine flat, by a
special act Of God, in such sense as to place
1t outside OF any proper conception of law.
The Wow we present brings it within the do.
main of law, and makes it credible. Tho
power by which He took up His life again
was power developed under law, and in ac-
cordance with law, just as any other power
was developed that gave Him eminence
among men. Second, this view not only
brings ChrisGs resurrection within the do
main of law, but under that law of spiritual
life which he announces as conditioning all
resurrection. This is life eternal to know
tho only true God and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou has sent"
He who so believes in Jesus as to gain this
knowledge has this llfe-'is passed from
death unto life" The true believer though
dead shall live" and "he that liveth and
believeth shall never die" shall never taste
death, ," shall live forever" shall bo raised
up sooner or later. Resurrection is rising
into the divine life-cOming into sympathy
with God so as to think Gods thoughts, love
what He loves, and will what He wills. The
secret Of all power Is in union with God; in
that increase OF life-foFce which comes from
such union. Third, this view of tho resur-
rection alone presents clearly the distinction
between tho man and his body, and gives to
the spirit an independent and conscious
existence when the body falls TO decay. Tho
personality of Jesus death did not touch IL
had power only over tho body, and that by
His permission.
The taking up of the body was not an