The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-19

spirit being that, as st. Paul says, 1t
doth not yet appear what we shall be"
In our resurrection change; and the
Scriptures do not even attempt to give
us an explanation.
The Bible merely declares that "a we
now bear the image of the earthly.
Adam. we shall. by the glorious resur-
| rection change. he given share In the
nature and likeness Of the Second
! Adam. our glorious Lord. We shall be
like Him and see Him as He is: and.
he it noted. we must change from flesh
and blood conditions To spirit condl
tons by resurrection power. In order
I that we NAV see Him as He is. Surely
this proves that our Lord Jesus Is no
longer flesh, as He once was-"in the
/ days OF His iesh"-Hebrews Y. 7.
Difference Between Heavenly and
Earthly Bodies.
Our text calls attention to the differ,
ence between celestial bodies and ter
restrial. or earthly bodies, and declares
that they have different giories. 1t
tells us that the first Adam was made
our Redeemer. who humbled Himself
and took the earthly nature ''for the
suffering OF DEATH" thereby became
! the Second .',iam-the Heavenly Lord.
| The wide distinction between the Sec
ond Adam aud the first Adam is clear
/ ~ set forth. One was earthly and the
1 other heavenly. AS we now bear the
Image OF the earthly. we shall, If faith
full, bear the heavenly image of our
| Lord, the second Adam. after our res
direction change.
st. Paul illustrates by saying that
we know of many kinds OF organisms
on the earthly or fieshly plane-one
flesh OF man. another of beasts, an
other of birds and another OF fish. But
however different the organisms they
are all earthly. So, on the heavenly
| plane, the spirit plane. there are vari-
cites OF organisms. but all are spirit.
Our heavenly Father Is the Head or
Chief-"God Is a Spirit" Cherubim,
seraphIm, and the still lower order Of
angels are all spirit beings: and Christ
Jesus. our Redeemer after finishing
the work OF sacrificing appointed TO
| Him. was resurrected to the spirit
plane-far above angels. princlpalities
and powers-next to the Father; and
thus we read, Now the Lord is that
Spirit" And again that "He was put
to death in the flesh, but quickened for
made aive) in the spirit."-I Pet. iii. Is.
The more we examine the subject
the more foolish and unscriptural the
views handed to us from the Dark
Ages appear. For instance. the Scrip
| lures clearly set forth that our Re-
deemer. prior 10 becoming a Man, was
spirit being-''the Only Begotten Of
the Father. full Of grace and truth"
His leaving the spirit plane to become
a Man Is Seripturally described as a
great stoop or humiliation. Is it rea-
sonable to suppose that the heavenly
Father would perpetuate to all eterni-
~ that humiliation. after il had serv-
cd its intended purpose? Surely not
The Bible tells us why Jesus hum
bled Himself to the human nature-"a
| little lower than the angels" 1t was
because a man had sinned. and the Re-
deemer must, under the Law. he on
the same plane of being as the one
whom He would redeem. Thus Jeho-
yah particularly specified, An eye for
an eye. a tooth for ~ tooth, life for n
| life" Hence the death of an angel. or
OF our Lord in His pre- human condi-
ton. could not have affected the pay
ment of mans penalty and the conse-
quent release of the condemned race.
Thus again we read, "A body hast
Thou prepared Me-" for the suffering
of death. Hebrews K, 5; ii, 9.
No one questions that this applies
exclusively to our Lords experiences
during the years in which He who
was rich for our sakes became poor,
that We through His poverty might be
made rich Surely it is indispensable
that the Father would arrange a Plan
by which our Redeemer's faithfulness
in accomplishing mans redemption
would cost Him an eternity OF poverty,
humiliation, degradation to a plane "a
little lower than the angels" while the
Church would be made rich, and would
attain a spirit state "far above angels
be made ''partakers of the divine ma
ture."-II Peter i. A.
God Highly Exalted Him.
On the contrary, the very same Apos-
tie who tells us of our Lords humilia-
ton carries the matter TO the climax,
telling us of His faithfulness. as the
Man Christ Jesus, unto death, even
the death OF the cross; and then he
adds an assurance of the heavenly
Fathers faithfulness in not leaving
His Son on a lower plane: Where
FORE" says the Apostle. God also high
ly exalted Him. and hath given Him a
name above every name" This, too.
is In harmony with our Lords words
in His prayer to the Father. a joy
had been set before Him by the Fa-
ther-a joy of pleasing the Father. of
bringing a blessing to mankind, and
the joy also of exaltation. as a special
reward for obedience.
But the Redeemer. Ignoring all the
promises of higher glory az reward
for His faithfulness. merely prayed to
the Father in these words, Father,
glorffy Thou Me with the glory which
| had with Thee before the world
was" In humility He asked no re-