■March 1929
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rebuilt; yet the identity and appearance of the body remain the same. When the spirit leaves the body at death the body “returns to the dust as it was” through the process of chemical change; but the God who preserves the identity of the body throughout its life on earth will pre serve that identity through death, and it shall be “raised in glory.” Paul supplies us with the analogy of the grain that is planted (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-38). The com plete redemption of man includes his body, as is indicated in Romans the eighth chapter and twenty-third verse. Man is a spirit acting through a body. He is not simply a spirit, but an embodied spirit. The human body is the earthly house built by the Creator for the habitation of the human spirit. It is used also as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and is designed as a fit temple in which the human spirit may worship God (1 Corinthians 6 :19, 20).
It would constitute a tragedy if all these beautiful temples—human bodies—should be thrown on the scrap- heap in eternal discard after the few years of the earthly life. It would constitute a confession on the part of the Creator that His work had failed in every instance of human death. It saddens us to see a building erected by human hands fall into untimely decay. We rejoice to see the restoration of such a structure. How inspiring to be lieve that the human body, the most beautiful, symmetrical and significant temple ever erected on earth—the climax of the material creation, yet marred, weakened and per verted by sin—how inspiring to believe that one day we shall see that temple restored and perfected in the won drous beauty originally designed, spiritualized, glorified and fitted to be the proper abode, through all eternity, of the renewed, sanctified and glorified human spirit!
The Message of the Cross - An Easter M ed ita tion By R ev . J ohn W ood
The shame and agony that filled the heart of. the remorseful though not repentant Judas is thé shame and agony that should be in our hearts as we approach the Lenten and Easter season. During those dark days of the garden of gnarled olive trees and the darkness of the cross “We may not know, we can not tell As we think of the awfulness of sin with its “tiger passions” that rend the soul of man we are made to Real ize that “There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin; He only could unlock the gate Of heaven, and let us in,” and because of this we need to “ . . . trust in his redeeming blood,” for “without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sin.” “Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand, The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land; Upon that cross of Jesus mine eyes at times can see The very dying form of One who suffered there for me,” and when I contemplate the wonders of Calvary and the greatness of redeeming love, I feel compelled to confess “The wonders of His glorious lové and my unworthiness.” Calvary teaches me that on the cross What griefs He had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.”
E now approach the most solemn time of the Christian year. Christmas speaks of “The Word made flesh,” of God coming “in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin” to express God to the world. The Christ of the Cross and the Empty Tomb was made possible by the incarnation, and the redemption of man was completed and made perfect in the “sin-offering” on Calvary and the resurrection of Christ from the dead as “the Lord of life and glory.” Bishop Quayle gives us a wonderful picture of THE CHRIST. “A Man of sorrows He, and guest of grief, Who walked in quiet on life’s humble ways And suffered all the slurs and dull dismays Which crush on mighty souls. His day was brief-fet?^'. A sudden splendor reft with storm. Belief On Him grew dim tho’ great hearts walked through haze Of doubt, and fogs of death with shouts' of praise And knew him glorious and acclaimed him Chief. But now He stands, strange, uncompanioned, vast, Tall as all solemn, purpling mountains are, The while majestic centuries crumbling waste. The blood-sweat travail of His soul is past: He hath throned love and wrought redemption far; And who ‘believeth on Him shall not haste.’” That picture of the Christ, “tall as all solemn purpling mountains are,” gives us a picture of the mighty Christ of redemption among the sons of men. It is a more majestic picture than that which Bradford paints in the words of the repentant Judas: “They call Him King; and I would have no king: Let all be equal, I, let none be best. “Why should the weakling John be ever pressed Against His bosom, Peter urged to fling His clumsy zeal about, while I must bring, Forsooth, the bag behind, and feed the rest,
“Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In rny place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood, Jesus, my Saviour.”
And because of this
Never be praised or flattered or caressed, Although so watchful in my stewarding? “They call Him Son of God. In rage '* saw This vain idolatry. Was I not wise, No, honest, not in truth administering The holy precepts of our sacred law? “Oh, God! Those pleading, tender, earnest eyes! Oh, God! Oh, God! Why did I do this thing?”
“When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died; My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride.”
Christ not only came into the world with a clean man hood, but He came to make my manhood clean. When I think of His spotlessness and my own sin-stained soul I have to confess,
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