登陆注册
5214200000457

第457章

From all that we have thus considered, and discussed with such poor ability as we can command, we gather this conclusion, that in the resurrection of the flesh the body shall be of that size which it either had attained or should have attained in the flower of its youth, and shall enjoy the beauty that arises from preserving symmetry and proportion in all its members.And it is reasonable to suppose that, for the preservation of this beauty, any part of the body's substance, which, if placed in one spot, would produce a deformity, shall be distributed through the whole of it, so that neither any part, nor the symmetry of the whole, may be lost, but only the general stature of the body somewhat increased by the distribution in all the parts of that which, in one place, would have been unsightly.Or if it is contended that each will rise with the same stature as that of the body he died in, we shall not obstinately dispute this, provided only there be no deformity, no infirmity, no languor, no corruption,--nothing of any kind which would ill become that kingdom in which the children of the resurrection and of the promise shall be equal to the angels of God, if not in body and age, at least in happiness.

CHAP.21.--OF THE NEW SPIRITUAL BODY INTO WHICH THE FLESH OF THE SAINTSSHALL BE

TRANSFORMED.

Whatever, therefore, has been taken from the body, either during life or after death shall be restored to it, and, in conjunction with what has remained in the grave, shall rise again, transformed from the oldness of the animal body into the newness of the spiritual body, and clothed in incorruption and immortality.But even though the body has been all quite ground to powder by some severe accident, or by the ruthlessness of enemies, and though it has been so diligently scattered to the winds, or into the water, that there is no trace of it left, yet it shall not be beyond the omnipotence of the Creator,--no, not a hair of its head shall perish.The flesh shall then be spiritual, and subject to the spirit, but still flesh, not spirit, as the spirit itself, when subject to the flesh, was fleshly, but still spirit and not flesh.And of this we have experimental proof in the deformity of our penal condition.

For those persons were carnal, not in a fleshly, but in a spiritual way, to whom the apostle said, "I could not speak to you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal."(1) And a man is in this life spiritual in such a way, that he is yet carnal with respect to his body, and sees another law in his members warring against the law of his mind; but even in his body he will be spiritual when the same flesh shall have had that resurrection of which these words speak, "It is sown an animal body, it shall rise a spiritual body."(2) But what this spiritual body shall be and how great its grace, I fear it were but rash to pronounce, seeing that we have as yet no experience of it.Nevertheless, since it is fit that the joyfulness of our hope should utter itself, and so show forth God's praise, and since it was from the profoundest sentiment of ardent and holy love that the Psalmist cried, "O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house,"(3) we may, with God's help, speak of the gifts He lavishes on men, good and bad alike, in this most wretched life, and may do our best to conjecture the great glory of that state which we cannot worthily speak of, because we have not yet experienced it, For I say nothing of the time when God made man upright; I say nothing of the happy life of "the man and his wife" in the fruitful garden, since it was so short that none of their children experienced it: I speak only of this life which we know, and in which we now are, from the temptations of which we cannot escape so long as we are in it, no matter what progress we make, for it is all temptation, and I ask, Who can describe the tokens of God's goodness that are extended to the human race even in this life?

CHAP.22.--OF THE MISERIES AND ILLS TO WHICH THE HUMAN RACE IS JUSTLYEXPOSED

THROUGH THE FIRST SIN, AND FROM WHICH NONE CAN BE DELIVERED SAVE BYCHRIST'S

GRACE.

That the whole human race has been condemned in its first origin, this life itself, if life it is to be called, bears witness by the host of cruel ills with which it is filled.Is not this proved by the profound and dreadful ignorance which produces all the errors that enfold the children of Adam, and from which no man can be delivered without toil, pain, and fear? Is it not proved by his love of so many vain and hurtful things, which produces gnawing cares, disquiet, griefs, fears, wild joys, quarrels, lawsuits, wars, treasons, angers, hatreds, deceit, flattery, fraud, theft, robbery, perfidy, pride, ambition, envy, murders, parricides, cruelty, ferocity, wickedness, luxury, insolence, impudence, shamelessness, fornications, adulteries, incests, and the numberless uncleannesses and unnatural acts of both sexes, which it is shameful so much as to mention; sacrileges, heresies, blasphemies, perjuries, oppression of the innocent, calumnies, plots, falsehoods, false witnessings, unrighteous judgments, violent deeds, plunderings, and whatever similar wickedness has found its way into the lives of men, though it cannot find its way into the conception of pure minds? These are indeed the crimes of wicked men, yet they spring from that root of error and misplaced love which is born with every son of Adam.For who is there that has not observed with what profound ignorance, manifesting itself even in infancy, and with what superfluity of foolish desires, beginning to appear in boyhood, man comes into this life, so that, were he left to live as he pleased, and to do whatever he pleased, he would plunge into all, or certainly into many of those crimes and iniquities which I mentioned, and could not mention?

同类推荐
  • 本草分经

    本草分经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 秦鬟楼谈录

    秦鬟楼谈录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 周易参同契发挥

    周易参同契发挥

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 送人归觐河中

    送人归觐河中

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金华赤松山志

    金华赤松山志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 不会说爱你

    不会说爱你

    她是二线城市里为了生活而奔波的普通女孩儿,为了挣钱做对外汉语教师兼职;他是集团公司高级管理人员。两个生活没有交集的人,却因为学习语言而相识相知。
  • 俗人之贴身修神

    俗人之贴身修神

    【火爆爽文,霹雳来袭】来自大山彼岸的一位少年,机缘巧合的在京火车站广场的地摊上,买了一块金属手表。然而就是这块金属手表,改变了他今后的生活。“叮!主人,神级抽奖系统已为您开启,是否抽奖?“抽!”“叮!主人,已抽奖,请稍等……”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到补肾丹一颗,是否使用?”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到补血丹一颗,是否使用?”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到太古红旗一把,是否取出?”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到睡美人一个,是否取出?”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到药园戒指一个,是否取出?”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到四象神功一套,是否学习?”“叮!恭喜主人,已抽到蟠桃一个,是否食用?”
  • 王妃是仙,王爷请走开

    王妃是仙,王爷请走开

    屠琬琰嫁给传说中冷漠无情的安王,内心只有一个想法:哔了狗了!传说中安王高冷无比,但每天在她面前跑前跑后驱寒温暖的是谁?传说中安王喜好男色,结果她每天被宠着。不,屠琬琰坚信,传言绝对是真实的,安王不就是看她是屠家小姐?她走不就可以了?可……离异事件发生了。“王爷,本妃丧失三天记忆,晕倒了没做什么吧。”“王妃很正常。”“……”你全家才不正常。
  • 大象巴巴全集

    大象巴巴全集

    世界上最早的绘本寓言故事的重新演绎,让经典再现经典。布吕诺夫编 著的《大象巴巴全集》完整收录了“巴巴之父”让·德·布吕诺夫原创的六 个经典故事:“巴巴的故事”、“巴巴的旅行”、“国王巴巴”、“巴巴和 猴子泽菲尔”、“巴巴和他的孩子们”以及“巴巴和圣诞老人”。小象巴巴 ,妻子西莱斯特,三个孩子弗洛拉、波姆和亚历山大,以及朋友亚瑟和小猴 子泽菲尔……它们以及它们的故事已经成为全世界孩子的最爱,伴随着他们 进入甜美的梦乡。阅读《大象巴巴全集》,你会有置身动漫之中的感觉—— 童话中有图画,图画中有童话,恰如观赏鲜活、生动的动画片,领略大象巴 巴生活世界的神奇与美妙。
  • 中国小小说名家档案:半个瓜皮爬上来

    中国小小说名家档案:半个瓜皮爬上来

    这套书阵容强大,内容丰富,风格多样,由100个当代小小说作家一人一册的单行本组成,不愧为一个以“打造文体、推崇作家、推出精品”为宗旨的小小说系统工程。我相信它的出版对于激励小小说作家的创作,推动小小说创作的进步;对于促进小小说文体的推广和传播,引导小小说作家、作品走向市场;对于丰富广大文学读者特别是青少年读者的人文精神世界,提升文学素养,提高写作能力;对于进一步繁荣社会主义文化市场,弘扬社会主义先进文化有着不可估量的积极作用。
  • 练好口才的第一本书

    练好口才的第一本书

    好口才是训练出来的!中国金话筒金奖得主、著名口才培训师殷亚敏,根据自己三十多年的口才讲授经验以及万千学员的实战训练反馈,总结出了一整套具有中国特色、深受学员欢迎、易练习、见效快的口才训练方法,专治不敢讲话、不会讲话、不善讲话。
  • 李嘉诚白手起家的八字箴言

    李嘉诚白手起家的八字箴言

    李嘉诚是我们这个时代最杰出的商人之一,连续六年荣膺世界华人首富,连续八年雄居港商首席。他作为香港巨商和财富化身,在创业之初完全是白手起家、以小搏大,创造了一个又一个财富神话。八字箴言是李嘉诚纵横商场几十年的心得,更是他做人与经商完美结合的深悟见解。八字箴言,字字渗透着李嘉诚经营谋略与文化的精华。
  • 今夕何夕繁花渡1

    今夕何夕繁花渡1

    三年前的盛国会上,自小极受宠爱的六公主李珺卿第一次遭到父皇冷眼相对,只因她说的一句诗,只因道士的一句话。自此齐国再无一男子敢提起这位公主。三年后,幽冷的格凌轩外,却有一男子以一片雪夜桃林为礼物来到她身边,带给她一份孤夜里的温暖······
  • 迷失在雅鲁藏布的21天

    迷失在雅鲁藏布的21天

    路小果一行五人满心欢喜地去雅鲁藏布大峡谷暑期探险,可是路遇塌方,不慎坠崖,虽然有幸存活,但在雅鲁藏布无人区却迷失了方向。为了寻找走出森林之路,他们历经种种艰险,随时面临死亡的威胁。大森林里危机四伏:恶魔之树、食人花、巨蟒、狼人、食人蚁、巨鼠、一波又一波的危险接踵而至,五人最终能顺利脱险,成功穿越雅鲁藏布大峡谷无人区吗?
  • 金刚顶瑜伽三十七尊出生义

    金刚顶瑜伽三十七尊出生义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。