64 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAP. II. 



" A curious task it would be, a pleasing and not unprofitable 

 employment, as I have long thought, to see in what manner the 

 old Koman and Grecian philosophers looked forward to death, 

 and met him ; how all the varieties of sects, both of the old times 

 and the more modern ones, resigned the joys of this earth, and 

 grappled with that invisible but terrible foe ; but it will require 

 much reading in many languages, and the reflection of maturer 

 years, before this can be attempted. 



" I turn, then, to the solemn description of St. Paul (passing 

 over some symbolical tokens, which do exist in nature, till an- 

 other time). In a strain of the most beautiful and impressive 

 reasoning, the Apostle proceeds, step by step, to show that the 

 resurrection of Christ from the dead was at least undoubted, and 

 combating the doubts of those who questioned the reality of 

 Jesus' rising from the dead, and yet preached eternal life, by 

 showing that if Christ have not risen from the dead, then the 

 resurrection of men cannot take place. If God did not, or could 

 not raise to life his Son Jesus, he would not resuscitate human 

 beings ; but, on the other hand, the evidence being complete 

 that Christ was raised from the dead, becomes a point whence the 

 necessity of our resurrection may be shown ; and he continues 

 to describe the glories of Christ, summing them up by stating, 

 that ' he shall reign till death, the ]ast enemy, shall be destroyed.' 

 He continues to show that the question is vain, ' How are the 

 dead raised up ?' For the peculiar manner in which the dissi- 

 pated elements of the human frame shall again form the perfect 

 whole, we cannot explain or understand, nor is it of importance 

 we should. We are told that the body ' is sown in corruption, it 

 is raised in incorruption ;' and that the change will be of a most 

 important kind is shown by the 50th verse, ' Flesh and blood 

 cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption in- 

 herit incorruption ;' and this mystery the Apostle, eagerly enter 

 ing into his subject, dwells more pointedly upon in the succeed- 

 ing verse, ' For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and 

 this mortal must put on immortality ;' and finally, he concludes 

 the course of reasoning by exhorting the brethren to be stead- 

 fast, 'forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in 

 the Lord.'" 



