OF OUK LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHKIST. 



227 



In I Cor. xv, we have the matter laid bare ; now we understand 

 what Peter and John saw. They saw the result of the 

 resurrection, namely, that the body of Christ had been 

 dematerialised and had removed itself from the coil of clothing 

 without disturbing it ; the wrappings consequently fell together ; 

 nothing more was needed. It used to be said that the clothes 

 had been wrapped up to show that God loves order. I do not 

 quite believe that to be the reason, nor did I understand the 

 reason till I put together I Cor. xv, and St. John xx. Peter 

 and John give the facts ; Paul gives the solution. The Lord's 

 body became a risen body, and consequently a spiritual body. 

 Let us not think of Christ's resurrection as a recurrence to the 

 old type. Christ is the first-fruits, and it is the new type of 

 humanity which he inaugurated, which we all hope to share if 

 we live with Him now. 



There is just this other point : It is often said it is contrary 

 to nature for Christ to have risen. What do we mean by 

 nature ? Do we mean only the physical nature, the law of 

 matter ? Do we mean plant nature, which introduces new forces ? 

 or animal nature, where consciousness steps in ? or human 

 nature, which implies moral and intellectual force as well ? 

 All these forces are combined in a man. So far nature tells 

 us what is, but it may be that God makes provision for what 

 will be, and what is preternatural now will be natural hereafter. 

 We always have to take in the element of divine appointment, 

 and the divine aim and purpose has always been not to have 

 such ordinary mortals as we are now, but something of a higher 

 type physically and that dominated by the spiritual. In the 

 resurrection of Christ we come to the realisation of the divine 

 plan, the solution of the divine purpose, or, as it is called by 

 St. Paul, the first-fruits of the divine promise. Christ risen is 

 the earnest of a better type of humanity, which is divine in 

 scale. Man is to be at the top of the scale ot creation. 



Discussion. 



The Chairman. — We are grateful to the Canon for this most 

 interesting and thoughtful address. It is a difficult subject to 

 discuss and there may be a difficulty in discussing it, as we have 

 not had our minds just lately concentrated on this subject. If any 



