tures-Eph. i: 9, 10-" Having made known unto us the mystery of his will-that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him." This mystery was then finished in the full revelation of his will to the doubting christians, whom Paul addresses in the context. This is evident from Rev.

X:

7-" But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." And that he began his reign when the mystery was finished is certain from Rev. xi: 15-" And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and Here we perceive that this mystery of God's will was to be finished at the sound of the seventh or last trump, which will is, to gather or make alive all things in Christ. And at this time he was to receive his kingdom and reign forever and ever. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed," has reference to those persecuted christians, who were not to "taste of death till they saw the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”

ever."

Phil. iii: 20, 21-"For our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." That this passage has reference to changing our natural into immortal bodies at the resurrection, I see not a shadow of evidence to prove, either in

the passage itself, nor in the context. The context we have already noticed by pointing out the resurrection to which Paul desired to attain. Chap. i: 6-" He, that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it untill the day of Jesus Christ." Chap. iv: 5— "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." "The day of Jesus Christ" and "the Lord is at hand” refer to his coming at the end of the Jewish age, and not to a resurrection at the end of time. Paul gave the Phillippians notice of no other coming of Christ. The passage has reference to the change the living were to experience, at this coming of our Lord in his kingdom, by being delivered from their persecutions, doubts and fears, perfected in faith, and "established unblamable in holiness before God," so as to resemble in a moral and exalted sense those immortal beings in heaven who are here called the "glorious body” of Christ. The body to be changed embraces both Jew and Gentile christians, who were at that time to be raised from their lowly condition into his gospel kingdom and "shine forth like the sun." This is evident from the manner in which he commences: "For our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our lowly body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." He contrasts the low and oppressed condition of the whole christian body with what will be their exalted condition at the coming of Christ, and that exalted condition will resemble that glorified body of beings in heaven who died in his cause, and with whom they had their conversation, and from whence they were expecting the Saviour. It has no reference, I conceive, to the body in which

Christ arose. The church is the body of Christ, and it is to be presented to himself a glorious body, not having spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. The Greek word tapeinos rendered " vile," should be rendered lowly or humble.

It will be noticed, by the reader, that the word body is used in the singular number and not in the plural, as some have quoted it in their writings. But if it refer to individual forms, it ought to be rendered in the plural "who shall change our vile bodies." But it means the whole church or body of believers a collective body of individuals. In this sense the Greek word, soma, here rendered body is frequently used in the New Testament. That the apostle does not refer to all mankind is evident from the fact, that after the vile body is changed according to the working, he adds-whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself―That is, able even to subdue all things as well as to change that body. If the passage refer to an immortal and general resurrection, or rather to the change of all the living into immortal beings, then there would be none to subdue after that period. But if we apply it to the coming of Christ in that generation, and to the change of the whole christian body, then all is plain and in perfect agreement with the preceding and succeeding context; also with 1 Cor. 15th chapter, and with the whole tenor of revelation, which speaks of but one coming of our Saviour in his kingdom, and which shows that the work of subjection commenced after the change of the living at the last trump, whose sound announced the commencement of his reign. The word kai, rendered even, should probably have been rendered also. "Who shall

change our lowly body-according to the working whereby he is able also to subdue all things to himself." The whole context, however, justifies the above exposition because the christians were looking for the coming of Christ at the end of that age, and exclaimed, "the Lord is at hand."

[To be continued.]

SERMON XXIII.

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor. xv: 22.

In our last we noticed the context, and also taken into consideration the langauge of Paul on the coming of Christ and the change of the living in Phil iii: 20, 21. This, we have shown, has no reference to the mortal bodies of men being changed to immortal bodies, so as to resemble the personal form of Jesus Christ. If it refer to Jesus, still the resemblance would be moral, not personal, for no where do the scriptures teach, that we are in our personal appearance to be like our Saviour. But in a moral sense, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." I do not say, that there will be no personal resemblance between immortal beings and Christ. I fully believe there will be; but I mean that this personal resemblance is more a matter of course, than a doctrine of divine revelation. I do not read of the " glorious body" of Jesus in his immortal resurrection state. But the scriptures do compare the moral body of Christians on earth with the

glorified body of holy beings in heaven. Heb. xii: 22, 23-" But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." So far as the Christians were "established unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints"-so far as they were elevated to shine as the brightness of the firmament and as the stars forever"—so far as their moral condition and enjoyments were improved and enlarged, thus far, of course, the lowly body of the church on earth would be changed into a moral resemblance of that "glorious body" of Christ, who were praising him in heaven. In heaven the Christians had their conversation, from whence they were looking for the Saviour, as shortly to come, and fashion them into a moral resemblance of those saints above, who had died in his cause, and who were to come with him. From the whole context, the conclusion is irresistible that this change of the "vile body" was at the coming of the Lord then at hand, and not at the end of time, as some imagine.

Another scripture commonly applied to a general resurrection of the dead, and a change of all the living is recorded in 1 Thess. iv: 15, 16, 17—" For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not be before them that are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God; and the