frame, and earthy, or χοϊκος, of the dust: the latter πνευμα ζωοποιοῡν, or quickening spirit; and εξ ουρανον, out of or from heaven. In the wisdom of Deity, no body coming out of the dust can be anything but earthy; and, therefore, neither incorruptible nor immortal. Incorruptibility and life, which is the incorruption of spirit, must come down out of heaven; so that a body issuing from the dust, when invested with this incorruption, is reckoned as a body from heaven, or heavenly—"a house from heaven."
Now the thing to be accomplished in resurrection is the development of a spirit-body, with the consciousness that the character flashed upon the new earthy body was evolved through an old earthy body in a previous state. In this wonderful development, the new resurrection-earthy body takes the place of the old body dissolved in the grave; so that, as far as body is concerned in the matter, the one character on record in the Lamb's book of life, when glorified, will have been related to three bodies, more or less intimately connected—the first, the body of sin; the second, a body like Adams' before he sinned; and the third, this second new body changed, or transformed, by quickening, into a glorious, powerful, and spiritual body. When this is manifested, the process is complete; and the spiritually embodied character, named Abraham, for example, is "clothed upon with his house which is from heaven." He is then "raised incorruptible."
Now this remarkable process, Paul illustrates by the raising of wheat or of other grain. He was a more intelligent botanist than most of his readers. In raising of wheat, he did not make the sprouting and ripening one and the same phenomenon, as they do. He did not first put his seed into the earth, and as soon as it showed itself above ground, run with sickle to reap it! The raising of grain is a process which takes months to perfect; and it is not said to be "raised" until it is ripe in the ear. When the naked seed is put into the ground, that particular seed never reappears. It dies and loses its form; it is no longer a seed-body; but is succeeded by a new body, which appears above the ground. This is the sprout-body from that sown, and, therefore, said to have been sown. But as Paul says, "it is not that body that shall be." It has to tarry for months until it shall have received a body according to the pleasure of the Creator. Here, then, are three bodies in grain-raising, more or less nearly related—the seed-body; the sprout-body; and the raised-body, divinely given. This third, or raised body, was not sown; the sprout-body was the body sown, because it sprouted or sprang forth from the naked grain cast into the ground. The springing forth is the third stage of the sowing process. It is first begotten in the earth; it is
