Hence, the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, from its first announcement in the Scriptures, has called for the strongest faith on the part of believers and has excited the general resentment of unbelievers, who seem to find it easier to believe anything else respecting the dead.

The practical import of all this is, that we sin not, keeping the body under subjection to the law of the spirit, the new nature in Christ Jesus, and so bring forth fruit unto holiness. This kind of dying is indeed a painful process, but it is a voluntary sacrifice which is required…. “Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are His.” He is Lord and Master we are called upon to admit his claims, and thus be at agreement with God. “Be ye reconciled to God,” may be applicable to the unconverted, but it was addressed to Christians. See 2 Cor. 5:20

WHILE the Apostle Paul was a wonderful logician, and in his writings has set forth the elements of Christian faith along doctrinal lines more than has any other Apostle, yet we notice that he is in pursuit of a certain object. He is not beating the air, not discussing theological points for the sake of making an argument or of showing his own ability. His arguments along doctrinal lines lead the reader in every instance onward and upward, as a stairway, to a grand upper room of perfected Christian character.

Accuse No Man Falsely

In olden times, most of the military duty was in the nature of police service. It could scarcely be within the province of any soldier to-day to falsely accuse any one. A policeman, however, would have such an opportunity. Either spite, or revenge, or malice, or affronted dignity, might lead some police officer to exaggerate some fault, and thus to falsely accuse–to accuse more than would be proper, or to make an accusation out of total fabrication. All this, of course, would be contrary to the principles of righteousness, and hence contrary to the Divine will.

One of the lessons to be learned in the School of Christ is that a “man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”—food and raiment, etc.— but that his life, in the fullest, highest, grandest sense, is dependent upon his complete submission to the Divine will. Careful attention to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, to every admonition, every encouragement, every promise, is necessary to the development of those whom God is now calling to eternal life as joint-heirs with His Son in the Kingdom. Let us, then, more and more, as the disciples of the Lord Jesus, keep in memory the words of the text, and act upon them.

It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that Ezekiel’s mission was entirely or even chiefly to the Jews of his time. Rather we are to understand, through St. Peter’s statement, that he, with other Prophets of old, spoke and wrote things which they themselves and the people who heard them did not understand—things which God did not wish to have understood until after the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost—things which would be “meat in due season” for the spiritual Israelites throughout this age.