Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/179

This page needs to be proofread.

STUDY X.

SPIRITUAL AND HUMAN NATURES SEPARATE AND DISTINCT.

COMMON MISAPPREHENSIONS. EARTHLY oa HUMAN AND HEAVENLY OR SPIR- ITUAL NATURES. EARTHLY GLORY AND HEAVENLY GLORY. BIBLE TESTI- MONY REGARDING SPIRIT BEINGS. MORTALITY AND IMMORTALTTY^-CAK MORTAL BEINGS HAXTS EVERLASTING LirE? JUSTICE IN THE BESTOWKENT OF FAVORS. A SUPPOSED PRINCIPLE EXAMINED. VARIETY n* PERFECTION'. GOD'S SOVEREIGN RIGHTS. GOD'S PROVISION FOR MAN A SATISFYING POR- TION. THE ELECTION OP TKB BODY OF CHRIST. How THEIR CHANGE o> NATURE xs EFFECTED.

TRAILING to see that the plan of God for mankind in

  • general contemplates a restitution to their former estate

~ theliuman perfedtion lost in Eden and that the Chris- tian Chtorch, as an exception to this general plan, is to have a change of nature from human to spiritual, Christian peo- ple generally have supposed that none will be saved except those who reach the spiritual nature. The Scriptures, how- ever, while holding out promises of life and blessing and restitution to all the families of the earth, offer and promise the change to spiritual nature only to the Church selected during the Gospel age ; and not a single passage can be found which sustains such hopes for any others.

If the masses of mankind are saved from all the degrada- tion, weakness, pain, misery and death which result from sin, and are restored to the condition of human perfeion enjoyed before the fall, they are as really and completely saved from that fall as those who, under the special "high- calling" of the Gospel age, become "partakers of the di- vine nature."

�� �