He is the
Prince of Life; and the Spirit which gives life is His Spirit,
proceeding from the Father and the Son. THEREFORE the gates of hell
could not prevail against Him--THEREFORE the heavy grave-stone could
not hold Him down--THEREFORE His flesh could not see corruption and
decay as other bodies do; not because His body was different from
other bodies in its substance, but because HE was filled, body and
soul, with the great Spirit of Life. For this is the great business
of the Spirit of God, in all nature, to bring life out of death--new
generations out of old. What says David? "When Thou, O God,
turnest away Thy face, things die and return again to the dust; when
Thou lettest Thy breath (which is the same as Thy spirit) go forth,
they are made, and Thou renewest the face of the earth." This is
the way that seeds, instead of rotting and perishing, spring up and
become new plants--God breathes His spirit on them. The seeds must
have heat, and damp, and darkness, and electricity, before they can
sprout; but the heat, and damp, and darkness, do not make them
sprout; they want something more to do that. A philosopher can find
out exactly what a seed is made of, and he might make a seed of the
proper materials, and put it in the ground, and electrify it--but
would it grow? Not it.
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