Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament

^15. I suppose when it is said, “God shall raise the dead again,” no incredible thing is said for it is of God, not of man, that it is said. It is a great thing which shall be done, yea, an incredible thing that shall be done. But let it not be incredible, for see, who It is That does it. He it is said shall raise you, Who created you. You were not, and you are; and once made, shall you not be? God forbid you should think so! God did something more marvellous when He made that which was not; and nevertheless He did make that which was not; and shall it be disbelieved that He is able to re-fashion that which was, by those very persons whom He made what they were not? Is this the return we make to God, we who were not, and were made? Is this the return we make Him, that we will not believe that He is able to raise again what He has made? Is this the return which His creature renders Him? “Have I therefore,” God says to you, “made you, O man, before you were, that you should not believe Me, that you shall be what you were, who hast been able to be what you were not?” But you will say, “Lo, what I see in the tomb, is dust, ashes, bones; and shall this receive life again, skin, substance, flesh, and rise again? What? These ashes, these bones, which I see in the tomb?” Well. At least you see ashes, you see bones in the tomb; in your mother's womb there was nothing. This you see, ashes at least there are, and bones; before that you were, there was neither ashes, nor bones; and yet you were made, when you were not at all; and do you not believe that these bones (for in whatever state, of whatever kind they are, yet they are), shall receive the form again which they had, when you have received what you had not? Believe; for if you shall believe this, then shall your soul be raised up. And your soul shall be raised up “now;” “The hour shall come, and now is;” then to your blessing shall your flesh rise again, “when the hour shall come, that all that are in the graves shall hear His Voice, and shall come forth.” For you must not at once rejoice, because you hear “and come forth;” hear what follows, “They that have done good unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.” Turning to the Lord, etc.