AN ATTEMPT TO POINT OUT SOME OF THE MANY ANALOGIES BETWEEN THE HUMAN BODY, ITS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS, AND THE NEW MAN IN CHRIST, VIEWED INDIVIDUALLY AND CORPORATELY
"My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:when I awake, I am still with Thee" (Ps. 1 39:1 5-1 8).
INTRODUCTORY
It is with considerable diffidence that the following is presented to the Bible student. It is in reality an attempt to link together two great departments in the domain of truth, the connection between which has hitherto been thought by most to be of a most casual, superficial character; but there has been, and perhaps is, an increasing recognition of the continuity in the whole realm of truth, whether it is revealed in the open pages of our Bible, or concealed in the vast fields of Nature. We will here only remind our readers of the great amount of parabolic teaching in the Scriptures, as giving us encouragement to go to the same field of Nature and in a reverent spirit expect to find further unfoldings and illustrations of truth.
We are quite prepared to find the Materialist or the Agnostic looking with contempt upon any theory to show that the body of man is not only a vehicle, or instrument of service, but is in a very real way, an expression of his spirit. It may be that among Christians who are unacquainted with the subject, we may also meet with a distinct refusal of what they may term a very questionable and possibly dangerous line of teaching.
Before going any further it may be well to state as concisely as possible what this teaching is. It is an attempt, to show that the body of man is not only a marvelous piece of machinery by which he is enabled to carry out his will in intercourse with the outside world, but that it is an expression of the entire man; that it is not merely the house in which he lives but an integral part of his personality, of himself; that man without a body would not be a man in the full sense of the word.
The attempt will further be made to show that the body is typical of the spiritual man in contrast to, or as well as, the natural man; that its form, functions, various departments, or system of activities, are types of the functions and activities of the new man. It will also be pointed out how the food used in the sustenance of the body offers many striking symbols of our spiritual nourishment, and that as there are various classes of food, each essential to the proper maintenance of bodily health, and each with certain dangers if taken in excess, so it is with our spiritual sustenance. The very air we breathe suggests types of the vital breath and native air needed for the maintenance of spiritual life.
Following this, effort will also be made to show that the body is a type of the church, the body of Christ, in which every believer is a living part of the organism, and where his place is as definitely fixed as is that of every member in his physical body. Here we have so manifestly Scripture authority for our comparison that it would almost seem to be needless to plead for tolerance in our examination. But even here perhaps some may not be prepared to go into fuller particulars and more minute detail than the Scripture itself does. We can only remind our readers of our Lord's words, "Know ye not this parable? How then will ye know all parables?" as our justification for carrying the light of truth which He has given us into every corner of His domain.
To trace this symbolism throughout the entire body . from the elements which are its constituents, through its cell organism, to the delicate structure of its various parts and their perfect adjustment and harmonious relation, is a serious undertaking from which one might well shrink. There is great need to examine most carefully the facts of physiology and to guard against incorrect, or crude statements, which would expose one justly to the contempt of professional men. On the other hand there must be equal care to state spiritual truth in a scriptural way, and to show in a sober manner the relation between the two.
The conclusion arrived at is that the body is, as has already been said, more than an instrument, more even than an illustration of the man; it is an expression of him, an integral part of his being, which in its spiritual suitability, at the resurrection will be eternally recognized as such.
May we be allowed to go a step further and claim that the human body will be found to set forth in many ways truths as to the entire material creation, its present and eternal forms? We will set no limits to the extent to which this symbolism may be carried. Indeed, it is scarcely a part of what will now occupy us, but we simply refer to it that the devout reader may be reminded of that word which says, "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein" (Ps. 111:2).
Our readers then will not be surprised at the hesitancy with which we make the attempt indicated above. When we think of the immense mass of new discoveries made in the department of physiological truth within recent years, discoveries which have almost revolutionized previous theories; and when these discoveries are being added to constantly by medical research, we may well shrink from undue dogmatism, but our confidence is not in the science of man but rather in the Lord, the Creator and Redeemer of the body, and the Head of the Church.
He is the center of all God's purposes, and all things are, or will be, put beneath His feet. His precious Word, "the Word of Christ" (Col. 3:16), must be our only guide as we take up the ascertained facts of physiological truth, and seek to show that they are in harmony with the whole purpose of God, and with that purpose as connected with man. It is ever the joy of the Spirit to glorify Christ, and we shall not be surprised to find those glories in this department of truth as in all others.
It would be interesting to trace the history of symbolism from the beginning. All creation is a parable, and sets forth in its materials and organization some spiritual truth. We might indeed speak of the material creation as forming the garments of the invisible God,-"The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead" (Rom. 1:20). The Word of God, in both Old and New Testaments, abounds in parabolic teaching. Our blessed Lord constantly made use of it, nor can we doubt that His miracles were acted parables conveying deep spiritual truths. The closing book of Scripture, fittingly called "The Revelation," is a mass of symbolism. It is perfectly clear that God has given us a book in which the exterior and material are the garments of the inward and spiritual. It is equally evident that what He has given us is not the sum total of all parabolic teaching, but intended to awaken our interest and to give us a key by which we can unlock the hid treasures of divine truth stored up in every department of Nature. The word quoted just above is an incentive to go on in the simplicity and joy of faith to trace the "unsearchable riches of Christ" in the whole domain of His inheritance, for "He is heir of all things," and His stamp is upon them all, not merely the stamp of the Creator, but of the Redeemer. It is unbelief alone which is blind to this, while faith recognizes His image in everything His hand has touched. Sin indeed has marred that image in us as well as blurred our vision, but faith still finds in the creature, although made subject to vanity, abundant evidence of its original purpose, and in this sees some of the lineaments of Him who shows Himself to His beloved people through every "lattice" (Song 2:9).
That the view is but partial we need not be surprised. Only in the Word of God, in the New Testament, does the unveiled glory shine forth in the face of Jesus Christ, for it is only since Redemption has been accomplished and He has taken His seat on high that He has sent forth His Spirit to guide His people into all truth. Only since He has thus inspired His apostles can it be said that the Word of God-is "complete" (Col. 1:25). But with this light now given to illumine our way we can go back into the Old Testament and then back into creation itself, and find more and more of that "great spoil" which rewards the diligent seeker.
And faith has rejoiced to do this. In the heavens and the depths, in inanimate mineral, as well as in plant and animal organism, men have discerned, not merely the "footprints of the Creator," but the witness of the Redeemer as well.* * "The Ministry of Nature;" "The True Vine;" "The Sabbath of the Fields," by Hugh MacMillan; "Spiritual Law in the Natural World," by F. W. Grant; "Modern Science and Christianity," "Symbolic," "Das Lied der Schopfung," by F. Bettex, are a few most valuable examples of this.* S. Ridout
(Continued in next number.)