1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

(38). "But my just one by faith shall live, and if he should shrinkback my soul does not delight in him." The just one referred to,is first of all, Jesus, and secondly all those who constitutemembers of the body of Christ. The conditions of all are thesame; none of them are children of God on the human plane, buton the divine, and when the evidences of the word are presented,they are expected to walk by faith, and must do so if they wouldbe acceptable with the Lord. "If any man draw back (to walk bysight) my soul shall have no pleasure in him."There must be something at this time to which the apostle referscalculated to make some draw back from the aforementionedlight. Brethren, "cast not away your confidence which hath greatrecompense of reward." We surely have every reason for greaterconfidence than ever in the correctness of our position as we callto mind our leading in the past. "We are not of them that drawback."====================R191 : page 5A SORE HEEL VERSUS A SORE HEAD."I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and betweenthy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shaltbruise his heel." Gen. 3:15.This prophecy was made at a time when all seemed to be lost, atthe door of life, at the door of death. With a life of pureunsullied enjoyment in prospect, the new pair had takenpossession of the new earth. They had a richer dowry than hadever fallen to the lot of morally intelligent beings. (The power oftransmission, and this power in the lower order of animals wasfor man's benefit.) They were not the first children of theirfather, i.e., not the first created, but the first of their class.In their complex structure the animal and the intellectual werewonderfully united, and they were made capable of receiving(through faith) a divine nature, (1 Peter 1:4,) which from anembryo condition (1 Peter 1:3-5,) shall finally (in theresurrection) come forth a spiritual, immortal body, (1 Cor.15:44,) the gift of God through Jesus Christ. Some have taughtand do teach that man had and still has a spiritual nature, butPaul speaking of the first and second Adam, (1 Cor. 15:45-46,)says, "the first man Adam was made a living soul"; (literallyanimal soul, or living being,) the last Adam was made aquickening spirit." How be it that was not first which is spiritual,but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual.There are several scriptures, which, taken alone, would seem tosome to indicate a combination of the natural and spiritual, suchas 2 Cor. 4:16. "Though our outward man perish, yet the inwardman is renewed day by day. That the inward man here is the