in Scripture elsewhere than here. The appropriateness of the designation is evident. Christ is the second great head and representative man, of whom Adam is declared to have been the tyi)e, Rom. 5, 14. Was made a quickening spirit. Adam was in his distinctive character, that is, as distinguished from Christ, an animal — a creature endowed with animal life, whereas Christ has life in himself, and can give life to as many as he will, John 5, 21. 26. This does not of course mean that Adam had nothing more than animal life. It does not deny that he had a rational and immortal soul. Neither does it im- ply that our Lord had not, while on earth, a «/^x^ ^i' principle of Ufe in common with us. The apostle simply contrasts the first and second Adam as to their distinguishing characteris- tics. The one was a man ; the other infinitely more.
There are two questions suggested by this passage. The first is, on what ground does the apostle assert that Christ was made a quickening spirit ? When he says, at the beginning of the verse, " So it is written," does he intend to appeal to the support of Scripture not only for what he says of the nature of Adam, but also for what he says of the person of Christ ? If so, the proof cannot rest on the passage quoted, for that relates exclusively to Adam. If the apostle intended to cite the Scriptures for both parts of the declaration in the preceding verse, " there is a natural body, and there is a spir- itual body," he must mean the Scriptures in express terms declare Adam to have had a hving soul, and they set forth Christ as a life-giving Spirit. It is more commonly assumed, however, that the quotation is Hmited to the first clause. ' The Scriptures say that the first Adam " was made a Uving soul ; " the last Adam (we know) was made a life-giving Spirit.'
The second question is. When was Christ made a quicken- ing spirit ? The apostle does not refer to what Christ was before his incarnation, but to what he became. The subject of discourse is, the last Adam. When did he become a quick- ening spirit ? Some say at his incarnation. This is undoubt- edly true. As the incarnate Son of God he was life-giving. " It pleased the Father that he should have life in himself," John 5, 26. That is, that the divine and human nature should be united in his person. And in this constitution of his per- son it was already determined that, although while on earth he should have a body like our own, yet his whole person, in- cluding ' his true body and reasonable soul,' should be adapted to sit at the right hand of God. Adam was first formed for