The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-06-27 00:00:00

ST. MARY'S AND THE RECTOR.

Ss. Mary's Church was moused on &sudsy last,
after repairs and re-oolounng.
In the morning theft:lV. J. Miller assisted In theservloe.
B-fore the sermon, the Rey. J. Scott, rector, ad I he
desired t remind he members of this congregation that,
o•inet to the church having beep clued during the past
month. there hal been a considerable decrees. in the
rffertory, and instead of the .Cll required to meet their
ordinery sup riliture, only about CS has been relse
weekly: there was therefore tint morning • deficiency of
over CM. Re knew h. load only to mention thet to
order that the °Started's nay be inereaud. He desired
to mint ott the satiate-Boa which he was sure the
members of the congragetion felt with the churchwardens
for the way in which they had carried oat the el suing
and repeirs o' the church.
The Recruit chose his text front Hebrew. vii, 10—" Re
ever liveth to make Intercessiel." Arens the remarks
nude by the preacher were u follows :—The Jewish
Christians to whom this epistle W 64 addressed were in
some degree of dewier of apostatising from the Christian
faith, and the inspired writer here auks to guard against
such e ,y,eunpency by tiling their minds with a due
appreciation of the majesty of Jests, Christ ; hums the
fatness of this piette. in which we tel Jews Christ est
before to In the greatness of Hie glory. In this epistle
the mind is let to c attempt.... Him who is the bright-
eau of the Father's glory and the expo*e image of H.
person, upholding all things by the word of His power; our
Saviour Is brought before us as the apostle of our pro-
fession buena. Re stood In GI id's name before man, and
as the high priest of our profession because He studs in
mini name before God. The words of our text being
before tie the grist and glorious truth—" He seer 'teeth
to make intercession for them," a truth which Is toe
much overlooked by some end toe lightly 'eluded by
others, vet our security Iles in thinking *boat Jaime
Wad* foe as Christ enema in Os by His Hole Spirt lathe
pledge at our life to God, re His sreeencs for us before
Almighty MA is Gas pledge of ouz victory and reward.
The premium of Christ is an ineethsablanowno—He ever
Huth to make interesaket for no How to Intercede
for any MID le to interpose In that person's behalf,
to defend encther's right, to plead anothisee cause,
to search oat anothw's prisilese. And such He is,
oar risen Mediator at God's right hand. Iwo all ask Fon
to notice—The neressity for that intern...no New the
intercession of Jeans Christ for os at Col's right heed Is
is pecimay, as any am: put of Christ's redeeming work.
And this niseeseity admit nn out of any inip.rfection In
the rerisenVne work o' Christ that was a aniihed work,
and vet it is not too much to sty that the atouelneet
would ant he of any avail without we saw With it the
Intercession of Christ at Gel's right band. The inter-
embus is • provision which God has made for man's c
tins el sense of sin. Man bee go regard • anises life ant se
a wild amen, bisi is passible of attainment; we are to
regard It as lineable nod to sjo, but when j sin, when I
hod that though I would it. god,' eiil is present wish me,
when I and that when I meek to O'vd, &vim then spy
thoughts wander: and when I seek to control my appetite,
womb,. and pusiop4, Tot they ern too strong for me—
then the thought that I have en winede erPh the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous, Sleerl me, cheers me, leads
me on to victory. The necessity for the interinsion to
leans Christ at God's right hand swings out nf the
universal ectoptionenews of sin. /dories the meth. 1 of
Christ's Intereaudon He does not deny nr pellet.; He
does not defend the sin: Jestlis sympathy when on with
although always tender, we. slot r presided ; end the inter-
mission of Jame Christ at God's right bend layoutgs
nothing like indulgence to sin it in note, forgiven.... It
pr noun's acceptenee with the Father cordial and entire ;
and roma, the hies of the Father to the prodigal, and
the song of angel. when the weoderer mesas house.
And where Midis, is satisfied and the law is honoored,
there can be nothing_ inc.:insist at, either with God's
sovereirnty or with His spotless holiness. Our go at
intercessor edmita oar mail, end evahlislos the law, He
points to His own marine-, Re shoes His own senurdi.
This was In the 'insole's thought when he wrote In
thet mervellous epistle to the Romans—" Who shell lay
anythicg to the chaise of Ood's elect! It is God that
isstillath„ who is Ile that c scidecnneth r Notice Pisan
t‘e perpetuity of that interourine. "Fle ever Beath to
make Istartolfign The Prim' ho of Jesus Christ does
not depend upon ear human law, hut is based upon
something essentially nochatiges,ble. te Gad the Saviour
Is in the most absoluto mom eternal, He is s perpltoal
mediator; once be died bet now Ile lives for everreere-
and on this account alone how far superior is the priest-
hood of the Jesus Christ to all those Driers we reed of
under the Old Testament dispensation. They were
mortal and died, and then they could render no more
aid to their fellowmen; hat oar Priest lives for ever
mom and therefore He secures the everlasting happiness
of His ye*, Is was made after the power of an sod.
lees life, seam so lug wilhare is • living man to need
His Intercession, iodise* Otani it at_ itor of which the
spostlespeake in the 15th chapter tor the let Corinthians
-.until the Son also himself shall he nahlut 011 to him
that pot all things under him, that Goa may he all ID
all. Is it not • glorious thought that the joys and
sorrows of nets one of us hays their own place in the
letereerion of June, who level us and hsoxht on, on
accident can dieshle, no querel can estrange, nothing 666
stop that intercession. Then there is the dignity of
His person; Be is the willebeloyed of the Father,
and God will not lightly regard the petition of HI. veer-
beloved Son. whom He spired ant, but gene Him op for
Tie all. Again, therm is the perfection of His work, the
finished work of the atonement has been accepted; He is
ezowned end glorified, and site there at the right hand of
Rad. Consider also the wiedua of His steadies;
His Leteiressekte is screptable with God, for He
said on eartlp7,4 do always those things that please Him,
and thus wo we that the Spirit testifies of Christ as one
whops your sins wsl never repel if you come to Him, for
He died to put them away, &epos whom_ the Tether will
never minas. hems. Hake. apAoleted Ulm way the
truth, end the life. Notice qualideatkos: :01
envie.; R. Is One withlind, and therefore R. arm ent
into the mind ot God smentlsority with the Court el
Heaven ; Hike. seems to that God with whom is no ale,
who cannot look upon sin; He hes • claim lehtell nothing
MI resist, and all this Weans Heim divine; Hits the Su
of God who elude. And—here is the comfort: His
intergessioo is that of One who is is full sympathy with
these for whom He pleads. No feature of our Lord's life
on earth was mote conspicuous, and in His ascension He
carried within the veil not only our nature, but even' sin.
less feeling of oar asters ; in His office three rYtoPlathiat
must find their constant and spontaneous exercise. We
do not want an advocate who will flatter us; we went one
who will tell the truth, end plead it on our behalf, and
meet every claim on the mounds of tighteameme, sad his
advocacy is not • ministry of Pertmdi.n. hat 'es 'hit
warrants! God in forgiving and justifying Ns. How
complete is the priesthood of Jests. Christ I So complete
that He needs no successor. for He lines for ever, no
complete tlst He needs no subrrimbr We teens here th•
"LW/ of (Arita khan/ ; " wherefore elm He is able to save
to the uttermost Wm that wow sate Gad kr Rim" Ilia
porpsOdk of Rk priesthood ambits ;me Oidel le eon