The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-12-10
For the Central Presbyterian.
MYSTERY.

! hid, and dates back IN the mind OF God
to period before the worlds were made.
1t was of such vast Importance to His
way of thinking, that during the time
of the soiourn Of His chosen people on
the earth, through all their varied wan
behring's from the call of Abraham to their
utter destruction and dispersion as ma
ton, it was kept hid, and not one word
as to its nature or ultimate object is to
be found in the Old Testament writings.
AS God has so honored this "Mys-
terry" by not revealing it through so many
centuries, but has kept it for the future
glory of His Son and those who are to be
glorifed with Him, will it not be profit
able to examine into and learn more Of
it? For it is now made manifest to all
nations for the obedience of faith. -
The first question that naturally arises
after giving thought to the subject, if
Gods purposes can be questioned, is,
Why was it not revealed sooner? The
chosen messenger of God to declare His
wisdom unto the Gentiles, answers the
interrogatory, when he says: But we
speak the wisdom of God in mystery,
even the hidden wisdom which God or
dained before the world unto our glory /;
which none of the princes of this world
knew: for had they known it, they would
not have crucifed the Lord of glory,
l Cor. ii 7, 8.
Now this Scripture throws a food Of
light upon the matchless love Of God, in
keeping hid that, which had it been
known, would have stayed our salvation
and probably kept from us the hope of
glory.
We first get glimpse of this "Secret"
from Our Lords own words, when He
tells His disciples; Unto you it is given
to know the mystery of the kingdom Of
God but unto them that are without, all
these things - done in parallels. -
Mark ": Il
Though the .ssws, as a nation, knew
nothing whatever of this Mystery, " yet,
it was through Jew, who tells us he
was less than the least of all saints, that
the message was delivered to Gods peo-
pie of this era. "How that by revela-
ton he made known unto me the mys-
terry, as I wrote afore in few words. =
Eph. iii: 3. If we follow closely Paul's
epistles, we shall find them full Of the
hidden wisdom of God" that is now
made manifest, and by the Scriptures
of the prophets (the New Testament pro
phets, according to the commandment Of
the everlasting God, made known to all
nations for the obedience Of faith. "
The very fact of its having been hid in
God so long, causes the Apostle to term
it, "The aS1aseaycha6le riches of Christ. p"
The word Mystery" is used twenty
two times in the New Testament and in
nineteen the prime object of its reference
is the revelation as preached by Paul.
For ages the Israelites were Gods
peculiar people, and their deeds of re-
nown, as a nation, have become house
hold words in every Christian family.
He was to them householder; they, as
husbandmen possessed the land to till
and enjoy until the householder's return
But during their Lords absence they
abused their privileges and used His ser
wants numerically. But last of all he
sent unto them his Son, saying, "They
will reverence my Son" But when the
husbandmen saw his Son, they said
among themselves, "This is the heir !;
come, let us kill him, and let us seize on
his inheritance, and they "crucifed the
Lord of glory" Thus it was that the
Gentiles, through the ignorance of the
Jews, were made partakers, in a much
larger measure, of the glory of this "Mys
terry" In this matter, the Jew, though
unconscious of it, acted out the hidden
wisdom of God, and brought to pass sal
walton to a guilty world.
1t was for the revelation Of this "Se-
cret that Paul asked the prayers of the
Ephesians-" THAT utterancemay be given
unto me, that may open my mouth bold
". to make known the mystery of the
gospel" Eph. Vi: 10. Even the mys-
ferv which hath been hid from ages, and
from generations, but now is made man
fest to his saints to whom God would
make known what Is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Genhles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. "
Now a part Of this Secret, " is Christ
in us, and another part is, the hope Of
glory-but other Scriptures will bring
the thought out more clearly, and may ii
become inscribed on every heart like let
ters of gold in pictures Of silver
For by one spirit are we all baptized
into one body, l Cor xii: - Fol
the body is not one member but many,
18th verse. Now we are the body O.