The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-08-21
The Fathers HOUSE.

q, 81 To encourage the faith of the disci-
pies, JESUS said, "In my Fathers house are
many abodes (mansionsl; otherwise would
have told you; for go to prepare place for
you. And if 1 go and prepare place for
you, will come again, and will receive you
to myself, that where am, ye also may be-"
The Fdthes's house is the real temple of
GoD, of which the Temple with its several
apartments was a type; the true dwelling
place of Cop; the sphere of spiritual worship
and work everywhere; the spiritual home OF
the Father and his family; the realm of the
Divine kingdom. In this sense, as place,
it may be the vast universe; as to time and
opportunity it includes the souls immortal
existence and progress. The disciples had
blindly and persistently misapprehended the
spiritual character of the Messianic kingdom.
1t was expedient for them that JESUS should
go away (chapter xvi. y that all their ideas
of a temporal king, and their hopes of world
" position and emolument might be de-
stroyed. He was careful to so instruct them
that they might not stumble xvi. u in their
faith in him, and in the Father who sent
him, when they should see him put to death.
He came forth from GoD and goeth unto
GoD xii. 81. He came down from heoren
iii. 13) and assembled unto heduen MARK
xvi. 10; Acts i. III. When Peter inquired
of JESUS what their reward should be who
had left all to follow him, he replied, "When
the Son of man shall sit upon his throne of
Glory, ye shall sit upon twelve thrones"
When James and John requested that they
might sit, 'the one on his right hand, and the
other at the left, in his glory" he answered,
ITO sit at my right hand or at the left is not
mine to give, except for whom it is pre-
pared" st. Paul in the Epistles to the
Ephesians, makes frequent and grateful ref
erence to the heavenly places in CHRIST, to
which he and his brethren had been pro-
NOTED. May it not have been to prepare for
these places that made it ecpedient for JESUS
to 90 atody and come again. He went away
from their bodily presence to dwell in the
higher and holier presence of the invisible
COP; but to come again to their souls and
receive them to the fellowship of his gloritied
spirit; and into the presence and fellowship
of Con, with whom he dwelt, and thus to
exalt them to high places of influence and
labor in his spiritual kingdom. He may
have thus come to them when he appeared
after his resurrection. He certainly did thus
come in the presence and power of the Spirit
to dwell with them forever Matthew xviii.
2O). The transformation of their lives and
characters is sufficient evidence of the full
fillment of the promise. From stupid, I'M
enlightened fishermen they were suddenly
transformed into consecrated apostles of
truth and righteousness, to become the might
lest teachers the world has ever known, and
to occupy places of honor and distinction far
above all worldly distinctions.
Spiritual existence or opportunity is NOT
confined to life in this world,-one mansion
(abiding place)-of the Fathers house; mol
is the presence and promises of GoD or the
mission of CHRIST limited as to their compile
ton or fulfillment, to any abode of the man
fold Divine dwelling-place. "To be absen
from the body is to be present with thu
Lord" To renounee the earthly is to be re
ceived into the heavenly.