Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-07


for the souls Of men who are without would lie
In tokens that the Lord was with her. At what
| ever time or place ten men Of the Gentiles will
take hold Of the skirt of one man Of Israel
saying we will go with you," then reason will
| De identical namely. 1--WE have heard that God
| b with you"
The Church Of the Patriarchs had Ills presence
manifested by angelic visits, the Church of the
Egyptian Captivity by portents, the Church Of
the Wilderness and Of Canaan by symbolic APP
pearanees. as the fire of the bush, the mount,
the shekinah, and all these had His presence
manifested by spiritual gifts and sanity graces;
by providential Intervention and dispensations
OF prosperity and adversely, respectively, at
tending upon obedience and disobedience, and,
further stlll. by endowments of miracle power
and OF prophecy.
Prophecy often pointed forward to form Of
presence TO be manifested by the glory Of the
Lord making its tabernacle in the flesh, and,
when that did appear, He, by whom it was man
Tested, himself pointed forward to its speedy
cessation, and to the ever abiding presence OF
the spirit, presence which would manifest IL
self In His members, to themselves in the depth
OF the soul and to the world through them in their
lives, gifts and victories. Obviously Of these
varying forms of presence the central one was
that OF the Son Of God, manifested in the flesh.
lie, the Virgin-born manuel, 1t was OF whom
the word was spoken, when He bringeth in the
First Begotten into the world he saith, and let
all the angels of God worship Him. Accord
morn was sung n by multitude of the
heavenly host. This sinless Emmanuel is pre-
emlnontly and typically the Holy Seed, ut one
end the same time the Everlasting Father, and
the First Born among many brethren, in the
likeness OF whom are born all who are born OF
God. He was u man of sorrows, yet shall He
see Of the travail of His soul and shall be salts
ned. He was numbered among the transgress-
ors, yet shall He justify many. His generation
shall 10 man declare; yet shall He see His
n VI NO n tf.H pf nrd nj fhn
living; yet shall He prolong His days Him it
pleased the Lord to bruise; yet shall tho pleas
ure OF the Lord prosper in His lands. OF signs
and wonders He is the sign and wonder.
His presence in the body, glorious and
blessed as it was being localized, was necessar-
lily dependent on time and space. When Laza-
rus lay dying and the sisters looked away to tho
distant blue lines Of hills in Moab, wondering
where the Master might be and whether He
would arrive in time, it was not then presence,
approaching change from His dwelling with
them In the body to His dwelling with them by
the spirit He never described it one that
would deprive them of His presence. True. He
said, Il leave the world" but never II leave
you" When He spoke Of their course toward
Him, He told them that every one OF them
would DO scattered to his own land leave me
Alone" but in contrast with this, Il will not
leave You comfortless; l will come unto you"
That they should not see Him He did plainly say,
and also that they should not be able presently
10 follow Him whittier He was going; but with
equal plainness He said, Il am with you always,
even to the end OF the world"
THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL.
The presence Of the Lord in the church uni
versal. Strictly speaking, the church univer-
sal includes both the church militant and the
church triumphant. To our assembled Lord are
ascrlbed three distinct circles OF dominion. He
Is Lord both of the dead and of the living. q
realm which includes not only the earth, but
also heaven and he'll. He is prince of the
kings OF the earth, a realm wider than that of
the church. and He is head of the church, her
nvlng members being members of Himself and
her collective living members constituting his
body.
As head OF the church militant He is her
prophet, delivering her doctrine both as to
1alth and morals. Il have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me;" so spake He to
the Father; and to the apostles He said that
the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in
my name, shall bring all things to your re-
membrancc, whatsoever have said unto you''
lie is also her High Priest-the sole Mediator
between God and man-alone entering within
the veil, alone presenting sacrifice for sin; none
OF His ministers over bringing other sacrifice
than that OF consecrated body and Of habitual
praise and prayer, which is the common Offer
ing OF all whom He, the Son, makes free in the
LORD kingdom OF priests-a kingdomof priests
in which every one of you who is in Christ
holds a censor wherein may burn the ascending
fame Of praise and prayer, while none-nay,
not one but the High Priest alone can pour
and sprinkle the blood without shedding of
which their is no remission Of sin. He assures
and maintains the church's perpetuity 30 that
the gates OF hell shall not prevail agains. her.
He Is her foundation; not the stone which 10
laid on the foundation, but the foundation it.
self. the rock which no man can lay, but
upon which are laid the foundation stones
prophets. namely. and apostles. over which rise
up other living stones and all are fashioned by
the spirit into a habitation OF God.
The presence ofthe Lord with His members in
dividualyis always spoken of as an &C tual dwell
ing, making OF His abOde and of the abode of the
Father with the man an inhabitation of the
heart by the Holy Spirit. Citing his own par
ticular case Paul cries: When il pleased God
to reveal His Son in me that might preach
Him among the Gentiles." Mark, he does not
say merely revealed His Son ito me- :" but sin
me-. In which words he intimates two things
the real method in which the child Of God is
born again, that is, by the revelation within
his soul of the Son Of God as his Savior, and,
In the next place, the true source of all living
testimony to Christ, namely, the revelation Of
HIM In the soul as the Savior of the World,
This inward revelation in the soul of the Savior
bears with it an impulse urging us to live in
the body the life Of Him whose work here was
to seek and to save that which was lost.
When We read lin my Fathers house are
immovable dwelling place set the eternal
rock is the same which few verses later we
translate ''abode," SO that the words of the
Master respecting the man who loves Him and
keeps His word might be read: My Father
will love him and we will come unto Him and
make our mansion with Him." The high and
lofty place, on the one hand, and the lowly and
contrite spirit, on the other, are tho two pal
aces wherein it pleaseth the All Blessed to cause
His face to shine. "Your bodies are members
of Christ-your body is temple of the Holy
Ghost, which is in you" The consecratins
effect Of the Lords indwelling in His children
is to make the entire frame q temple inclosure,
the heart being the inmost shrine, and all the
members, temple vessels, instr uments Of right
eousness unto God.
THE NIGHT OF THE RESURRECTION.
The presence Of the Lord in the assembly
received on the first night of the resurrection
and illustration which should ever shine in the
eye Of the church. When the disciples were
met, with doors closed for fear. there stood
Jesus in the midst of them. If tLey had fled
and left Him alone He had not left them.
Would He now come with a rod? Hearken
how He greets the unfaithful. us it WOE
unto your? Nay, nay. His first word is,
peace be unto YOU" And this said. "He
showed them His hands and His side, and no
wonder it is added, Then were the disciples
glad when they saw the Lord" This, His
first act In an assembly of disciples
after the resurrection, followed up His
frs, word, Peace the act pointing