Milford chronicle., 1895-08-30
The Earthly and the Heavenly.
TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS OF MIL
FORD AND VICINITY.


The lesson is of the fall of Jericho bu
preceding that, after the people had come
into the goodly land God commanded Joshu:
to circumcise them, because in their unbe-
liefaud rebellion they had entirely neglected
to circumcise their children, as before com
mauded by God Now this rite was in the
flesh to them but to us christians it Is in the
spirit, the cutting off of the flesh, the old man,
the natural man, the Adam race in the death
Of Christ. 1--WE are the circumcision who
worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ
Jesus and have no confidence in the Hesh -
Phil. ills. ''And ye are complete IN HIM
who is the head of all principally and power,
in 7olioD5 also ye are circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands, in putting
off Tie body oCkhe flesh in the circumcision
of Christ" Col. ii-Io and II.
The authorized version has this last pass
age, "bultiHg of the body (offhe sins of
the flesh" but as this is a well-kuown error,
the revised version has corrected it as above
quoted It is not the putting off the sins,
but putting off the body ofAhe flesh. This
is the true circumcision, and this we have,
to faith, IN the cutting off of the Lord Jesus
on the cross. AS a man in the flesh he died
there, aud we died with Him. This is the
end of the race before God; aud now we
must be created anew, have new life, be
born again to enter into Gods new creation
for the new heavens and the new earth that
is to come in after this earth is burned up
Hence there is no place among the people
of Cod but for the circumcised ones, as there
was no place in the laud for an unciicum
cise6 Israelite. Next we have land the chill
dren of Israel kept the passover in the plains
OF Jericho" We learn from the law as given
to Moses in the twelfth Of Exodus that no
wnciycnmcisea person a0as aAo10ed 10 eat
5te PASSOVER. It was especially forbidden
to all the uucircumcised All know that the
passover was figure of the lamb of God
slain for the sin of man and as no uncircnm
cised person could partake of il under the
law, so no natural man, man as of Adam, can
have part in Christ He must be cl1cuDl
used. cut off, ended before God. When he
comes to the end of himself before God, then
IS he circumcised, and then by the power of
God he enters into the new creation in |
christ Jesus. To faith he is no longer in !
he flesh, in Adam, but in the Spirit He has
uttered into Gods new creation in Christ
esus. Now he is a heavenly man and not
# this world; as Christ said, We are not of
he world even as am not of the world He
las entered into the heavenly places in
christ Jesus A christian is a man spiritu-
lily circumcised, and in fellowship with
,hrist risen and assembled to heaven.
In the lesson before us, in the 9th chapter.
re have Jericho figure of the world in all
S riches. grandeur aud glory, opposing the
entrance into the heavenly places
! Christ Jesus; opposing his enjoyment Of
is heavenly portion aud opposing even his
as that great city opposed Isra-
rs entrance into and enjoyment Of the land
hich God had given them. But the chris
ans sufiicieucy, as was that of Israel against
.richo, is Of God Gods power is at the
sposal of faith, now spiritually, as then ply {
cally. The means used of God, by Israel,
overthrow Jericho, to the natural man
ere simply foolish, ridiculous, Marching
ouuda great walledoity blowiugram's horns
, the citizens of Jericho NO doubt these peo- 3
e were considered crazy; nevertheless they
eut on in obedience and the walls of the
ly tunbled down before them God did
and left it all on record for the instruction {
christians of this dispeusation Now the
mmand to us is go in and possess the
nd every spot that your feet tread upon
yours. This is Gods word 10 US in this a
ipensation as to our entrance into and en- Il
7ment of our heavenly portion in Christ
ius. Jericho is in our way,it bars the pas Il
e, but Gods power is ours if we are faith ii
that is full of falkland obedient to His oil
I'd. We cannot be on the side of Israel
We are consorting with Jericho Christ {,
d for our sins that He might deliver US =,
N this present eVii aOoyza, according to the -
/ Of God our Father" Gal I aud a. =
ristians are the eclesia. the called ouk ones, -
church. which is the body of Christ, and v
e that would be friend Of the world is
enemy Of God. James iv, a. te
Yours for the Truth, be
j. S. PRErrxMAN
Iisford, DEL, August a8 1895. M