Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1896-05-01
Christian Lessons From the Jewish Scrip
lures; or, Christ in the Old Tes-
lament.

lures; or, Christ in the Old Tes-
lament.
Abraham believed God and obeyed Him
and he got the promise fulfilled, that in bis
seed all the nations Of the earth should be
blessed; Notwithstanding the fact that Sarah,
his wife. was barren until she was nearly an
hundred years old and it had long been with
her that she was not after the manner Of
women; so that it was impossible for her to
bear seed. Through faith he received from
God son in a supernatural manner
Isaac, superuaturally born is the figure or
type of the christian. His mother accord
ing to nature could not bear children, because
she was not only barren from her youth, but
in addition was nearly an hundred years old,
so that it was impossible that she should
bear child; yet she did so that Isaac was
child Of promise" the promise of God, and
so are all christians; because it is impossible
for man to be a christian but by the power
Of Ged. "Ys SIE5f be born again, born Of
God. According to nature this cannot be,
and every christian, as Isaac was, is child
Of promise" supernaturally born. Accord
ing to nature man cannot be born again.
Nature is powerless. Indeed it is impossi-
bic for man to become a christian hut by
the supernatural power Of God. So that
salvation is of Cod" 1t is not being good
or doing good; reformation, conversion or
any other work of the natural man. It is
supernatural All these goods" are all
right aud correct in their proper places, but
they do not constitute man a christian"
eye must be born again" aud this OF God I;
then yon have a HesO nature, not change
Of heart, or nature, as some imagine, but an
entirely HezO nature aud life, the gift of God,
which is divine aud eternal. This is the
Eternal Life which all Gods children have.
1t is not life that you have TO day and may
lose to morrow, but one thai you He0ey can
lose. It is ''the life that is hid with Christ
In God" Isaac, as the type OF the chris
tian, was not only supernaturaliy born. but
he was superuaturally kept. His life was
quiet peaceful, almost uneventful one.
Hagar with Lshmael, the type Of the law, was
put away from Abraham's house in behalf
OF Isaac who figured grace; grace which
with truth came by Jesus Christ. Then We
have him IMPLYING Jesus as the slain and
risen One. His Father in figure, Staying him
and offering him up to God as burnt offer
/ ing on the altar. Following this Abraham
sends his servant, Eliszer, into distant couu-
try to procure bride for Isaac on which
mission he succeeds and Rebecca is chosen,
II e
aud Isaac goes out to meet and receives her
as his bride. In this beautiful picture we
have in figure The Holy Spirit sent out from
heaven to procure bride-the chuTch-for
His Son-whO meets her in the air and with
her returns to His Fathers House This is
only the general outline of the picture, while
there are many other points in the narrative
that add to the filling up of the outline into
perfect whole. With this picture the naT-
rative as to Abraham comes TO an end, and
Isaac comes in as next in the divine success
sion. To him by Rebecca are born Esau aud
Jacob, one the rejected, the other the adopted
Of God. Isaac grows rich, blessed Jacob aud
dies. God, SO TO speak, was done with both
Abraham and Isaac. He had used them as
types and figures for our instruction 10 the
things of God.
CIRcUMcIsIoN-The rite of circumcision
was the seal of the covenant of God, made
with Abraham. Every one so marked was
member of Gods earthly family, which was
in figure type of His heaVsaLy family-the
christian family. God called Abraham cut
from an idolatrous people in Ur of the
chsldees. Indeed at this time man, left to
his own ways, had gone down into idolaIry
all the world oyer, and there were none that
believed. 1t is quite probable that Abra-
ham himself was an idolator when called of
God; but he was the best man then living
for Gods purpose. That purpose was the
salvation of lost race. Abraham believed
God and it was counted unto him for right
eousness." Here is the very root principle
of christianity aud Abraham received the
sign OF circumcision, seal of the righteous
ness OF the faith he had even before he was
circnmcised." "IHe SIGN of circumcision
What was it a sign Off Ah this is the sign
that man does not want to see aud will not
have. 1t is the cutting off of the flesh, the
end Of the natural man before God. The
judgment of the whole Adam race. Not ft
for God and cannot be made fit, hence Eye
must be born again" Must have new
life Must ave a new nature Must be
systematically born from above. MIST give
up the old Adam life which was put away
from before God in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. and by the new birth enter into
the new life of Christ the new creation Of
God in Christ Jesus. This it is to be "iH
Christ" "There is therefore nozO no con-
demHatioH to them 1Oho are in Christ Jesus.
They are in the place where no condemna-
ton can come. They are new creatures in
Christ Jesus and not in Adam at all, as 10
faith They are now not Gods earthly PEG.
pie. al were the Jews, but they are now Gods
heavenly people, waiting for the coming Of
the Lord Jesus to take them home where they
belong. Read the FIRST four verses of the |
I4th chapter of Johns gospel and also the
18th to 18th verses of the 4th chapter of Ist
Thessalonians.
This is what the SIGN of circumcision is to
christians. II ends them as men in Adam /
and in the world. The fallen ruined world
is for the fallen ruined man and is adapted
to him and he to it. But for the new cIea
ton.
''This world is a wilderness wide
We have nothing to seek or to choose
We've no thought in this waste to abide
We have nought to regret or to lose
The Lord is himself gone before,
He has marKed out the path that we tread /;
It's as sure as the love we adore,
We have nothing 10 fear or to dread.
There is but one 10 this waste
Which His footsteps have mark ed asHis own,
And we follow in diligeut haste
To the seats where He's put on His crown.
For the path where our Saviour is gone
Has led up to His Father and God