The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-06-16

Outlines of Sermon by Rev. D.. H. TuttleD
And there appeared a great wonder
in heaven: a woman clothed with the
sun, and the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown Of twelve
stars" Rev. 12:1.
INTRODUCTION.
How wonderful is this book of Reve
Iation. 1t is the Mt. Sinai of the New
Testament. AS we read, it is as if We
were being brought face with God, and
= silent, oppressive W akin to that of
death creeps DER us, and often with
these feelings we have turned away to
more pleasant portions OF the inspired
word. In this we did ourselves injustice;
we shouldhave asked the aid of the Holy
Spirit. This book is inspired, and was
given for instruction that we might be
prepared, being forewarned, when
these awful events shall begin to trans
pire. God anticipated our shyness of
this book, and to encourage US TO read
it He has made a special promise in the
3rd verse Of the last chapter: Blessed
is he that reRdeth, and they that hear
the words of this prophecy, and keep
those things which are written therein,
for the time is at hand" The passage
which I have chosen as q basis for the
sermon Of this hour brings before our
minds a more wonderful woman III
both attitude and attire. The wonder
lies not in the woman herself, but in
the greet facts OF which she is simply
symbolical. If the symbol be great,
what must the thing symbolized be?
Infinitely greater to be sure. The ques
ton then arises: What, or who doee
this wonderful woman Representa- Some
say the the Virgin Mary. But if that
were true, then the sign comes after
the thing signifed, for this book was
not written till near a century after
Jesus birth. Some say the city of Je-
rusalem is represented. This won't do.
Whoever heard of a city flying away
30 q wilderness, and then return to its
Old site ag8in2
But the opinion around which clus
Cers most agreement is tn S; that the
woman is a symbol of the Church.
Quite often in the Bible we find the
Church spoken of under the type of a
woman We read such expressions as
Daughter of Z:on," "a Chaste Virgin
TO Christ" THE bride, the Lambs
wife," the mother of US ALL" And
when Jul minds grasp all the thrilling
incidents connected with this woman,
the birth of her offspring, and Satan's
effort to destroy her, every doubt as to
what the Womanrepresents is dispelled.
Remembering that the book of R8vela-
tions is a book of endings or consum
nations we think that the special ref
erence Of the sign is to the bringing
forth by the Church Christ as final
Conquerer and Judge, just on the eve
of the Millennium, but we feel at lib
erty to take this wondrous woman in
her glorious apparel, brilliantly
crowned, as representing the Church
in all her victorious history from Eden's
pioneer promise of triumph to that
glad hour when the New Jerusalem
shall be seen coming down from God
out of heaven; and
THE CHURCH WAS JADE OF CHRIST
AS WOMAN WAS OF MAN.
While Adam slept woman was
brought into being. She was made of
material taken from him and was there
fore bone of his bone and flesh of his
flesh. They were one, in natures near
est and deepest relationship-yes, most
sacred. Marriage is loves mystery.
Christ was the second Adam. alone in
the world until he slept for the worlds
transgressions. While He slept the