Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-03-13
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Topic Ter the weetS BEGINNING
March I7-Comment by Rev. 5. II.
Doyle.

ropie Ter the we>< BEGINNING
March 17-Comment by Rev. 5. II.
Doyle.
ToPIc.-chfist, our high priest.-Teb. vii. 2i-2s.
In the topical reference we have the
characterist.cs of Christ as a high
priest set forth and the superiority of
His priesthood over that Of Aaron IL
illustrated. 1t is shown that Christ is
the real priest of mankind for whom
all the nations of the world had been
looking ana longing. A study of the
charaeteristics Of His priesthood
should help us to appreciate more fully
Him and Ills work as our high priest
1. The priesthood Of Christ is I'M
changcablc. This man [ChristL, be-
cause He conuuueth forever, hath an
Interchangeable priesthood The Aaronic
priests died They had predecessors
and successors. But though Christ
died He continued forever, and His
priesthood is Interchangeable. Like
Melchisedec. Christ had no predecessor
ana no successor.
.. The priesthood of Christ is effec-
tive. He is able to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by
Him." The sacrifice that He has made
as priest is acceptable to God, and it
actually saves ali those who accept it
and come to God. through Him and
His work for them. And that His
work may be effective "He ever liveth
TO make intercession" for those for
whom He died He intercedes for us.
We are guilty and condemned to death,
but He is our advocate. He pleads our
case before God. not upon our merits,
but upon His merits and upon His
work, and His intercession is always
successful.
3. Christ's priesthood Is superior to
the Aaronic priesthood. "a Christ's
character is holy, harmless and unde-
fled" He is absolutely sinless and
needs not. therefore, to make sacrifices
for himself. This was not the case
with the Levitical priests. They had
'infrmities;;" they were human only
and therefore weak and sinful, and be-
fore Offering sacrifices for the people
they were compelled to offer sacrifices
for themselves. (2) Christ made but
one sacrifice: The Aaronic priests sac
rifced daily and the high priest once
year, on the day of atonement. But
one sacrifice was enough for Christ,
because be offered up Himself "a sac
rlfce to satisfy Divine justice" 90
Christ ministers in the heavenly sane
tuary. Aaron ministered in an earthly
tabernacle and his successors in perish
able temples. but Christ performs the
offices of His priesthood at the right
hand of God in heaven He is "a high
priest who is set on the right hand of
the throne of the Majesty in the heav-
ems, minister of the sanctuary and of
the true tabernacle which the Lord
pitched and not man"
But with all the superiority of the
priesthood of Christ it will avail us
nothing unless we accept Christ as our
high priest He is able and willing to
successfully intercede for us at the
right hand of God, but we must also
be willing and express our willingness
to have Him as our advocate and me-
diator. We should be the reader to
accept Him by the remembrance of
the fact that today He is the only me-
diator between God and man. and if
we have accepted Christ and His sac
rifice our gratitude should go out to
God for His goodness in providing us
such a priest and sacrifice at such a
cost, and we should show our graft
tude by life of devotion and conse-
Grafton to God in Jesus Christ, our
high priest.
THE PRAYER MEETING.
Have a specially arranged pro-
gramme, with prepared papers or adj
dress on the characteristics of Christ
as high priest.
BIBLE READINGS.
Elk. xviii 1-43; Rom. viii, 32-39: Heb.
ii. II. Is; iii, /. ,; iv, 14-16; V, ia;
Pet. ii. 10: John ii, /. .; Rev. V, 8, 10.
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