The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-09-14


The second cleansing of the Temple
would seem to suggest that before tho
Lords coming there is to be profound
work OF sanctification among the people
Of God answering to that first cleansing
Of which we read so fully in the early
chapters OF the Acts of the Apostles.
Still more fully does it apply to the. in
dd,viduai experience of the Christian.
Here, too, there is second cleansing
which the Lord comes to bring when He
Himself enters the consecrated heart, not
only saving. but sanctifying and separating
US unto Himself in a deeper sense than
we can possibly know. even in the early
JOY Of conversion. Have we received this
second cleansing?
". The Children's King. This was not
an ordinary crowd. where the children
ALWAYS love to be in front, but it was a
genuine outburst Of heaven inspired love
and loyalty that made them cry. "Hosan
nah in the highest" For the Lord Jesus
Himself bore testimony to the genuineness
Of their praise and indeed gave it the high
est place over all others as He poted the
ancient Scripture. "Out of the mouths OF
babes and sucklngs Thou has perfected
praise" Others might join in the accla
nations because Of the contagious influ
ence of an excited multitude, but theirs
was perfect praise" AS usual the Phari.
sees were ready to scorn their juvenile en-.
:husiasm, but the Lord Jesus was also
ready to vindicate them as He had once
before
Let us never forget that Jesus is the
,hildren's King. BY and by, when we well
come Him to His heavenly throne, we shall
find that a vast proportion of that ran.
somed crowd will consist Of little chill
dren. Let us train our little ones to know
Him and crown Him as their King. The
word used here in their childish praise is
the Hebrew word "Hosannah." 1t is not
quite the same as Haleujah, the usual ex-
preston for worship and praise. Literally
it means "Lord save u.s." Our Hallelu.
jahs must begin in Hosannahs. Even the
children, too, must learn that they are
sinful children. and that they also require
His cleansing blood, and only as they ac
cept it and honor it will their Hosannahs
become Halleluiahs, and the Lord pro.
nounce their homage perfect pra Sc"
V. The Blessing of the King. Immedi.
ately. after Christ's triumphal entry into
Jerusalem and His cleansing of the TEN.
pie, we read these significant words, "and
the blind and the lame came to Him in the
Temple and He healed them" Purifica.
tion always leads on to power. The cleans.
ing of the Temple was followed by the
the great and good Physician. So, still, it
will be found in our personal experience.
This was not momentary gleam of divine
benefcence over dark and suffering
world, but Jesus Christ is the same yes.
terday, to-day and forever.
"And warm. sweet, tender even yet
A present help is He
And love has still its Olivet
And faith its Galilee.
The healing of His seamless robe
Is b. our beds of pain.
We, touch Him mid life's pain and strife
And we are whole again"
But, of course, all this awaits its perfect
fulfilment in that happier time when the
King shall come to His own again "and
the ransomed Of the Lord shall return and
come to Zion with songs and everlasting
Joy upon their heads; they shall obtain
Joy and gladLess, and sorrow and signing
shall flee away"
Then, when this earth is purged of all
iniquity, will it be also true the inhabtant
shall no more say. II am sick, and the
people that dwell therein shall be forgiven
their iniquity.'
VII. The Curse of the King. Blu. the
King has not only blessing, hut also judg.
ment in His mighty hand Tie only mira.
Gle of judgment recorded in all the life of
Jesus Christ Immediately followed these
incidents. 1t was the cursing of the bar.
rem fig tree, to which He came seeking
fruit and encouraged to expect it by the
but 10! there was nothing but leaves"
and He pronounced upon it the withering
words It left it leahess AMI dead.
This las, of course, type of the fruit.
less nation that He had already referred
TO under the parable of the Barren Fig
Tree, and it forecasts the solemn judgment
that awaits every professed follower of
Christ who shall meet Him at last with
empty hands and fruitless life.
But there is bencfcent aspect, even in
The curse of the Ming. 1t tells us of One
hat has the power to consume and destroy
the things which we are unable to cast out
of our Ives. There are fig trees of sinful
habit and physical disease which our hu-
man strength cannot throw off alone. Oh,
now glad we are sometimes to have a God
who is "a consuming fire." and from whose
presence Satan, sin and sickness flee away.
lie tells us we may enter into His de-
'truetve power against these things and
hand over to His flaming sword adver.
'aries and obstacles too great for us to
overcome.
81 am so glad" said little child once,
that | have a God that can shake the
worlt." Our Christ is not all soft and
Easy benevolence. Back of His gentleness
S an arm of might. and holiness as
.neAordDie as tHe llBnInlngs OF the SKY.
Oh! sinner whatever else you dare, be-
ware of "the wrath of the Lamb
VII. The Sceptre of the Kingdom. In
.he closing verses of our lesson, chapter
I, verses 20 to %, the Lord reveals the
secret OF His own power and tells the
disciples how they may share it also,
The secret of it is faith. III we have
faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do
this which Is done to the fig tree, but,
also, If We shall say unto this mountain,
be thou removed and be thou cast into
the sea, IL shall be done; and all things
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believ-
ing, we shall receive" And so He passes
over to us His sceptre, and tells us that
we may exercise the same omnipotence
Of faith through which He wrought His
mighty works. 1t was by faith that He
overcar1e and became for us "the Author
and Finishcr OF our faith" But we may
exercise the same faith, too. Some time
in that coming kingdom we shall be like
Him and exercise power over the uni
verse of Cod, of which. could we fully
realize it now, we would be amazed and
appalled,. But He is training us now in the
use of this mystic sceptre, and teaching
us the lessons OF that faith of which He
once said, "All things are possible with
God, all things are possible unto him
that believeth."
We have but touched its borderland,
beloved. There are great continents Of
faith and power and prayer for us yet to
explore. "Lord, teach us to pray" help
our. unbelief and give US "the faith Of
God"