Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-03-05
MYSTERY OF GOODNESS
is TOPIC OF SERMON
REV. JOSEPH SMALE breaches
ELOQUENT DISCOURSE
Pastor of the First New Testament
Church Speaks of the Skiold Tes-
tmony to Christ's stupendous
Claim of Unity With God

Rev. Joseph Smale of the First New
Testament chul CHI preached yesterday
from the text, And without contro-
versy great is the mystery of godliness;
God was manifest in the flesh, 5usti-
fled in the spirit, seen Of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, received up into glory
| Timothy, 3:16. He said in part:
by mystery we are not to lnder-
stand an unintelligible something that
never can he known by us, but that
which reason cannot discover of itself
imp ossible of mental conception and
grasp apart from a divine communica-
ton. The kingdom of God has It's mys-
tele1 that are known only to Christian
believers. Did not Jesus say: 1T is
given unto you to know the mysteries
of heaven bur to the unbelievers 1t is
not given?' And there are degrees to
the mysteries. Paul speaks of "a
great mystery and our text is of the
latter-'Great is the mystery of godli-
ness
Christ and the Church
"Only in one other scripture is the
adjective used in connection with n1ys-
tery-where he speaks of a man leaving
his father and mother to be joined unto
his wife, and they two shall be, one
flesh. This is a great mystery, but [
speak concerning Christ and the church,
In the discussion of Christian mysteries
these two are specially noteworthy
from the standpoint of being ranked as
great mysteries Put them side by side
and we find that each to the other Is
the complement Gods union with man
great is the mystery of goodness
God manifest in the flesh Mans union
To God-this is great mystery;
speak concerning Christ and the
church.
Paul says of the incarnation that
the greatness of it is without contro-
versy. The truth itself has been the
occasion of much disputation and it is
so to this very day. 1t is thrilling, an
amazing, an astounding, a staggering
wonder--'Great is the mystery of godli-
ness; God manifest in the flesh Not
in the mere sense of indwelling human
nature, but He as the word became
flesh He took on Him the seed of
Abraham. He condescended to be of a
human mother born. Think of it! God
assuming creature life!
On a Sinful Race
THE truth is not that God has united
Himself with seraphs; that would have
been confounding to our understanding
The brightest creature is not worthy OF
such transcendent honor as this; yet If
so inconceiVable glory is to go to any
creature, surely we should say, let it go
to those nearest to God in holiness and
strength. But no; the seraphs may be
His creatures but never one with Him.
God casts His eye upon sinful race
and lets it rest upon rebellious man
and says: This shall be my fellow
Ship
ooh! here is something outside the
musings of creature life-utterly beyond
human imagination. 1t belongs to God
to introduce to us the new in mystery
the new in phenomenon. Man has
never been capable of the absolutely
new. Every invention and discovery
of man started either in an antecedent
experience or an antecedent obserVa-
ton. Christ came upon the scene of
this worlds history with this stupen-
dous claim. I and my father are one
1t is one thing to make a claim, but it
is quite another thing to establish il.