Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1909-12-30

u6S-CduI6 uALOs LIS OMA Ct0 LIS " w Ii
received him not, but to as many as
received him, to them gave he privi-
lege to become sons Of God" (John il:
1-14.
The Scriptures make clear tosus that
| the Father did not compel the Son to
be our Redeemer-on the contrary, he
| invited him to do SO, and set before
him the great reward: T
I 1. The privilege of proving his 10y
atty to the Father Hebrews x: 4;
Psalm XII: 81:
2. The privilege of serving the fall
| en- race, as their Redeemer and Re
storer (Matthew Xxx: 28).
8. The honor of high exaltation to
even greater dignities than he had be-
ofre he left the Father-to honor, glo-
ry and immortality, far above angels
and municipalities and powers and ev:
cry name that is named St. Paul, in
referring to the matter, tells us that
our Lord, ''for the joy that was set be-
fore him, endured the cross, despising
the shame''-and now, in consequence,
fiis>set down on the right hand of the
Father on high (Hebrews xii: p.
While the Savior was the Christ
mas gift to us in one sense of the
word, yet the gift was more from
another standpoint although it was
all. contained in that primary gift. Our
| Lord first, by obedience to the Divine
! Law, demonstrated his right to eternal
| life; and, at the same time, by his con-
secration to death he laid down the
life he was privileged to have. Nor
did he ever take it back. He arose
from the dead ON the third day, per
fected as a New Creature a spirit,
being QI, Corinthians iii: 10. He did
indeed appear to the apostles during
the subsequent forty days, butI not as
before. Although, latter his resHfrec-
ton, he appeared III the flesh, he was
not flesh. He had taken the body OF
uesh 'for the suffering of death" and
not to keep eternally. When he had
finished sacrificing it, the flesh had
served his purpose. His high exalta
ton is on the spirit plane, far above
angels. His appearances during the
forty days were very brief and few, at
ter the manner in which angels had
previously appeared in the flesh. They
were Off the purpose of convincing
the disciples that he was no longer
dead, and to convince them also that
he was no longer limited to earthly
powers, as before his death He was
put to death in the flesh, but quicken
ed in spirit" Il. Peter iii: 18).
1.-THE Body of Christ"
Notice how Gods gift expands, car
rying blessings with each change. The
glorified Jesus, when he assembled up
on high, had to his credit, so to speak,
the human, earthly rights which he
had sacrificed Those rights >were
sufficient for the whole world Be
cause all had been condemned through
one man, all could be justified, atoned'
for, by the sacrifice of one perfect man
r. the man Christ Jesus, who gave
himself ransom for all" Il. Timothy
ii: 5, 81.
But the assembled Savior, although
he came into the world to be the Say
ior of the world, did not apply the
merit of his sacrifice for. the world,
but, as the Scriptures show, he ap-
household of faith. Unbelievers are
not covered by that application of
Christs merit. In order to- get under
the merit of Christ now they must be-
lieYe, renounce sin and make a. conse-
Grafton of themselves lto/Walk in the
Redeemer's footsteps as living sacri-
fees. Under this provision the Gospel
call has been going forth for now
eighteen centuries. The object of this,
the Scriptures tell us, is to select pri-
marily the Church of Christ, little
flock" the Bride, the Lambs wife
and joint-heir with him in his Millen-
NAL Kingdom. which is to bless the
world.
Throughout this Gospel Age a faith
full little flock has gradually been
gathered. Their test is their willing
ness to lay down their lives in the
Lords service-in the service of the
Truth and in the service Of the breth-
rem. In doing this they are sacrificing
with Jesus; as the Apostle suggests, ''I
beseeGh you, therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto God. which is your
This sacrifice of Christ's members is
counted in as part and parcel of the
sacrifice of Christ. When this sacrific- 4
ing shall be finished it will mean that
the merit Of Christ's sacrifice at Cal
vary appropriated to9the Church will
have been laid down again returned
to the credit Of the Redeemer. Then,
at the conclusion Of this Age, when the
last member of tie Body has suf-
fefed with him and been gloriied, the
great High Priest will apply the blood
again for his members and