Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-07-13

Nevertheless. for all these centuries
II mas required faith to believe that.
by dying with Christ, his followers
shai YET nVe with him--that sharing
WIN MN In his death they shall vet
si'dre with MIN in his resurrection IN
.,F glory, honor and Immortality of
'He DiVlne nature. So, then, our Lords
woros mean that there will be a resur-
rection from the grave, and since the
Shurch Is to be "a kind of firstfrrit.
uii,o Goa OF his creatures" danes liz,
He'eiatlon 4:D, her Resurrection
means, indirectly, this result, the mn.
iiIting OF mankind, the opening of the
grave to every member of the human
family.
The giving of the keys of tn.
Kingdom to st. Peter has no reference
TO locks and bars of heaven ovar
which st. Peter is. the custodian. Tba
Cnurch in the present time is the
Kingdom of Heaven in its preparatory
or embryotic state. and St. Peter was
privileged to do the opening work to
the Gospel Church. He opened tha
door to the Jews at Pentecost. when
as the mouthpiece of the Lord, he nro-
CHARMED the meaning of the Peutecostal
blessing and the hopes then open to
every Jew coming. individually into
membership in Christ. He used rho
second key" to open the same king
dom privileges to the Gentiles in thar
when the due that came for Cornelius
the frst Gentle convert, TO be received
st. Peter did the work Rv preaching
to Cornelius the Gospel and by baptiz-
ing him into Christ he threw open the
door to the GentileS. as our Lord fore
told iE the words of this lesson.
ST. Peters commission that whatever
things he should bind on earth should
be bound in heaven and what things he
should loose on earth should be loosed
IN heaven, is the same that was given
to the other Apostles. (See Matthew
1873 1t does not mean. of course.
that the Lord has turned matters over
to st. Peter and made him Lord Of
heaven and earth. nor that any or all
OF the Apostles were so hOnored. 1t
simply means this: God purposes to
use his Apostles and to so hold up
their hands. in all their affairs, that
the whole Church may have confidence
in them. and may recognize their
| teachings as of God. If they declared
| that certain of the commandments I'M
der the Jewish law We're not binding
upon Christians. we must know that
their statements were true, and that,
similarly. in heaven. the release or
| change is recognized. And if they
bound certain doctrines and teachings,
we must know that those are bound
| and firmly established in heaven. In
| other words. we must recognize the
Apostles as Gods inherent mouth
pieces. ID,
fay Ios,
| the Messiah did not come until after
| his death and resurrection. Indeed his
Messiahship properly dates from his
resurrection He desired his disciples
to recognize him properly and he ex-
| planned to them about his approaching
death and resurrection. but he did not
wish them to proclaim this to the
world until the due time. ST. Peter
perhaps elated with the Lords COM
mendation of his previous speech, UNI
| dertook now the role of teacher to the
one whom he had just acknowledged as
| the Messiah. In this he erred. 1t was
| in sympathy that he urged that the
| Master should not think of any steps
which lead to suffering and death but
| should rather of prosperity and earth
| ly favor, yet our Lords reproof was
pointed He said: You are my adver
| saIy, Peter, when you thus speak to
| me. You will thus endeavor to dis
| suade me from doing my Fathers will,
| to hinder me from drinking the cup
which my Father has poured for me;
| your counsel IL that common to the
world and not OF God.
Similarly the followers of Jesus
| sometimes need to resist their friends,
| who thus offer counsel contrary to Di-
| vine Will and word and providence.
| These should not be encouraged nor
their advice followed. They need cor
rection from their fellow disciples, as
did st. Peter.
| Master an opportunity for calling the
attention of his followers to the terms
| OF dIscipleship. Not only must the
Master himself suffer. but all of his
| followers likewise This course was
provided for everyone. and whoever
would fee from 1t would lose the eter-
nal life hoped for Whoever would
| take up his cross and follow the Mas
ter to death would thereby make sure
of his share in eternal life on the hea-
venly plane His disciples had already
pledged their earthly lives. and for
| them to withhold them for worldly ad-
vantage, would mean that they would
lose their souls their lives. This is not
true to the world in general. but mere
| lv of the Church, called to be OF the
elect, Royal Priesthood.
| He tnen assured them of his second
| coming, when he would come IN the
| glory of the Father and with ms an
| gels (raessencers)-no again as man
as sacrifice. At the time OF MS
second coming he would reward every
one OF his followers according 10 tne
faithfulness OF each. He conciuaeo tn's
reference to the coming kingoom Wy
the assurance that some or tnerh ~ou,u
have an ocular demonstration OF ms
coming power and glory peiore me-
! lid die This we will consider In
our next study. ..-- -