The Lambertville record., 1910-07-19

b
fear Of God" Gil Corinthians VII, y. |!
ooO.-.-.-.-.-...-.-.-.-.-
first and count the COST before you
undertake such conservation of your
life, such sacrifice of your earthly in
terests. "No man having put his hand
to the plow and looking back would be
fit for the Kingdom" for a place on
the Throne as a joint-heir with Christ
duke tx, 62). They heard the further
expression of st. Paul to all who would
become joint-heirs with Christ in his
Kingdom assuring them that if they
suffer with Christ they shall reign
with him.
"Beloved, Let Us Cleanse Ourselves"
We doubt not that as the Heavenly
Father and our Lord Jesus SO loved
the world as to provide the great sac
rifice for sin, so st. Paul loved the
world-and all others of Gods people
must have a sympathetic love for the
world. But when we think of those
who are dearly beloved by the Father
and by the Son and by the apostles
and by each other. we think of the
special class of consecrated saints who
Scripturally are described as of no
earthly sect or party. but as 'The
Church Of the Firstborns whose
names are written in heaven"
These are dearly beloved because
they have the mind of Christ. which
ic ,le hn af h0 Eofhnr
cording to the flesh they are not all
lovely or beautiful. st. Paul else
where admonishes us that amongst
these dearly beloved" are not many
great, not many wise. not many noble.
not many rich. but chiefly the ignoble
and the poor of this world. Their
riches and their nobility are not of the
flesh, but of the spirit. of the heart OF
the new will. to which they have been
begotten of God by the Holy Spirit.
This is surely the Apostles thought,
for, in the preceding verse. he speaks
of these dearly beloved" ones as
'sons and daughters" Of the Lord, chill
dren of the Almighty-henee, begotten
again of the Holy Spirit-"new crea-
lures in Christ Jesus" QI Corinthians
v, ID. All, how wonderful it seems
that there should be such class as
this in the world yet not separated
from the world, except by their new
not OF the world, as the Master de-
clared. These have died to worldly
aims and objects and have become
alive toward God through the Holy
Spirit and through the quiekening in
f1uences of Gods exceeding great and
precious promises given unto them.
Gods purpose respecting them is that
they may be transferred from human
nature to spirit nature-from partici-
patton with the world in the bless
ings coming to 1t to receive instead
the Divine nature, with the glory,
honor and immortality attaching
thereto, as new creatures" sons Of
the Highest III Peter /. ~.
Christian "Filthiness of the FIesh."
Having located definitely the class
addressed by the Apostle, "the saints"
QI Corinthians i, ~, let us note how
and why it is necessary that saints
should receive such an exhortation.
Why should the Apostle write to saints
respecting the cleansing of their flesh
from filthiness? Could one be saint
and yet have filthiness of the flesh?
We reply that these saints, begOtten
of the Holy Spirit, will not be perfect
ed as New Creatures until they expert
ence the "change" of the ''First Resur-
rection." Meantime they have the
treasure of the Divine nature, the Holy
Spirit, the first fruits of their inherit
ance In imperfect human bodies. 1t is
not the flesh that is begotten again by
the Holy Spirit, but new mind, new
will. The Will of the flesh they sacri-
fee. They give up all earthly rights
and ambitions and accept instead the
will of God the will of Christ, the
Holy Spirit. that they may walk in
newness Of life. However, from the
very beginning of their Christian ex-
perience all of these members of the
Royal Priesthood, in the present life.
pass through difficulties which arise
from three different sources:
~ The Adversary is in opposition to
them and will do them all the harm
the Lord will permit. Their protection
is the Divine promise that they will
not be permitted to be tempted above
that they will be able to bear-that the
Lord will supervise their interests so
that with every temptation there ALL
be provided way Of escape.
(2 They are in a world that is dark
with sin and selfshness, superstition
and Ignorance Of God and out Of har-
mony with his righteousness. The
world and its spirit surge about them
every day. from morning until night,
Its tides and currents seek to sweep
them away from their resolutions OF
self-sacrifice and loyalty to God and
righteousness. In various ways 1t holds
out to them enchanting prospects.
pleasures and riches, ease and atflu-
ence. These have their weight. even
though it be known that comparatively
few who follow the worlds beckoning
and aliurements ever receive the full
fillmept of the promises held out to