The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-06-06

!! !! : :: !: !: :; !: !:
N y had large and In
vi tellectual audi
HI n ences as usual.
N We report one of
~ his discourses from
~ the text, 81 go to
M fE55GT prepare place for
you; and !
myself, that where l am there ye may
be also" John xiv, 2, 81. The speaker
saids-
Doubtless we all have In mind the
fact that we have just passed the an
niversary Of our Redeemer's ascension
to the right hand Of the Father-to
the highest place in all the Universe.
next to the Almighty Father. He as
cended up where He was before-to
the spirit plane Of being, with added
excellence of glory and honor, the re-
ward Of His faithfulness and obedi-
ence to the Fathers win. even to the
sacrificing Of His life at Calvary. BE
assembled, the Scriptures declare, from
the more humble condition Of human
nature, a little lower than the angels,
to the exalted condition Of the divine
nature-far above angels, principali-
ties and powers ana every name that
Il named
The work for which the Lo0os left
the heavenly glory has not yet been
accomplished He has suffered, the
Just for the unjust. giving His life a
Ranson-price for an; but this was
merely q means toward an end, and
that end has not yet been accomplish
ed-the blessing of Adam and his
fallen race. Thank God, however, that
the great, broad foundation has been
laid Thanks be to God also that a
great preliminary work has been in
progress during more than eighteen
centuries since His ascension That
preliminary work is the preparation of
the Church of Christ to follow Him
In faithfulness and self-sacrifice to ex-
altation with Him to the divine ma
ture, glory, honor and Immortality.
which was his reward Oh Peter !, a.
A chasts Virgin Espeussd.
If, In times past. we have too care
lessly studied our Bibles ana confused
Gods special blessing for the Church.
as the Bride of Christ, with His subse
quent blessing for the world through
Messiah and His Bride, let us do so
no longer. Let us note that as the
Divine Plan for the salvation of the
world could not begin before the com
ing of Jesus. except In a typical sense,
neither can 1t begin to operate until
the complete selection of the Church
until her perfecting as the Bride, the
Lambs Wife" In the First or Chief
Resurrection.
The antitypical sacrifices which Je-
sus began still continue to be offered
by Him. Those DESTROYS Of becoming
His Bride and joint-heirs with Him In
His Kingdom are now qualifying for
that exaltation. The invitation to
them is that. renouncing sin and ac-
cepting the Savior. they shall present
their bodies living sacrifices. holy and
acceptable to God" following In the
footsteps of their Redeemer.
In a certain sense this presentation
of the entire Church took place, repre-
sentatively, In the Apostles and others
Of the five hundred brethren who be-
neved at the first They were repre-
sentatives of the entire Church, and
the acceptance of their sacrifice and
their begetting of the Holy Spirit,
their espousal al Pentecost, represent
ed the acceptance. the begetting and
espousal of the entire Church from
then until now. We are merely fol
lowing in their steps; we are merely
under-members in the same Body
1.-THE Church Of the first-borns, whose
names are written In heaven" Gle
brews XII. 81.
st. Paul distinctly points out that
the Church is not yet the Bride Of
Christ. but merely espoused. BE
writes. 81 have espoused you as a
chaste virgin unto one Husband. who
is Christ" The period Of espousal
win not be complete until the close of
this Age. when the last member of
the Body shall have been accepted.
and when the First or Chief Resurrec-
tion ito the spirit planel shah have
been accomplished-the marriage OF
complete union between Christ and
H.s Bride in the heavenly glory.
The Way and the Place.
As the Redeemer was the first to as
aax,@ 90 +ho <vlo~5o,,s u<o@fou 80 Tho "a
vine nature. far above angels, princi-
palities and powers. and as the Church
is to be His associate in that glory. II
was necessary that He should precede
her to prepare the way. Our Lords
own worthiness of exaltation to the
divine nature was witnessed by thu
Father In that He raised Him from the
dead a quickening Spirit, to glory
honor and immortality.
But before the Church could. In any
sense Of the word. be made acceptable
IN the heavenly courts, it was neces
sary that the Redeemer should zap
pear In the presence Of God for us
Hebrews TX. pa. 1t was necessar,
that He make application or impu
tation Of the merit Of His sacrifc,
on behalf of the Church before theil
sacrifices could be "holy and accepta
BILE unto Cod; and only by their sacri
fees and the Divine acceptance o.
them could they be begotten Of tn,
Holy Spirit to the new nature, the di
vine nature, which they win fully re
eeive, IL faithful, in the chief resur
rection.
What force we thus see is attached
to the Masters words, 81 go to prepare
a place for your Unless He had thus
prepared the way. unless He had be
come our Surety, we never could have
become acceptable In the Fathers
sight, and the Redeemer's associates
on the spirit plane. But there is still
another sense in which the Redeemel
Is preparing for His Church, His fol
lowers. He has. as their great Higf
Priest, not only opened up the way Il
God, but He continues to be their In
tercessor and to appropriate to them o.
His merit to cover their continual tres
passes and shortcomings. which arr
the result. not Of wilfulness, but Of
weakness and heredity-shortcomingI
against which they strive, but by which
at times they are oyertaken-sins Of
omission If not Of commission.
How precious to every child Of God
are the words Of the Apostle. IF We
sin we have an Advocate with the Fa
Their, Jesus Christ the Righteous"i Lee
Us, therefore. come with courage te
the Throne of heavenly grace that WI
may obtain mercy and find grace te