The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-10-03

Priesthood-a '1ittle flock" Aaron
and his sons were few in comparison
to all the tribe Of Levi, so only a
sanity few expect to attain to glory,
honor and Immortality with Christ.
These are referred to in the Scriptures
as members of the Body of Christ"
even as the under-priests, Aaron's
sons, in the type, were members of
Aaron. Under another beautiful fig
ure this Priestly few are styled the
Bride of Christ" and His joint-heirs
I'm His Kingdom and work.
Chosen to Bless the People
AS these Levites, including the
priests, were elected or selected, for
the purpose of being the instructors Of
Israel, so we perceive the Scriptures
to teach that the Church of the First
born, when glorified, will be associ-
ated with Messiah in His great work
Of blessing and instructing all the peo-
ple-all the families Of the earth. The
knowledge of the Lord at that time
will be made known to all mankind;
all the blind eyes shall be opened and
all the deaf ears shall be unStopped.
All the Levlte class will share in the
work Of blessing, which the Lord for
so many centuries has declared
through the mouth of all the holy
Prophets.
The merit OF the death OF Jesus, the
Just for the unjust, when applied on
behalf of the whole world, will be
efficacious for the cancelling Of the
sins of the world, and their full re-
conciliation to the Father. 1t will
be Divine mercy. however, which will
prevent mankind from being at once
turned over directly to the Father, as
soon as the satisfaction for their sins
shall have been rendered and accepted
at the close of this Age Of dealing with
the Church Instead New Law Cove
nnnt will be sealed and made operative
with Israel, and under that New Cove
nant the whole world will be privi-
legged to come into relationship with
Messiah and the blessings of His King
dom, which will represent to them Di-
vine mercy, power and opportunity for
returning to human perfection and an
everlasting, earthly home-or, rejecting
this grace, they will die the Second
Death, from which there will be no
recovery.
The effect Of the New Covenant will
be to bring the willing and obedient
of all the people OF earth fully back
into harmony with God; and this, at
tained at the end of Messiah's reign
of thousand years. will prepare the
way for the surrender of everything
to the Heavenly Father, that He may
be all I'm all, and that the world there
after may be dealt with as perfect be.
ings, along the lines of absolute justice
and without any further need of a
Mediator or other Inerciful provisions.
The Pith OF tho Argument.
This is the pith OF st. Paul's argu-
ment in our text and context He
points US down to the consummation
of this Age-to the time when the
Church OF the First-born shall be COM
pleted on the plane of glory-to the
time when Israel and the world OF
mankind will reach the place where
God will introduce the New Covenant,
typified in the Law Covenant. AS the
latter was introduced by the shaking
of Sinai. in general time Of darkness.
thus, the Apostle intimates, the New
Covenant Is about to be inauglirated,
I'm the end of this Age, by time OF
most awful trouble, of which that ut
Sinai was merely a symbolic picture
or type. Gods voice then shook the
earth, but in the antitype He will
shake everything that can be shaken.
Things which are absolutely Just. true
and righteous will remain unshaken,
and we. the Church of the First-born,
the antitypical Priesthood, Will receive
Kingdom which cannot be shaken.
The True Church's Glory
In the past we failed to see who
would be members of the true Church
because our eyes of understanding
were beclouded by error. Similarly,
the honor and blessing which God has
promised shall be the portion of the
one true Church, the little flock"
We mixed heavenly things with earth
ly things. We confounded the blessing
of Restitution to human perfection and
an earthly Eden with the spiritual
blessing. We appropriated to ourselves
the promises made to the faithful Of
Israel. that they should build houses
and inhabit them, and plant vineyards
and eat the fruit of them, and should
long enjoy the work of their hands"
In general we were confused.
Now as we come to see Gods great
Plan and the different features of the
same, we are able to discriminate and
TO apply properly the Scriptures relat-
Ing TO each class. The Royal Priest
hood are to be joint-heirs with the Re
deemer, partakers of the divine ma.
ture and sharers of their Lords glory,
honor and Immortality. Romnns il. ~
The larger company, symbolized by all
the Levites. aside from the family OF
Aaron, are to be the honored servants
OF the Royal Priesthood; and the world
of mankind are TO have the glorious