The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-10-04

| the Bible lays down as condi tioIs fors
membership Uni the one true church.
Heretoforc with tlie false thought
IN mind TINT MI except the Church
would be externally Stormcnted, U We;
bare allfslirtink from mn King my rea.s
sonnble application Of the Scriftural
texts regarding saintshfp. dlscipleship.
the becoming members Of the Church
of.the First-boriis This was partly be-
cause Of fear for ourselves. lest we
might not Come up, to the standard of
saintship, but especially was iit be-
cause OF our allzution TINT the great
miss iof humanity In Christie hdom. tls
we'll us in heatiienf lands. came fur.
short! Of the terms Of discirleshlp;laid
down I'D Gods Word. Toddy the mat.
ter comes close home to us inli. for we
realize that many who were very near
Eand dear to us have died outside 6f
The nominal church. and far. outside
the special line OF conditions which
marked the Church OF fiie First. born.
Amongst other texts cited By the.
Pastor as showing the exclusive and
high standard Of the elect Church. we
note the following: "lfiany man will
be My disciple. let. him take up Ills
cross and follow me: and where am,
there shall My disciple be Also" ITO
him that overcomcth will 4 grant to
sit with Ne In My Throne;:" "Strait
Is the, gate and narrow Is the way
that lcadeti unto life, and few there
be that ind It" U.ukc *. %; Matthew
vii. AZ; Let us lay aside every weight
and the sin which doth SO. casily ,besct
us. and let us runswlth3 patience. thu
race; set before u.s. (Htbrews XII. t.1J.
III these things be In you aid abound
title Cruces Of the Holy Spirit they.
will make you that 70 shnll neither
be barren nor unfruitful In the krbwl-
edge of our Lord. $3.50, for so mn en-.
trance shall be minIstcred unto you
nbundantly into the everlasting King.
dom Of our Lord und Savior Jesus
Christ.D-II Peter i.s. IL. ;a.
\. Looking Through tho Typo
St. Paul Informs us that nil the varl.
Gus features OF, the Jewish Law were
types Of Still higher. still better
things. In bur text the expression.
Church Of the E'lrst-born." bns ref.
ercnce to II type instituted in the very
beginning OF lsracrs history. when
God brought hat9people. Sby the hand
Of Moses. the Mediator Of the Law
Covenant, out OF the land of Egypt.
To this type the Apostle refers In his
expression, The Church Of the First:
born" The entire nation OF lsraei.
twelve tribes. God had separated from
the other nations to represent those
who would be a blessing TO ill other
nttions, under the Abrahamic Cove
nant Gods oath to Abraham was:
I'm thy Seed shall NIL the families OF
the earth be blessed" ~
Pharaoh, King Of Egypt. was bold.
Ing back the nation from going into
Palestine. the Land OF Promise. One
chnstlsement after. another failed to
move him to submission until finally
an Intense calamity avnilcd:4 The
tenth plusue was the shifting Of the
lrst.born OF Egypt! willie the Israel!
ties were protected. thus showing DI.
vine interest In and care over Israel.
Observation-Disclosures mlraculously. pre-:
serred-to represent In type tho Church
Of the First.lorn. The true Church
Of Christ are not Ill that will be saved.
In the Divine Program. but merely, lis
st. james snys. These arc a Kind ,,et
iirst-fruits unto God Of Ills creaturGsi
[Iamcs |, IS: Revelation xiv. ~. The
nfter.fruits Will come In due time,
under the further development Of the
Divine Plan Of the Agcs-us the result
Of Alessinh's reign Of n thousand
years.
Some time after their dellverance
from Egypt. by Divine direction. tho
first.borns Of Nil the families md tribes
Of Israel were exchanged, person BY
person. for the. one tribe Of Levi The
Levites thereafter represented the
Elrst:born Of the Churcb-they alone
represented the first. BORIS of Israel
passed over In thnt night. Subsequent.
~ the tribe of Levi became the In.
structors Of the nation In religious mat.
ters aud from them was chosen Quo
family for the priesthood-Aaron and
his sons.
: The Scripturai picture is plain. In
the antitype we are still In the night Of
passing over. Soon the Morning Of the
New Dispensatlon. under Messiah's
reign. will begin. md all DESTROYS OF
serving God and having Ills blessings
will be delivered from the depressing
power of Satunn and his hosts. typiled
by Pharaoh md his nrr,y. Cod In.
tends to deliver the whole world from
Satan's power. Satan shall be bound
for thousand years. during Messiah's
reign. and Is ultimately to be destroy.
cd, and the people Of God-all who de-
sire to worship the Lord and to enter
Into the glorious Land Of Promise
will be led forth. The tlrst-born Of
these Is the Church of this Gospel Age,
whicli8will be associated with Christ
In His heavenly Kmgdom-"the Church
of the First.borns. whose names are
written In heaven" ~ Il VI 81 =