The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-05-23

above angels, pfinclpalities and pow
ers, and every name that is named!
(Epheelans 1, 21) On the contrary. II
would be both equitable and God-lke
that the great Jehovah should highly
honor His faithful, Only Begotten Son,
the First and the Last. the Beginning
and the Ending OF the creation OF God
pievelation xxi. 13). Could we for
enc moment suppose that our great
Creator would allow His faithful Son,
pr any servant. to lay down life in Di-
vine service. and TO suffer loss as
consequence Of His obedlence7 Is it
not much more rational to believe, as
the Scriptures declare. Him hath God
highly exalted philippians II. 9).
The Aseended One Descended.
Pastor Russell called attention to the
Apostles phraseology In the context
that the Ascended One had previously
descended, and that the ascending and
descending we're related as cause and
effect The One who ascended up on
high completely filed the highest po-
sition In the great, Divine Government
of the Unlverse--as Head of principali-
ties and powers, angels and men-next
to the Father. Yet. the Apostle warns
us that we must not identify the glori-
fed One with the One Who, in obedi-
ence to the Fathers will, humbled
| Himself to come down from the heay-
| eniy nature and glory to the earthly
station where He, as a man, humbled
Himself unto death, even unto the ig-
nominious death Of the cross.
The Apostle calls our attention to
these two extremes-the extreme Of
humiliation and the extreme Of exal-
tation, both accomplished in the Son
of God. the Logos, The Christ
IL some of us at one time misunder-
stood the Scriptures and supposed that
our Lord Jesus ascended to heaven in
a physical condition, as a man. we en-
tirely misunderstood the Scriptures
He Who was rich, as the L0gOs in
glory, preserved His identity when He
was made poor for our sins. made flesh,
that He might be our Redeemer. SINH
larly, that Redeemer preserves His
identity now that He has been made
rich again-now that He has been re-
ceived up to the Spirit Plane OF glory,
honor and immortality. the divine ma
ture
To suppose that Jesus went TO heav-
en- a man is to mistake the significance
of His title. The Son of Man, which
He maintains, as identifying Him with
His great redemptive work-as one Of
His many titles. TO suppose that Jesus
is human being in heaven would be
to suppose that He is still as when
Tin the flesh. "a little lower than the
angels" whereas the Scriptures de-
N.',e '"''t -, -
~ Wv. 90. Wv ~, ,,,,'
II,. r.. Iaa,,a =, ho.n,, =
h,n,.,, ho;n,r ,ro,,ia ho 70 S,,nnose Him
ont nf oI,J bornony vim beovenlv
snir,tv,, co,ditions a,a snrrnundipos
Cbprch of Christ will he changed from
tbe bpman to the snirit condition in the
resurrection. and that this change will
make the "elect of Cod like their Re-
| deemer. so that they NAV see Him as
He is. not as He ,oas-that they may
see Him In glory, honor and immor-
tality, exaltation. and not as the hu-
INFLATED One, Who was made flesh that
He might sacrifice His flesh on mans
behalf? When we so thought we for
got the Scriptural declaration that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Kingdom of God" hence that all those
called to be partakers of the divine
nature and heavenly Kingdom with
their Redeemer and Lord must be made
IKE Him by the power OF the blfst
Resurrection.
Difficulties of UnbeIievers.
The Pastor declared that he had
found worldly-wise people yery skep-
tical respecting the descent of the
Looos the Son of God TO earthly con-
ditions. but that Christians seem to
have more difficulty than the world in
comprebendiug the return. the ascen-
| ,,o, 30 Ios,s 20 +ha sn,,;t nlapa and ito