The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-01-20

st raul tells exactly what he refers
TO by this term. temple of God" say
ing. Know We not that We are the tenn
pie of God. and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in your In the Wilderness.
when God entered into covenant rela-
tionship with the Israelites. becoming
their God and accepting them as His
people under the Law Covenant. He
manifested Himself in the Most Holy
of their Tabernacle. The Divine pres
ence was indicated by a great light
called the Shekinah Glory. which shone
out from between the Cherubim cover
ing the Mercy Seat.
When the Israelites would draw near
to God. they did so through His ap-
pointed servants. Aaron and his sons
These had access to Gods presence.
The Tabernacle was therefore the tenn
pie of God. because God was repre-
scented by His Spirit. or Power or
Presence. there. But it was called the
Tabernacle because ii was merely a
tent. in contrast with the permanent
building erected later by King Solo
mon. After its dedication. God appear
ed in that Temple instead of In the
Tabernacle. and His presence was
manifested in the same manner
The Church is the antitypical Tenn
Pile of God; but. as St Peter points
out, it as a Temple is not yet con-
structed. q Peter 2: 49, Each con-
secrated child of God. begotten of the
Holy Spirit. is a living stone in prep
aration for a place in the glorious Tenn
pie Of God. soon to be constructed.
These living stones are Gods work
manship. He works in them by the
Spirit of Truth: and by His providence
He shapes them. polishes them. devel-
| ops their characters. and makes them
ready for the coming building New
ertheless, this Master-w workman always
| recognizes the free will Of His people.
| He works in them only as much as
| they are willing to let Him work. only
| in harmony with their prayers to be
| filed with His Spirit.
| Some indeed draw back entirely
| They are at liberty to draw back unto
| perdition; or, as many do. they are al
| liberty to draw back from the full
| preparation for the Kingdom and the
| Temple. to hold back from the chisel-
| ings and polishings. so as to be unfit
| for a place in the Temple. AS long as
| they do not draw back in heart, how
ever, but remain loyal to the Lord,
| they will get a blessing. even though
| they will miss the chief blessing. This
the Apostle shows in the preceding
context, saying. "If any mans work
| abide, he shall receive a re-
ward If any mans work shall be
| burned. he shall suffer loss; but he
| himself shall be saved. SO as by fire.
because he has built upon the Rock.
The Temple Not Yet Built.
According to St Peters picture. The
living stones for the Temple are mere
" chiseled and polished during their
earthly life: and not until the resur
rection will these living stones come
| together as the Temple of God, to be
fully indwelt by His Holy Spirit
hcACc Ol- Nsto HltN<th ms biNASA
| of our earthly bodies as temples OF
| the Holy Spirit In other words, he
was calling our f1eshly tabernacles
temples So in another place he de
clared, I'VE that are in this tabernacle
do groan. being burdened; not that we
would be unclothed without taber
nacle. or bodyl, but that we would be
clothed upon''-with our Heavenly
house. our spiritual bodies. which God
has promised in the resurrection.
ST. Paul's thought appears to he that
wherever God may dwell is necessarily
holy-His temple or His tabernacle
and that any wilful or intentional de
| liberateness in sin. depraving that TEN
| pie or tabernacle, would be an offense
not only against it. but against God
Oh. if Christian people who have re
ceived the begetting of the Holy Spirit
could but comprehend this lesson. we
may be sure that it would have pow,
erfuI influence upon their lives.
Solomon's Typical Temple.
Under Divine direction the stones
and timbers for Solomon's temple were
prepared before the work of construct
ing the temple began. We read that
the whole building went together per
fectly. without the sound of hammer
/. e.. there was no need to pound OF
chisel any part. Every stone was per
fectly fitted for its place. This is very
much the style of our modern cOnstruc-
ton. The huge stones in our great
buildings are not chiseled on the spot
nor during the process of construction
but in the quarry. and then are Grated
and brought to the building site al
ready to be placed.
God, the great Architect of the spir
itual Temple. planned and directed that
earthly temples construction so as to
make of it an illustration of the rea
Temple of God. the Church in glory
In our earthly experiences we receive
the chiselings and polishings necessary
to our various places in the glorious
Temple about to be built. Whoever
resists these chiselings. or by unfitness
escapes them. will thereby just so sure
Iy escape being member of the
Church in glory. We cannot afford
that loss We must therefore gladly
submit ourselves to the Divine provi
dences which shape our lives. our des
TIMES, and prepare US for the glorious
things which God has in reservation
for those that love Him.
The resurrection of the Church is In
the Bible called the First Resurrection
or Chief Resurrection: for all those
who will participate in it will expert
ence an instantaneous change from
earthly conditions" changed in a mo
ment, in the twinkling of an eye
Each one thus changed is thereby FIT
ted. or built, into his place in the
Temple of Glory This resurrection
work is due to begin at the Second
Coming of Christ when the dead II
Christ shall rise first. n Thessaloni
ans 4: 16) Thus considerable mum.
Der of living stones will be laid stimuli
taneously to their places in glory.
Then will follow the change of the
remaining members of the Church. As
the Apostle explains. we which are
alive and remain shall be changed
Each will be changed in an instant
not slowly; but all will not be changed
In the same instant or moment The
processes will gradually continue dur
ing the time called in the Bible the
Harvest: and by the conclusion of the
Harvest the last of these living stones
will have passed beyond the veil
changed" Then the Temple will be
finished. The next step in the Divine
program will be that which was typi-
fed by the glory of the Lord coming
into Solomon's temple and filing it,