The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-04-27


to take away our reproach." isaiah
Al He said in part:
Many Of the Old Testament prophe-
cies are highly figurative. Doubtless
they had some measure of application
at the time they were written, but
we have Apostolic authority for con-
Guiding that they were intended for
Spiritual Israel. q Peter 1:12) Our
Lord and the Apostles quoted contin-
ualiy from the prophecies and invaria-
bly, applied the lesson to the Gospel
Age. Hence we are abundantly justi-
fed In assuming that our text is APP
plicable to the present Its peculiar
expression, I'm that Day." is usual
throughout Scripture in referring to
the close Of this Gospel Age, with its
trouble and confusion incident to the
Inauguration OF the Millennium.
Throughout the Scriptures a woman
Is symbol Of the Church-a pure wo-
man of pure Church, corrupt wom-
an Of false Church. Our Lord COM
pared the true Church In the end of
this Age to a company of virgfns-part
wise and part foolish-and likens Him.
self to the Bridegroom, who had come
at the end of the Age to receive His
espoused Church to Himself in glory.
John the Baptist pictured the matter
after the same figure, saying. HE that
hath the Bride is the Bridegroom;
and st. Paul amplifies the thought, de-
claring, Il have espoused you 1.-THE con-
secrated Church, as a chaste virgin
unto one husband, which is Christ"
John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2) Here
as In the parable of the Ten Virgins,
the Jewish marriage Is set forth as the
type of the union between Christ and
the Church-a very different figure
from modern marriage customs.
With the Jews in olden time, when
a betrothal took place, legal and bind
ing documents were signed by or for
the contracting parties, but no actual
marriage occurred for about year.
During that period it was required
that the espoused be as faithful to her
espousal as Is now expected Of any
true wife. We see the harmony be-
tween the Jewish marriage custom and
the Lords dealings with the Church.
No one is espoused to our Lord who
has not entered into a formal and def
mite contract with Him. On our Lords
part the contract Is the great and pre-
cfous promises of Scripture, assuring
the espoused that if faithful, she shall
be joint-heir with her Lord In His Mil
lennial Kingdom. On the Churchs
part the contract is our covenant of
conservation, faithfulness to our Re
deemer even unto death.
The interim between our personal &C.
ceptance of the Lords gracious prom
ises and our death corresponds In
measure to the betrothal period of the
Jewish maiden; but the more exact
fulflment of the figure Is found In the
history of the Church as whole. Our
Lords virgin Church was espoused to
Him at Pentecost, and has been await
ing the coming Of the Bridegroom and
her resurrection change to glory, honor
and immortality-the marriage, the
union-for nearly nineteen centuries.
The Bride In Kingdom Glory.
In His last Message to the Church,
recorded in the Revelation, our Lord
continues to picture the Church as a
betrothed virgin, unmarried, but under
strictest obligations to purity and faith
fulness down to the end of this Gospel
Age, where she is represented as MAX
ing herself ready for the Bridegroom's
coming and for the marriage To be
ready she must have on the wedding
garment, and 1t must be without spot
or wrinkle or any such thing" Ephe-
SLAMS 5:27.) That robe represents the
imputed righteousness of Christ, which
covers her every unintentional blemish
and imperfection; and any spot or
wrinkle upon this robe would be a
cause of such grief to the betrothed
one that the stain would be removed
and the wrinkle pressed out by the
gracious arrangement made therefor
by the Heavenly Bridegroom; for He
presented the robe and gave directions
by which It might be kept "unspotted
from the world"
The Revelation shows thatswith her
resurrection change In the end of this
Age the 'espoused virgin Church will
be no more. She win have passed into
the more exalted state OF the Bride