Graham guardian., 1916-04-28

| llRaSl&k -kUSstllJ ton who have fed
to lay hold upon
the hope set before us; which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and steadfast, and which entereth
into that within the veil"
The Apostles words intimate that
| there Is but one hope set before the
| ChurCh--the hope presented In the Cos
| pei Of Christ, the Pastor began. 1t IS
very important. then, that as Chris,
tinns we understand what that hope Is.
Once We had such confused IDEAS re-
speeding our Heavenly Father and His
Plan that many OF us supposed that It
was n hope set before few and a
threat set before everybody elsa
threat Of endless torment. How we
misunderstood the God Of All Grace
and the Father Of MerCies"! Now We
see that there Is glorious hope for all
who learn to love righteousness and
hate iniquity, although the worlds
hope Is not the Christians hope.
Tho Hope-ReIsnins With Christ.
The hope set before the Church is
the hope Of relgning with Christ, as
His jOint.heirs, His Bride, the hope Of
attaining the Divine nature. Romans
SIT; John 80; Peter 1:4) This
hope has been held out In advance Of
the worlds hope, in which the Church
has no part. The first intimation OF
the ChurCh's hope was given to Abra-
ham-the 1ptimation that God could
raise mp class that would roll away
the curse OF death from Adams race.
The Almighty Himself had placed the
condemnation Of death upon the world,
had Judged that man was unworthy Of
everlasting life. Two thousand years
after He had pronounced the curse
upon ADAM the Eternal declared that
blessing would come to ALL the
families of the earth. 1t required
great faith on Abraham's part to be-
lieve this Promise But he believed
that in some manner God would roll
away the curse.-Genesis II: 3; Rom. IS.
And now, four thousand years after
Abraham's time, this Promise has not
yet been fulfilled. God promised Abra-
ham that through his Seed the whole
world should be blessed. That Seed,
the Apostle Paul assures us, Is Christ
and His Church. The hope of being
this Seed IS the hope referred to In our
text.-Galntians sos, IL, 20.
Our Anchor Sure and Steadfsst.
God showed that there are to be two
seeds Of Abraham; for He said, Thy
seed shall be III as the stars of Heav-
ell. and ri as the sands Of the sea
shore" Genesis 22:15-19) Here are
two seeds mentioned, though the Heav-
enly was to be the Seed Of Blessing
In due time God gave His Law to the
Israelites, with the understanding that
n they could not keep that Law, they
could not be proper teachers and bless
srs Of the world. Moses read the Law
to them at Sinai; and the people an
swered. IAN that the Lord hath spo.
ken we Will do."-Exodus 1918
God designed that the whole world
should learn that no fallen human be-
Ing could keep the letter of His Law;
for II is the measure Of perfect
hi''b hpililp' puN tituIl WIN Tue
lsraelltes as II they could do 80. Year
after year they tried in vain to keep
the Law; hence they failed to be the
Seed that was to bless the world God
was merely teaching them, and all Of
His intelligent creatures, that 1t is i'm
possible for sinners to justify them
selves IN His sight.--ROmnns $40.
Then In due time God sent forth His |
Son, the LOgOs, to become human
being and accomplish great work for |
mankind. Jesus was born q son Of |
Abraham, through the Virgin Mary. |
He kept the Jewish Law, and proved |
Himself worthy to be Messiah, tho |
Seed OF Blessing. He died a Core
spending price for Adam. He redeem |
ed the race. He became qualified for |
the great work OF the worlds deliver
ance. But first He Is delivering the
Church. Before the Church God has
set the great hope of constituting with |
Jesus the Spiritual Seed OF Abraham,
which is to bless the world. II we let
go Of this anchor Of hope, we shall
make shipwreCk of our faith.
The remainder OF the sermon was
devoted TO the present outlook. The
Pastor showed that the European war
Is merely the beginning of the trouble
to which our Lord referred when He
said. Except those days be shortened,
there should be no flesh saved" MAT
thew 2l:2l, 90 The worlds only hope
Is in Messlah's Kingdom, shortly to be
established upon the ruins Of the Old
Order