Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-07-17

II y
- High Priest OF
our profession, Christ Jesus" The
! supreme mission of the Holy Spirit is
TO testify of Christ and make Him
( known, and here He summons us to
behold Him in His priestly office, be-
cause "for u.s. He 10 thereon our be-
half--representing us In all the ac-
/ ceptableness of His own Person before
God. An. He cannot, forget those for
whom He died and whom His grace
has made His own forever. The dove
that led Him to the cross for usiis q
love that cannot change and II will
never abandon those upon whom II
has once been bestowed. but win bear
them INCREASINGLY in the presence of
God and thus maintain, in all Its in
| tegrity, the relationship In which by
death and resurrection He has estab-
lished them.
/ His presence there within the veil
Is the believers security, and upon II
the Spirit of God bases our STRONG
consolation saying in chapter 6:18.
"That we might have strong conso-
lation. who have fled for refuge 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 whittier the forerunner is for us
entered, even Jesus, made an High
Priest forever"
"F'led for refuge The phrase is a.
plain allusion to the manslayer In
Israel, for whom the six cities of ref
uge were appointed, scattered at In
teryals throughout the land. When
unwittingly, without lying In walt"
one might kill fellowman, he was
to flee to the nearest of these cities
Of refuge and remain there, entirely
safe from the avenger of blood, during
''the life Of the high priest that should
be in those days" When the high
priest died, and another succeeded to
the priesthood, the manslayer returned
to his home unmolested.
How these cities of refuge preached
to Israel How prophetic still OF
coming day when that nation, guilty
of great fratricide, shall fee from
the avenger and find refuge. "Unwit-
tingly" they did 1t, as the object OF
their wrath, in a prayer that must
avail, declared: Father, forgive them
for they know not what they do"
But see, q believer In Jesus The
Spirit OF God is likening thee to the
manslayer, not in his inanslaughter,
but in his security. Y0u are shut up
IN the city of refuge and iyonrs safety
there depends upon the High Priest
OF our profession, who said Because
live, ye shall live also Z and of whom
It Is. written in Romans $40: For H.
when we were enemies, we were rec
onciled to God by the death Of His
Son. much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life"
But those priests Of Aaron's line
died. When will our High Priest die?
Once In death for sin. He is out Of 1t
forever! knowing that Christ being
raised from the dead dieth no more;
death hath no more dominion over
Him" (Rom. 600. And we turn
again to our epistle of the sanctuary
and read: "And they truly were many
priests, because they were not suf
fered to continue by reason of death"
Ia long long line because death took
them one by one away-"but this
man." the text continues, because he
continueth ever hath an Interchangeable
priesthood. Wherefore he is able also
to save them to the uttermost thar
come unto God by him, seeing He
ever liveth to make intercession for
them"
Strong consolation" indeed Based
upon no merit Of ours or attachments
but upon the attachments and merit
OF our Lord Jesus Christ.
But stronger still Is the consolation.
for OF this hope which we have. laid
hold upon, II is added: 1--WE have as
an anchor of the SOUL both sure and
steadfast." The figure recalls the old
n-time seamanship. when the ships
anchor was carried up on the beach
and left there He who has gone into
heaven for us has anchored our souls
there wiin.a the veil.
And now to make our consolation
complete and to free us from all mis-
giving as TO our being in heaven 1T
last. one word is added: "Whither the
forerunner is for us entered" II any
complain of this mixing of metaphors,
let him remember that il is the Spirit
Of God who employs them. Surely He
knows how to use them to set the
Savior forth. "Now to appear In the
runner He has gone into heaven, there
10 make public proclamation of our
coming. pronounrlng the name Of
every forgiven sinner, and thus herald
mr dds arrival sjnfa the lilaee which