Part 6 (1/2)
P S--It is of the utmost importance for the Christian reader to bear inChurch, it is his privilege to enjoy as high coh a path of individual devotedness as ever was known in the very brightest days of the Church's history We s around us for lowering the standard of individual holiness and devotedness _There is no excuse for continuing a single hour in connection with anything that will not stand the test of Holy Scripture_
True, we feel the condition of things--cannot but feel it: would we felt it h it with Christ, and another thing to sink under it and go on with the evil, or give up in despair
May the Lord, in His infinite grace, produce in the hearts of all His people a es and responsibilities, both individually and collectively, that thus there hter testimony for His name, and a devoted band of worshi+pers, workers and witnesses, gathered out to wait for His coht?
Or who did it suggest?
”That we, the Church, to glory brought, Should WITH the Son be blest”
O God, the thought was Thine!
(Thine only it could be,) Fruit of the wisdom, love divine, Peculiar unto Thee
For, sure, no other th, could ever find; Thine only it could be
The motives, too, Thine own, The plan, the counsel, Thine!-- Made for Thy Son, bone of His bone In glory bright to shi+ne
O God, with great delight Thy wondrous thought we see, Upon _His_ throne, in glory bright, The bride of Christ shall be
Sealed with the Holy Ghost, We triuht has made our boast, ”Glory WITH Christ above”
THE THREE APPEARINGS
(Heb ix 24-28)
”For Christ is not entered into the holy places ures of the true; but into heaven itself, _now to appear_ in the presence of God for us: nor yet that He should offer Hih priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the ages _hath He appeared_ to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself And as it is appointed unto ment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him _shall He appear_ the second tilish reader should be informed that the three words which are rendered in the above passage, ”appear,” are not the sainal Greek; but our object is to deal with the facts set forth, rather than with the words ereat facts in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ It speaks of e s, na in the present; and an appearing in the future He _hath_ appeared in this world to do a certain work; He _doth_ appear in heaven to carry on a certain lory The first is Atonement; the second is Advocacy; the third is the Advent And first, then, let us dwell for a few moments on
THE ATONEMENT,
which is here presented in its two grand aspects, first, Godward; and secondly, usward The apostle declares that Christ hath appeared ”to put away _sin_;” and also ”to bear the sins of many” This is a distinction of the utmost importance, and one not sufficiently understood or attended to, Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Hilorified God in reference to the question of sin in its very broadest aspect This He has done altogether irrespective of the question of persons or the forgiveness of the _sins_ of individuals Even though every soul, froeneration, were to reject the proffereddeath of Christ had put away sin--had destroyed the power of Satan--had perfectly glorified God, and laid the deep and solid foundation on which all the divine counsels and purposes can rest for ever
It is to this fact that the Baptist refers in these memorable words, ”Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the _sin_ of the world”
(John i 29) The Laht a work in virtue of which every trace of sin shall be obliterated from the creation of God He has perfectly vindicated God in the very rossly dishonored, in which His character had been traduced and His majesty insulted He came to do this at all cost, even at the sacrifice of Himself He sacrificed Himself in order to lory of God He has wrought a work by the which God is infinitely lorified than if sin had not entered at all God shall reap a richer harvest by far in the fields of redemption than ever He could have reaped in the fields of an unfallen creation
It is well that the reader should deeply ponder this glorious aspect of the atoning death of Christ We are apt to think that the very highest viee can take of the cross is that which involves the question of our forgiveness and salvation This is a grave mistake
That question is divinely settled, as we shall seek to show; for the less is always included in the greater But let us remember that our side of the atonereater It was infinitely lorified than that we should be saved Both ends have been gained, blessed be God, and gained by one and the same work, the precious atonelory of God is of far greater moment than the salvation of men; and further, that we never can have so clear a sense of the latter as e see it flowing from the former It is e see that God has been perfectly and for ever glorified in the death of Christ, that we can really enter into the divine perfectness of our salvation In point of fact, both are so intiether that they cannot be separated; but still God's part in the Cross of Christ lory of God was ever uppermost in the devoted heart of the Lord Jesus Christ For this He lived, for this He died He ca God, and froreat and holy object He never swerved a er to the cross True it is--blessedly true--that in carrying out this object He has perfectly lory ruled Hiround of atoneher aspect, that God has been dealing with the world in patient grace, h six thousand years He sends His rain and His sunbeaood, upon the just and the unjust It is in virtue of the atoneh despised and rejected--that the infidel and the atheist live, and enjoy God's dailythe revelation and denying the existence of God they owe to Hi We speak not here, by any iveness of _sins_, or of the soul's salvation This is another question altogether, and to it we shall refer presently But, looking atat the world in which he lives, it is the Cross which for with both the one and the other
Furtherround of the atoneelist can go forth ”into _all the world_, and preach glad tidings to _every creature_” He can declare the blessed truth that God has been glorified as to sin--His clainified--His attributes hare that God can now be just and yet the justifier of any poor unGodly sinner that believes in Jesus There is no hindrance, no barrier of any kind whatsoever The preacher of the gospel is not to be cray
He has to do with the large, loving heart of God, which, in virtue of atonement, can flow forth to every creature beneath the canopy of heaven He can say to each and to all--and say it without reserve--”COME!” Nay, more, he is bound to ”_beseech_” them to come
”We _pray_ you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God” Such is the proper language of the evangelist, the herald of the cross, the ae than the wide, orld; and he is called to drop his e into the ear of every creature under heaven