Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / April 15, 1869, edition 1 / Page 3
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ZION’S LANDMARKS. 75 V. .titep8 of this King, I could frain from exclaiming, “0 the dep^h of the riches both of the wis dom it,hd knowledge of God! How jmsea r chable are his judgments, and iis ways past finding out !” Till I greet the reader again may he and I rest under the shadow of the Al- Wiighiy. A VISITOR. WOODBERKY, MeRRIWETHER Co., \ Georgia, Dec. 26, 1868. j Elder Bodenhamer :—By iVequest, I send the following private letter, written by J. B. Matthews, of Ark., to his sister in Georgia, which you can dispose of as you think proper: Drew County, Ark., ) May 12th, 1868. j Bear Sister:—I now commence a letter to you, agreeable to your re quest, giving some of my vievs on the union of Christ and the church— ahouid I be able to do so. Before we proceed, I will state that this doctrine seems to be veiled in mystery, to a considerable degree, though it has been considerably dis- cussetl of late years—and that to the dissa' sfaction of some of the breth ren. We should be careful to avoid extreme, lest we deify' the church -the cue hand, or separate it so far from Christ on the other as to sever the attracting cord, and thus loose iit forever. There are many texts of scripture that appear to us to have some ailurion to tins subject, but most of them arc spoken in a figure ; hence the disagreement among the bretlu’cn. In Rom. 1st : 20th, we read, “For the invisible things of him, from tlie’creation of the world, are c* vudy seen, being understood by things that are made, cveoi his eter nal p'over and God-head.'’ Then let US go -o the creation ami learn a les- BOn, 'or \ve find that in pointing out to mr^n his food, that every tree yieidingfiT.it, and having its seed in itself vms good; and that of all the trees of the garden, Adam had per^ mission to eat, hut of the tree of Icnov lcdge, &c. The tree of life, al so, in the midst of the garden was not prohibited. Then it must have had its seed in itself; that was Christ in a ugure. IVo read in Isa. Oc>r r.o. 10th, “he shall see kis seed, he shall prolong his uay”,&c. And in 1st Peter 1st : 23rd, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incor rupt]. ie, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.” Again let us go to the creation. We are told that in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. How was “them’ ’ in the plural, created in the image of God ? but in representation of the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride the church, “male and female created he them.” We see not Miss or Mrs. Eve, exist ing in Adam as such, but we see a “rib” which is hone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, which evidently had its beginning in the creation, with or in Adam. Now in Eph. 5th : 29th, we are told, “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh ; but nourisheth it and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.” 30th verse, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bone.” 32nd verse, “This is a great mystery : but I speak con cerning Christ and the church.”- — Once more let us go to the creation for instruction. We behold two great lights, and we are told in Gen. 1st : 14th, that they are for signs, &c., and in the 16th verse we have these great lights distinguished from the lesser lights ; the one to rule the day in which we have light and heat, with all its nourishing and cherishing effects on this cold earth, but by the ro tation of the earth, it is excluded from our vision near one half of the time, and we are measureably deprived n? its light and heat; the other to ruie the night, in vdiich we have a reflector which serves to dispel the very gloom of darkness, caused by the disappear ance of the other, Avhich is the vci'j foundation of light and heat, that is so very essential to the inhabitants of this earth ; but the other is an opaque body, and affords us no light in and of itself, but being so fixed in the firmament that it reflects the light of the other, and throws its rays on this earth, by which the density of that darkness that would otlicr- wise exist is removed. Can '.ve not see here in a figure, the Lord Jesus Christ and liis cluircb; in him the very foundation and heat of life-—that spiritual life that is given to his children Avho believe. Ho is the light of the Avorld. The same attribute is also ascribed to the church, but has, as Ave found it to be Avirh the moon, is a borrowed lighc, and as day and night arc partner sliarcrs of our time in this AAmrld, so the bcliev' ers in Jesus arc made to mourn much of their time, over a dark ■ and be clouded mind, and consequently have to grovelmuch of their Avay; and then it is that Ave are prepared to realize the benefit of the light of the moon, the laws of the church. "We might go on in applying this figure to a considerable length, as there is much food here for thought, but space forbids. If we inquire when these two lights were made, we find them both to have been cre ated the same dsy. The Psalmist in the 45th Psalm and 6th verse, says, “Thy throne 0 God is forever and ever,” &c.; and in the 9th verse, ‘■‘Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.” He tells us not when or how she got there, but she did stand there. In John 17th : 11th, Christ prays “Holy Father keep through thine OAvn name those Avhom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as Ave are one.”— 21st verse, “That they may all be one as thou. Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us,” &c. Read the whole chapter. But I must stop making quotations and only allude to them, as space AYOuld fail me. He is represented as the head, and the church the body; He is the husband and she the wiU ; He the creator and they the crea tures ; He is the elder brother and has the right to redeem ; they the younger and need redemption. But n’o one figure is fully sufficient to liopreyent this truth, else there would have been no use for but the one, nor does any figure, or all of them com bined completely shovf fortli this truth, or come up to the tiling pre figured ; for then it Avould be the thing itself. But the believer has i;ot a clear aIcav of these truths at ali times, but only as God in his Spirit’s poAA'er draAvs back the cur tain or lifts tlie veil and gives us a little peep into the things that ac company salvation. So Ave can tes tify Avith the 'apostle, “that Avithout controversy, groat is the mystery of godliness.” The ncAvly aAvakened soul is apt to conclude Avith the poet: “Gome fiiiinls and sinners, liear me toll The wonders ofJnuuaime), AVho brought m3" soul with liiin to d'wcll, To dwell in sweetest union. lie loolicd on me with pitying eye, And said to mo as he passed by, With God you have no union,’’ &c. Such is his conolusioii Avhen realizing a sense of his lost and undone condi tion ; lie feels the effects of sin, and mourns over his toisspent life. His corruptions pex’mcate tbrougliout the Avholcof his physical and moral sys tem. I haAT sinned, I am lost and un done, I thought by reforming my course inlile, he Avould approve of my . conduct and have compassion on me, j but!see uoavI was Avrong. For 1 can now see sin, new sin mixing itself with the very best of my performances, to sink me into perdition' though my former life had been faultless. I now feel that in me there is no prin ciple to unite me to Christ. “Tie looked ow mo with pitying ej'c, And said to me, as he passed h3", With God you have no union.” Such is the' feelings of the poor soul, when bowed down beneath a load of sin and guilt. But at a time, i#iex- pected, Avhen he is about to despair, the Lord Jesus is revealed to the soul, as a loving and kind Redeemer; one that long before the poor self" condemned sinner was born into the Avorld, stepped in betAveen him and the uplifted hand of justice, and received the stroke in his own person. He was bruised for our offences, by his stripes Ave are healed ; a change noAY comes over him, he sees a principle of attraction in Jesus, his soul runs out after him, he can now adopt the language of the Spouse in the Songs and sa^q “Ho is thejTiiicfcst among ten thousand and altogether lovely.” Now let us climb the highest pinaclo in our state of delight, go if you please to the top of old Buuyan’s de lectable mountains, and there fre quent the shephei’ds tents and where they Avatered their flocks at _ noon- .tfde and tnereTIike Iioid of their pros pective glass, and if you can hold a steady hand, take a look through it; that glass ay 11 shoAv you your origin, and the purpose for Avhich you wore created; you can also see hoAV your OAAm conception of Avhat Avas your true state, Avas wrong, your judgment Avas perverted. You thought atone time by mending your life, you would please the ' Lord, at another time, you felt to be .so completely alienated from God there could not possibly bo any relation existing, no more than there is AA'ith light and darkness or heaven and hell. But you can noAV look back and sec that you never got so loAV, but that his everlasting arm was underneath thee. “Blessed art thou tleshurun. the eternal God is. thv refuge, the e/erlasting arm is underneath;” or if you can stand Avith the Psalmist and behold the King in his glory, you Avill see that his kingdom is an everlasting king dom, and his throne is forcAmr and CATr, and on his right band did stand the queen in gold of Ophir; or take youi stand point aaIIIi Paul and a#e that none ascended up into hea-^n, but he that came doAvn from heaven, even the Son of Man A\hich is in. heaven ; or go Avith John in the spir it, to an exceeding high mountain, %l .Ms A’
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
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April 15, 1869, edition 1
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