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CHAPTER III.

FOR THE CHURCH.

THE Greek word which we translate "church" is well known in the Old Testament; as in Ps. xxii. 22, " in the midst of the congregation ('church,' Heb. ii. 11, 12) will I praise thee;" in Ps. xxxv. 18, "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation ('the great church'): I will praise thee among much. people;" Ps. xl. 10, “I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation (the great church');" Ps. cxlix. I," Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints ('the church of the saints')."

Hence, in his address to the Sanhedrim, Stephen takes up the word, and speaks of "the church in the wilderness" (Acts vii. 38).

The church, then, is the whole body of saints called out of the race of Adam, chosen in Christ, according to the Father's eternal purpose, and delivered from a present evil world. It is the

one spiritual house or temple which God has been building of living stones from the beginning (I Cor. iii. 16; 1 Pet. ii. 5); the one vine, of which all believers are the branches (John xv. 5); the one loaf, of which all believers are the crumbs (I Cor. x. 17); the one family or household, of which all believers are the members (Gal. vi. 10; Eph. ii. 19); the one body, of which all believers are the parts and limbs and organs (Eph. iv. 16), and regarding which Paul says, "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Eph. v. 25, 26).

This is the church to which so many promises are made, and of which such glorious things are spoken. This is the church to which every saint belongs; which sings on earth the song, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever" (Rev. i. 5, 6); and which sings in heaven, "Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. v. 9, 10).

Many of the promises to individual saints apply to the church as a whole, and many of the promises to the church are the legitimate

property of individual saints. Let us select a few which best suit the church as a whole.

I. CHRIST'S PRESENCE.

There are two ways in which Christ's nearness to his church is spoken of, two figures by which it is shadowed forth: the one is our being in him, and the other is his being in us; the one our going up to him, and being seated with him in heavenly places; the other his coming down to us, and making his dwelling here: "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

This presence need not always be visible, but it must be real and vital. Our life is hid with Christ in God; and his words to us are, "Because I live, ye shall live also."

There must be communication, unbroken communication, between us and the Lord; all the evil in us passing out of us, and all the good in him passing into us. His fulness is the fountain-head, and from it the streams gush forth on every side. He comes into his dwelling, into his temple, into his garden; he walks among his candlesticks, and holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. His Godhead makes all this sure to us. He is in the midst of us; he breathes on us; he touches us; he sups with us, and we with him.

"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you" (John xiv. 20).

"Abide in me, and I in you" (John xv. 4).

"In the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man" (Rev. i. 13). "I in them, and thou in me" (John xvii. 23).

"He is the head of the body, the church" (Col. i. 18).

"Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Heb. iii. 6).

"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit" (1 John iv. 13).

"In the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain” (Rev. .6).

"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen

of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. ii. 4, 5).

"The king hath brought me into his chambers" (Cant. i. 4).

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse" (Cant. v. 1).

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. xviii. 20).

"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. xxviii. 20).

"These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks” (Rev. ii. 1).

2. CHRIST'S GRACE.

The grace or free love of Christ is the sunshine in which the church walks, and without which she stumbles and strays. For his church the large fountain of his grace has been opened, and is flowing still.

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