.I (lnclt1nbent OJ St. Jmnes's, Ryde, Isle oj Wigllt.) - The Gospel ...

The Gospel Magazine 735
an habitation of God through the Spirit." And then, when we go a
little farther on in the Epistle, we find the Apostle saying, "Ye were
sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord." When I turn
to other Epistles, as, for instance, to the 8th of Romans, I am told that
" there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" ;
so that, in short, we might run through every page of the New Testament,
the Gospels as well as the Epistles, and show you how continually
the Scripture brings this before the minds of God's people,
that they are in Christ; and to sum up all, the Apostle tells us in the
2nd of Colossians, "Ye are COMPLETE IN HIM."
We ask you, brethren, to take your Bibles, and let it be your study
from day to day, to try to discern what a Christian man is, solely by
his being in Christ.
All those passages which we have quoted from God's Word, bring
out a great doctrine which, however familiar it may be in your ears, we
must repeat over and over again from this place; I refer to the great
doctrine of the mystical union between Christ and His Church. It is a
great doctrine of Scripture, that the Church has been in union with
Christ from all eternity; so that a man did not become a member of
Christ's mystical body, when Christ died on the cross; he does not become
a member of Christ'smystical body, when he believes the truth;
but before the foundation of the world this union has subsisted between
Christ and every individual member of His Church-that Church given
to Him by the Father-the individual members known to Him by
name, all mystically united to Him from everlasting, as the Body, of
which He is the Head. What is the meaning of that passage in the
9th verse of the 1st chapter of 2nd Timothy, where the Apostle tells
us that we are saved " not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before
the world began"? Now, I do say there must be great perverseness
of the mind, there must be very downright opposition to the plain
declarations of God's Word, when men resist these things. It is a
great doctrine of Scripture, that the Church has been, from everlasting,
the mystical body of Christ-what faith does in the matter, we shall
tell you by and by.
(To be continued.)
"MY MEDITATION OF HIM SHALL BE SWEET."
THE dear Spirit-taught believer has no need to ask, " Whom do you
mean by Him?" Every heart which is united to the Lord Jesus
feels instinctively the identity, the sweetness, the personality of Him
and Himself. To meditate of Him and HiB doings, of our standing in
Him, our hope and joy in Him, are all heart themes that are as a well
of life and rejoicing and refreshing to the thirsty soul. Where shall we
begin? How shall we continue? How shall we end? It is
inexhaustible.