THE KING’S to him that he might “preach the .unsearch able riches of Christ” to the Gentile. Shall we, not thank Gqd. that, to us, to some of us, is given the. call to. preach the "riches among the Jews, .to whom' originally and Ultimately they belong? The" patent of no bility among the families of mankind .,was long ago bestowed on, Israel. Although Paul in his Epistle-to the Romans, puts.“no difference” between Jew and Gentile, in that “all have sinned,” pn another hand he jealously,guards certain prerogative's as per duliarly Israel’s, “according to election.” “What, advantage then,” he says, “hath the Jew? .and what profit, is there in circum cision? Much .every way! chiefly that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” Then,, later,,he adds to the catalogue,. “To whorij pertaineth ^the adoption, and -the glory, and the. covenants, and the giving of the lew, and .the service of God,; and the promises ; whose are the fathers,, and of .whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever.” Those advantages were mediatorial, and Is rael’s failure to fulfil his trust has now worked to his grievous disadvantage; there fore":. “They have stumbled,’’ , have been “cast away,” “broken off,” . “spared .no.t .they haye known “the severity of God; “hardening has happened to them in part,” they have even “become enemies for your sakes”. (see Romans chapters 9-11). Note that—“for your sakes.” Their dis-' advantage has worked our advantage. To us now are committed the oracles of God; : to us now pertaineth the adoption, the sank ship; and the glory, the abiding -Presence; , and the service of God,—that priestly. mmT istry which offers up “spiritual .sacrifices,” ... and intercessory prayer for all men.,' Ours- are the promises, “exceeding’ great and precious” ; ours are the fathers, for we also " are sons of Abraham, “who is the Father-* of us all ; and through us Christ’comes; * as we hymn it, I»1' § ! We are more than heirs to .all (this, We’ are “heirs with them.” More closely boppd. ‘•C hrist for th e w orld w e sing; T he w orld to C h rist w e b rin g .”
BUSINESS 415 up with Israel we .could not be and m relations, soon to flower out visibly and materially, into heavenly .glory :and-. earthly rule. The Epistle to the Ephesians- is our charter’ for Jail this. " We Were orice “sepa rate; from Christ” but are now 'seated with Him,” that Divine Jew; we were, ''aliens from . the commonwealths of Israel," we. are *now, members of it ; we yyere “afar off,” but are “made, nigh;” “ifie middle wall of par tition" '..¡is. demolished. ', and the Gentile .Stream flows unto and. qn w^ith )he Israel- ;tic; price- two,, “the' twain are. one,”-“otie inan,”-“one body,” We who were • strang ers” are “fellow citizens;” . and ..once “rp- jearners” gre. “of" the househojd,” Òrice crude granite in the gl'oomsf pi the ,quarry we are now “stones,” “living, signes” build- ed in on the same .foundation and growing • into.¿the -one temple “for-an habitation o,f God through the. Spirit.’’ , Could the identi fication bé more complete?'.Into Israel the cultured olive we are grafted, and. become partakers of its “root and fatness” This, not the Church, is the “mystery” ■ that amazed, and delighted that generous Jew, our brother Paul, and to the proclaiming of which he gave himself for our sakes, , That the gentiles should- be -fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and .partakers, of the promise in Christ through -the gospel.” Our theories of the Church must be har monized with this. ' .For all this wealth of blessing we are indebted to Israel. His disadvantage is our A dvantage All has' “happened” to him iff qk your sakes.” ■ ,T.h;e Jew’s sufferings are thus, in some . sort, vicarious. . The messianic and media- t°rial people “fill up that which is behind lof the afflictions of Christ for his body’s sake which is the Church” (there is one body” 'pith- one “Head over all.” Both the In dividual and the collective (national) Mes siah “first suffer (He voluntarily, they in- :'vP?un^ar^y ). .atl
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