THERE is a danger that, in dwelling, as we properly do with delight of heart, upon the blessedness that accrues to us and which awaits us at, the return of the Lord, we overlook more or less that unique joy to Himself of which His coming is the prelude or the precursor. We carry our native selfishness so far into spiritual things, that even the Lord's return is regarded a: thousand-fold more in relation to what it eventuates in for ourselves, what it will emancipate us from, and what it will usher us into, than we do in respect to Him who is the Object of that great event.
Both as to grace and as to glory, we need to be reminded that we are but the means to an ordained end. And that end is the heading up of all things in Christ, the things in the heaven's and the things upon the earth, according to those divine counsels which subsisted before the world began. No less in the ultimate display than in the prior working out, we but constitute the prescribed means which God's wisdom has devised for the manifestation, both now and then, of what is worthy of His exalted Son.
Nor is it of secondary importance that we should understand this, seeing that it clears the ground for Him, and sets us in our true and subordinate position. For it need scarcely be observed that, unless we recognize in Him the end and object of the infinite and eternal counsels of God, we shall be exalting ourselves, corporately at least, if not subordinating Him. For a little while, it is true, He stooped lower than the angels, and even humbled Himself to a depth below normal humanity-" the dust of death "- but only thereby afforded a new motive for the Father's love, and acquired title to an unprecedented exaltation. In working out thus the counsels of eternal glory in deep and dire humiliation, He was never less (our souls rejoice in the thought) than the very object of those counsels Himself, who was over all, God blessed forever!
But I desire to trace, by reference to a few passages, what the word conveys as to the church's presentation to Him in glory.
In Gen. 2:18-2218And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (Genesis 2:18‑22), we have the primeval foreshadowing of this in that supreme moment when man's help-meet, having been previously formed, was brought by Jehovah-Elohim and presented to Adam as his wife. Without her he was alone," is the divine word; because, amidst the teeming wealth and beauty of created things, there was nothing to be found capable of striking a chord in his heart, or of holding that communion with him that his spirit was formed to enjoy. Not a being had been created who was qualified to enter into any apprehension of the workings of his mind in its high estate, or who could appreciate or respond to the pure and perfect affections of his heart.
Three actions are here predicated:
1. The rib is taken out of the man during his deep sleep.
2. Of it the woman is built up.
3. Eve is presented to Adam as his help-meet.
Now the church is surely that suited, and that -only suited, help-meet for Christ, the second and glorified Man, the last Adam. According to eternal counsels she is the fruit of the death of Christ. Afterward she had to be built up for Rim; and lastly she will be presented to Him, that He may have throughout eternity one who shall be to Him and for Him what none else could be, His help-meet, His consort, His joy forever.
But I proceed to another scripture. In Lev. 21 we have instructions given as to the qualifications of her who should be the wife of him who was the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and who was consecrated to put on the garments. " The crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him," remarkable expression, and therefore it is commanded that " he shall take a wife hi her virginity; a widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife, Neither shall he profane his seed among his people; for I the Lord do sanctify him." The New Testament answer to this word is surely found in 2 Cor. 11:22For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2): " For I am, jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Very evidently the lesson to be deduced from these scriptures is that unsullied holiness must characterize her who is to be in eternal alliance with Christ.
Again, in Col. 1:21-2321And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; (Colossians 1:21‑23), we read: " And you, that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature Which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made minister." We find distinct traces here of- the three things that we noticed in Gen. 2 There is first of all reconciliation " in the body of his flesh through death;" then this is seen to be in view of presentation in glory by-and-by; while intermediately there is the abiding in the faith, the grounding and settling, and the steadfastness in the hope, or, in other words, glory awaited..(See also verse 28.)
But I turn back- now to Eph. 5, as bringing before us in the fullest way both what the eternal counsels have had in view, and the instrumental means for bringing them to pass in a manner adequate to that end. " Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify it, purifying it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
The three things meet us here in their order: 1. He delivered up Himself to death in order to sanctify it. In other words, He entered upon that deep sleep that, by the sacrifice of Himself, a He might have formed from Himself (as the blade springs from the grain that has fallen into the ground and died) and also for Himself, a sanctified one, suited to enter with Him upon a communion the most profound, and to enjoy an affection the deepest and the most intimate.
2. But if we have been thus reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. Thus it is that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, objects of His constant care, and practically and continuously purified through the washing of water by the word. This is seen, as to the nature of the Lord's service and ministry, much more clearly in verse 29 " No man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ the church."
He nourisheth the church, which word implies two things: feeding it and educating it, or growth and culture. Thus Paul speaks of Timothy as " a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." He who gave Himself for the church thus feeds, supports, and educates her for Himself with assiduous and devoted solicitude.
Then, also, He cherishes the church, and this word implies two other things. He cheers her with His countenance, and He protects her with His mighty arm, as the object of His ceaseless and His tenderest affection. As the apostle says " We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so being affectionately-desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us."
3. And all this has direct reference to the presentation in glory: " That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." We are to be presented at court, and He must have us worthy of the occasion, above all worthy of Himself! The church is to be in glory, in His glory, spotless, without a trace remaining of sin or imperfection, even as holy and without blame (be it reverently said), as He! And wrinkleless, too! Not the faintest line of care or of decrepitude shall mar her beauteous brow, as, in the luster of a heavenly bride, she is assimilated to His own likeness for eternity. Remarkably, too, we find a confirmation of this in Rev. 21:22And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2), where, after a thousand years of association with Him in heavenly glory, she is beheld in her original freshness and imperishable beauty, " as a bride adorned for her husband."
It is with this in view, this presentation of her to Himself in glory to be His joy forever, that the Lord bestows such exhaustless and unwearied labors upon the bride. And in the spirit of that thought, that deep desire of His heart, the apostle anticipates his own share therein. " For," says he, "what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy." And again: " To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." Also: I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Or in the words of another apostle: " Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." And again in those of a third: " My children, abide in him: that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be put to shame by him at his coming."
We naturally ask, why are these ardent desires for the saints connected so definitely with that one terminus, the Lord's coming? Only one -answer is possible: because these inspired apostles were considering, as an artist might look forward to exhibition-day, how their master-pieces would 'look when the strong light of the glory should be thrown upon them, and how much, and how little the traces of the workman's hand would affect s and impress the Lord's heart, and be tributary to -His eternal joy!
Jude, another apostle, has also this presentation in glory before his heart, exhorting the 'saints most pointedly and most powerfully at the close of his epistle, and adding: " Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exultation [mark that precious word], to the only God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."
Lastly I would scarcely do more than mention the scene of Rev. 19 The heaven of heavens is full of joy from henceforth: " For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints." But one remark I must make, namely, that while the Lord chews us in His word how devotedly He is engaged in those wonderful services to the church which we have traced from scripture to scripture, there is also this other thing: " Every man that hath this hope in him," in Christ; but what hope? The hope of His coming? No, not exactly, but the hope of being like Him when He comes, and seeing Him in manifested glory-having this hope, " purifieth himself even as he is pure." (1 John 3:33And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:3).)
And so in Rev. 19, the Lamb's wife is seen to have " 'made herself ready." And again the fine linen which is granted to the bride for her adornment-white in its purity, and lustrous in its beauty-we are told is the righteousnesses of saints. The word is in the plural, and indicates undeniably that it is a fabric of our own weaving. How important is this thought, that we are going to wear, in the Lord's immediate presence on that memorable day, those practical works of righteousness wrought out while in testimony on the earth, after they have been tested by fire.
In these garments white and shining, and made durable for eternity, the church is arrayed for the bridal morning, the marriage of the Lamb; and in that striking description which presents the last and most lovely picture of her beauty, and her blessedness, and in which Scripture parts company with the bride, the Lamb's wife, there' occurs that final and that crowning word which nothing can surpass: " Having the glory of God." (Rev. 21:1111Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (Revelation 21:11).),
May our hearts be so divinely impressed, no less with the grace than with the magnitude of the Lord's present diligent service to the church, in view of her presentation to Himself in glory, that we who have this hope, may be, with only lesser diligence, making ready for Him and for the day of His appearing.
W. R.