Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE FIRST AND THE SECOND MAN.91the words, " God gave Him to be Head overthings to the Church, who is His Body, theness of Him who fills all things in athough o no language o o could exhaust or duly *hibit the meaning of the kingdom or the temple -Lin which the abiding work of our Lord is indi-cated, we have in this title yet more strikinglyportrayed the intimate union and common lifeof His people with Christ, and His tender affectionfor them, since the King of Truth who redeemsand the God of Truth who sanctifies is at thesame time the Head who by His own Spirit ofthe truth rules and vivifies His »own Body. Ifit be possible to dissociate the idea of the Kingfrom his kingdom, or that of God from the temple xof living souls in whom He is worshipped, andwhose worship of Him makes them one, yet inthe human frame to dissever the head from thebody is to destroy the propriety of both terms,and it is as a whole human body that the apostlerepresents Christ and His people to us.4. Yet, as if this was not enough, S. Paulgoes on to delineate Him as the Bridegroom,whose love after redeeming sanctifies one whoshall be His bride for ever, one who obeys Himwith the fidelity of conjugalove, one whose preservationof His faith unstained is not the dryfulfilment of a command, but the prompting ofwedded affection. The image seems chosen toconvey intensity of love, first on the part of the