[DEDICATION OF CHURCH EDIFICES.]
NOTHING is more common than reading of the dedication of the Temple by Solomon as appropriate on dedication occasions. Only a few short years ago, a young brother of fine talent read of the dedication of the temple, and appropriated it to the occasion of dedicating a new meeting-house. But this is a perversion of a very inexcusable character. It loses sight of the significance of one of the most important types of the Old Testament. The temple was no type of a meeting-house, nor was the dedication of the temple a type of dedicating a meeting-house. The Lord did not give us the minute description of the building of the temple and the dedication to show us how to build fine houses and dedicate them.
The temple was the type of the spiritual building; the congregation of the saints, lively stones, built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. This is the temple that God dwells in—the house of God. The dedication of that ancient temple was typical of the dedication, or the consecration of men and women to the service of God. The work of the Pope is to lose sight of the dedication, or the consecration of men and women to the service of God, symbolized by the dedication of the temple, and turn the eyes of the people to great gatherings of people, to the flummery and parade of laying corner-stones, dedicating houses, immense piles of stone, brick, wood and mortar, baptizing bells and furniture, etc., etc.; but this is no work for the followers of Jesus, nor is there anything in it to put one in mind of our Lord.
We have no objection to holding a good meeting in a new house, setting the congregation of the Lord in order, if it needs it in it, and preaching the gospel to the people of the world. But we see no use then in making a great ado about it, or thinking any more of it than a good meeting in an old house. We do not like extra occasions. We like the regular worship appointed by the Lord, with every item from him, and not an item not from him. We love the things of God, but nothing not of him. We want no dedication occasions, nor any others not authorized in Scripture. When a new house is built, go into it and use it precisely as you would if it had been there fifty years. What the Lord has appointed will occupy our whole minds and hearts and hands.
[THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS.]
THERE was certainly an assembly or congregation in the wilderness, as mentioned by Stephen. Acts vii. 38; but this congregation or assembly in the wilderness was the nation, or the national assembly of Israel—fleshly Israel. It consisted of the fleshly descendants of Abraham, as described in the language of God to Abraham, “Those born in thy house,” or the Jews. This congregation or assembly, the nation of Israel, or the Jews, was not the church, or body of Christ, but, as a body, it rejected Christ, persecuted him and instigated putting him to death, persecuted his followers and the church he established. Those of whom the church on Pentecost was composed came out of that old persecuting church, abandoned it and “were added to them”—to the apostles and the one hundred and twenty brethren—the new church—the one the Lord said (Matt. xvi. 18), “I will build.” “On this rock I will build my church”—the “one new man” (Eph. ii. 15), “to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.” “Man” here is used figuratively, and stands for church, and one new man is one new church. It is not the perpetuation of an old church, Adamic, Abrahamic, Mosaic or any other, but to build one new church was what the Lord intended and accomplished.