CROWNED WITH GLORY AND HONOR.
By H. A. St. John
IN Heb. 2:7 the writer tells us that the first Adam was made only a little lower than the angels, and was crowned with glory and honor. Had he remained loyal to His Creator, no doubt he would have retained his crown of glory and honor to this day. But by transgression he fell. He lost his first estate, he lost his dominion, his glory, and honor. He lost his great wealth, and had not where to lay his head, nor wherewith to clothe his body. He forfeited his life also, bringing death upon himself and all his posterity. All was lost. But the Lord Jesus, the divine Son of God, of His own free will and accord, gave up His crown, glory, honor, and dominion in heaven, and came to this world "to seek and to save that which was lost." He became poor for our sakes—so poor that He had not where to lay His head; and He gave up His life also. By thus taking the place of the first Adam after the fall, He overcame in man's behalf, and is set down with His Father upon His throne, henceforth expecting the joyful day to come, as it surely will, when, as the second Adam, the "Tower of the Flock," the first dominion will be given to Him in its more than pristine glory, and His kingdom shall never have an end. It is also a most cheering thought and truth that all of the human race who shall be justified, sanctified, and glorified by the Lord Jesus, shall, like Him, be crowned with glory and honor. They will receive eternal life, eternal riches, and eternal dominion; for they shall reign with Christ in Paradise restored, in the earth made new. God's original purpose to people the earth with a race of kings and priests will then be accomplished. Pre-eminently the Son of God.
"For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee?" Heb. 1:5. From this scripture it appears that Christ was the Son of God in an eminent and special sense, even before the Creation of the world. But it also further appears that after the sacrifice of Himself for the redemption of a lost world He was made the Son of God in a pre-eminent sense. All other sons of God may appropriately worship Him. The angels in rapturous joy exclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." Rev. 5:12. Likewise the many sons that Jesus will at last lead unto glory will be the sons of God in a pre-eminent sense. These and these only of all the sons of God will have come up from great depths of sin and degradation, through great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and hence, as the subjects of God's amazing grace, they will be the children of His special consideration, love, and care. And the first dominion restored, with such a King and such subjects, will undoubtedly be a center of attraction to all the universe of God. On the principle that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance (Luke 15:7), there will be more joy over one lost world redeemed than over ninety and nine worlds that needed no redemption.