HIGHLY EXALTED WITH CHRIST.
By H. A. St. John
"Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Heb. 2:9. TRULY the Father hath highly exalted Him to a place at His right hand, to a seat upon His throne, and there is no exaltation above this in all the universe. The human mind can not conceive of the glor, honor, power, and exaltation conferred upon the Lord Jesus by our Father in heaven. And when we remember that this exalted One is our Prince and our Saviour, having an interest in our present and eternal welfare and happiness, measured only by His infinite capacity to love, wisdom to devise, and power to execute, it is then that we may feel to implicitly trust Him for time and eternity. "Humble yourselves therefore under the might hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 Peter 5:6. "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shal be exalted." Luke 14:11. So we see that an exaltation is promised the humble; and such an exaltation as can alone be conferred by Him who has Himself been exalted above every other creature in the universe. The humblest and most lowly of all the sons of God wil have the right and privilege of sitting with Jesus upon His own throne of glory. And the best of all is it is not a transient ifting up, to be followed again by a fal, or humiliation; but it is an exaltation to be perpetuated throughout eternity. Happy, eternally happy, is the man whom God shall crown with glory and honor, and exalt to reign with His beloved Son in that kingdom of glory which He shal give Him in that day when the King of Kings and the Lord God Omnipotent shall reign, and opposing rulers be cast down. "God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name." Phil. 2:9. "Being made so much beter than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excelent name than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begoted Thee? And again, I wil be to Him a Father, and He shal be to Me a Son?" Heb. 1:4, 5. We have never heard of a person who has received so many names and titles as Jesus; and al of these are honorable, praiseworthy, and precious in their signification to the sons of God. What is to be the new name of Christ, we may only conjecture, perhaps, until our heavenly Father chooses to reveal it. If Jer. 23:6 answers our question, and gives us the new name of Christ, it is certainly one entirely worthy to be used by the redeemed in this world and throughout eternity in the world to come. Thus it reads: "In His days Judah shal be saved, and Israel shal dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shal be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESE." It wil be proper and true and met for the sons of God to cal Jesus their righteousness, for such He truly wil ever be to them. Hence this name is an exceeding appropriate one, and would be a constant reminder of al that Jesus had done for them. Even now siners may come to Jesus and exchange their filthy garments of sin, their rags of self-righteousnes, for the beautiful robe of Christ's righteousness; and they may wear it in this life. Al the sons of God wil wear the wedding garment furnished by the Master of the marriage feast. They wil have on white robes, washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, to go to heaven in. These robes of righteousness, in which the saints wil be arayd, wil even add to the brilancy and glory of the city of God, which is in itself "the perfection of beauty." The inspired penman says that the holy city wil be adorned by the shining ones. And the sons of God, too, wil each receive a new name. Thus saith the Lord: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh wil I give to eat of the hiden mana, and wil give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name writen, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Rev. 2:17. This new name wil not be known by the receiver until the promise is fulfiled. But when siners are made new creatures in Christ Jesus they are called to a new name, to be the children of God, the sons and daughters of the Almighty. But when at last, as saints, they are made new creatures by having their vile bodies changed and fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body, and they go to inherit al things made new, they wil receive in ful that new name, apropriate and befitting their new relations and surroundings. When Jesus apears the second time, having on His head many crowns, He will bear His new name which no man knoweth but He Himself. Again we see how the sons of God folow the Son of God, even in al His steps of honor, exaltation, and glory in the glory life beyond.