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"The King's Daughter Is All Glorious Within; Her Clothing Is of Wrought Gold. She Shad Be Brought Unto the King in Raiment of Fine Needlework. " Psa. 45:13, 14

Our text poetically and pictorially draws our attention to one of those beautiful figures by which the close and dear relationship between Christ and His Elect Church is Scripturally portrayed. Whether it be the figure of the Captain and his Soldiers, the Shepherd and his Sheep, the Master and his Servants, the Head and the Body members, or the Bridegroom and the Bride, each illustration of our Lord's relationship to the church carries its own important lesson.

But surely none of them is more important or more beautiful than the one we are now considering-our Lord, the King's Son, highly exalted to Jehovah's right hand on the Throne, and the Church in glory, his Queen and joint-heir with him in his Millennial Kingdom soon to be established.

The study of these pictures of heavenly things is intended to lift the minds of the "new creation," God's spiritual sons, from things earthly and sensual to the things eternal, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath in reservation for them that love him supremely -1 Cor. 2:9.

The preceding verses of the Psalm describe the grandeur of the Heavenly Bridegroom-that in his earthly life he was fairer than the children of men; that Divine grace was poured from his lips, and that the Father, because of his faithfulness, greatly blessed and exalted him. Next it tells of the inauguration of his Millennial Kingdom at his second advent, when as the Mighty One he will come forth in glory and majesty, conquering Satan, sin and death.

We are assured that prosperity will attend and truth, mercy and righteousness will be established in the earth, even though it be accomplished by a great time of trouble. His arrows of Divine truth are represented as piercing all of his opponents to the heart, even as the Apostle's words on the Day of Pentecost pricked his hearers and cut them to the heart and led them to cry out, "What must we do to be saved!"

Thus will the people fall before the rising Kingdom of Righteousness. Every knee must bend and every tongue confess. All who will decline to do so under those favorable conditions of full knowledge will be utterly "destroyed from amongst the people." (Acts 3:23.) Then the declaration is made, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of thy Kingdom is a right scepter. God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

"THE QUEEN AND THE GOLD OF OPHIR"

The picture is in the future. At the present time the Church is not the Queen, not the Bride' not in the glorious garments; she is merely the "espoused virgin," called to Brideship. At present she is in her body of humiliation, or "vile body," according to the statement of our Common Version. But she shall be "changed" in the First Resurrection, and thereafter be the "Glorious Body'" the Glorious Bride. (Phil. 3:21) Now she is a mixed company of both wise and foolish virgins, and many "strangers" commingle, who are not virgins at all. The testing time is not yet finished. It is not yet fully determined which, by faithfulness, will make their calling and election sure to a place in the Bride class, and which will constitute the virgins, her companions, that follow her-mentioned in verse 14.

We cannot wonder that some refuse to believe that so great an honor has been provided for the "elect" Church. It is almost too wonderful that this, which the Apostle terms "our high calling," and "our heavenly calling," is an invitation for us to step, not only out of sin, but from the earthly plane of being, a little lower than the angels, principalities and powers, to the divine nature. Yet here are the Apostle's words, and what else can we make of them? He tells us that God has given unto us "exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might become partakers of the divine nature." (1IPeter 1:4) It is proper for the Lord's people to accept these great things with that simplicity which the Scriptures tell us is best illustrated in a "little child"-"nothing doubting." Says St. Paul:"He who hath freely given us Christ, shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God [even in our imperfect condition], but it does not yet appear what we shall be [how glorious]; but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2) To be with him, to share his glory to be like him, who is the express image of the Father's person, is the highest possible conception we can have of the glorious things which God hath in reservation for them that love him supremely.

RAIMENT OF FINE NEEDLEWORK

Look again at the Queen and her glorious apparel. Notice the pure linen, clean and white, representative of her purity and righteousness. Remember that she was once of the world, her members "children of wrath, even as others." Remember that by faith she accepted the merit of her Redeemer's sacrifice and thus she was reckonedly covered with his robe of righteousness, which the world saw not, but which the heavenly Father regarded. Remember, that it was because of that robe covering her natural blemishes that she was permitted to consecrate herself and to become the espoused virgin of her Anointed Redeemer and prospectively his joint-heir in the Kingdom. How wonderful these steps of grace! Looking but a little way into the future, we behold her clothed, not with an imputed robe of righteousness, but with her own robe of righteousness. The imputed one was hers to wear up to the time of her change from earthly to spiritual nature in the First Resurrection. Then and there perfected, it became actual. On the spirit plane she becomes righteous without spot, without blemish, a suitable companion and jointheir for the great King of Glory.

But look more closely. Note that the robe of fine linen is beautifully embroidered- "fine needlework." This, too, must have significance.. The embroidered figures represent the graces of the Spirit, meekness, gentleness, patience, long suffering, brotherly kindness, love. Ah, yes, the Queen indeed is all-glorious within and without. The power of the Lord will accomplish this. She is his workmanship, though not without her own willingness and cooperation. The Lord's operation upon her will be through his Word and by his Spirit; and in proportion as she yields herself thereto she is now being "changed from glory to glory," and, by the final change, will be perfected, glorified.

We noted a difference between the imputed robe which the betrothed wears now and the one which she will possess when changed -that the present one is Christ's imputed robe covering her blemishes, and that the glorious one of the future will be her own righteousness, "the righteousness of the saints." Let us notice also that there is an embroidery connected with them both. The robe that is now imputed to us has stamped upon it the gracious designs or patterns which our Lord would inculcate and which he assures us will be advantageous to us, pleasing to him and necessary to our future glory.

Our appreciation of our high calling, our faith in it, and our love for the heavenly Bridegroom and desire to be pleasing to him are the incentives to us, urging us to spend every hour, every moment possible, in the working out of the glorious embroidery designs stamped upon our robe. Each stitch must be taken carefullypainstakingly. Each feature of the outline must be carefully studied. The robe itself must be kept clean, spotless. Who is sufficient for these things? Surely only those truly betrothed to the heavenly King, and who love him with all their hearts, and who are waiting in faith and patience for his promised Second Coming to receive the Bride unto himself and to establish his Kingdom for the blessing and uplifting of the world!

ADDING TO FAITH

St. Paul tells of this embroidery work, the adding of stitch to stitch in its development, saying:"Tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given to us."  (Rom. 5:3-5). St. Peter says:"Add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11).

When we think of the imperfection of our very best endeavors along the lines of this embroidery work, this development of the graces of the Holy Spirit, we ask ourselves, "Whose garment would be fit to wear in the presence of the Father and of the holy angels?" The answer is, "None of them." It is in harmony with this that we see that the Lord has provided something different. He allows us to practice upon our robe of imputed righteousness, but the new robe which he will give us as our own will be absolutely perfect, as well as glorious.

There will be no flaw in the embroidery. How so? Because that glorious dress of perfect righteousness will be given only to those who have earnestly desired it, however short of it were their best endeavors. Inasmuch as their hearts were perfect, inasmuch as their endeavors were for perfection, the Lord will accept the heart and its endeavors, and grant that the new bodies shall possess to full perfection all these glorious traits and qualities which were the Bride's ideal and endeavor in her betrothed condition, when she practiced upon the imputed robe.

So in the Psalm under consideration; the Prophet says, "Hearken, O daughter and consider and incline shine ear." The world says, "Look, see, and be attracted by the things of this present time." The Lord says "Hearken, consider that the present life, at the very most; is brief and that in the Lord's providence, under our call, we have an opportunity to sacrifice it and thus to gain the highest of all blessings in the eternal life of the future."

The "foolish virgins" do not hearken enough to the voice from heaven, to the words of Jesus, the Apostles and Prophets. They are more or less absorbed with the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and thus do not fully please the Lord, even though, because of loyalty to him, he will by and by give them a good portion. The "wise virgins" who will constitute the elect, the Bride in glory, do hearken, do consider and are guided by the counsel from on high, and press with vigor on in the narrow way of self-sacrifice, which leads to the Kingdom glory.

THE KING SHALL DESIRE THY BEAUTY;

HE IS THY LORD, WORSHIP HIM

The Psalmist proceeds, "So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord and worship thou him." Ah! there is the thought. If we rightly admire the King; if we rightly appreciate the wonderful privileges granted us of being now his espoused, as under his loving protection and provision, and by and by his bride and joint-heir in glory; if we appreciate these things, surely all earthly things and interests will necessarily fade, because of their comparative insignificance. And these are the terms upon which the King will desire us as members of his glorious bride. He will not consign us to demons and eternal torment, if we fail to rightly appreciate this situation, and, while not repudiating his love and grace, give a portion of our love to our father's house and our own people, the world; but he will not choose us as members of his bride class, unless this condition of full consecration to him be the attitude of our hearts. Surely this is not unreasonable. Had we been called even from the ranks of the highest order of angels to be jointheirs with the King of glory, the honor conferred would have been so great as to merit an undivided love, devotion. Surely, then, we, redeemed by his precious blood from our fallen, sinful state, and then invited to share his glory on the divine plane, should be so enthused, so filled with appreciation of the honor proffered, that we would gladly, willingly, voluntarily, lay aside every earthly weight and interest and strive with patience and loving devotion to attain the prize of the high calling set before us of joint-heirship with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

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