of the "heavenly calling", who, like Abraham, desired a better country, that is an heavenly, and for them God hath

prepared a CITY. It was this HEAVENLY CALLING (which must be distinguished from the super-celestial calling of the

dispensation of the Mystery), so plainly understood and believed by Abraham, that enabled him to live as a stranger

and a pilgrim on the earth, a sojourner in the land of PROMISE as in a STRANGE country, content with a tent and no

settled habitation, because he looked for A CITY which hath THE foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Such as are children of faithful Abraham, not only according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, such

constitute the bride and the pearl, an elect remnant out from an elect nation. Israel viewed as a whole is likened to a

treasure and a wife. The remnant (which will include believing Gentiles during the "Acts" period) are viewed as a

precious pearl and a bride. We may set this out more clearly as follows:

THE ELECT NATION

THE ELECT REMNANT

as distinct from the Nations

as distinct from the Nation

A treasure

A pearl

A wife

A bride

Earthly calling, and city.

Heavenly calling, and city.

Once again we see how fully the Lord was meeting the disciples" need, by showing them the way in which

God's purpose concerning Israel was to run its course, and how the very trials and hindrances would be made to

contribute to the glorious end in view.

Discriminating commentators have drawn attention to the slipshod way that many speak of "The Bride of

Christ", and of "The Body and Bride of Christ". The following extract from the writings of Sir Robert Anderson

will suffice to reveal this tendency and its correction:

"Is the Church the Bride of Christ? Let us begin by correcting our terminology. In the Patmos visions, we read

of "The Bride, the Lamb's Wife" but "The Bride of Christ" is unknown in Scripture ... with the close of the

Baptist's ministry (who is called "the friend of the Bridegroom"), both the Bride and the Lamb disappear from

the New Testament until we reach the Patmos vision".

Again we give another writer's comments:

"He (John) speaks of the Lord under the figure of a lamb ... Paul never does, neither does he use the symbol of a

bride. Hence the phrase, "The Bride of Christ" is not found in Scripture, and inasmuch as it combines the figures

of different writers, its use is to be deprecated" (C. F. Hogg, The Witness 1933).

The booklet entitled "The Church which is His Body and The Bride the Lamb's Wife" published by the

Philadelphia Bible Testimony, from which the quotations given above have been taken, concludes its survey with

the following words:

"It is realized that many of the Lord's people, have for a long time been accustomed to the doctrine of the

"Bride" and the "Body" being the same, and that it is taken for granted as truth. However REPETITION of doctrine

does not make it truth, that MAKES IT VANITY: ACCEPTANCE of a doctrine by the visible church does not make it

truth, that makes for ECCLESIASTICISM: AGE of doctrine does not make it truth, that MAKES FOR TRADITION. The

child of God must have an open mind toward the Lord and His Word willing to cast aside the most cherished of

teachings if proved untrue by the Word".

The emphasis on the "Lamb" is significant. In the book of the Revelation the Lord is represented as a Lamb,

(1) As the sacrificial basis upon which all claims to the throne are based (Rev. 5).

(2) Faithfulness even unto death is associated with this title (Rev. 7:14; 12:11; 14:4).

(3) The book of life (Rev. 13:8; 21:27).

(4) Victory (Rev. 12:11; 15:3).

The association of the heavenly city with this special company, turns us back to Hebrews chapters 11 and 12,

where we shall see that Abraham, who by Divine election was already part of the "treasure", voluntarily chose to be