The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-23
PEOPLES PULPIT.
The Heather For
an Inheritance.
Text, ASK Of me, and | shall give
thee the heather for thine inheritance.
and the uttermost parts Of the earth
for thy possessions" psalm Ii, 81.

and the uttermost parts OF the earth :
for thy possession" psalm Ii. 8. :
emily Father for a change of the Divine
program, imagining that their wisdom
and their love in respect to the heath
en- are superior to those of the jatinite
Creator. Nearly all Christian people
have had their experience with such
ignorance, and we are glad to suppose
that the Heavenly Father laid not the
sin of such presumption to our charge,
but rather alphabetically appreciated
our interest in the heather. although
he must have deprecated our lack of
reverence, our readiness, our high
minded assumptions of more than in
finite wisdom.
We are not saying a word against
missions-home and foreign Quite to
the contrary; we believe that every
Christian should labor with heart and
hand to do all in his power to glorify
the Father and the Redeemer, and to
enlighten his fellowmen respecting the
cross of Christ, and the blessings and
privileges which it ecures. But while
gladly, willingly, serving the divine
cause, instant in season and out of
season." we should learn to labor and
to wait. We should learn that the la
boring under present conditions is
chiefly arranged for u benefit-for
the development in the minds Of the
Royal Priesthood of the sacrificing
qualities, and the graces of the holy
Spirit-meekness, gentleness, patience,
faith, long-suffering, brotherly kind
ness, love.
Co-workers Together With God.
Let us be sure, dear friends, that
any theory of ours respecting the
heather. or any other feature of the
Divine program, which in any degree
implies superior wisdom. or superior
energy, or superior love, on part,
ly Father and our Redeemer. must be
wrong. The sooner we learn to pray
from the heart. Thy will be DONE"
the better it will be for us, the more
will we be able to get into harmony
with our Lord, and the more will we
be used as his ambassadors and repre-
sentatives. The wisdom of man is
fooliShness with God, and the wisdom
of God is foolishness with man, hence
we must not take the human stand
point in Investigating or reasoning
upon the Divine purposes and pro-
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the Word of God, that we may be
taught of God, that we may discern
the beauty, the harmony of his plans.
1t is written that obedience is bet
ter than sacrifice, and this being rec
ognized, how careful it should make
Lord is; to search the Scriptures, that
we may there ascertain the Divine
program, and be found in harmony
Herewith. There we find that the
Lords present work is the completing
of the Royal Priesthood, the Royal
Judge, the Royal Prophet, the Royal
Mediator. the Great King, for the
world of m~ankind-for the worlds de-
l%iverance from the bondage of sin and
death, and their assistance back to
harmony with God. Thus seeing, we
will have patience in respect to the
heather, and strive now to make u
own calling and election sure. and lay
down our lives for the brethren in as
sisting to build them up in the most
holy faith, until we all come to the
measure of the stature of a man in
Christ"-the great Mediator of the
New Covenant, of which Jesus is the
Head.
Converting the World.
When will the world be converted?
When will Christ ask for the heather?
When will the Father give them to
him? How long. o Lord? The Scrip
tural answer, dear friends, is, that it
has pleased the Father to select the
Jewel class during this Gospel Age
by means which the world would
think foolish-by means of the preach
ing of the good tidings. But his pro-
gram for the future age is different.
There are millions who have no ear to
hear the preaching of the cross of
Christ. There are millions who have
no eye Of faith to see the glorious
things Of God. In fact, according to
the Scriptures, only a little fock.'
comparatively, can be brought into ac-
cord with the Lord under the condi-
lions of the present time, because sin
abounds, because death reigns, because
Satan, the prince of this world, now
works a~ntagonistically in the hearts Of
the children of disobedience.
Hence it has pleased God to have a
different method of dealing with the
world of mankind in general from that
which he adopted for dealing with the
Church in this Age. In the next age
force will be used, and not merely
moral sudSiOn. Force will be employed
in putting down the reign of evil. Sa-
tan will not merely be requested to
desist from deceiving the world. but
will be bound for a thousand years,
and be unable to deceive the nations.
Likewise, mankind will no longer be
limited to accept Christ, and to give
their hearts in obedience to him, but,
on the contrary, they will be compelled
to be Obedient. As it is written, unto
him every knee shall bow aud every
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