The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-09-28
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PULPIT.
Sin Atonenent
- - IT -
Text, without She'd
ding Of Blood There Is No
Remission Hebrews tx,
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AAJs
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life. The Scriptures answer this in.
quiry, telling us that we are right in
feeling that we are sinners; that we
are right in believing that Divine JUS
tice must be met before reconciliation
can be effected. But they tell us that
God has moved first in this matter
that he did not wait for man to appeal
to him for mercy, but that, while we
were yet sinners" he sent his only
begotten Son to be our Redeemer, to
bring us back into harmony with God
The Old Testament is full of assur-
ances that Gods mercy will ultimately
be manifested to mankind through
that Redeemer and through the nation
of Israel, upon which he would confer
the special privilege and honor Of
bearing the Truth to every other ma
ton. The New Testament contains
the record that when our Redeemer
came, the world and his own nation
knew him not. 1t tells that, in cruel
flying the Redeemer. the people of Is
rael really fulfilled the Divine inten-
ton as foretold through the prophets;
that they thus slew the great sin
offering, "The Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. -
And as we learn how to bring the
various testimonies of the Scripture
into harmony with each other, they
tell us that the Redeemer, before bless
ing Israel, viii accomplish another
work not generally known-the gather
ing of Spiritual Israel. This the
Apostle styles 1.-THE mystery of God"
The Restitution of All Things.
The result of sin-atonement and the
return of man to Gods favor would
not mean a changing of men to spirit
ual beings, nor the giving to mankind
of a heavenly home, but rather resti-
tuition The Eden home first provided
for Father Adam was Paradise, but
it was lost by his disobedience.. The
proposition of the Scriptures is that
the great Redeemer will restore
Paradise and enlarge it, making it
worldwide, the home for not only
Adam, but his now multitudinous
progeny of Twenty Thousand Mill
lions The Scriptures abound with
promises that Israel shall be re-gath-
cred and restored to Divine favor and
be made the instrumentality of the
Lord in spreading the blessings to
other nations. The Scriptures tell us
how the paradaisaical condition shall
be brought about. They explain that
the wilderness shall blossom as the rose
and the solitary place be glad. st. Peter
points us down to the Second Coming
of Christ for the fulfillment of all
these great restitution promises. He
tells us that then will come to earth
times of refreshing" He assures us
that the times of restitution of all
things which God hath spoken by the
mouth of all the holy prophets since
the world has begun will then ind
accomplishment (Acts iii, 1920.
Better Sacrifices Than Those.
But now we inquire why this delay
in bringing in the times of refresh
ing" the times of restitution" Why
did not the great Redeemer begin at
once to accomplish the work secured
by his death at Calvary? How can
he bear to delay, since he loved the
world so that he died for all, and
since he fully admits that the whole
creation is in pain, waiting for the
great deliverance made possible by his
sacrifice Romans viii, 1929?
The Scriptures answer the question.
They tell us that the gathering of the
elect Church during this Gospel Age as
feature of the Divine program must
precede the bringing of restitution
blessings to the world. They tell us
that God has imposed special crucial
tests upon those now called and cho-
sen. Their invitation is to joint-heirship
with Christ in a heavenly or spiritual
nature, and to share with him in the
Millennial Kingdom and glory, and in
the work which these will accomplish
for the world. The Scriptures tell us
that those who will be accounted
worthy of this exatation to, glory,
honor and immortality, will first be
required to prove their loyalty to the
Lord to the extent of sacrifice. This
does not mean a putting away OF sin,
for that would not be sacrifice. 1t
does mean the laying down of earthly
rights and privileges. after the man.
ner and example of the Redeemer. who
knew no sin. Believers are exhorted
thus to sacrifice. The Apostle says to
them, II beseech you, therefore, breth-
rem, by the mercies of God, that We
present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, your rea-
sonable service" (Romans xii, y.
Many Scriptures inform us that God
has attached the glories of the future
to the sufterings of the present and
that "if we suffer with Christ we shall
also reign with him" and ''if we be
dead with him, we shall also live with
him." Thus we see this entire Gospel
Age is period of sacrificing. Our
Lord began the sacrificing, and in ac-
cepting believers as his members, it is
on condition that they will be saneti-
fed, separated from the world, and
present their bodies living sacrifices.
Thus the saints throughout this Gospel
Age have been suffering with their
Lord and Head and, as st. Paul de-
clares, "tilling up that which is be-
hind of the Affections of Christ" (Colos
slams |, pa. The merit is in the sacrifice
Of their Lord but he passes that merit
through the believers of this Gospel
Age, 10 the intent that they may share
In, No 81, y q Hrar