The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-06-25

of the gospel. and points us to Christ
as the one who gave him release, and
who is willing to give release to all
Father through him-release from the
bondage Of sin and death.
There is but the one way to attain
this. After seeking to 'arise from the
dead" and finding ourselves unable to
do so, our hearts cry out to the Lord,
,, we are directed to the Lord Jesus.
Coming to him by faith we inquire,
What shall we do that we may be
! saved from ourselves, from our own
fallen conditions, from the death that
is upon the whole world-how may we
obtain eternal life? How shall we
prepare ourselves for it? The answer
comes that we are not only to believe
on our Lord Jesus Christ as our Sa-
viour, our Redeemer, but that addi-
tionally we will need him to be our
guide and our helper, and that only
those who enter the school of Christ
to learn of him will be prepared for
a share in his resurrection, the chief
resurrection. We are assured that this
resurrection change must begin in us
now if it will be completed in the glo-
riouS transformation that will be
granted to the elect at Christ's second
coming.
There is, however, only the one way
to enter the school of Christ, to be-
come his pupils. In the Scriptures it
is called the narrow way" entered
by strait or difficult gate. Our Lord
explained this when he said, IF any
man will be my disciple let him deny
himself and take up his cross and fol-
low me- Any who decline these
terms are declining the only entrance
conditions connected with the school
Of Christ, and hence decline all the
blessed arrangements of this Gospel
age. They decline to enter the list Of
those invited to be joint-heirs with
Christ in his Kingdom-the very elect.
Nor is it enough that we make the
conservation. that we enter the gate,
to gain the prize; we must continue in
the narrow way to the end; we must
keep awake; we must keep separate
from the world, and keep in touch
with our Redeemer, who becomes the
Captain of our salvation.
Folly to Be Wise.
A worldly adage has it, Where ig-
norance is bliss, tits folly to be wise"
So with the world during the dark
ages 1t dreamed, and was measurably
happy in it's slumbers. In some re-
spects it was happier than now. The
awakening of the past century has not
brought to the world blessing, content
ment, happiness, but rather the re-
verse. Awakened aesthetic tastes call
for satisfaction in dainties and luxu-
ries which all cannot attain. While
"Christendom" to-day is more comfort
ably housed, and better fed, and better
clothed, than ever before, it is more
wasteful, and peevish, and discomfort
ed, and unhappy, than ever before.
Why? Because the selfish propensities
are in control of the will. and the more
they see, the more they know, the
more they have, the more will they de-
sire
The suggestion then comes that
awakening and knowledge are danger
GUS things to some under present con-
ditions? We answer, Yes; the only
safe prescription for those awakened
is that which the Lord provides; name
ly, arise from the dead and have
Christ give thee light, and follow that
light Otherwise the awakening is not
profitable. Otherwise the heather might
just as we'll remain in their heathen-
ism, waiting for the Millennial Age.
A Great Time of Trouble.
Awakened Christendom is on the
verge Of anarchy, but does not realize
it. In connection with her awakening
she has developed financial giants,
who, discerning the vast possibilities
Of the hour, have seized, in various
ways more or less legal and more or
less just the inventions and oppor-
tunities brought in by the awakening.
These advantages have been capital
lied, stocked, and trusted, in harmony
with the general laws Of our time, the
laws Of selfishness which govern both
poor and rich. Under these conditions
these financial giants control the
wOrld-all others to a greater or less
extent do them homage and service
aoilly nilly.
On the other hand, the masses, equal
ly selfish but less fortunately situated,
are becoming more and more awake
to their rights and their wrongs, and
their power through the ballot and
otherwise. They, too, are organizing
and decorating, and growing in intelli-
gence The battle between these two
great institutions is sure to come, and
cannot be long deferred. Love on the
part of one or the other, or both, would
save the day, but more and more they
are losing confidence in love, and are
developing it's opposite. Injustices on
each side are magnified. Neither gives
the other credit for any other principle
or motive than avarice. The clash be-
tween the two will precipitate what
the Scriptures designate as "a time Of
trouble, such as never was since there
was nation" Daniel xii, u. Thank
God for the Scriptural assurance that
in the height Of the trouble the Lord
will bring deliverance by the establish
ment Of his kingdom, for which still
xxrryr