The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1909-08-28

father Adams dis0bedience, as did we
all. Both Of those thieves were born
In sin and shapen in iniquity, In sin
did their mothers conceive them" as
with us all. Both of those thieves
were redeemed by the precious blood
OF Christ, as were we all; for Christ
Jesus. by the grace Of God, tasted
death for every man." HE is the
Precipitation for our sins 1.-THE Church's
sinsl, and not for ours only, but also
for the sins of the whole world"
Thus, as we have seen, the Redeemer
has made provision for both Of those
thieves, as well as for all of us-all OF
Adams race-tO be recovered from the
sin and death conditions of the fall
and to be restored to Paradise. The
Church now called during this Gospel
Age may reach the spiritual Paradise
or highest condition of holiness and
happiness. The two thieves and the
remainder Of mankind will have their
opportunity during the Millennium.
Their opportunity will be for a return
to earthly life and perfection and hap
plness and an earthly Eden-world
wide. How much grander a work will
thus result from our Lords death than
we had previously supposed!
Let none suppose, however. that those
two thieves will enter Paradise on the
same footing. While both were guilty
Of robbery, they evidently were dis
similar In the condition of their hearts.
The one was hardened, as evidenced
by the fact that ne could speak thus
rudely to the Redeemer, whose face be-
spoke gentleness, purity and innocence
of crime. Such cruelty implied Il deep
degradation Of mind-lmplled that he
was sin-hardened. And yet we must
remember that others of the multitude
standing by used similarly cruel Ian
guage. And we must remember that
there are many thieves who are not
caught and many, perhaps, as morally
wrong. as evllly i%ntentiOned, who, for
fear Of the consequences, never com
mltted the wrongs. We can even sup
pose that some of the scribes and Phar-
isees and Doctors Of Divinity of those
days were in Gods sight much worse
than the lmpenltent thief-murderers
at heart and in deed. Yet of the latter
st. Peter declares, 81 wot, brethren,
that in ignorance We did 1t, as did also
your rulers" when you cruclfed the
Lord Of glory.
An Earthly Paradise.
Ignorance and superstition and In
herited depravlty all bore down upon
the |lmpenitent thief to a degree which
we are not capable of properly estl-
mating. The Lord will Judge him
both thleyes-all mankind The peni-
tent thief will unQuestionably have a
two-fOld blessing, First he will be
blessed because of his penitent attitude
Of mind; secondly, because Of his faith
fitness in expressing that penltence
and mercy to u Lord in his distress.
Our Lord declared that even a cup of
cold water given to the least Of his
disciples will have its reward. Surely
it will be In harmony, then, that the
penitent thief will have a reward for
his defence of the Master.
That reward Will consist. first Of all,
in the blessing to his own heart
through the action therein of the mer-
ciful sentiment. A reward will come
to him in proportion to the exlgencies
of the occasion and the greatness OF
the One whom he loved. If the one
who favOrs a righteous man will re-
celye a righteous mans reward and
the one who favors a prophet will re-
ceive a prophets reward, surely the
n who favored the Redeemer would
receive a special reward, such as the
Redeemer might be expected to grant.
The penltent thief manifested not
only sympathy but honesty and II Is
entirely In keeping with the general
teachings Of our Lords Word that the
honest-hearted and the merciful have
special blessings. Those blessings can
not reach them in the grave and 1t Is
not always>that they reach them In the
present life. Virtue Is not always its
W reward. Our Lord declares the
Truth on the subject, assuring us that
such shall be 'recompensed In the res
direction Of the Just" That Is to say,
when the just. the justified. the Church,
shall be resurrected In the First Resur-
rection and when then the heavenly
Kingdom shall be established amongst
men and the general awakening Of the
world from the sleep Of death shall
gradually fOllow-then every good and
every evil word, every good and every
evil act, will be recompensed-in Para
disc. Let US be glad and rejoice that
the Divine arrangement Is an earthly
Paradise, possible to every member OF
the race, and a heavenly Paradise, pos
sible to every member Of the spirit
begotten Church, and that the alterna-
tive Of Paradise Is not eternal torment,
but everlasting destruction-the Second
Death.