The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-08-27
PEOPLES PULPIT.
Paradise Regained.
The Tree Of Life
In the Paradise Of
n

and saw the glorious things OF the flu
ture age. which he was not permitted
to explain to us, because the due time
had not yet COME. Neither was John
the Revelator permitted to reveal fully
the particulars of the Paradise condi-
ton. He could merely give us few
| symbolical hints or suggestions respect
| ing the glories of Paradise restored.
Redemption Through Christ.
We have already noticed that Para
| disc was lost by sin through diSobedl-
ence of the heavenly command. Life
| and Eden bliss and Divine favor and
| fellowship were all lost to Adam and
! to us, his children, under the death
| sentence. There was no hope for any
| of us any more than for the brute
| beast, for while the latter was born to
| die. man, created with possibilities of
| life eternal, was sentenced to the loss
| of all. Indeed, under the demoralizing
influences of sin and death we find
many of the human family really more
degraded than the brute creation and
apparently less worthy of Divine favor.
But God, rich in mercy, in the great
love wherewith he loves us, provided
for mankind a recovery from the SEN
tence of sin and death, while he has
made no provision for future life for
the brute creation.
Gods provision for mans recovery
from the sentence of death is the story
of the "Cross of Christ" Because a
man had sinned the redeemer must be
a man. Because the penalty was hui
man death. the perfect man must die
for the sinners release from death SEN
tence-tO uplift the willing out of sin
lowship with God and eternal life. Be-
cause the race of Adam inherited nat
urally his mental, moral and physical
defects, therefore none of his pOsterity
was worthy of eternal life. But, in the
Divine arrangement. as Adam had in
volved all of his children and their
Paradise home in the wreck of sin and
death, so redemption has been effect
ed through Christ.
| The great Work of Messiah will
therefore be the restoration of the
world to all that was lost in Eden and
redeemed at Calvary. The work of
restoration, st. Peter tells us, has
been spoken of by the mouth of all
Gods holy prophets since the world
! began" and will be accomplished by
| Messiah at his Second Coming (Acts
iii. 2D. But the Divine Plan changes
not. Sin is still Objectionable to God.
will always be so. And the Divine SEN
tence is that no sinner may have eter-
nal life; hence the offer of Divine
| have Divine assistance. resurrection,
restoration. uplifting out of sin and
| death conditions to perfect conditions.
But these things will be accomplished
| only in those who are willing land
Obedient. Only such shall eat the good
| of the land-the fruits of Paradise
! (Acts iii. 23).
Furthermore it is the Divine arrange
| ment, and a just one. that any good
and noble deed of the present life
| works measure of character develop
ment which will be assistful in the flu
! ture life. enabling the faithful the soon
| er to mount up in the full perfection
of earthly life. Correspondingly every
| wilful sin. every violation of con-
science and principle, works a defile-
ment and impairment of manhood.
! which. likewise, will have its effect in
| the future life in the difficulty of ris-
| ing out of degradation to the heights of
Divine perfection and approval and
everlasting life. If all mankind could
appreciate these facts what an in
| fuence it would have in restraining,
governing and developing self control
and true manhood!
The Divine Program.
Does some one inquire as to why
he who redeemed Adam. his Eden
home, and all his race, and who pro-
poses restoration of all-why he has
not begun this restitution work during
the eighteen hundred years since the
sacrifice Of himself? The Scriptures
, answer that another feature of the
Divine program is being carried out
The Lord is gathering the "eect"
Church from Israel and all the ma
tons TO be Messiah's assistants in his
/ Kingdom and the gracious work Of
| uplift-resurrection-r This
''elect" Church class first selected is i'm
the Scriptures called "a first fruits of
God unto his creatures" Games /, 49,.
The world of restored humanity will
be the after-fruits.
The Scriptures exhort such as in the
present time are blessed with the hear
ing ear to give heed to the special in
vitation of the elect They exhort
such as have the eye of faith to aspire
to the crown Of glory and joint-heir-
ship that is now being tsndered to a
very select class. He that hath an ear
let him hear. He that hath an eye let
him see. So many of us as have been
blessed of the Lord with the ear Of
faith. the eye of faith. let us rejoice
therein with the blessed opportunity.
Let us seek indeed to make our calling
and election sure to this heavenly es-
tate of glory, honor and immortality
and joint heirship with our Lord. the
/ King of kings and Lord of lords!
| Christs Atonement.
Both the thieves crucified with our
Lord lost their right to the original
Eden or Paradise of God through
father Adams disobedience. as did we