Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-05-10

1
away from the faith; few intelligent
people any longer believe in the Bible.
Our colleges and universities--and, sad
TO say. our theological seminaries-are
busy turning out unbelievers-infdels
Nor are these people wicked or immor-
al in their unbefief: they are as we'll
meaning as ever. but have lost their
way They reject the Bible because
they believe it to be the foundation of
/ the various Inconsistencies in their
creeds. they are stumbling for lack Of
knowledge; they cannot believe that
mans hereafter is one Of centuries Of
suffering, or of eternal suffering.
Seeking the Old Paths.
The Lord. through the Prophet Jere-
miah. tells his people to Inquire for
the old paths" and this is the appre-
pirate lesson for each of us. We de,
indeed, need to discard the creeds of
the past. not because they contain
nothing of truth, but because error
commingles in them to such a degree
as to make them perversions of truth
as a whole. We need to take off the
4 creedal spectacles with which we have
hitherto been studying Gods Word,
and come to the Bible afresh, to hear
! its message. Thus coming many of
| US have been surprised as we have
| found its purity and consistency and
harmony with itself We have already
| intimated the Bible view of mans
death sentence. and the Bible presen-
| tation that Christ died for our redemp-
| ton. and the Bible assurance that as
a consequence, in due time" "the
knowledge of the glory of God shall
| fill the whole earth" We have also
/ the Bible assurance that not merely
the living will profit by the provision
of Gods grace. but that ''all that are
| in their graves shall come forth" to
| share in and to be blessed by the IA
| vorable conditions which God will by
and by inaugurate.
The Bible declares that the penalty
| for sin is being experienced by hui
| manity at the present time-the death
penalty and that the redemption price
of Christ's death is sufficient for the
sins of the whole world. 1t declares
/ that ON account of this redemption,
ultimately the resurrection of the dead
| shall take place-"all that are in their
| graves shall hear the voice Of the Son
of Man and come forth" 1t is be-
cause of the Divine intention that
| there shall be a resurrection of the
dead that the Bible everywhere. both
in the Old and New Testaments, speaks
| Of those who have died. both good and
bad, as being asleep" and the prom
Use is that They that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake"
| Nor will they come forth to similar
conditions of sorrow that now sur
round us all. On the contrary the
| First Resurrection is to be composed
| Of the holy. the sanity. and they are
| to be associated with their Redeemer
as his Bride and Consort. to assist in
| delivering and restoring mankind.
Later the imperfect, who have not had
| their full trial. the great mass of man.
kind. will be brought forth. that they
may learn the ways of righteousness,
that they may learn to know God. and
| Jesus Christ and in due time be up
| lifted out Of the conditions of sin and
death Then will come the time men
toned in our text, The Hereafter for
| the world How joyful is the mes
| sage There shall be no more death,
neither sorrow. nor crying. nor dying;
for the former things have passed
away" All. how different is Gods
| proposition of a general uplift of the
worthy and their assistance back to
4 perfection-to all that was lost in
| Adam How different is this from the
doctrines of demons" which have
/ perplexed us, which have divided
| the Church of Christ into numberless
sects and parties, and which have al
most driven us from Christ and the
| Bible.
| Life, Not Immortality.
| Thus we see that Gods provision In
| Christ for mankind is that each indi-
/ vidual member Of our race may yet, II
| he will. attain to everlasting life
through the merit of Christs sacrifice,
| and through the operation of his King
dom. Each may attain to all that was
| lost in Adam and redeemed at Cal.
| vary; namely, human perfection and
| Edenic bleSsedness. But additionally,
note the blessings which God has pro-
vided for the Church-a spiritual bless
ing. a change Of nature. These are
called out now from amongst men,
that they might be a kind of first
| fruits unto God Of his creatures"
| James i. 49,. These are to be royal
| priesthood" associated with Christ,
| now in the priestly work of sacrificing,
presenting their bodies living sacri-
fees, holy and acceptable to God.
which is their reasonable service. And
when the sacrificing shall be finished.
| they are to be joined with Christ in
the glories OF his Kingdom. and share
with him In the work of blessing man
| kind. These are the elect who, in
Gods providence. shall by and by up
| lift and bless the non-elect These are
the ones to whom will come the prom
ised glory honor and Immortality"
| Our Redeemer brought to light, life
| eternal for the world. and he also
brought to light immortality for the
| Church.
Let us then be glad and rejoice In
the Thereafter that God has provid-
! ed and let us search his Word more
diligently and more carefully than
ever. that we may know the things
which God has freely given to us.
| Thus we may avail ourselves Of our
present privileges and opportunities
| and BY and by hear the Masters We'll
done-enter thou into the joys OF thy
Lord"
4Cints