The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-06-21

oOOr.-.-.-s-s-e-.-.-.-.-.
| Many Of our dear Christian friends
say, What lack we yet? Have we not
really attained the goal Of our Church
ambition? Should we build finer edi-
fees or pay larger salaries? Are we
not straining ourselves with collections
at every turn2 What more could God
ask of us? I'VE are rich and increased
in goods and have need Of nothing"
Revelation i'll, 16-19).
In reply we may suppose the Lord to
ask. Where did l give you instruction
respecting these things? Where in my
Word did you find the suggestion that
what desired you to do in the world
was to erect great church edifices,
piles of stone and iron and mortar.
polished woods and stained glass?
You are not rightly reading my Word.
However good in intention. you have
failed to "riOhtlv dioide the Word of
Truth" The Temple respecting which
I gave instruction is the spiritual one,
the Temple of the holy Spirit-the Body
of Christ which Is the Church. l
fear that you have forgotten the
true temple of God while rearing
so many temples Of earthly ma
terials. Concerning the true Temple
/ instructed you that "the temple
Of God is holy which temple ye are
"living stones" being shaped and pol
ished "for the habtation of God
through the Spirit" Show me what
you have accomplished in this way.
Show me to what extent you have
rightly divided my Word. and prop
erly instructed mankind respecting my
glorious character and my great Di-
vine Plan of the Ages! Show me
fruitage Of the glorious message!
How many ia all the millions that
you report are New Creatures in
Christ Jesus" who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit" Let me
hear the message of my love and
grace In Christ as you are proclaiming
1t! What mean these sectarian di-
visions amongst you? Why are there
so many Church edifices and so few
sanity worshipers? Who authorized
you to put these creedal fences be-
tween my people to divide the flock?
Know We not that l said, there Is one
flock and one Shepherd? Why have
you so neglected the spiritual interests
of my flock and their instruction in
righteousness? Why are you so unable
to rightly divide my Word?
Instead OF coming together as one
Church of the Living God whose names
are written in heaven you have divided
into hundreds of sects and parties! In
stead of taking my Word as n whole
and rightly dividing It's tenchings as
between the different ages and dispen-
satlons OF my work, you have divided
my Word In sectarlan manner One
sect has made one selection from my
Word and another sect has made an
other selection. Thus ye array one
part of my Word against another part
of it. aud hence get into confusion
and conflict. What have you to answer
for these things?
With shame of face we must all ac-
knowledge that I'VE have done those
things which we ought not to have
done ana have left undone those things
which we ought to have done, and
there Is no help in us" The proper
thing for us to do, dear Christian
friends, Is to get down upon our knees
! before the Lord and III contrition OF
heart to acknowledge that we have
, isaiah XVI, 1S); that our sectariar
, differences are our shame; that the ig
nornnce that we have all been In re
spccting the Word of God Is humll
: intlng. Now that our eyes are opeI
so that we can comprehend MS nevel
before the harmony of Gods message
, from Genesis to Revelation, 1t mean'
> n rich feast and blessing to our souls
The Word OF God becomes more pre-
cious to us daily as we become abb,
! to comprehend 1t. our duty Is to Il!
, TO the assistance Of our dear brethrel
/ and sisters in Christ, of all denomlna
} tlons and TO call upon them to joiI
, with us In determined stand fo
! righteousness, for Truth for God ant
: for his Word
We must show them that lGnorantl.
we and they have dishonored our Goo
by Misrepresentation of his characte
, and Misrepresentation of the rea
: teachings of the Bible, We must poin
, them To the fact that the Bible doe
not teach that all mankind except th,
ELECT" saints will be consigned to al
: eternity OF torture at the hands OF fire
: proof demons We must show then
: that the election of the Church during
! this nge--a sanity little flock-does no
= mean injury to the non-elect, That
on the contrary, 1t Is the Divine pur
Z pose that the elect saints with thel
! great Redcemer In glory shall consti
, tute Gods Kingdom That his King
dom when established will bind Satan
y put down sin, Danish Ignorance, erro
. aud superstition and upllft mankind b.
. restitution by resurrection processes
up. up, up, 10 all that was lost Il
= Eden by dlsobedience and to all sc
cured for Adam and his race throug