The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-02

requently we see Mt glance that re-
markedly few of our race have thus
far attained to the degree Of knowl.
edge which God would be pleased to
recognize. At first this might seem
peculiar to us; we might say to our
selves or to others, why does not God
give 1t out freely to all? The reply of
the Scriptures is that God is giving
his knowledge freely now TO O certain
class, and that by and by he will give
it to all the families of the earth. This
essential knowledge is promised to
the faithful in the world, He that seek
eth findeth, and to him that knocketh
1t shall be opened. "rhe secret of the
Lord is with them that reverence him,
and he will show them his Covenant"
BLESSED are your eyes, for they see,
and your ears, for they hear" Such
as thus abide in covenant relationship
with the Lord Jesus are indeed taught
of God in the School of Christ, and
may truly grow in grace and knowl-
edge.
A distinction should be observed in
knowing about God, and knowing God
himself. 1t is not sufficient that we
should recognize God as the Almighty
Creator, for devils also believe that.
On the other hand, to be intimately
acquainted with God means that we
must come into intimate fellowship
with him, and this means that we
must come unto the Father through
the Son, by faith. BY thus coming to
our heavenly Father by an acquaint-
ance with his Word, and through an
appreciation of his glorious work, past,
present, and future, we get view Of
the lengths, and breadths, and heights
and depths Of love divine, all love ex-
ceiling" In proportion as we behold
the outline Of the Divine character,
we perceive our own deficiencies and
try the more to rid ourselves of them,
and at least manifest to the Lord that
our hearts are in harmony with the
principles of righteousness.
The Sun Of Righteousness.
Very appropriately the Scriptures
speak of the present as nighttime.
They tell us that now Darkness COW
ers the (civilizeO earth, and gross
darkness the people (Heathendom)."
They assure us that now Gods people
need the lamp of Divine revelation to
guide their footsteps until the day
dawns. They assure us, however, that
the morning will be ushered in by the
great Sun of Righteousness--the Christ,
the Messiah, Prophet, Mediator, King
Of Glory.
Now is the Church excluded from
this work of shining upon and enlight-
ening the world and scattering its
darkness. The Master gave us to IN
derstand that the Church with himself
viii constitute the Sun Of Righteous
ness, which will then arise with heal
ing in its beams. Thus in the parable
Of the Wheat and Tares. he pictures
the entire work of this Gospel Age and
its contamination, which he styles
"The harvest-the end of the age"
His word respecting the separation OF
the wheat from the tares is that the
wheat shall be gathered into his barn
changed from the earthly to the
heavenly nature, and he adds, Then
shall the righteous shine as the sun in
the Kingdom of their Father" He
that hath an ear to hear, let him hear"
The figure of the rising sun scatter
ing the darkness, ignorance and super
stition of the world harmonizes with
the other picture, which represents the
Kingdom of God superseding the king
dom of Satan, and those deluded by
Satan, styled in the Scriptures, the
kingdoms of this world.
Be Glad and Rejoice.
We may well sympathize with our
ed to see as clearly as we may now
see the glorious fullness of the Divine
purpose to eventually enlighten the
whole earth, by causing the knowledge
of the glory of God to fill the whole
earth as the waters cover the great
deep. To us, therefore, is especially
applicable the prophetic words, BE ye
glad and rejoice for ever in that which
| create. For behold, l create new
heavens and new earth, and the for
mer shall not be remembered, nor come
into mind isaiah Ky, 1S, 10. Thus
does the Lord picture the new dispen-
sation in graphic language. The new
heavens symbolically represent the
Church in its new and glorified cOnoi-
ton, exercising superior control over
the affairs of mankind. Likewise, the
new earth symbolically represents the
new state or condition of society-the
new social order Of things which will
Dispensation. Imperfection is now
written upon everything with which
men are associated, partly because of
our fallen condition through heredity,
and partly, as the Scriptures declare,
through Satan, the god of this world or
age, who now works in the hearts of the
children of neutrality-suspicious. to
sin and selfishness, pride and ambi-
ton, and in every sense of the word
tending to ALLEVIATE the hearts of men
from the ways of righteousness. More
over. the Adversary is largely response
BILE for the gross errors OF misconcep-
ton of the Divine character, which
during the centuries past have been
creeping into the minds of those who
were feeling after God, If haply they
might find him All who are OF the
right spirit, truth seekers. and truth
lovers, will be glad to abandon the err
rors on this subject, which so long