The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-08-11

SHOW Inelr lOyulty 10 OOu ny nBnIlnR
good fight against the weaknesses Of
the flesh, against the allurements of
the world and the snares of the Adj
versary.
This Light Upon Our Text.
Consider now, in the light of the
foregoing, the meaning of St Peters
words used as our text. We perceive
how the Gospel message from first to
last has been preached to dead world
to q world under sentence of DEATH
to a world dead in trespasses and in
sin and unworthy of Divine notice.
The message has not gone forth co
every creature yet The Divine pro-
mise is that eventually every eye shall
see and every ear shall be unstopped,
and then "the knowledge of the
Lord shall fill the whole earth" and
"every knee shall bow ana every
tongue confess" But that will be
during Messiah's Kingdom Of right
eousness, which will last for a thou
sand years for the worlds uplifting.
That time has not yet come; hence
that glorious message which all must
hear and those glorious sights which
all must see and all confess are not
yet revealed. AS yet the message can
be appreciated only by a comparatively
small proportion of our race, "even as
many as the Lord our God shall call"
The Redeemer says that they must
not only be thus "called of God" but
that they must be drawn by him, in
order to be blessed during this Age.
He says, No man can come unto me,
except the Father which sent me drdto
him, and he that cometh unto me thus
DRAWN l will in no wise reject John
vi, A, 80. For these few of the dead
world the Gospel In the present time
is intended. No others have the ear to
hear. But while those who hear are
few in comparison to the millions OF
the world who do not hear, neverthe-
less they are many in comparison to
the still fewer who accept the call I'M
der the conditions and limitations Of
the narrow way Of sef-sacrifice.
MANY are called, but few chosen" to
this high calling Of joint heirship with
the Redeemer in his Kingdom.
By and by when all eyes and ears Of
understanding shall be opened and the
blessing of the Lord through Messiah
shall be worldwide, it will not be
merely a calling to righteousness that
will be extended. A command will be
enforced by disciplines, Stripes" cor
rections in righteousness" to the in
! tent that the dead" world in general
may be blessed and be resurrected-
! lifted up, up, up, out Of sin and death
conditions to the human perfection be-
slowed upon Adam and his race in
creation. Only the unwilling and dis
obedient will die the Second Death,
from which there will be no redemp-
ton, no recovery.
Live In Flesh and In Spirit.
Those who hear the Gospel and ac-
cept its terms of conservation unto
death of the flesh and are begotten Of
| the Holy Spirit as New Creatures,
"partakers of the divine nature" have
so to speak. dual existence from the
time of their begettal of the Spirit.
From Gods standpoint they are New
Creatures begotten to the divine ma
ture. which, if faithful, they will fully
obtain in the First Resurrection"
Yet according to all worldly concept
| of the matter they are still human be-
ings. very much the same as they were
! prior to their conservation and Spirit
begetting. The world may, indeed, see
certain changes more or less radical in
their conduct and words, but like as
not. these will appear to the worldly
merely as fads, fancies, eccentricities.
Perhaps, indeed, as in the case of st.
Paul, they may be considered as DE
sides themselves"-mad. Hence, as the
Apostle declares. 1.-THE world knoweth
us not. ever as it knew him not"
q John iii, ~. The world did not
know Jesus to be begotten Of the Holy
Spirit. the Son of the Highest, ETC.,
nor does the world yet know that he
is highly exalted at the Fathers Right
Hand. SO also it is with the followers
Of Jesus. They similarly have re-
ceived Spirit begetting and, similar
ly, in due time, are to experience the
glorious change of the First Resur-
rection" and be perfected on the new
plane of the divine nature.
Judged of Men-Judeed of God.
Note again the Apostles words re-
speeding these Spirit begotten follow
ers of Jesus, the "little flock" who
walk in his footsteps of self-sacrifice.
He says that these will be judged ac-
cOrding TO men IN the flesh. but ac-
cording to God in the Spirit. Men not
knowing us as New Creatures in
Christ may think of us and approve or
condemn as they would think of and
approve or condemn others-accord-
ing to the flesh. The world Will not
see that in these New Creatures there
is n battle in progress-the New Crea-
ture seeking 10 conquer the flesh and
to bring it into subsection to the Di-
vine will, but not always able to do so.
All we can do is to do our best.
| whether our best shall be as good as
or better than that Of our fellow
creatures who are not pirt-begotten,
but who may be less deprayed by ma
ture-nobler by hercdity. our con-
ISOLATION as New Creatures is that we
are not to be Judged by huI.n judg-
ment, but by him who called us and
drew us to himself, who saAcJitied us