The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-07-15
PULPIT.
"BE YE
RECONCLED
TO GOD"
Text. "You that were sometime
ahenated, and enemies in your mind by
wicked works. yet now hath he rec
onciled" (Colossians i. I'D.



the world comfort. joy. blessing as
they shall be invited to the earthly
portion-to full restitution to human
perfection--to all that was lost by
Adam and that is to be recovered by
the sacrifice of Jesus. No wonder the
Scriptures assure us that the night Of
weeping is nearly over and the morn.
ing Of joy already dawning. No won.
der the Apostle declares that the
whole creation groaneth and travailcth
in pain together" and that they are
waiting for the manifestation of the
sons of Cod from viii. 30. 19,.
The work of this Gospel Age has
been the calling, the testing. the prov
ing, the fitting. the polishing of these
sons OF God for the glorious heavenly
state to which they have been called
The Apostle urges that however hum
BILE the position of Gods saints in the
/ present life. 1--WE know that when he
shall appear we shall be like him. for
we shall see him as he u.s." When he
shall appear in his glory we also shall
appear with him. When he shall reign
as the King of kings aud Lord Of
lords. when TO him every knee shall
bow and every tongue confess, the
/ elect Church. his Bride. will be with
| him in his Throne. sharers of his glory
and participants in his work-the work
of blessing and uplifting the world
recODciling the world TO God.
4
Calvin and knox-Wesley and Whit
field.
Calvin. Knox and others of the re-
/ formers. we may then see. were quite
right in their insistence that none at
/ the present time are in a reconciled
condition toward God except the CON-
paratively few of our race-the saints
These turn from sin to righteousness.
| turn from disobedience to faith and
conservation. and in and through the
merit Of the Redeemer are acceptable
as probationary members of the elect
Church. If faithful they will shortly.
in the first resurrection" constitute
the Church of glory. the Bride. the
Lambs Wife and Joint Heir.
DIOtuSIS w Wesley. w uitDclu anu Otu-
ers were also right in their proposition
that God was not content with electing
merely sanity handful. but surely
loved the whole world and would sure
! ly give to every member Of the race a
full opportunity to come to knowl-
the merit of his sacrifice for sins and
an opportunity for life everlasting.
Those dear brethren contended ear
nestly with each other over their differ
ences. the one upholding the doctrine
Of Election. the other contending for
the doctrine of Free Grace Now we
see that both were right. Now we see
! that the election belongs to this Gospel
Age and to the High Calling to the di-
vine nature and that in an age follow
/ ing this Free Grace toward all Of the
race of Adam will prevail. The
knowledge of the Lord shall fill the
whole EARTH every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess" Then those
/ who. under the rule aud assistance and
uplifting influences Of the elect will
come into harmony with the Divine
Law. will be blessed with full recon-
citation to God and eternal life on the
human plane-in Paradise restored
while the inteIligently perverse. in
stead of being everlastingly tortured.
as we had supposed. will. as the Apos
/ tie says. be punished with everlasting
destruction Gil Thessalonians i. o..
"HaIIeIujah. What Savor!"
/ From this viewpoint the glory of our
/ Redeemer and the glory of our heaven
ly Father are multiplied a million
1 times. Our Redeemer not only is to be
/ the Savior Of the little flock" his
/ Church. his Bride. on the spirit plane
Of glory but additionally. through the
/ agency Of his Millennial Kingdom. he
/ is to be the Savior of the world He
tasted death for every man. as the
/ Scriptures declare and. as they ex-
press it. HE shall see of the travail Of
his soul and be satisfied isaiah ILL.,
ID. Who could suppose that the Savior
would be satisfied with the result Of
his labor if only about one in million.
as members of his Church. reach the
heavenly glory-land?
Who in our day could for moment
| believe the suggestion of Brother Jona-
than Edwards. the great New England
preacher who declared that the Lord
and his saints would. together look
over the battlements of heaven at their
neighbors and friends and children. suf
fering an eternity of unreliable torture
at the hands of demons. and turn
around and praise God the louder on
! this behalf: Poor Brother Edwards
had. we believe. but a small concep-
| ton Of Divine Justice and Divine Love
And his difficulty was that he did not
see what is now so distinct and clear
| to Bible students. namely. that the BIZ
BILE He'll to which all humanity goes is
not place Of torture nor of conscious
ness at all, but the grave. sheol. hades.
! the tomb.
Instead of Christ and the saints
praising God because of the fortunes
of the poor groaning creation. the d.
| vine program shines resplendently,
showing us that the Redeenler and his
Church will for thousand years be
engaged In missionary work of the
sublimest and most gigantic character
IA work not only for a living remnant
! Of the race. but one which will in
clude in its blessing all the thousands
/ OF millions of humanity under the Di-
vino cu,,fot,ro .tJ-ho xrnr pf sin liz