The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-05-10

| Under this awakening intelligence,
| thousands OF noble men aud women
are leaving Gods Book. and leaving
all of the Churches to 20 after Theos-
ophy, Christian Science. and especially
after Evolution. with its companion
| teaching of Higher rriticism--t that the
Bible Is thoroughly unreliable. We are
living now I'm time OF great falling
away from the faith; few intelligent
people any logger believe in the Bible.
Our colleges and universities-and. sad
to say, our theological seminaries-are
busy turning out unbellevers-intidels
Nor are these people wicked or immor-
al in their unbelief they are as we'll
meaning as ever. but have lost their
way. They reject the Bible because
they believe il to be the foundation of
the various Inconsistencies in their
creeCs: 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 10 Inquire for
the old paths" and this is the appre
pirate lesson for each Of us. We do,
| 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 whole. We need to take Off the
| al ,,.t; i,a,
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. aud the Bible presen.
tation that Christ died for our redemp-
ton. and the Bible assurance that as
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 "al that are
in their graves shall come forth to
share in and to be blessed by the IA
vOrabla conditions which God will by
and by inaugurnte.
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 Christs death Is sufficient for the
sins OF the whole world. 1t declares
| . nf
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 Il resurrection of the
dead that the Bible everywhere. both
In the Old and New Testameuts. speaks
OF those who have died, both good and
bad, as being asleep" and the prom
Use is that "Thcy 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
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 Il general uplift of the
worthy and their assistance back to
. 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-
vdual member OF our race may yet, II
, he will, attain to everlasting life
, through the merit of Christ's 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
l Edenic blessedness But additionally
!, note the blessings which God has pro
} vided for the Church--a spiritual bless
! ing, Il change of nature. These are
l. called out now from amongst men
Y that they might be a kind of first
= fruits unto God of his creatures
y (James |. 49, These are to be "roya
: priesthood" associated with Christ
I! now in the priestly work of sacrificing
G presenting their bodies living sacri
| hAI 20 fA