The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-05-31


markably few OF our race have thus
far attained to the degree of know
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 10 Il certain
class. and that by and by he will give
| IL to all the families of the earth This
essential knowledge is promised to
the faithful in the world, He that seek
eth fndeth. and to him that knocketh
It shall be opened. The 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 II 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 a 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 ut 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 Il nighttime.
They tell us that now Darkness Gov
ers the tcivilized) earth and gross
darkness the people QHeathendomD."
They assure US that now Gods people
need the lamp of Divine revelation to
guide their footsteps until the day
dawus. They assure us. however, that
the morning will be ushered in by the
great Sun of Rightcousness--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 un-
derstand that the Church with himself
will constitute the Sun of Righteous
ness. whicn 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 consummItion, which he styles
'rhe 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 he sun in
the Kingdom of their Father" He
that hath an ear to hear let hirn 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 we'll symputhize with our
forefathers, to whom it was not grant
ed 80 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, | create new
heavens and IL new earth, and the for
mer shall not be remembered, nor come
into mind" Qsaiah Ky, IS, 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 condi-
ton, exercising superior control over
the affairs of mankind. Likewise, the
new earth symbollcally represents the
new state or condition of society -the
new social order of things which will
be introduced as a part of the Sew
Dispensation. lmperfection 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 OF
age. who now works in the hearts of the
children of dlSobedience-pro 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
&c, lus oil