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

From the moment of disobedience and
Divine condemnation Adam and his
race have been judicially dead and
gradually going down. down, down, in
degradation and into the tomb.
Speaking Of the dying race from the
judicial standpoint our Savior called
them all dead. He declared that none
has even a reckoned life, except such
as by faith accepted him as their Life
giver-Savior. His words are, "He
that hath the Son hath life; he that
hath not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath Of God abideth on him"
John iii, 36). Speaking to one who
believed on him the Savior said, LET
the dead bury their dead; go thou
and preach the Gospel (Matthew
viii, 22). From the right standpoint
his meaning is evident. Let the dead,
the condemned and legally dead world,
look out for its own affairs. You be-
come one of my followers and carry
my message of life and hope to as
many as have ears to heart
Dead In Trespasses and SIM"
Thus the whole world of mankind
through heredity, through inherited
weaknesses, through participation in
the sentence that came upon father
Adam justly, are all judicially dead In
trespasses and In sins-not one of the
race is worthy of eternal life upon the
only terms and conditions which God
can offer-namely, perfection and ODE
dience to the Divine standards.
Jesus preached the Gospel amongst
those judicially dead through trespasses
and sins. A few had the hearing ear
and accepted the good message and
gave their hearts to God and accepted
the terms of discipleship-to walk in
the Masters footsteps in the narrow
way faithfully unto death-willingly
offering, specifically, their little all in
the service of God, his Truth, his
righteousness, his people. These few,
as we have seen, the Savior recog-
nizes as having hte-as having passed
from death unto life" John V, PA;
| nevertheless their change was only a
legal one. Actually, according to the
flesh. they were still imperfect, fallen,
dying. But by Divine arrangement
their new minds. their new wills, were
accepted of God in Christ and their
flesh ignored as dead, and they were
begotten by God of the Holy Spirit as
New Creatures and became sons of
! God. AS sons, they were free from
all the previous condemnation that
came upon them as members of
Adams race-freed through the impu-
tation of the merit Of the Redeemer's
sacrifice applied on their behalf. Thus
they attained the liberty Of the sons
Of God-freedom from sin-condemna-
J ton. So We read of them
HE came unto his own nation--
jews and his own received him not;
| but to as many as received him, to
them gave he power Qiberty, privilege
to become sons of God even to them
that believe on his name (his greatness
as Messiah), who were begotten not of
the will of the flesh, nor of man, but
Of God" John /, 49,.
A similar procedure has been in prog
ress throughout all this Gospel Age
from Pentecost until now amongst the
world of mankind judicially dead. 1t
has reached a considerable number;
but not many great, however, not
many wise, not many rich, not many
noble, not many learned chiefly the
poor of this world and the mean
things, the ignoble things q Corin-
thians i, 26-2S).
I'VE Are Saved by Hope"
While speaking of believers begot-
ten of the Holy Split and New Crea-
lures in Christ Jesus as having passed
from death unto life, the Bible, with
equal eXplicitness, tells us that the
resurrection of the mind, the will, of
the New Creature, is not the compile
ton of his salvation. He has received
a great blessing. great salvation;
but what he now enjoys is merely a
fore-taste, an earnest" or hand-pay-
ment Of the great blessing which he
will receive eventually, If faithful to
his Covenant unto death. The fruition
| Of the hopes of the New Creation will
be attained in the end of this Age at
the Second Coming of the Redeemer,
when he comes to set up his Kingdom
in power and great glory for the bless
ing and salvation of the world, when
every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess" psalm vi, 23). The
Scriptures point the New Creation, the
Body of Christ, the Saints" the
/ Church, to that illustrious day as the
time when they shall experience their
glorious change from earthly to heav-
emily conditions-when in moment, in
the twinkling of an eye the resurrec-
ton power will lift them wholly out
Of earthly conditions to the perfection
of the Divine Nature"
Describing this First Resurrection"
Of the saints the Apostle says, 1T Is
sown in dishonor. it is raised in glory;
1t is sown in weakness, it is raised in
power; it is sown natural body, it is
faised a spiritual body" Il Corinthians
XIV, 43, Az. Respecting this glorious
consummation of the hopes of the
Church. the Apostle declares it to be
the end of our faith. the salvation of
our souls-'the grace (salvation) that
shall be brought unto you at the reve-
lation of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ" Il Peter 1. 13). For that glo-
rlous time the Lords people are to