The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-02-11

neither fear ye their fear. nor be AFRAID /.
isaiah vii. W. !
ooO.-...-...-.-.-.-.-.~. .."...".-.-.-.-."s"s-s
Christ Jesus Q Corinthians, i, y
! "mcmbers of the Body of Christ =
prospective members Of the Church
Triumphant
Fiqhtinas Without and Within.
| Every member of 1.-THE Church of the
first born" was called Ito suffer with
Christ that he may be also later glori-
fled with him in the Millennial king
dom. Only those who will stand the
test of faithfulneSS under SutferingS,
trials, crosses, self-Sacritices, have the
promise of sharing with Christ the
glories of the Church Triumphant.
IF we be dead with him, we shall
also live with him; if we suffer with
him, we shall also reign with him; il
we deny him, he also will deny us"
QI Timothy ii. II, ~.
| But why should the Church fight?
Is she not commended TO live peace
ably with all? Are not Christians ex-
| and TO be Smtten on both cheeks.
rather than to return evil for evil:
Where. then, comes in the fight? Who
are the foes? Surely none would as
sail NONRESIDENT!
| We reply that the facts do not bear
out that suggestion. Our Lord and his
apostles were peaceable and nOn-re-
I 81, 1t,
and yet they suffered violent deaths,
! as well as stripes and Imprisonment.
They had their names cast out rs evil.
And those who prosecuted and ma
ligned them verify thought that they
| did God service All who follow il
| lar treatment, because, as Jesus said.
''The servant is not greater than his
/ Lord Marvel not, if the world hate
you, We know that it hated me before
it hated you. If We were of the world,
the world would love his own; but be-
cause We are not of the world, but l
have chosen you out Of the world.
therefore the world hateth YOU John
xviii, IS, 49,. The Master said, The
darkness hateth the light" which eX
| plains why the chief religionists Of
his time, being of wrong condition Of
| heart, instigated his crucifixion. They
were of the darkness, living outwardly
holy, while in heart they were far
| from consecrated to God. The very
! holding up of the torch of Truth was
| painful to them, reprOved them and
excited their animosity. Human ma
| ture is the same today. NOtwithStand-
ing the fact that heretic-roasting has
become unpopular and intolerable to
the world, there are methods of pri-
vately and symbolically roasting,
slashing, wOunding and killing prac-
! tised by those estranged from God.
though sometimes highly esteemed OF
men and wearing vestments only
slightly less glorious than those worn
by Caiaphas and PLATE.
"Who Scourgeth Every Son.
The Scriptures explain that there is
! a two-fold reason why Jesus ana all
of his followers are required to suffer
for righteousness sake.
| @ 1t is requisite to their own char
acknowledgements that they should not
only profess absolute loyalty to God
and to Truth, but that this loyalty
should be put to the test. Thus we
read of our Lord that though holy,
harmless, undefiled," he was proved
perfect in his loyalty by the things
Which he endured-by his obedience
even unto death, even the ignominious
death of the cross. The same princi-
pie, the Scriptures assure us, operates
in connection with all whom God is
now calling to be Emmanuels asSOci-
ates in the Millennial Kingdom. They
must suffer with him if they would
reign with him. They must walk in
his steps Galatians V, IL; vi, -; III
Thcssalonians i, ); II Timothy i. -;
ii, 8, -; iii. 12).
| CO These experiences are designed
OF God to qualify us to be judges of
the world during the AIillennial Age
that the Christ, Head and Body. may
be merciful and faithful towards the
people Of earth. Likewise it is proper
| that the world should know that it's
| judges have thus been tempted and
tried, and are able to sympathize with
them in their weaknesses and in their
endeavOrs for righteOusness-and more
willing to help them up. up. up to hui
man perfection than to consign them
, to the Second Death.
Although this conflict has lasted for
, more than eighteen centuries it has
not been long for any single individ-
ual. With the Master himself the trial
period was only three and a half
years. On the whole, as compared
with eternity, the entire Gospel Age Of
Sacrifice, as the Master said, is but
"a little WHILE And as for the af-
flictions and testings themselves. ST.
Paul gives the proper thought, saying.
that at most they are eight Affections
but for moment and not worthy to
be compared with the glory that shall
be revealed in u.s." the overcomers
(Romans viii, 49,.
TIE Church Triu:a2hsr..
The Church in glory and in power
will contain no hypocrites and no
merely nominal Christians-only the
true, the sanity, the "sanctified in
Christ Jesus" Nevertheless it will be
composed of two classes, as illustrat-