The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-12-06

ry and honor, dominion and might be
unto him that stitch upon the Throne
and unto the Lamb forever (Revela-
ton v, 49,, then there will no longer
be need for mercy; mercy will have
accomplished its work.
Mercy signifies the setting aside Of
justice in some manner, for some rea-
son. Justice is the foundation OF
Gods throne-the foundation of the
Divine Government Justice had con-
troll Of Father Adam and offered him
eternal life in an Eden home, as a re-
ward for obedience; or death, extinc-
ton, as the penalty for disobedience.
As Divine Wisdom had foreknown.
man disobeyed and the penalty of JUS
tice, Dying thou shalt die" was exc
cuted Through heredity all of Ad-
ans race became involved-al inner
tied sinful tendencies and dying con-
situations.
For more than two thousand years
death reigned under the edict of JUS
tice, and our race as whole were sub
ject to 1t. A little later the Law Gov
enant was made with Israel-one ma
ton out of many. 1t seemed to offer
mercy, but did not. They were placed
under the Law and were merely offer
ed eternal life If they could keep the
Law-which they could not keep, be-
cause Of inherited blemishes, moral
and physical.
1t was over four thousand years
from the time Justice struck the fatal
blow, until Divine mercy stepped for
ward with the healing balm. Gods
mercy is his love in active operation
for the relief of the condemned. Al
though God is Love, and hence must
always have been loving and kind and
merciful of disposition, yet this quail
ity of his character was held in re-
straint as respects condemned men for
more than forty centuries. So the
Apostle explains, saying, Herein was
manifested the love Of God, In that he
sent his only-begotten Son into the
world" that whatsoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have ever
lasting life" q John iv, 8; John lii, 16).
But meantime the darkness of sin
and the Misrepresentation of Divine
character by the Adversary had so op-
had they, but they saw not; ears had
they, but they understood not; hearts
had they, but they comprehended not.
the message of Divine mercy. They
fulfilled the Scriptures in Staying the
One sent for their relief. And they
have misunderstood. slandered, ma
hgned, KILLED his followers-the few
blessed with the hearing ears and the
understanding hearts and the eyes of
faith. These few constitute what the
Scriptures designate the true Church
of God, including the Apostles and all
the faithful throughout this Age-the
household of faith, 1.-The Church of the
First-Borns, whose names are written
In heaven" Hebrews xii. 23). These
constitute the Little Flock, to whom IT
is the Fathers good pleasure to give
the Kingdom, which shortly (Messi-
abs Kingdom) is to bless and uplift
the world, operating through natural
Israel.
Mercy Rejoiceth Over Justice.
Mans necessity became Gods oppor-
tunity for the display of his glorious
character in Justice, Wisdom.
Love and Power. While love could
not clear the guilty, it could provide
q Redeemer to suffer, "the Just for the
unjust" But Divine Justice could not
allow this, unless with the consent of
the sufferer Hence we read that God
set before his only-begotten Son a
glorious Plan and invited his co-opera-
ton therein. The Son assented, left
the heavenly glory, was made flesh
and Offered himself" an acceptable
sacrifice. 1.-The Just for the Unjust
for the redemption of Adam and his
race The Father honored him by
raising him from the dead to still
higher glory and honor than he had
before, to immortality-the divine ma
ture. Now, from his glorious station,
he is empowered to be the Mediator
between God and men-between d.
vine Justice and fallen humanity. He
is empowered to give the earthly
rights which he sacrificially laid down
for Adam and his race-to so many of
them as will accept the perfection of
human nature and its rights and priv
ileges upon terms in harmony with the
Divine Law-the remainder he will de-
stroy, annihilate las brute beasts Oh
Peter ii, II; Acts iii, 23).
AS though all this were not sufi-
GENTLY wonderful; as though with all
this the Heavenly Fathers Wisdom,
Justice, Love and Power would not
be sufficiently illustrated, exemplified.
God added another feature Before
beginning to deal with the world as a
whole, to give back to the willing and
obedient Of the race human perfection
and an earthly Eden Paradise and
eternal life; before commencing this
work OF restitution (Acts iii. 19), the
Father made known to the Son anoth-
er feature of his Plan. He would give
to the Son a Bride, a class selected
from amongst the fallen race-called,
chosen. faithful overcomers. These,
as the Joint-Heirs of the Second
Adam, will share with him in the up
lifting of those of Adams race who
Will become the children of Christ
through obedience and adoption.
The trials and testings of all those
who will become the Bride of Christ
must be similar to those of the Re-
deemer. They must suffer with him
II they would reign with him. AS he
sacrificed his earthly life and rights
and interests, so must they He ex-
horted them. Present your bodies liv-
ing sacrifices, holy and acceptable to
God, a reasonable service Romans
XII, u. True, there is a difference be-
tween these followers of Jesus and the
Captain of their salvation. He was
brought into the world holy, harmless.
undefiled and separate from sinners;
hence his sacrifice is perfect one
Those accepted as his members, as his
Bride, belong to the race of sinners.
They were children of wrath even as
others" (Ephesians Ii. 81. Their ac.
ceptance as sacrifices, therefore, was
not possible except as the great Cap
tain of their Salvation imputed to those
sacrifices a sufficiency of the merit of
his sacrifice to compensate for their
defects and to make their sacrifices ac-
ceptable to the Father with his and as
a part Of his-they being counted in
with him as members of his Body"
My dear friends, those of us who
have the eye of faith and the hearing
Of faith to appreciate this, the Message
Of Gods Word, may surely be thankful
to the last degree. What more could