Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-05-04

angels on the night or our LORD Dlrtn
in the words, Behold we bring you
rood tidings of great joy. which shall |
he unto all people, for unto you is
born this day in the City of David |
a Savior [Life-Giverl. which is Christ
the Lord" duke ii. 10). This version |
of the Gospel. a good message. and |
for all mankind. corresponds exactly
with the first statement of the Gospel |
made by God to Father Abraham. say
ing: In thy Seed shall all the families
| of the earth be blessed" (Gen. xii, 2, 81.
| Nor should this surprise us-that a
loving and gracious Creator. who knew
the end from the beginning, created
the human race with the full fore
knowledge that Father Adam would
| be disobedient, and that his life would
| be forfeited, and that all his children
would share in his mental. moral. and
physical decline, even unto death!
why should it seem strange that this
! God, this All-Wise Creator should plan
an opportunity for the complete recov-
cry from the effects of sin and death
for all mankind? Why have we al
lowed our minds TO refuse the message
sent to us through the angels respect
ing the good tidings of great jog to all
people,? Why have we allowed the Ad-
versary to make us think for one mo-
ment that our God. instead Of being
gracious, loving. and kind. and helpful
to his creatures, has, on the contrary,
made provision for their eternal mis-
cry? Why have we allowed ourselves
to believe from this standpoint that
our Creator was the greatest demon of
all demons-not only that he has pow
er, but that he chooses to use that
power for the eternal torture of his
creatures. who were not even given
choice as respects their creation?
All, my dear friends, with tears and
in sack-cloth, we should confess to our
blindness in the past respecting the
true character of God. Humbly should
we beg forgiveness for having misrep-
resented the Holy One of Israel. But
he knows that we did this in ignorance,
/, and he is both gracious and generous
to forgive us our trespaSSeS. and to
cleanse us from all iniquity according
to his gracious arrangement for us,
, which centers in Christ Jesus our
Lord
: Why the Long Delay?
Some, perhaps. would answer. Sure
: ", if the Gross of Christ" means the
blessing of all the families of the
5 earth, the fact would have been dem
onstrated somehow during the nine
. teen centuries since The fact that
e only a comparatively small number
e have accepted Christ and been blessed
+ is therefore the ground for the BELIEF
e that God is merely seeking out of the
V world an elect little flock" Surely
d if he had been seeking to CONVEX
e the world, he could and would have
r made much more progress in that di
e rection than has been made. in all thi
l. time.
h We reply that this is no argumen
whatever The same God delayed t.
send his Son. delayed the sacrifice OF
!. Calvary for more than four THOUSAND
= years after sin had entered the world
a And yet, according to the Scriptures
! the merit of the sacrifice of Christ
not merely intended to bring blessin
- to those who have lived since Calvary
- but also to all nations. kindreds, pee
= piles and tongues from the day o
!. Adam to the end of the Age.
% According to the Scriptures. tn
# death sentence was pronounced agains
f. Father Adam. and all of his childrel
NJ have shared in the blighting effect o
,s that sentence through heredity No
p only has our race been growing weak
er, mentally. morally. and physically
= but by the thousands of millions, the
- have dropped into the tomb, the grea
prison-house of death. from whic
- there is no escape. except by an
through the Son of God. His sacr
:. fee for the sins of the whole worl
=, secures to him the right to the contrC
q of Adam and his race. This contro
y the Scriptures assure US, Christ wi
- assume and exercise during his Mi
a" ~ lennial reign. During that thousan
IA years all the families Of the earth wi
~ be blessed. as promised.
N Meantime, in the grave (sheol, hade
-, - the hell of the Bible, where the idea
- know not anything" they merely wal
or as the Scriptures declare, the
= "sleep in the dust of the earth" TT
-e Redeemer's authority over them
- beautifully symbolized in his ow
~ words, 81 am he that was dead, al
=. behold, am alive forevermore, ar
% have the keys of death and of tt
-, grave" Revelation /, 49,. He-will e
n ercise his keys of authority and deliy
v all of the prisoners from the power
the tomb, and additionally from 6
ny the weaknesses and imperfections i
ol- cidental to the sentence. He W
ek bring the willing and obedient back
IT. full human perfection, and to all tn
us was lost in Adam and redeemed
70 ~.