The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-02-10


, ing the name of Christ hypocritically,
merely as q garment to deceive, that
they may the better gain their ends.
Thus we find the nominal Church to
consist off,
% Hypocrites; (2) Moralists; (3) In
differents; (4) Seekers after godliness;
| 90 The true Church, "the sanctified in
Christ Jesus" q Corinthians, i, o.
members of the Body of Christ
prospective members of the Church
Triumphant.
Fiehtings Without and Within.
Every member of "the Church of the
first-born" was called ito suffer with
| Christ" that he may be also later glori
| fed with him in the Millennial King
dom. Only those who will stand the
test of faithfulness under sufferings,
trials, crosses, self-sacrifices, 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; if
we deny him, he also will deny u.s.
! Oh Timothy ii, II, 12).
But why should the Church fight?
Is she not commended to live peace
ably with all? Are not Christians eX-
! horted to war not with carnal weapons
and to be smitten on both checks,
rather than to return evil for evil?
Where, then, comes in the fight? Who
| are the foes? Surely none would as
sail non-resistant!
| We reply that the facts do not bear
out that suggestion. Our Lord and his
apostles were peaceable and non-re-
sistant, obedient to kings and laws,
and yet they suffered violent deaths,
as well as stripes and Imprisonment.
They had their names cast out as evil.
And those who prosecuted and ma
! ligned them verify thought that they
did God service. All who follow in
the Lords footsteps must expect SINH
| lar treatment, because as Jesus said,
1.-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
| have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you" John
xviii, IS, 19). 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 tC
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
VINO Scour9etn Every son..
The Scriptures explain that there il
a two-fold reason why Jesus and al
of his followers are required to suffe
for righteousness sake
% 1t is requisite to their own char
acknowledgment that they should no
only profess absolute loyalty to Coo
and to Truth, but that this loyalt.
should be put to the test. Thus W.
read of our Lord that though "holy
harmless, undefiled,' he was PROVED
perfect in his loyalty by the thing
which he endured-by his obedience
even unto death, even the ignominiou
death of the cross. The same princi
pie, the Scriptures assure us, operate
in connection with all whom God /
now calling to be Emmanuel's associ
ates in the Millennial Kingdom. The
must suffer with him if they woul,
reign with him. They must walk il
his steps Galatians V, II; vi, II;
Thessalonians i, 5; II Timothy i, Il
Il, 8. 10; iii, 12).
(2) These experiences are designe
of God to qualify us to be judges o
the world during the Millennial Age
that the Christ, Head and Body, ma
be merciful and faithful towards tn
people of earth. Likewise it is prope
that the world should know that it
/, judges have thus been tempted an
tried and are able to sympathize wit
them in their weaknesses and in thei
endeavors for righteousness-and NOR
willing to help them up. up, up to HI
man perfection than to consign theI
to the Second Death.
Although this conflict has lasted fo
. more than eighteen centuries 1t la
, not been long for any single indivi(
ual. With the Master himself the trii
period was only three and a ha
years. On the whole. as compare
| with eternity the entire Gospel Age {
Sacrifice, as the Master said is bl
,, "a little while" And as for the a
I fiictions and testings themselves,
Paul gives the proper thought, sayin
that at most they are Eight affiictioI
. but for moment and not worthy
be compared with the glory that sha
r be, revealed in u.s." the overcOmel
Romans viii, 49,.
The Church Triunphaat.
: The Church in glory and in pow,
D will contain no hypocrites and 1
merely nominal Christians-only IL
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