Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-09-02
Tho New Jerusalem Symbol.

Tho New Jerusalem Symbol.
The Church I'm her glorified condition
after the change" OF the First Resnr-
rection, after becoming the Bride, Is
symbolically represented as City. as
Governmcnt--thc capital Of Gods
| Kingdom, the New Jerusalem. which
will then come to. or be established In.
the earth-not a literal city. but, bet
| ter. Il symbolIcal one. Of the Kingdom.
II will he from under the Throne
OF that New Jerusalem. the Mcssianic
| Kingdom. that the river of the water
| of life will flow. clear as crystal" On
either bank of the symbollcal river will
be trees of life, whose leaves will he
| for the healing Of the nations. Then
will be their due time" TO come to
knowledge OF the Truth that God
| loved them and did not predestinate
them 20 eternal torture. nor 10 purga
torial suffering. but sent His Son to die
for thcm--to pay their death penalty
and thus 10 make possible their restltu.
ton to Divine favor (Acts III. 1920
and TO all the earthly blessings. prlvi-
leges and rights originally given to
Father .Adam-lost by his disobedience
and redeemed Mt Calvary.
My dear friends, here we have the
grandest and broadcast Free Grace pos
sible 70 be imagined. in connection with
our Heavenly Father and His great
salvation provided In Christ As every
creature shares In Father Adams i'm
perfection and dying conditions. so
each one Is to share In the merit OF
| Christ's righteousness and sacrihcial
| death: II shall be testified TO all In
| due time" There will be stripes, les
sons. instructions. but they will all be
| corrective-with view to the reforma-
| ton and the regeneration of Adam and
his race as human beings-not as spirit
beings. not as angels: Adam and his
race never were such. Only the Church
has been begotten Of the Holy Spirit
to spirit nature: only the Church will
| share In the resurrection to spirit con.
ditions and be thus like unto the an
gels
This ls Not Universaiism.
l these lWO SuiNutiolS, uoN VI tue
elect, and during Messiah's reign of
the non-elect. do not imply universal
salvation Of our race. but merely n
universal opportunity for everlasting
life The Scriptures most clearly teach
Second Death. like the first death
except that none will be redeemed
from the Second Death. and none will
be resurrectcd from II. II therefore
Will he. ms st. Paul declares. an ever
lasting destruction" III Thessalonians
1. 81. As st. Peter declares. the wilful
sinners against light and knowledge
will perish. like natural brute beasts. -
The lessons from these great truths
Of the Bible are powerful. They make
plain 10 us that none can hope 10 be
of the heavenly class. Of the Bride W
| Christ. except such as enter the strait
gate and narrow way-the saints. the
faithful unto death They teach us
also. In harmony with other Scrip
lures. that those who now either see
not and hear not. or who see and hear
imperfectly, will miss this great prize
of our high calling" Nevertheless for
these heather and others. God has
provided more than they could have
thought or asked-an opportunity for
obtaining human perfection and n
worldwide Eden Paradise restored.
II teaches. also. that every misstep,
every failure to do our best, Is costly
both 10 the world and TO ourselves.
To whatever extent the world demeans
and degrades itself. II will have. In
proportion. difficulty and stripes in
connection with the possibilities and
opportunities of recovery during Mes
siah's Kingdom.
Let us herald wide the story Of the
grace OF God in Christ for every crea-
ture: let us show the love of God TO
all who have the eyes and ears of APP
probation. There Is no greater iniiu-
ence for righteousness than thls-The
love Of God and the love of Christ con-
straineth us III Corinthians V, III. And
| In proportion as mankind receive the
same their constraints toward right
eousness increase. Thus, with clearer
light upon our Fathers Word, II is
time for us all TO cast aside the things
of darkness and sectarianism which so
long have separated the people OF God
from each other.
The Great Lesson Of This.
The lesson to the Church Is gratitude,
loyalty. faithfulness To Him who called
her out Of darkness TO the high calling
OF joint-hcirship with the Redeemer.
1.-THE Bride. the Lambs Wife," is TO
make herself ready by putting on the
fruits and graces Of the Holy Spirit
and being renewed and transformed.
The lesson to the world yet is only
TO those who. TO some extent. hear it,
that God is Love, that His mercy has
provided n great opportunity for resti-
tuition that Is nigh at hand; and fur.
ther. the lesson Is that every good and
every evil deed will make their impress
sion upon human character and have