The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-05-19

ence. leave us little appreciation of the
span of Eternity. from the Divine
standpoint We are inclined to say.
Ii God designs to do anything for
mans aid. why does he not do it i'm.
mediately? We cry out. 0 Lord. haste!
haste! Behold Adams children. men.
tally morally. physically. in Il deplora.
Bile condition. unable TO help them
selves. dependent upon Thy mercy,
Thy salvation! Like sheep we are
laid in the grave: like the brute beast
we seem TO perish: we have only a
promise OF a salvation from death
through the Redeemer. and a resur- !
rection from the condition of death.
But God will not be FASTENED. He
has a wise as well as gracious pur
pose He has definite time for every
feature of His great work. He has al
lowed four thousand years to pass be-
fore He even sent His Son to begin
the work Of redeeming mankind, by
the payment of a ransOm-price. He
has allowed nearly two thousand years
since TO eapSe without recovering
mankind from sin and death condi
TONS 1t is for faith to trust; and yet
it is but natural that WE should in
quire. why this delay? For what does
God wait SO long? The reply is two
fold
% God leaves time for the birth of
sufficient number of Adams children
to people or fill the earth. purpOsing
no >f, no
begettng Of children shall not continue
in the future as in the present He
declares TO us that those who attain
to that world to come will neither
marry nor be given in marriage" but
in this respect will ''be like unto the
angels" who have no children, who
do not propagate their kind.
C) Incidentally. in connection with
mans fall and recovery, God purposes
q most wonderful manifestation of His
Wisdom. Love and Power in the bring.
ing into existence of a new race OF
! beings. not only higher than human
nature, but higher also than angelic
natures. God purposes a New Crea-
ton whose members will be limited
/ in number and all be made partakers
of the divine nature-''far above an
/ gels, municipalities and powers" This
1 New Creation. the most wonderful ex-
emplification Of Divine power ever
manifested or ever to be manifested,
he has arranged shall be developed
during this Gospel Age and in con-
/ junction with the reign Of sin and
death. 1t is to be developed from
amongst sinners. and is. in rank and
time of development, to take prece.
dence over the salvation of humanity
from sin, sickness. sorrow and death,
to perfection and Paradise restored,
/ world wide.
The New Creation Divine.
We have already mentioned the glo.
rious exaltation purpOsed of God for
the New Creation. St. Peter tells us
that these will attain the divine ma
ture: and this attainment will be
through. or by means of. the power OF
God working in the heart as the result
Of faith in 1.-The exceeding great and
precious promises" QI Peter !. ~.
These will not be coerced into obedi-
ence-theirs will be voluntary submis'
sion to the Divine will. The test upon
them will be loyalty and faithfulness
to God to the very limit-to the ex-
IRENE Of self-denial. and voluntary
humiliation in the service of right
eousness, following In the footsteps of
Jesus.
Indeed, Jesus is the first and the
Head Of this New Creation. None
could attain it except by and through
His aid He is the Captain of their
salvation. He is their Forerunner in
this great race" to which. with Him,
they have been invited OF God-the re-
ward of which. to the faithful "over-
comers." will be "glory. honor and i'm
mortality"
Seeking For Immortality.
The Apostle writes concerning the
Church, the elect little flock" Of called.
chosen and faithful ones. He tells US
that by perseverance in we'll doing we
are to attain glory. honor and immor-
tally; and that this reward. to the
1dllulul, VIII COuiC LII thC l. ~ 81 AsSoeA
rection, when mortality shall be clothed
upon with immortality; when the new
body, glorious and of the divine nature.
will be granted to each Of the faithful.
as instead Of the feshly and imper-
feet bodies Of the present trial time.
In other words, our trial is not to dem
onstrate the perfection or imperfection
of our flesh. for this is already known
to God and to US. and to all. I'm my
flesh dwelleth no perfection" The
trial is to demonstrate the loyalty OF
the will and of the heart. 1t is faith
fulness in conquering the will of the
flesh and bringing into subsection to
the will Of God all the powers Of the
natural body, so far as possible. 1t is
the test of it's loyalty to principle. to
righteousness. to God.
st. Paul, as one of these loyal ones,
declared before his death, Il have
fought good fight, 1 have finished my
course, have kept the faith; hence
forth there is laid up for me a crown
, of righteousness. which the Lord. the
righteous Judge. will give me at that
day. and not to me only. but to all
those also who love His appearing. ~