The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-09-05
him. well of water springing up unto
everlasting life" (John iv, III.
The New Jerusalem Symbol.

him, a well of water springing up unto
everlasting life" John iv. III.
Tho New Jerusalem Symbol.
The Church in her glorified condition
after the change" of the First Resur-
rection, after becoming the Bride, Is
symbolically represented as City, as
Government-the capital of Gods
Kingdom, the New Jerusalem, which
will then come to, or be established in,
the earth--not IA literal city, 6Gc, bet
ter, symbolical one, OF the Kingdom.
1t will be from under the Throne
of that New Jerusalem, the Messianic
Kingdom, that the river of the water
Yf life will flow, clear as crystal" On
either bank of the symbolical river will
be trees of life, whose leaves will be
for the healing of the nations. Then
will be their due time" TO come to
a knowledge of the Truth that God
loved them and did not predestinate
them to eternal torture, nor TO purga-
torial suffering, but sent His Son to die
for them-to pay their death penalty
and thus to make possible their restitu-
tion to Divine favor (Acts iii, 10-2D
and to all the earthly blessings, privi-
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 broadest Free Grace pos.
sible to 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 sacrifcial
death; IL shall be testified to all In
due time" There will be stripes, les
sons, instructions, but they will all be
cOrrective-with a 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 10 Not Universalisn,.
These two salvatlons, now of the
elect, and during Messlah's reign of
the non-elect, do not imply universal
salvation OF our race, but merely a
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 resurrected from IT, 1t therefore
will be, as st. Paul declares, an 'ever-
lasting destruction" or Thessalonians
1, 81. As st. Peter declares, the wilful
sinners against light and knowledge
will perish, "like natural brute BEASTS y
The lessons from these great truths
Of the Bible are powerful They make
plain to us that none can hope to be
OF the heavenly class, of the Bride of
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 a
world wide Eden-Paradise restored,
It teaches, also, that every misstep,
every failure to DO our best, is costly
both to the world and to ourselves,
To whatever extent the world demean ns
and degrades itself, 1t 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 ap
probation. There Is no greater lntiu
ence for righteousness than this-The
love of God and the love of Christ con
strnineth us III Corinthians v, IA. And
In proportion MS mankind receive the
same their constraints toward right
eousness increase. Thus, with clearer
light upon our Fathers Word, 1t Is
time for us all to cast aside the thing'
OF darkness and sectarianlsm which 50
long have separated the people OF Goo
from each other.
The Great Lesson Of This.
The lesson to the Church is gratitude
loyalty, faithfulness to Him who calle,
her out of darkness to the high calling
OF joint -heirship with the RedecmeI
"The Bride, the Lambs Wife," is T.
make herself ready by putting on tn
fruits and grnccs Of the Holy Spiri
and being renewed and transformed
The lesson to the world yet is onl
to those who. to some extent, hear it
, that God is Love, that His mercy ha
provided great opportunity for rest
tuition that is nigh at hand; and fun
ther. the lesson IL that every good an
, every evil deed will make their impres
, sion uDOu human character and hav