The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-10-27


the majority Of those who have thus
battled selfishly for even fifty years
suggests that, as whole. our race
might do better work in second cen
fury than in the first. Moreover. the
Scriptures indicate that the great dra-
ma Of sin. selfishness and passion
being enacted by humanity is furnish
Ing lesson TO angelic hosts respect
ing the exceeding sinfulness Of sin
its downward tendency-its bitter
fruit and the hopelessness of any to
escape therefrom except by Divine
assistance.
Next the Lesson Of Good
The forbidden fruit of Eden was
from the tree Of the knowledge Of good
and evil. Doubtless the Creator would
eventually have given full knowledge
of both good and evil to our first par
ents. They were merely forbidden an
immediate plunge into knowledge to
their own disadvantage. Craving
knowledge before its due time, Moth
err Eve disobeyed her Maker and en-
ticed her husband also into disobedi-
ence. The result has been that in
stead of learning the philosophy of
good at first and Of evil later. they
and their race have been precipitated
into lessons respecting evil first, with
the knowledge Of good to come later.
The holy angels, who have never
transgressed the Divine law. have
continually the lesson of good-an ap-
probation Of the Divine character, the
principles of righteousness, etc. Their
lessons in respect to evil they are
gaining by observation instead Of By
experience-the way recommended to
our first parents by the Creator. but
in their ignorance rejected.
But God foreknew the course which
His human children would take under
the influence of tempta ton: He fore
knew that they would fall into sin and
therefore would experience its penalty.
sorrow. pain and death. While His eye
has pitied His poor creatures for six
thousand years, nevertheless He has
allowed His great original Plan of the
Ages to move along slowly to a grand
climax-the Plan which He purposed
in Himself from before the foundation
Of the world.
That climax in human affairs, we be-
lieve. is near at hand. 1t marks
great change in Dispensation. The six
thousand years, the reign Of sin and
death. are to be completed by ter
ribe time Of trouble which might not
improperly be termed the natural re-
suit of human selfishness (sin) operat-
ing under the influence of the great
principles of the New Dispensation
now being ushered in. Selfishness, as
represented in the accumulated finan-
cial power and energy called trusts and
combines. is about to come into con-
flict with selfishness (sin). represented
in the combining forces of humanity.
labor unions. etc. The head-on collision
which thinking people foresee. and
which the Scriptures graphically por-
tray, will give to society an earthquake
shock: more than this. the graphic pic
ture is Of a world-confiagration which
will involve the heavens, or ecclesias-
teal powers. as well as the earth. or
social system, and the mountains. or
kingdoms Of the world. The picture
would be too terrible to paint. and
useless as well. were it not for the sill
yer lining to the cloud.
The awful shock which Gods people
are warned to avoid so far as possible
by following peace-peace and benevo-
lence-will merely prepare the way for
the glorious blessings of the great Sew
enth Day. in which man will rest from
his own schemes and endeavors and
come fully under the control Of the
great King. Messiah. whose rule Of
righteousness for human uplift has
been prophetically pictured for centu-
rieS.
Tho Picture In Retrospect
Still looking from the Divine stand
point at the six great thousand-year
days in which sin and death have
reigned. we perceive that one effect
has been as foretold to Mother Eve.
II will greatly multiply thy sorrows
anu thy SOuScptlOu. we pcICclfc
that our race has multiplied much
more rapidly than it would have done
had it remained perfect as at first. for
the first children, even in the days fol-
lowing the fall, were frequently born
when the father was an hundred years
old
We have already referred to the les
son respecting the sinfulness of sin
which comes to all mankind-most
fully, most consciously to those IA
vored by contact with the people Of
God who have received the Divine
Revelation. The enlightened ones have
been but a small proportion Of the
whole. After two thousand years of
the reign Of sin and death God fore
told in an obscure manner the bless
ings He intended to bring subsequent
ly to the race: To Abraham He said,
All the families Of the earth l will
bless-through thee and through thy
Seed. That message. followed in Is
rael by the giving Of. the Law Cove
nant. has been the Light Of the world.
For eighteen centuries 1t was the only
light of hope. of prospect. Then. in
partial fulfillment of that promise.
came Jesus. the first practical express
sion Of Divine love and pity for our
.