The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-02-27

with healing in his beams, blessing
mankind, healing their diseases, men
tai, moral and physical, and causing
the knowledge of the Lord to fll the
whole earth. No longer will any need
TO say TO his neighbor or his broth
er, "Know thou the Lord. for all
shall know Him. from the least to the
greatest" And only the wilfully wick.
ed and disobedient will be cut off
from life in the Second Death--not
torture; but. as St Paul declares,
''rhcy shall be punished with everlast.
ing destruction
We see, then, that our Lords reason
for not praying for the world was that
He knew the Fathers Plan that the
world was not to be dealt with during
this Age, but during the next the
Kingdom Age. The Master prayed for
His own, for the class which He has
been selecting during the past nine
teen hundred years. These are vari.
ously called "the elect" the dis
ciples," "His followers" members
of His Body" "Royal Priesthood"
the Bride" "the Lambs WIFE," the
"little flock" to whom IL is the Fa-
TIERS good pleasure to give the King.
dom.
Elect TO Bless Non elect.
Seeing, then. that there is differ
ence between Gods provision for the
world. to be dispensed in the next Age,
and his provision for the Church to be
given now, we ask. What Ia the diff
ference between these? The answer
Is that the worlds salvation Is to be to
human nature and an earthly Paradise
worldwide; while the elect class is a
special one called of God. chosen in
Christ and faithful In adversely and,
by the Lords grace, Is TO have heav-
enly nature. like unto that OF the an
gels, but superior Theirs Is a "heav-
enly calling" "hlgh calling" They
are to be like their Lord and Redeem.
er and Head and Bridegroom, Jesus,
in His glorified state, "far above an
gels and principalities and powers. and
every name that is named"
Is this an arbitrary election? Does
God arbitrarily draw and call one
above another? Yes. He thus select
ed the Jewish nation to be His pecu-
liar nation-nOt, however, to the detrl
ment or injury of ether nations He
thus called Isaac instead Of Ishmael
and Jacob instead Of Esau to be the
progenitors of His chosen nation Is
rael, whom He foreknew as a people
and predestinated to II certain service.
But this selection worked no injury to
either Ishmael or Esau Similarly
during this Gospel Age God chooses
from the world a certain class and
grants them the hearing ear and the
seeing eye. and He passes by others
and gives them not this special favor
This, however, is not to be to the dis
advantage of the others-non-elect,
unchosen. uncalled.
According to His Purpose.
st. Paul speaks of the Church as
called according to His purpose" He
even tells us what the purpose is,
namely, that in Ages to come He
might show forth the exceeding riches
OF His grace I'm His loving kindness
toward us In Christ Jesus (Ephesians
II, y. Toward this specially called
class God will to all eternity manifest
special favor. But we are not TO sup
pose that there is no reason for this
selection and favor. There Is reason.
1t is because OF certain intrinsic quail.
ties or characteristics possessed by
this class which God is now selecting.
They will all be saints" They will
all love the Lord more than they love
houses or lands, parents or children,
self or any creature. They Will all
possess the fruits aud graces of the
Holy Spirit.
Indeed, this is Gods particular pre-
destination. st. Paul tells us that He
foreknew that He would provide His
only -begotten Son TO be the Savior of
mankind and the Head over the
Church, and He foreknew that Re
would have Church, a Royal Priest
hood under the great High Priest. as
members of His Body. God foreknew
also the kind OF Message He would
send forth and that II would be at.
tractlve only TO a certain class pos
sessed of a love for righteousness
These only would hear His call. Theie
only would have the eyes of their ua-
derstanding specially opened, because
these alone would accept of His assur-
ances and make full conservation 10
His service. Such He would beget Of
His Holy Spirit, and such, In due time.
would he born OF the Spirit in the res
direction and enter into the fellowship
and companlonship and kingly joys Of
their Master.
1t is Of this special class that the
Apostle declares, "Whom God did
foreknow. these He also did predesti-
nate TO be conformed to the likeness
dmage) Of His Son" (Romans Will, 20l.
That Is to say, Gods predestlnation
was not only that He would, have
Church. but, additionally, that the
terms or conditions of fellowship in
that Church should be that each one
would become Christ-lihe. Surely thia
Is a good predestination. with which
no one could find fault. Whether we
shall gain place with the "elect" on
tie heavenly plane, or a place with
the non-elect world in restitution to
earthly nature. we cannot do other
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