The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-03-31

Ss--sNs-o1tseS lNZ22EzsS WHICH we report.
from the text, "Ot
those born of women there is not IL
greater Prophet than John the Bap-
tiSt. but the least in the Kingdom Of
Heaven is greater than he" duke vii.
Isl. Large and interested audiences
attended He leaves tonight for Co
penhagen and Stock holm. Crowds Of
Jews are reported TO have heard him
during the last three days i'm Vienna,
Budapest Lenberg and Krakow.
There can be no better illustration
of the sharp line of distinction between
the earthly and the heavenly classes
and their calling than is shown by our
text. said Pastor Russell The great
Teacher freely atteSted to the loyalty
and courage and saintlinesS Of His
cousin John, as evidenced by the words
Of our text. But if so great and hon
orable a Prophet. why could not John
be member OF the Bride class? Why
could he not be numbered with the
disciples Of Jesus and be an Apostle.
or at least footstep follower? The
answer is that he was not called to
the heavenly plane. but to the earthly.
He was honOred of God in being made
one Of the Prophets Of the Jewish Age
the last of them. Although a differ.
ent honor from that conferred upon the
Apostles. Johns was a great honor and
we have reason to- believe that, under
Divine providence when perfected in
the resurrection. he will appreciate the
earthly blessings and privileges which
will be his. more than the spiritual aud
heavenly privileges bestowed upon the
Apostles aud the less prominent mem.
bers Of the Church.
The Lord will choose our inner
itancc for us we read Psalm Xvii, ~.
Happy are those who repose implicit
confidence III Divine goodness and who
seek to obtain whatever may he Gods
choice for them. If we have been
called with the heavenly calling, let us
not shrink back and declare ourselves
unworthy and decline to accept the 70
vors Of God and TO choose an inferior
position. Let us. rat her. be glad to
say, Thy will be done in my heart. in
my life, in Ill my future. Order Thon
my steps in Thy Word"
A Friend Of the Rridsgroom.
Jesus had Il twO-fold mission -
Gn He came that the world through
Him might be Saved"-that He might
give Himself II ransom for all. TO be
testified in due time" q Timothy ii, 81.
(2l incidentally His mission was TO
proclaim the acceptable year of the
LOrd-the time in which God is willing
to accept the sacrifices of such as desire
70 walk in the Redeemers footsteps,
and 10 constitute these the Bride aud
.Iont-her of Messiah.
John the Baptist referred 10 the lat
ter feature of our Lords work. saying,
He that hath the Bride is the Bride
groom but the friend or the Bride
groom beareth His voice and reioceth
greatly. This, my joy. therefore, is
fulfilled Jobu iii, 29,. 1t was not for
him to be Il member of the Bride. but
he reioiced to be friend of the Bride
groom. AS our Lords forerunuer he
announced the bridegroom: he called
upon the nation Of Israel to turn from
sin, TO purify their hearts. to come
back into harmony with God and thus
to be prepared TO receive the Bride
groom and TO become the Bride. So
far as the nation was concerned Johns
mission was u failure, as God had fore.
known and foretOld. But so far as
The Bride class was concerned Johns
mission was a success. for. as the
Scriptures intimate, those who belicv.
ell Johns testimony accepted Jesus
and He accepted them.
Greatest In the Kingdom.
We must remember that the Church
is the Kingdom of GOd-now in q
formative or embryonic state. but in
the cad. by tho resurrection" to be
spirit beings and partakers with Je-
sus, heir Bridegroom. in His wonder.
full glory. honor. immortality aud
Kingdom work. This Kingdom class
is not reigning now. but merely form.
ing 1t is joined ION probation" after
the Methodist style. If the probation
airy period of the present life be faith.
fully used. the full induction into the
Kingdom. its glories. honors and i'm
mortality, will surely follOw-by par
ticipaiiop in the First Resurrection.
Amongst the faithful followers of
tbe Master there will be differences,
rs St Paul explains. las one star
differeth from another star in glory"
Il Corinthians KY. Az. We cannot
know. and it is not necessary for
, us to guess. who shall occupy the
chief places in the Kingdom. These
shall he given TO those whom the Fa.
thor prefers. as the Redeemer explsi in.
c1 Ia the woman who asked that her
two sous Uight sit. one on His right
hand and the other on His lett hand
in the Kingdom Matthew Xxx. oD.
/ If we were to guess who shall 10