Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-27

see readily enough That the Almighty
must be the very embodiment Of JUS
| tice-. not, however, a justice of the
kind we were taught which was really
| a great injustice. God WAS just in SEN
| fencing father Adam to death because
of his disobedience TO the Divine Law.
He was just in making that sentence
applicable to all of Adams posterity.
Had He let the sentence rest and al
| loved man to die like the brute beast,
without any hope of a future life, VIC
would have had no ground for com
| plaint, 1T would have been simple JUS
| tice.
| But God commended His love to us,
aud il is His love which constrains us
| to seek Him and to desire to serve
Him ana To walk in the footsteps of
Jesus. Gods viii meant the require
| ment Of Justice and He opened up the
way by which He could still be just
and yet be the Justifier of those who
| believed in Jesus, who become His dis
ciples, to take up their cross and fol-
! low Him; and having thus arranged
for the satisfaction of these, God pur-
poses to give a blessing to Adam and
his race in way which would do
| them the most good. And this show
| ing of the Divine character is not
merely to bring laudation to the AL
mighty but specially for the purpose
| Of making His creatures acquainted
with His character, that they may
| have great confidence in Him through
| out eternity, and that seeing the beau
| ties Of His character they may copy
| the same and thus be more abundant
| ~ blessed.
Savation's First Step.
| The first step of Gods plan is the Sc
| lection of "a special class, sanity
| few, from amongst mankind. They
are chosen for a purpose. In them
God would show forth the exceeding
riches of His Grace and His loving
kindness in Christ Jesus. in lifting sin
| ners from the miry clay to 50 glorious
a station as He has promised them
\ the divine nature, far above angels
principalities and powers. Additional
4 ". He proposes to use them and then
| experiences with sin. and their victo-
| ries over sin. by making them joint
heirs with Christ in the ruling and
| blessing and judging of the world bye
| and bye.
| Following the completion of the
| Church of the First Borns, will come
| the later borns. 1t is the Divine in
tention. not only that the Church shall
| attain to the liberty of the Sons of
| God. on the spirit plane, like unto the
| angels, but it is His purpose also that
| humanity in general shall be granted
an opportunity to become sons of God.
| during Messiah's Reign. For the
| creature itself also, shall be delivered
| from the bondage of corruption death
land SIM into the glorious liberty of
| the sons of God (human sons, such as
| Adam was in his perfection, free from
| sin and death, possessed of the full lib
ertY which God provided for all in full
| FELLOW ship with Him.) Romans viii,
| u
II We Confess,
Our text undoubtedly refers to
| those now called Of God to be members
of the Bride of Christ, and sharers of
the liberty and glory of sonship on the
spirit plaIfe Nevertheless. 1t states a
principle which will be applicable also
during the thousand years of Mes
Siah's reign. None then need expect
to make progress on the Highway of
Holiness except first they confess their
sins and turn from them and accept
the proffered blessing of Messiah. who
then will be reigning for the very pur-
pose of destroying sin and uplifting
sinners.
Applying the text to the present
time. we see that ii does not apply to
sinners in general but to the Church
of Christ, as again we read, IF we
sin we have an Advocate with the Fa-
ther, Jesus Christ" So this confession
Of sins does not relate to the world.
who have not yet become children of
God through faith and conservation,
This statement corresponds to the one
in our Lords prayer, which says,
Forgive us our trespasses as we for
give those who trespass against us"
Just to Forgive U.s."
Those who have become New Crea =
lures in Christ by faith and obedience
those who have taken up their cross
to follow Him and have been begotten
of the Holy Spirit-God has agreed TO
forgive all their unwilling trespasses
upon request. Hence the Apostle John
here says that it will be merely just on
Gods part to fulfil to His holy ones
this promise which He has made to
them. Reasoning upon the same sub
ject st. Paul urges Let us come with
courage to the throne of grace that
we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in every time of need. He
brews iy, 1G.
1t was evidently because the Lord
foresaw that His people might become
abashed by their repeated failures
through inherited weaknesses of their
flesh that He provided this special eX
hortaticn for their encouragement
This is a point we'll to be remembered
at this the close of another year and
the opening OF a new one. We urge
that all Christians keep a daily record
with the Lord and never retire to rest
without obtaining this grace of for
gveness and help But if any nave
delayed the matter and a cloud has
come between them and the Lord, let
them surely avail themselves of these
promises in the close of this year, that
they may start the New Year with a
clean slate--with the smile Of their