Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-03-04

general enlightenment OF mankind and
full opportunity for ALL rich and
poor. great and small. TO rise up from
dust aud ashes and the grave to the
full perfection Of human nature.
The Sun Of Righteousness will arise
with healing In his beams. blessing
mankind. healing their diseases. men
tai. moral and physical. and causing
the knowledge of the Lord to oil the
whole earth. no longer will any need
10 say to his neghbor 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 he cut Of
from life in the Second Death-not
torture; but. as st. Paul declares,
"They 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" a Royal Priesthood" !"
the "Brfdel' "the Lambs Wife," the
"little flock" to whom II is the Fa-
theirs good pleasure to give the King
| dom.
Elect to Bless Non.elset.
Seeing, then, that there is a 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 is 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 "heav-
enly calling" a high calling" They
are to be like their Lord and Redeem
er and Head and Bridegroom, Jesus,
In His glorl6ed 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 natlOn-not. however. to the detri-
ment or injury Of other 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 a certain service.
But this selection worked no injury to
either lshmae or Esau. Similarly
during this Gospel Age God chooses
from the world 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
'caled 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 In His loving Kindness
toward us In Christ Jesus (Epheslans
II, u, 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 n 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 and 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 He
would have Church. 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 1t would be at
tractive only to certain class pos.
sessed of love for righteousness
fhese only would hear His call These
only would have the eyes OF their un.
derstanding specially opened. because
these alone would accept OF His assur.
ances and make n full conservation to
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
II Is Of this Dpecia class that the i
Apostle declares, Whom God did !
toreknow, these He also did predesti.
nate TO he Conformed to the likeness
dmagel OF His Son" lRomans viii. 2M. |
That is TO say, Gods predestination
was not only that He would have a
Church, but, additionally, that the
terms or conditions OF fellowship In
that Church should be that each one /
would become Chrlst.llke Surely this
Is good predestlnation. with which
no one could find fault. Whether we