The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-03-21

'c0nDrmed unto uS ny those VINO nearu
Him" The speaker said;-
In the past many of us misuBder-
stood these wOrds--"so great salvation
and have thought them to apply
merely to an elect few OF the sanity
followers of our great Redeemer. Sure
iy It should not be thought strange II
a closer examination of Gods Word
would demonstrate 20, Is that as the
heavens are higher than the earth. so
are His ways and plans higher than
ours usnIah ". %. It should not
surprise us to find that our fOrefathers
were generally In considerable dark
ness In respect to the length and
breadth and height and depth of the
love Of God. which passeth all under
standing tEphesians iii. I8. 10I. II
should not surprise us TO end that our
Savior will yet see the fruitage Of the
travail of His soul and be satisfied
Nsalnh liii IL. and that this salts
faction will result from the salvation
of more than the little 6ock." who
walk In His steps and who. like Him.
''present their bodies living sacrifices
holy and acceptable TO God" In the
service of Truth and righteousness.
There are several ways of treating
this thought. that more than an ''eiect"
few are eventually TO reach eternal life
through the Redeemer OF mankind
One way. which many adopt. Is to
claim that our Lord and the Apostles
did not really mean to establish so
high u standard of salntship al their
words imply. and then to conclude that
the unsniDtly will gain eternal life as
well az the saintly-eiI except the de-
gcnerately wicked, This view of mat
ters. which is the common one. is un-
doubtedly prompted by sympathy for
friends. relatives. Beighbors and the
heather; but 1t is wholly contrary to
Gods Word.
Another view still held by some Ia
that everybody but the sanity will
suffer torture eternaHy and hOpeleSsly
Che third theory which desire to
present here Is the one I believe to be
I'm accord with every text of Scripture.
and In accord with Justice. Wisdom.
Love and Power Divine. and In accord
with sanctlfied common sense. | have
time for only an outline of this Plan.
which IL most comprehensive, as fol.
lows:
The SANITY New Creation.
Salvation in no sense began before
the Redeemer's birth. fOrty-one hun
dred and twenty-eight years after the
fall OF our first parents. In all that
long period nobody was saved The
in. inv haN nj
walton began TO be preached by Jesus.
Again we read that Jesus brought life
and immortality to light through His
Gospel III Timothy 1. i0,. So. then,
life and Immortality and the Gospel
Message began to be preached by our
Lord and was not preached before His
day. Indeed we eau see that if there
is none other Name given under heav,
en- or amongst men whereby we must
be saved" than the name of Jesus,
then IL could not have been preached:
nOthlne could he preached previously
except the Divine declaration that God
purpuspd In due time TO redeem man
kind from sin and death through n
Savior and u Great One--One able to
save unto the uttermost all that would
come unto the Father through Him.
This reasoning IL surely true 10 the
facts. Search MI through the Old Tes
fament aud there Is found no promise
OF eternal life set forth except by the
Law given 10 the one little nation oi
Israel. That Law declared that hC
that doeth these things shall live b,
his obedience thereto (Romans x, 81
aud the Apostle assures US that Jews
died because none OF them kept thu
Law because no imperfect human be
ing could possibly meet the require
mentS of Gods perfect Law "By th,
deeds Of the Law shall no flesh bI
justified In His sight CRomnns iii. 20l
The Apostle. further explaining tn
matter. says. Wherefore. then. servetl
the Law fle replies TO his question
at was added because OF transgres
sion until the promised Seed shOul,
come" lGalarians III i0
The Promised Seed.
The Apostles words direct ou
thoughts back to Eden. when God d'
clared that the Seed OF the wOma
would al some future time bruise th
Serpent's head. But that Seed did nc
exist for over four thousand year
after. and has not yet crushed the Sci
pent's head--,lestroyed sin and tn
works OF Satan.
The Apostles words again remind u
's9 Gods promise to Abraham. "In tn
Seed shall all the families OF tn
'seartl be blessed" Genesis xviii, IA
Abrahnm was not thus blessed nc
were any others thus blessed. howevt
faithful they were. All the blessln
was 60 come through Abraham's See
sand could not be dispensed before IL
COMING Hence the Apostle. referrlu
10 Abraham. Isaac and Jacob aud q