The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-12-31

the service OF the LOru, his cause anu
His brethren. The class He seeks count
not their lives dear unto themselves"
God carries the proposition still
further. however. and puts this special
class to peculiar and severe tests. that
the trial of their faith and obedience.
being more precious than that of gold.
may be found acceptable unto His
pleasement-eventually.
Prosecutions. tribulations. attacks
from the world. the flesh and the Ad-
versary, are permitted to come against
these to test their loyalty. None of
these things are what the world would
expect: and to tell the world of these
Is to relate what seems to them fool
ishness. They cannot see why cunse-
Grated people of God should suffer re-
proofs for righteousness sake. for
Truths sake.
But all these matters are clear and
plain to those who are taught of God
to those, who have learned that the
Church is being selected from amongst
mankind for a very special work of
God. This makes 1t appropriate that
their loyalty be tested to the limit, In
order that they may be counted worthy
of the "glory, honor and Immortality"
which God has for those who love Him.
BY and BY II Will Be Different.
The Divine Plan outlined in the BIZ
BILE is different. The procedure under
Messiah's Kingdom and dealing with
the world will be exactly what the
world will cOncede to be a wise pro-
gram. In that time all darkness. ig-
norance and superstition will speedily
pass away under the advancing light
Of the Sun of Righteousness. The way
of righteousness will no longer be mar
row. secluded and rugged. as at pres
emit God describes 1t through the
Prophet. saying. "A highway shall be
there, and a way. and it shall be called
the Way Of Holiness; . the re-
deemed Of the Lord shall walk there;
60 beast shall go up there
on."-Isaiah xxxv. 8, 8.
Faithfulness will bring the Divine re-
ward of freedom from weakness, and
cs increase Of straightforward. moral
and physical. Day by day the we'll
doer, walking on the Highway Of Holi.
ness, will be coming nearer to human
perfection. Thus will be fulfilled,
through Christ. the gracious promise
that God shall wipe away all tears
from all faces" and there shall be no
more curse. neither sorrow, o sigh
ing, nor crying; for the former things
shall have passed away"
Many Stripes and Few Stripes.
The Bible clearly indicates that the
Adamic condemnation against our ace
will be fully offset by the merit OF
Christ's sacrifice. But on the other
hand, 1t tells us that every transgres-
sion which is not purely of inherited
weakness is charged to the account Of
the transgressor and must be met by
him. Jesus emphasizes this lesson,
saying. He that knew his Masters
win and did it not. shall be beaten
with many stripes: but he that knew
1t not and yet did things worthy OF
stripes. shall be beaten with few
stripes" Some of these stripes. or
punishments. may indeed come to the
transgressor In the present life; and
II SO. he does well to profit by them.
But whether In the present life or in
the future life. every wilfui transgres-
sion will receive "a just recompense Of
reward" The difficulty with our theo-
ries of the Dark Ages on this subject
has not been that they taught a pun
ishment for sin; but that they taught
an unjust penalty. dishonoring to the
Creator and stultifying to the believer.
The Records of WiIful Sin.
1t Is a mistake to say that increasing
sins would increase the pangs Of con
science and that thus each would be
punished. We know to the contrary
that many. as they become stepped in
sin, lose all se~nsibility. st. Paul cor
roborates this thought, saying Of some
that their consciences become scared"
-calloused.
God provided that each individual
shall keep a record in himself of his
own moral obIiquities. Each violation
Of conscience weakens the character.
Character weakened, degraded. can be
reconstructed only with proportionate-
~ great difficulty. Thus some. during
the period of Messiah's Kingdom. will
be struggling against weaknesses
which they brought upon themselves,
aside from those Of Adamic heredity.
The assistance from the Royal Priest
haAl It'll ho nrOnAr4onatA - &ho
Adamic weakness. contrary to the hu-
man will. Outside temptations will
be gone. Full knowledge will be there;
but character will be the thing of para
mount Importance as determining who
will attain everlasting life.
Our Redeemer gave a suggestion
along this line when He said to the
Pharisees, How can ye escape the
condemnation of GehennaY (Matthew
xiii. 33.l The Valley of Hinnom ICE
hennaD outside Jerusalem. where the
offal was finally destroyed, symbolical-
~ represented the Second Death. as
explained In Revelation xx. ID. Jesus
did not condemn the Pharisees to the
Second Death. His mission to the
world was not to condemn men; for
they were condemned already-under
the Adamic condemnation. The Son
of Man came mot to condemn the
world: but that the world through
Him might be saved" John Iii, I'D
At the time he spoke these words re-
specting the Pharisees. he was laying
down His life on behalf of all the chill
dren of Adam. They could not forfeit
their share in His resurrection work
until that work had been completed
and they had enjoyed their share Of
the Redeemer's favor.
The import of the Redeemer's words.
therefore. was that He perceived In
them so much Of dishonesty and hard
ness of heart that He p~rophesied that
they would have a hard time to reform
character. even under the favorable
conditions of the Millennium. They
had seen the Master. heard His teach
ings witnessed His miracles. and must
nave l,een reasonably convinced that
it WAS a hcly power which operated in
Him When. therefore. in bitterness OF
sp'rit the, d.r-lared that His miracles
and leachinrS were Inspirations of Sa-
tan. thr' wert well nigh without excuse.
II ptsa nl' he supposed that such
~pe"vsrSitN spirit was the result
either of i"r"ran"e or nf Ada ME weak
ness Evidently there was great viii
fulness associated with II. Hence the
Master detia red that persons who
could thus attribute to Satan things
and holy. must have greatly perverted
their consciences. They will be ohllg.
ed to suffer stripes accordingly. and