Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-08-24

our sins 0he
--l-A lAA Church's SINS, and
llRASIGR RUSSEll) not for ours only,
but also for the
sins Of the whole world."-- John II, 2.
As the Jews applied all of Gods
promises to themselves and left none
for the Gentiles, until the end of the
Jewish Age, so we Christians have
been inclined to appropriate to our
selves all Of the gracious promises Of
the Bible, leaving nothing for the Jews
and the world in general-until now
in the ending time Of this Age and the
dawnlng Of the Millennium, we are
coming to see Gods Word in a clearer
and more beautiful and harmonious
light. Now we see special promises
for the Jews in the past, special prom
ises for the Gospel. Church, promises
for the Jews In the near future, and
still other promises and blessings for
every creature. And the more the light
increases on the pathway the more rea-
sonable the Divine Plan appears to US.
Why should God select one nation or
people of one religious cult for glory
and make preparations from the very
beginning of creation for the eternal
torture of all others? Surely we have
been most inconsistent in our interpre-
tatlons Of the Divine Message, yet just
as surely the all-wlse One knew Of our
plight and permitted us to remain in
darkness until now; and He is able to
overrule our measure of blindness 80
that It will be OF no injury to us.
Perhaps, indeed, the beauty OF the
Divine Word and Plan Is much more
persplcuous now because Of the dark
ness in which we all were so recently
involved, and perhaps the same prin-
clple later on will apply to the whole
world. When all shall emerge out OF
the darkness and ignorance and SUI
perstltlon into the glorious sunlight Of
Divine truth and grace, undoubtedly
the contrast will make the blessings Of
the future all the more precious, and
the more incline every knee to bow.
After Divine favor had first granted
opportunity to the Jews to accept the
Redeemer, shedding upon them first
the special light Of the Gospel then
the Message was sent forth without
restriction gradually through Asia
Minor, into Greece and into Rome,
and then favored chiefly the Germanlc
nations-and amongst these / include
the British people and the larger pro-
portion Of our American population.
In these peoples, too, the Reformation
Movement found It's chief adherents.
The Message Of Christ has made great
in civilization all the nations 1t has
touched, in proportion as they have
received the Message in simplicity and
purity and in proportion as they have
lived out their Christian profession as
footstep followers of Jesus.
Less Favor, Not Less Worthy.
SO far as human judgment can dis
Germ, the Divine records show that these
favored peoples were not superior to
others less favored The Bible shows
us some noble characters amongst the
Gentle nations before the Redeemer's
day and plainly intimates that God
intentionally bestowed His favor upon
stlff-necked race, less tractable than
others of that time. We see the same
thing in respect to the operation OF
Gods grace during this Gospel Age.
Apparently the peoples Of India and
China were more docle and Of much
more likely soil for the Gospel Mes
sage than the fierce Goths and Huns
and Franks to whom the Gospel was
more particularly directed. How un-
likely 1t would be that the less-favor-
ed nations should have no provision in
the Divine Plant
On the contrary we perceive that q
special election, or selection, OF saint
ly class was made during the Jewish
Age-Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and
all the Prophets and sanity Jews.
Hebrews xl. 3s-40) And since the Sc
lection Of the sanity Jews the calling
Of the Bride class, chiefly from the
nations OF Europe implies that when
this spirit-begotten, Spiritual Israel,
spiritual children Of Abraham, shall be
completed, then all nations VIII be
alike favored in the distribution OF the
coming blessings declared to be for all
other peoples. kindreds and tongues
No Predestination to Misery. r.
While speaking last Sunday in the
great Victoria Hall Of Geneva my mind
naturally went back to the days when
that great and good man John Calvin
cut such a swath In religious sentiment
that 1t stlll influences about one-half OF
all Protestants. I saw the monument
to Calvin, and l saw the monument
unveiled this very year by Calyln's fol-
lowers to the honor Of seryetus, whom
Calvin 50 horribly burned to death at