Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-03-30

tice to hold full sway in relentless
exhibition Of Divine wrath against the
sinner, had a loving purpose in His
heart which would yet ind expression
and include all the human family In
the blessing It would bring. How as
tonished we are to learn Of such
"A Wilderness in Gods mercy,
Like the wideness Of tho seag
But God gave Abraham words only,
"WonderfuI words Of life"-that in
him and in his posterity eventually all
the families Of the earth shall be
blessed. But there was not a sign Of
change 80 far as the Divine dealings
were concerned. Sin and death were
still allowed to reign, and their reign
has continued century after century
since Abraham's day. Doubtless 1t
was because God foreknew that ap-
prOxlmateIy four thousand years would
intervene before the blessing Of the
world that He added His Oath in cor
roboration Of His promise. Saint Paul
tells us that He 80 did in order that
by these two immutable, unchange-
able thlngs-the Word Of God and the
Oath Of God-we, who by faith are be.
come the spiritual Seed Of Abraham,
might have strong consOlation-we
"who have fed for refuge to lay hold
upon the hope set before us" in that
Gospel Message which God gave to
Abraham.
"lsrael Hath Not Obtained"
Centuries passed Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob, to whom that prom
lse was successfully made, all died;
and Jacob on his death bed handed
down the gracious Inheritance Of the
wonderful promise to his twelve sons,
who there became the nation Of Israel.
The foundation Of IsraePs hopes as n
nation IL that promise made to Abra-
ham, In which they still trust The
spectacle Of faith triumphlng for
four thousand years is glorious one,
and II will shortly have its reward.
In due time, at Mount Sinai God en-
tered into Covenant with the chill
dren OF Israel, by which lie agreed TO
bless them. and to fulfil In them the
Abrahamic promise that they, as Abra-
hams seed, should bless all the M.
tions Of the earth. The only condition
connected with the promise was that
they were TO show their fitness to be
the Divine channel OF blessing TO the
world and their obedience to the Dl.
vine Law which was delivered to them
on two tables Of stone. Full Of JOY
and i0.th the Israeltes obligated
themselves thus
All much they knew not. They did
not realize their own weakness and
lmperfectlon through the fall and thell
inability TO fulfil the Divine require
nen;s, the spirit Of the Law of thell
Covenant. They soon found that while
the Law said, ole that doeth these
things shall live" they were not able
to do those things; and therefore they
were all dying like other men. Had
God deceived them and entrappeC
them2 No. Gods proposition wal
simple enough. He was merely teach
INK them n great lesson-that sin as {
disease had taken hold upon humanlt!
and that, however willing they nigh
be, all were weak and peryerse In thu
flesh and unable to fulfil their gooC
Intentions
lsrae's Promised pslivsrer
As a consolation God assurl lsrae
that He wor'1 so'l 49, nrl"c"c'
one still greater than Moses who ha,
delivered them from the Egyptian
bondage, This greater Dcllycrer woul,
deliver them from the greater bondag
Of sin aud death, so that they woul,
be able TO obey the Divine Law ant
be used Of God In blessing and In
struCtlng other nations. This Create
than Moses they were assured woul,
luaugurate New Law Covenant
based upon better sacrifices than tn
blood Of bulls and goats, and He wa
known TO them as Messiah, the Mes
Bengcr Of the New Covenant, In Hin
therefore they came TO hope; for Hlr
they waited; In the prospect OF I'll
coming they delighted,
but although the Law Coyenan
made nothing perfcct-although II dl
not accomplish the thing Israel ha
hoped, Il did accomplish much. |
served to llft that one nation, rel
} glously high above oil the other M
tlons OF their day, 80 that when IN
time came for God TO send His SO
into the world TO be mans Redeemer-
10 die tho Just for the unjust, 10
mans reconciliation, as the Atonemeu
for his sln-at that time there wer
few thousand sanity Jews VIII
waited for the consolation the con
fort the blessing which God hO
promised them through Messiah n
lease from the bondage Of ain an
death,
Thus the Law was n pedagogue,
servant, to lead the lsraelltes 10 IN
Great Teacher; and at PeutecOst an
subsequently several thousand OF thel
thus lcd entered the School Of Chrst
10 he His disciples, to walk In III
steps, To sulIer with Him and later ol
= In due time, 10 reign with Him
Moreover during the sixteen cent
rles between Moses aud Jesus sain
ly class was manifested all Of who,
names ARE written Iu the book OF God
remembrance, II Is not theirs to /
the Bride OF Messiah; II Ia not theil
20 be counted In MS members of Il
Body Of Christ, which Is the Churcl
, Cor those members viii follow n