The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-10-08
God cannot consistently accept and


not according to our works, but accord
ing to our faith. Nevertheless, good
works are recognized as demonstra-
ton Of our faith. So surely as we have
the proper faith in God and His prom
ises it will manifest itself in works.
even though we cannot do perfectly.
So st. James points out that Abra
ham was not justified without works,
but was required to demonstrate his
faith by his works, even though they
were not perfect works and could not
have justified him.
Age of Faith-Age of Works.
If we call this Gospel Age the Age of
faith, none should misunderstood us to
mean that works are now wholly ig-
nored, but rather that works take the
say that the coming Age Of the Mes
sianic Kingdom will be an Age of
works, none should understand us as
meaning that faith will then be ig
nored. Works will then be the basis
of the Lords judgment in dealing with
shall be Judged every man according
to his works." Revelation xxi, 12)
Judgment according to works, yet not
without faith, may perhaps appeal to
some Of our minds as being the more
reasonable, the more just form of judg
ment However, when we come to
note the difference between the condi-
lions Of the trial of the Church of this
Age and the future trial of the world
during the Messianic reign, we can see
readily the reason for the different ba-
sis of judgment.
The Present Grace Age.
In the present time the Lord is Sc
lecting from the world a special class
to be the Bride of Christ, and He prop
erly makes faith the test a. Because
in the Divine estimation faith in God
is one of the grandest elements of
character, the one. most essential to
such as will be entrusted with high
positions and authority in the King
dom. 81 Because the judgment accord
ing to faith meets the various condi-
tons Of the present time as judgment
according to works would not do.
The Lord calls now for such as will
walk in the marrow way" demonstrate
ing that if they had perfect bodies as
Jesus body was perfect they would be
perfect in works as well as in faith.
In the next Age, the Divine plan will
not be the selection Of self-sacrifcing
ones for the Kingdom, but the bless
ing of humanity with an opportunity to
return to the full perfection of human
nature. They will be required merely
to demonstrate their loyalty to God in
the use of their lives faithfully in
obedience to His Law. The reward for
the sacrifcers of this Age is to be
glory, honor and Immortality, the Di-
vine nature and joint heirship with the
| lord Jesus in His Kingdom. The re-
ward for obedience to be given in the
next Age will be human perfection in
| the image and likeness of God, with all
the earthly inheritance originally given
| to Adam-lost through sin and redeem
ed by the merit of Christ's sacrifice.
And since the objective points of the
| two Ages are different, so will be their
methods and conditions.
We have already considered the con-
ditions of the Church's trial; let us
| next notice how different will be the
conditions of the worlds trial, accord
| ing to works. in the coming Age. The
reign of Satan and sin now prevalent
| is to give way; Satan is to be bound
for a thousand years that he may de.
ceive the nations no more for that pc
Rod The darkness. ignorance. super
sutton and misunderstanding of God
and His plans. etc, which have pre-
vailed for the last six thousand years
will pass away. Instead. 1.-The Sun OF
Righteousness shall arise with healing
In His beams" The darkness of igno
rance, superstition, etc., which at the
present time covers the earth, and
gross darkness the heather, makes
faith in the present time q very pre-
eious thing indeed which only compar
atively few can or will exercise.
| But, when the shadows and dark
ness shall flee away, when the True
Light shall shine, when ''the knowl
edge of the glory Of the Lord shall
fill the whole earth as the waters GOV
er the great deep''-then faith will moi
be at its present premium, because il
will then be very easy to exercise
| faith. Moreover, while perfect works
| are impossible now, because of our i'm
| projections of the flesh, perfect works
will gradually become possible to thu
world in the next Age, because as they
progress in the light and in obedience
to the laws of that Kingdom they will
| gradually be recovering the perfection
Of the flesh, mental, moral and phys
| ical. And as they recover these pow
ers correspondingly more and bette
works will be required each year, eacl
century, of their experience.
Finally, before the glorious Epocl
shall conclude-before Messiah shall
turn over the Kingdom to Justice-al
the willing and obedient will hav,
come to full perfection and hence t.
full capacity for perfect works ant
God will demand them; they viii
therefore be the standard or test il
the worlds trial Day-"They shall b,
judged every man, according to hi
works" In both these Judgments W,
see Justice and Mercy harmoniousl.
working together in the interests O
those on trial, the differences between
the two operations being such merel!
as adapt them to the conditions Of thu
individuals on trial.
Come Now to Our Text.
A glance at our text shows that it re
lates to the present Age and not to tn
period of Messiah's Kingdom. TIL
Apostle is addressing those called t
joint-heirship in the Kingdom, o
whom he says in the context tina
God in mercy hath quickened us witt
Christ and raised US up together to |
heavenly station In Christ Jesus, tina
in the Ages to come we might show
the exceeding riches of His grace il
His kindness toward US through Chris
Jesus" Without question these word
| apply to the Elect Church, and witt
equal certainty they cannot properl.
be applied to the non-elect world
whose opportunity for blessing belong
to the next Age and will come to then
from the Father, through the Son, b.
the Church in glory.
Our text contains another statemen
which has been the cause Of much dis
pute, namely, the one which declare
that 1--WE are saved by grace through
faith, and that not of ourselves, it i
the gift Of Cod" 1t is easy to under
stand the forepart Of this statement
that we are saved by grace, and cas-.
also to understand the last part, name
ly, that we are not saved by works anC