The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-02-23

I the length, breadth, height and depth
Of whose loving-kindness We cannot
measure-only such have the assur-
ances which enable them to Offset the
horrible theories Of our creeds formr.
. lated in darker past and which told
us more horrible things respecting our
God and His treatment Of mankind
than our poor heather brethren ever
| imagined.
The Key Of the Divine Word.
But now the better day is dawning!
We are seeing the glorious outlines OF
| the Divine character in the Divine
Plan as never before! Our hearts first
led the way and rebelled against the
! dictum Of our fallacious reasoning.
| And now, in Gods due time, when
nature is yielding up her secrets and
chemistry Is making the world anew.
| behold, the key TO the Divine Word is
thrust into our hands, unlocking its
mysteries and explaining its parabolic
symbols to our astonished faith. But
alas. meantime many Of The brightest
| minds of the world have rejected the
Bible. many Of them even denying the
| personality of the Creator: and so far
have these gone IN the substitution Of
human wisdom for Divine Revelation
that IL seems impossible for them TO
return to the paths of faith.
Now, however, is the time for all of
those who have hungering and
thirsting after God and His righteous
ness to begin afresh the study of His
Word in the light Of the morning of
this New Dispensation. Not only Is
this necessary for our own comfort
and esta blishment. but 1t is necessary
also in the interests of others before
whom we stand as bulwarks Of the
Truth, having on the whole Armor Of
| God. the Helmet of Salvation. the
Shield of Faith. the Breastplate4 OF
Righteousness, the Sword Of the Spir
Unnecessary for self-protection and
for the aid Of all who ARE feeling
after God il happy they might find
Him.''-Aets xvii, %. 1s.si..
~ Knowing Our God. 80
Our Redeemer declared, This is life
eternal, that they might know Thee,
the only true and living God, and Je-
sus Christ, whom Thou hast sent
Evidently the great Teacher had in
mind the thought of our text--not
merely a knowledge about God, but an
acQuaintanceShip WHM Him, such as
can come only through fellowship
of spirit and an understanding Of the
Divine Program. None, however, are
permitted to come to such intimate
knowledge except as they shall mani
fest heart-loyalty. Each step Of prog
ress in our loyalty to God brings that
attitude Of mind which is pleasing 10
Him and which, when thoroughly
demonstrated. will be rewarded with
everlasting life. Thus knowledge is
intimately bound up with our eternal
prospects. ..~..-rE. s. /.
g Earth's teeming millions know not
God. Even those portions called Chris.
lftoa worship the true, God with but
slight appreciation of His true charac-g
ter. a None of these, therefore, are in'
the condition to claim everlasting hfs
Ger. They are the non elect, in contrast
with the faithful few: who are Scrip.i.
turally styled Gods Elect" the Very
Elect" and who are urged TO make
their calling and election sure by per-
seNering loyalty even unto death, .'":,''' Il
S In our blindness of the past, assum-
ing that all the non-elect would be con.'
signed to an eternity Of torture. W e.
haze published in our missionary re!
ports that ninety thousand every day
90 down into death, into Christiess
graves-and, by inference, into eternal
torture. Alas. how misunderstood and
how unintentionally misrepresented
has been our gracious Father, the God
of All Grace, the Father of Mercies.
Now we read His character in fairer
lines as we perceive that the fulfil
ment of His great and wonderful
plan for the salvation Of the world Is
merely beginning-that the election Of
the Church to be the Bride Of Christ
and joint-heir with Him in His glori-
Gus Kingdom merely marks the time.
for the. setting up of that Heavenly.
Kingdom, the rule of which is to bring
such blessing and opportunities to man.
kind-the non-elcct. Now we perceive
that for thousand years the Elect, on
the heavenly plane, invisible to men,
like unto the angels will live and
reign with Christ Revelation Xxx. 4, for
the blessing of the -elect-for their
uplifting from conditions Of Sin and i'm
perfection back TO the glorious heights
OF the image of God in the flesh, lost
by Adams disobedience and redeemed
by our Savior on Calvary, and to be re-
stored to Adam and all his children
found willing to receive it ON Divine
terms. $685. go
In view of these things, how reason
able that we find the Apostles and
Prophets exultingly pointing forward
to Messiah's Kingdom as the time when
all the families Of the earth shall be
blessed. How this explains to us the
fact that our Redeemer gave SO many
parallels illustrative Of His Kingdom
describing the class which would con-
stitute the Royal Family and the trials
and difficulties of their way while prov
ing themselves worthy to share with
our Redeemer In glory; and the .condi-
tons in which they would be at His
second coming, when the wise vir-
gins only would be accepted to the
otagiol1s hoy,nr Of .haoo1y1jpu tho u rtdo