The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-15

the world, even as l am not Of the
world" 81 have chosen you out of the
world" and again. LET your light so
shine before men that they, seeing your
good works. may glorify your Father
which is in heaven Gin the day Of
their risitatiOn."-I Peter ii. 10
Two Different Rewards.
We should notice also the wide diff.
ference between the reward promised
the Church and that proffered the
world. In both cases the reward will
be everlasting life. In both cases this
will mean full harmony with God, be-
cause "All the wicked will God de-
stroy." And again we read that Who
soever hath the Son hath life. and
whosoever hath not the Son shall not
see life" So, then. the attainment OF
everlasting life, either by the Church
class or by the world, will mean COM
ing into full harmony with the heaven.
ly Father and with the Lord Jesus, by
the merit of Christ's sacrifice. 1t will
mean a full turning, away from sin
and full devotion to God and to right
eouSneSS. f
The difference will be as to nature.
The reward for the world will be
earthly nature, human nature. with
everlasting life in an earthly Paradise
or Eden-world- Mankind never
lost spiritual or heavenly condition
through Adams disobedience. nor in
any other manner. He never had such
q condition or nature. or q right to it,
that he could lose it. He was made
man, "a little lower than the angels"
His crown of glory and honor was an
earthly crown. His dominion was over
the birds OF the air, over cattle and
over the fish Of the sea. This which he
lost Jesus paid the redemption price
for at Calvary: and these things lost
are the very things which Jesus and
His elect Bride will restore to mankind
during the thousand years of the Mes
sianic Kingdom. Thus we read: ''The
Son of man came to seek and to save
that arhieh aras lost" ...
Partakers Of the Divine Mature.
The reward of the Church, eternal
life, perfection and harmony with God.
will be on the spirit plane-wholly
different from the human. Man in
perfection will again be little lower
than the angels; but the Church, as
the Body of Christ, will share with
her Lord in His exaltation, 'far above
angels, principalities and powers and
every name that is named'-the divine
nature. This reward comes to the
Church under a special covenant Of
sacrifice, which the Bible specifies.
This Church class, like her Lord.
must sacrifice the earthly nature.
earthly interests, hopes and aims. and
must be begotten of the Father to a
heavenly, spiritual nature, in order to
be a sharer in the First Resurrection;
and she must enter into her reward be-
fore the Messianic Kingdom can be eS-
tablished for the blessing Of mankind
in general-the saving of the world
from sin and from death.
Thus the Apostle wrote that the
grooming creation waits for the mani
festation Of the sons OF Cod" (Romans
viii, 49, "Now are we the sons OF
God, but it doth not yet appear what
we shall be chow glorious, how great.
but we know that when He shall ap-
pear we shall be like Him." Our res
direction change will make us like the
| Savior; rs it written, I'VE shall all
be changed, in a moment. in twin
king" because "flesh and blood can
not inherit the Kingdom of heaven"
"commandeth All to Repent"
Come back again to Saint Paul's
words. He does not say that God
commanded the Church to sacrifice, for
If sacrifice were command it would
cease to be a sacrifice. Nowhere are
Gods people commanded to present
their bodies living sacrifices, nor to
walk in the footsteps of Jesus, nor to
take up the cross and follow Him. To
the sanity these sacrificing features
are set forth as priUiIege--as an OPP
portunity. If they do these things the
Divine arrangement is that through
the imputation Of Christ's merit their
sacrifice will be holy and acceptable
unto God, and they will be granted
share with the Redeemer in His high
exaltation-the reward Of sacrifice. of
self-denial, of loving, voluntary serv-
ice to God, the truth and the brethren
But to the world in general the Lord
issues q command, viz. Repent; turn
from your sins; come back to Me; seek
My face; seek to know and do My will.
The basis of this command is the Di-
vine declaration that Gods grace has
provided redemption in the blood OF
Jesus. q reconciliation through His
blood, and that by and by the whole
world will be on trial for life or death
everlasting, in a great Day of trial.
which God has ordained and over
which Christ and the Church will SUI
pervise. as Judges.
Whoever comes to a knowledge OF
this great Divine arrangement through
Christ has an incentive to live right
eously, soberly and cody in this pres
ent time. Whoever hears and heeds
this command is laying up for himself
a good treasure Of character and prep
aration for his life or death trial in the
great Judgment Day Of the Messiantc
Kingdom. Whoever ignores this knowl-
edge and 'sows to the flesh" will find
himself reaping to the flesh further
weakness, further degradation and Sc
verer stripes or punishments in that