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

GOQ ana preueSllnateu Dy Hill DeIots
the creation OF Adam. Others claim
the contrary, that God had benevolent
intentions toward our race at the start
but that His plans miscarried and
would produce the same horrible re.
suits, either because of Divine unwis-
dom or because of lack of power. How
such presentations distressed every
Christian loyal at heart toward His
God and sympathetic toward his fel.
lows!
Our colleges and universities-and,
sad to say, our theological seminaries
are busy turning out unbelievers--
infidels. Nor are these people wicked
or immoral in their unbelief; they are
as well-meaning as ever, but have
lost their way. They reject the Bible
because they believe it to be the
foundation Of the various inconsisten.
cies in their creeds: they are stun
bling for lack of knowledge; they can
not believe that mans hereafter is
one Of centuries Of suffering, or of
eternal suffering.
Let us, now demolish these idols
which so long have misrepresented
our gracious Creator and blinded us
with ignorance and superstition. Let
US receive the Scripture teaching only.
! Let us rejoice in the election Of the
Church to be the Kingdom class and
let us rejoice in the hope of its King
dom glory for the blessing Of the non
elect. Let us rejoice that 'the wilder
ness shall blossom as the rose, and
that the solitary place shall be glad
and that God will make His footstool
glorious during the thousand years
of Messiah's Kingdom. So desiring
We will come into line with our text:
"Let him that glorieth glory in this,
that he understandable and knoweth
Me, that am the Lord, which exer.
ciseth loving-kindness, Judgment and
righteousness in the earth" ..5.ius
Now We See obseurely. =
Saint Paul declares: Now we see
obscurelY.'' Only by faith can we
see Gods loving-kindness The reign
Of sin and death for six thousand
years has been but the natural re-
suit of the violation Of Divine Law
which -our first parents transgressed.
The, beginning Of Gods work for our
reclamation from its consequences was
in the sending of His Son to be our
Redeemer. Since then He has been
gathering an elect few to be Nfessfah's
Bride and joint-heir In His Kingdom.
Soon-very sooD. we hope and be.
lieve-the Church will be completed
and the Messianic Kingdom will man
ifest Divine clemency, mercy, loving
kindness, Judgment and righteousness
in the earth.
The Bible declares that the penalty
for sin is being experienced by hui
manity at the present time-the death
penalty--and that the redemption price
Of Ghrists death. is; sdfticiefitv for the
sins Of the whole world. st declares
that on account Of this redemption,
ultimately the resurrection OF the dead
shall take place-"sll that are In their
graves shall hear the voice Of the, Son
Of Man and come forth" 1t is be-
cause of, the Divine intention that
there shall be a RESURRECTION of, the
dead that the efsAbic eyetywbere,, 10th
I'm thee Old and New Testaments,
speaks of those who have died. both
good and bad, as. being asleep and
the Ipromise is thai They. that
sleep In ;the dusc, pf the. earth, shaft
aWake:-l 2 .... a-tii'v.
Nor will they come forth to similar
conditions of sorrow that now sur
found US all. On, the contrary, the
First Resurrection is to he composed
Of the holy, the sanity. and they are
to be associated with their Redeemer
as his Bride and Consort, to assist In
delivering and restoring mankind.
Later the imperfect, who have not had
their full trial, the great mass Of man
kind, will be brought forth, that they
may learn the ways of Righteousness,
that they may learn to know God, and
Jesus Christ, and In due time be up
lifted out Of the conditions of sin and
DEATH Then will come the world s
opportunity. How joyful is the mes
sage, "There shall be no more death,
neither sorrow. nor crying. nor dying;
Tor the former things have passed
away" ,4.s <.~. ta-r, 80.
All, how different is Gods PROPOSE
ton Of general uplift Of the worthy
and their assistance back to perfec-
tfon-to all that was lost in Ada %
How different is this from the doc
trines of demons" which have per-
picked us, which have divided the
Church of Christ into numberless
sects and parties. and which have al;
most driven US from Christ and the
Bible.
Only those can see the grace of God
now whose eyes have been enlighten-
ed and whose ears have been unstop-
ped. Thank God, however, for the
gracious promise that In due time "all
the blind eyes shall be opened and all
the deaf ears shall be uustopped:"
then 1.-THE knowledge Of the glory Of
The Lord shall Eli the whole earth as
the waters cover the great deep"
isaiah XXX, 8; Habakkuk II, 14.).
Then many will respond to the Di-
vine clenency and become children of
God, children Of the Messiah. and
heirs OF everlasting, earthly life aud
its earthly Paradise, even as the
elect Of this Age. who come to a
true knowledge Of God, will, be, heirs
~ sJ;fn z%or,,al ~, +bre c,,;r;Af x,ta,,n e..