The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-01-26

ture at the hands Of fire-proof demons.
On the contrary, the Bible declares that
the wage or penalty of sin is death, and
that this is the explanation Of the gen.
eral prevalence of human weakness
and frailty, mental, moral and physical
death. In our text st. Paul tells us
that the whole creation-all ma nkind-
are grooming anu travaiiing in pain now
because Of sin and its death penalty.
This has been in progress for six thou.
sand years. It comes not through Di-
vine persecution of His creatures, but
by natural ihws of heredity passing on
the weakness. mental. moral aud phys
zeal. from parent to child, from genera,
ton to generation, by a law of nature.
God has simply permitted this Law to
take its course in disobedient man.
"a. Does God Pity Us?
You may perhaps ask me If the God
who, is loving, generous and kind does
not pity humanity in its present dying
condition, even though we have come
into this state through the violation of
Divine law. Could not God of Love
do something for our aid? s. 2: e
That, my dear friends. is exactly
what / wish to point out. The Bible
declares that the Divine Law broken.
its sentence must stand unless in some
manner justly satisfied. If a perfect
man could be found, willing to sacri-
fee his life in reparation for father
Adams dSsobedience and forfeited life.
then God could be just and accept the
mainder Of hts race to go free from
the death sentence. But no such per.
feet man could be found. There is
none righteous, no, not one. All were
born in sin: none therefore could give
to God ransom for his brother, as the
Scriptures declare. psalm xix, y
What then2 God figuratively repre-
sents His sympathy. saying that He
looked down to see our condition and
he hearkened to the groans Of the
prisoners Of sin and death. He beheld
that there was none that could pity
or succor because all were under sen,
tence. Then His own eye pitied and
His own Arm brought salvation" How
beautiful the picture Of Divine COM
passion hearkening to the groaning
creation! "
The Arm of tho Lord Revealed.
The Arm of God means. symbolical-
~, Divine Power. He revealed this
Arm in the arrangement which. He
made for the payment Of our death
penalty, in the sending Of His Son.
the Man Christ Jesus, who. by the
grace of God, tasted death for every
man" As perfect man had sinned.
God provided perfect man to be the
Redeemer, that as by man came
death, by a Man also should come the
resurrection of the dead: for as all in
Adam die, even! so shall all lin Christ
be made alive. every man In his own
order.--I Corinthiansxv. %. >,;,.f ~
Do you now catch glimpse Of the
mercy. the compassion. the love Of the
Christian God to US, who appeals to
the, heart as being different from any
other god Of whom you have ever had
knowledge! Think Of a God. Infinite
in Power, as being careful of His fall
en-. creatures, and providing, even at
self-sacrificc, for their recovery! 81
But you will. say. Where is the re-
covery? Are we not still sick, mental
~, morally. and physicaIly--a dying
race? What has the death Of Jesus
accomplished for us? That is a good
question; the answer to it will bring
you much enlightenment respecting
Gods loving character and glorious
Plan for humanity. The Bible teaches
us that Jesus, who redeemed mankind.
is to be made the great King, whose
Kingdom shall dominate the whole
world-"under the whole heavens"
Daniel vii. 81 1t will not be an
earthly kingdom: nor will the King be
visible to men, even as God is not visi-
bic, because He is Spirit. The great
Messiah will be invisible. He will be
invisible because He is a Spirit. ''the
express Image of the Fathers per-
son." Hebrews i, 81 The Kingdom
will be exercised through human agen-
cieS and it will increase and spread I'M
til all shall know God truly, and un-
til every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess to Him-but all who
will reject His grace shall perish to-.
tally in the Second Death.
Waiting For the Sons of God.
My text declares that the relief for
the grooming creation waits for the
manifestation of the sons Of God. We
have already seen that Jesus, as the
pre-eminent Son of God, died for our
sins and assembled to the right hand
of Divine Majesty. where He is wait
ing; and meantime the groaning crea-
ton must wait also. for the same. thing
for which He waits-for the sons of
God. Here is matter which seems to
have been for time hidden under the
rubbish of the Dark Ages-the fact
that God not only foreordained Jesus.
the great Son of God, to be the worlds
Messiah, to deliver them from sin and
death. but that He also foreprdained
the selection of special class from
amongst mankind, to be the Redeem
ers associates and joint-heirs in His
Kingdom of glory, honor and immor-
tality. (Romans ii. ~ 1t has required
the entire period from the time Of
Jesus death until now to call, to sane
tify. to prepare these subordinate sons
of God.