The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-02-21

the Bible that God is Love-" that His
mercy endureth ever, that He is like
a plying father, that He is the God
Of All Grace, the Father of Mercies,
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 formu-
lated in Il 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 it's
mysteries and explaining it's 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 1t seems impossible for them to
return to the paths of faith.
Now, however, is the time for all of
those who have a 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 establishment, 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 Breastplate of
RICH aousness, the Sword of the Spir
it-nec -ssary for self-protection and
for the aid of all who ''are feeling
after God if happy they might find
Him."-Acts xvii, 81.
Knowing Our God.
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 knowledge about God, but an
acquaintanceship aCitb Him, such as
can come only through a 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 to
Him and which, when thoroughly
demonstrated will be rewarded with
everlasting life. Thus knowledge Is
intimately bound up with our eternal
prospects.
Barth's teeming millions know not
God. Even those portions called Chris
tan worship the true God with but
slight appreciation of His true charac-
ter. None of these, therefore, are in
the condition to claim everlasting life
according to the teaching of the Mas
ter. They are the non-eiect, in contrast
with the faithful few, who are Scrip
turally styled Gods Elect" the Very
Elect" and who are urged to make
their calling and election sure by per-
severing loyalty even unto death.
In our blindness Of the past, assum-
ing that all the non-elect would be con
signed to an eternity of torture, we
have published in our missionary re-
ports that ninety thousand every day
go down into death, into Christless
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 fafrer
ment of His great and wonderful
plan for the salvation of the world Is
merely beginning-tha 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-elect. Now we perceive
that Tor Thousand years the Elect, on
the heavenly plane, invisible to men,
like unto the angels" will live and
reign with Christ Revels ton Xxx, A. for
the blessing of the non-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.
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 dffficultip Of heir Uav while prOV.