The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-21

is manifest in various ways and for
different purposes. AS physical force,
not spiritual, is the legitimate power
used to maintain the equal rights
of all men in civil society or govern
ment; so spiritual force, not physi-
CAL is the power ordained of God
to operate in the realm of ecclesias-
teal or church government in its
work of propagating Bible truth in
pursuance of it's divine commission.
| wish briefly to notice few facts
touching the nature of forces or
dained of God to operate in the work
of His church on earth. In Matt.
28:lS, 10 is clearly indicated the ma
ture of the forces used in evange-
listic effort, viz: Teach all nations;"
note, it does not say coerce or COM
pei all nations, but teach all ma
TONS" In verse eighteen Jesus re-
fers to the "all power as an as
surance Of success, and as we turn
to the book of Acts 1:S, the nature
Of the power operating in Christian
effort is stated thus: "But We shall
receive power, after that the Holy
shall be witnesses unto me, both in
Jerusalem, and in all .Judea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part Of the EARTH" According to the
Divine Head and founder of the
Christian church, the primal qualifi-
cation for Witnessing, is that power
that comes to the individual believer
as the result of having received the
gift of the Holy Ghost In fulfill
ment of the promise of power" we
have recorded in the book OF the
Acts of the Apostles a remarkable
record of success whithersoever the
their Lord All this remarkable sue
cess was achieved, not by the power
and support of the kingdoms of this
world, but by the power of the Spirit
of God, operating in the individual
life of the believer.
When the Jealous but bigoted and
misguided Pharisees and leaders of
the apostate Jewish church used that
potent argument with the time serv-
ing PLATE: ''If thou let this man go
thou art not Caesars friend" they
adopted policy that, in all the ages
has not only led the church into
apostacy, but plunged civil govern
ment into that vortex of ruin which
has been the element of destruction
so potent in the downfall of the
mightiest nations Of the past. Jesus
utterly repudiated the idea that His
kingdom was like the temporal king
doms of this world when, in response
to Pilates question: What hast
thou done?" He responded, "My king
dom is not of this world; if my
kingdom were of this world, then
would my servants fight, that 7
should not be delivered to the Jews:
but now is my kingdom not from
hence" John 1886 In this utter
ance Jesus emphasizes the fact that
material force of civil government
is not the power ordained of God
to operate in ecclesiastical govern
ment and Christian effort That which
constitutes violation of divine law
as God ordained it, is designated as
sin. Sin is defined in the Scriptures
as follows: whatsoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law; for sin
is the transgression of the law"
| John ga. This law is the primal
element in and the constitution for,
the government of God on earth. 1t,
as God himself enacted, interprets
and proclaims in His word, is the
final tombstone by which the char
acters of men will be tried, and the
final awards granted according to
the individual attitude of obedience
to or departure from its sacred, un-
changing and Interchangeable precepts.
AS in civil Jurisprudence and iuris-
diction, the original intent of the
lawmaker is the law; so in the mat
ter of Divine legislation, admins
tration and jurisdiction, the original
intent of the Divine lawmaker is the
law, and the manner in which men
may relate themselves to this pri.
NAL intent and original ordination
OF God does not, and, in the very
nature of the case, cannot effect in
the least degree, the eternal pur-
pose" Of Him who created all things
by Jesus Christ" Eph. 80. last
clause. 1t is written that "All un-
RICH eous is SIM" and, as "sin is the
transgression of the law of God, il
follows that wrong or unrighteous
thinking is, in the Original intent"
Of the Divine statute, a violation OF
ecclesiastical or Divine government:
and when continued course of
wrong thinking produces it's inevi-
table fruitage of sinful conduct. then,
and only then, has the church am
pie evidence for disfellowshiping
such member, and this is the end
Of their responsibility, so far as the
execution of penalties is, concerned. |
Not so, however, with civil govern +,
ment. II deals with the overt act
and justifies or condemns men ac-
cording to their conduct relative to |
he equal rights of their fellows, and !
imposes. penalties in proportion to |
he magnitude of the offense. Hence |
t is written: For rulers are not |
error to good works, but to the evil. |
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the |
power? Do that which is good, and /
hou shalt have praise of the same:
or he is the minister of God to
hee for good. But if thou do that |
which is evil, be afraid; for he bear
'th not the sword in vain; for he is |
minister of God, revenger to ex-
,cute wrath upon him that doth
will" Rom. 1873, 4. In quoting this
ext | do so to show that the overt
lct of crime, as God ordained it, is
he only basis from which civil mag
strates may act rightfully in deal
ng with infractiOn of civil law NOT