Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-22

i
in the Second Death?
The Apostle intlmates that God tests
us upon certain general lines, general
principles operating His Government.
HE that humbleth himself shall be
exalted, and he that exalteth himself
shall be abased.' Beloved hearers, it
seems to me that, with these illustra-
tions before us, 1t would be folly for
us to permit the seeds of pride or per-
sonal ambition to take root in our
hearts. Let US be diligently on the
outlook to eradicate everything of the
kind, and be close students Of our Mas
ter, copying His course.
| There Is a reason behind every Di-
vine command and regulation. Men
may make arbitrary rules and condi-
tons without justifable cause, but we
may be sure that the great Creator has
good reason for His every act and re-
| qulrement. In the present case. we
can readily discern the necessity for
the Divine requirement of humility.
The Lord Jesus and His Church are In
vited by the great Jehovah to the very
highest position in the universe. next
to Himself Such an eXaltation would
be dangerous to any one possessed Of a
spirit of pride or selfish ambition. Who
can tell at what time the smoldering
fire might break into blaze and cause
confusion and disorder?
| Honeidap Cotoniy oocaH What r,nf0hk
have been the result had he been en-
trusted with so high position as that
now occupied by the glorlfed Jesus?
There would have been genuine re-
bellion in Heaven Of the kind Milton
so foollshly imagined. How we can
see the wisdom of the Almighty in
! testing those whom He would eXalt to
His own Divine nature! Even His
well-beloved Son was required to dem
onstrate His falthfulpess and loyalty
unto death-"even the [ignomlniousl
death of the cross" So the Apostle
says that 1t became God, 'in bringing
many sons unto glory, to make the
Captain Of their salvation perfect
through sufferlngs"-to prove Him per-
feet by the things which He suffered
to demonstrate that the things which
He had always professed and had al
ways done, expressed the sentiment of
His heart in the fullest and most abso-
lutte sense.
Thus again we read, "Though He
were a Son, yet learned He obedience
by the things which He suffered"
(Hebrews 5:S.) Again we read that ii
was because Of His faithfulness that
God highly exalted Him and gave Him
a name above every name. If this
was necessary in the case OF our Re-
deemer, before the Father could prop
erly so highly exalt Him, what shall we
say of His followers? Surely we must
agree to the necessity for most thor
ough testing, proving, demonstrating,
the loyalty of the Church before they
could be made partakers Of the Divine
nature and sharers Of that Heavenly
glory-2 Peter "A.
This is the import Of our text: Re
member the heights, the gorles Of the
Heavenly calling which you have re-
ceived of God through Christ! Re
member that you were by nature a
child of wrath, even as othersl Re-
member that once you were alienated
from God through wicked works! Re-
member that God Is working in you to
will and to do His good pleasure, to
develop In you the character pleasing
to Himself! Remember that unless
this work of grace go on In your heart
day by day, 1t will not be accomplish
ed Remember that unless 1t be ac-,
complished you will not be fit for n
place in the Kingdom! Remember that
God has predestinated that only such
as demonstrate that at heart they are
copies of His Son can ever be His Joint
heirs in the Kingdom; and remember
that in all this we see the force Of the
text: "Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand Of God that
He may exat you in due time"
Our trials and difficulties, our stun.
bings and repentances, our VOWS to
the Lord and our endeavors TO keep
these. are parts of the great humbling
process necessary to our exaltatIon.
Trials and Temptations Necessary.
When we get the proper focus on this
subject Of the calling and election Of
the Church. it clarifies everything. We
see now that If we could escape trials
and difficulties and testings, we would
escape the necessary schooling expert
ences, and be unfit for our graduation,
unfit for n share In the First Resur-
recton. 1T takes us some time to get
this proper view Of matters, even as
when we were school children, It re-
quired some time for us to learn the
lesson that to be helped with an nn-
swer or to be excused from lesson or
to have n holiday were all dlsadvan-
tages. A sufficient number OF such
failures TO learn our lessons properly
would mean appropriateness for exam
nation day. We have entered Gods
great training School Its great Teach
er is our dear Redeemer, to whom we
are betrothed, Every lesson In the
course Is necessary for our polishing
and preparation for the eglorIes to follow
IN this School everything depends
upon ourselves. The arrangements are
all Of God and therefore perfect The
great Teacher will not fail In His duty