The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-01-24

Although one of the smallest of the
nations, they exercised q great infu-
eDce throughout the world. The prom
Use made TO Israel that they should be-
come the leading. dominant nation Of
the earth and give laws ID all the other
nations for their blessing was a conta-
gious suggestion. The BabylonianS took
it up. and pat il into effect by conquer
fng the world The Modes and Per
slams followed. Next came the Gre
clans. ambitious TO be the ruling ma
ton. Later cane the Romans into pow
er us masters If the world. conquering
other nations and giving them laws
which still very largely prevail. but
which apparently were based upon the
Mosaic code.
In considering the influence of the
Law given at Mount Sinai, we are TO
remember that primarily and properly
it affected very few. Those few were
the faithful ones mentioned by st. Paul
in Hebrews IL. But in q general way,
all the Jewish people were Influenced
by the spirit of that Law Covenant,
and We're made more courageous. more
,, liberty-lOving. than formerly. anu more
SO than were other peoples. Josephus
felt called upon to defend his people
from the charge of being so independ'
| ent so headstrong. as TO be continu'
ously rebeliious.
The Roman emperors seem TO have
bad the idea that the religion OF the
Jews should be stamped out because
it was liberty producing religion. I'M
favorable to their designs. We remem-
Der St Paul's declaration that the Cos
! pei gathered out of the Jewish nation
all "Israelites indeed"-"the Elect
and that the rest were blinded. The
blinded ones drew from the ancient
promises Of God those conceptions or
| life which. uuregulated by the Spirit
! of the Lord. devoured them with pride
| and ambition: and such spirit Of in
| dependence has made them lawless.
The effect of this. as history shows,
was that civil strife destroyed their
nationality much more than did the
| Roman armies. which merely came IN
at the close and terminated the reign
| OF anarchy The lesson we would point
! from this narrative is that the spirit or
| Divine Truth tends toward liberty
more than all other influences combin-
cd. but that this liberty may be dan
gerous to those who receive not the
Divine Law and Message into good and
honest hearts as Isracltes indeed.
Christian Love of Liberty.
1
The teachings of Jesus and the Apos-
ties went first TO the Jew, by Divine
direction, gathering from them pc
culiar people. Jealous Of good works,
a class at once godly, reverential and
liberty loving. So Independent were
they that they willingly rejected the
teachings of the Scribes and PhariSees.
and braved persecution. ostracism, for
what they believed to be the Truth.
Already they belonged to the most
independent people Of the world, the
Jews; but the Message of Christ made
them still more independent than their
brethren. 1t made them free indeed
by giving them a clearer knowledge OF
God and Of His Divine arrangements.
The Gospel Message gave them cour-
age to become martyrs for Christ.
Sinai's Law admitted the nation OF
Jews to be Gods servant people, but
the Message of Jesus. confirmed at
Calvary and at Pentecost. gave still
higher hope and still more ennObling
thought. 1t was the teaching of Jesus
that through His death, a Ransom
VII A1 wi,
would permit the return of all man
kind from the power of sin and death,
to harmony with the Creator and to
everlasting life.
More than this. the Message was an
invitation to those who had eyes OF
understanding and ears of apprecia-
ition. that they might. in association
with the Redeemer. become the agents
Of God in bestowing Restitution bless
ings upon mankind. But in order to be
sharers with Christ in His glory, they
must be sharers also in His sufferiDgs
and ignominy. AS He was despised
and rejected of men they must not ex-
poet to escape similar experiences
Their share in the Kingdom would de-
pend upon their faithfulness and 10y
atty cUen unto death.
Is it any wonder that this Gospe
Message served to stir their hearts. tC
open their lips and to make them cou
rageous beyond all others Of the whole
world? The Message made them free
1t explained that in becoming the disci
pies of Jesus they passed out from un
der slavery to sin, and became chill
dren of the Highest 1t declared that
becoming children of God. they were
associated with Jesus, they became
heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus
Christ, their Lord and Redeemer-f 81
be that they should suffer with Him.
They Went Everywhere Preaching.
These, liberated from all fear o.
death. made free through their conf
dence in the Savior, manifested thei
courage. They knew that faithfulnes;
must bring them persecution, yet the.
kept not silent They were prosecuted
by the Jews, because they disturbed
the order Of things prescribed by thu
Chief Priests and Pharisees. The.
were imprisoned. whipped and perse
cuted, but they went every wher
preaching the Gospel.
. Amongst the Gentiles they had simi
ar experiences Those who made sill
yer shrines for Diana perceived that i
: HE people believed the teachings of th
,...Al