The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-01-31

Of Gods grace in Christ since Jesus
died. because Adam has been asleep in
death, wholly unconscious waiting for
the morning Of the New Dispensation
and the awakening and the knowledge
which will reach him then.
What is thus true res3A.ting Adam
will he true also respecting every mem
Der Of his posterity. They all lost
Gods favor and came under the curse
Of death, by heredity. through Adam;
and the redemption of Adam, will
mean the redemption Of all humanity.
the payment OF the penalty OF original
sin for every member of Adams race.
The setting up of Messiah's Kingdom
will not be for tie purpose of further
furnishing them. for under the reign ot
sin and death they were already under
punishment.
/ Having purchased mankind with His
own sacrifice. our Lord will inaugurate
the MeSsianic Kingdom for the very
purpose of helping mankind up out OF
sin and degradation. back to the per
feet image and likeness to God 0rigi-
nally bestowed upon Adam. The Nit
lennial Age is spoken OF rs thousand
year Day OF Judgment. but this does
not signify Judgment for Adams sin.
That sentence was pronounced six thou
sand years ago.
During Chrst's Millennial Kingdom,
mankind will go on trial for Judgment
to ascertain whether or not, after at
tanning full knowledge of God, they
will avail themselves of Messiah's as
sistance to come back into harmony
with the Creator. The willing and ODE.
dent will be perfected again in the
flesh. and the remainder will be de-
stroyed in the Second Death as follow
ers of Satan.
The Church will be associated with
her Lord in that great work Of dealing
her for that great glory and honor, her
calling and election must take place in
advance of the coming Of the King, her
Bridegroom. 1t must take place, there
fore, before the end of this Gospel Age.
The Scriptures clearly teach that
receive stripes, or chastisements, for
their development in righteousness and
that the fullest penalty, Second Death,
will come only to wilful evil-doerS.
And here we may note the Divine ar
rangement in respect TO all wilful sins
of the present life. Each wilful sin
makes its mark-makes the conscience
more calloused, and the heart the more
stony. In this manner evil-doerS treas
ure up for themselves wrath against
the Day of Wrath-the Day of Judg-
meut. the Day of Just retribution.
As the doing of righteousness pre-
duces good character. the doing Of
unrighteousness wilfully, produces an
evil character. and will necessitate the
more stripes, which. il unheeded, will
bring upon the evil-doer the Second
Death In this connection we can re-
member st. Paul's words: Some mems
sins are open beforehand. going before
to judgment 1.-THE penaltyl, while 9th
ers they follow after" II Timothy
5:24) Not merely the Church receives
tribul9tion in the present time, but jus
, tice sometimes overtakes evil-doers and
present life, leaving proportionately
fewer steps to be retraced in the life
to come.
Gods Law of Forgiveness.
God has made provision for the for
giveness and reconciliation Of Adam
and all of his children Some during
the Gospel Age are privileged to come
, to God through Jesus as their Advs-
cate and by becoming His true dis
, ciples to have full forgiveness of sins
/ and full reconciliation to the Father.
, For the remainder of mankind Gods
provision lis different. Divine Justice
will forgive the world en- masse at the
instance of the great Mediator, and
will turn the world over to Him, that
He may restore them to perfection and
make it possible for them to be re-
ceived back again into Gods family
Thus we see that Gods forgiveness
is directed by principles Of justice.
But He commands His people that, be-
ing imperfect themselves and recipi-
ents of His Mercy, they shall not at
tempt to deal with their fellows wholly
on the basis Of justice, but shall for
| give one another. even as God for
Christs sake has forgiven them. Di-
vine Mercy purposes to embrace every
| member Of Adams race in the glorious
provision through Christ.
Punishment In Our Text.
Our text is the summing up Of the
parable of The Sheep and the Goats.
Only Bible students, apparently, have
noticed that this parable does not be-
long to the present Age; but is a de-
! scription Of conditions which will pre-
| vail during Messiah's Kingdom. This
is indicated by the setting. We read:
when the Son of Man shall come in
His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then shall He sit upon the
Throne Of His glory; and before Him
shall be gathered all peoples: and He
shall separate them one from another,
as a shepherd divideth his sheep from
| the goats (Matthew 25:31. 32) An
other Scripture assures us that when
the Redeemer shall appear in glory
His Church will appear with Him, fol-
the accomplishment Of the blessed
! things foretold respecting that glorious
Kingdom and it's work of blessing al
| the families of the earth.
The Lords sheep of the Millennia
Age will be the willing and obedient