The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-04-18

mortality? or shall we take the other
course of pride. and thus become disci.
Piles of the Adversary, and learn OF
him. and reach his doom destruction
In the Second Death?
The Apostle intimates 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. il
seems to me that. with these ilustra-
tons before us. ii would be folly for
US to permit the seeds of pride or per-
sonal ambition to take root in our
hearts Let MS be diligently on the
outlook to eradicate everything of the
kind. and be close students of our Mas,
ter. copying His course.
There is reason behind every Di-
vine command and regulation. Men
may make arbitrary rules and condi-
tons without iustifiable cause. but we
may be sure that the great Creator has
quirement. 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
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 a blaze and cause
confusion and disorder?
Consider Satan's case What might
have been the result bad he been en-
trusted with so high position as that
now occupied by the glorified Jesus?
There would have been genuine re
bellion in Heaven of the kind Milton
so foolishly 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 faithfulnesS and loyalty
unto death-"even the [ignominiOusl
death Of the cross" So the Apostle
says that it became God. '"n bringing
luuHN SOuS uutO SiolS, W MANI lhC
Captain of their salvation perfect
through sufferings" 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:Sl Again we read that it
was because of His faithfulness that
God highly exalted Him and gave Him
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 Ia.
This is the import Of our text: Re
member the heights. the glories Of the
Heavenly calling which you have re-
ceived of God through Christ. Re
member that you We're by nature a
child of wrath. even as others. Re-
member that once you We're 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, it will not be accomplish
ed! Remember that unless it be ac-
complished, you will not be fit for
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 exalt you in due time
Our trials and difficulties. our STUN
blings and repentances. our vows to.
the Lord. and our endeavors to keep
these. are parts Of the great humbling
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 a share in the First Resur-
rection 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 an
swer or to be excused from lesson or
to have holiday were all disadyan-
tages. A sufficient number of such
failures to learn our lessons properly
would mean unpreparedness for exam
ination day We have entered Gods
great training School. Its great Teach
err is our dear Redeemer, to whom we
are betrothed. Every lesson in the
course is necessary for our polishing
and preparation for the glories 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
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