The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-01-14


unscripturai
A Christian conscnpted 10 the army
or the navy would BE- subject TO IN,
powers that bA" and obeying the Mas
ter's words would 20, as In Matthew
5:si "Whosoeyer shall compel thee q
go The Christian compelled to enter
the army or the navy might properly
request service as a non-combatant In
the Quarter masters Department or In
the Hospital Department; but II re
quired 10 kill. he Is 10 obey God rather
than man, aud not Kill He may com
ply with his orders to the extent OF
going into the trenches and being shot
at, but no further.
Is il urged that such view OF Chris
tianity would wreck our present civil
Eationy We reply that nothing in the
Bible implies that our civilization is
1 Christian or that the Lord ever ex.
pected IL 20 be Christian. Gods time
| for saving the world from its sin and
| weakness has not yet come. The pres
ent is merely the time for calling, find
ing, testing and delivering the Elect.
The Elect. when glorltied will consti-
! tute Messiah's Kingdom. and with Him
will be empowered fully with spiritual
control for the government OF the en-
! tire world
! Then will come the time for the en-
| lightenment and uplift and blessing OF
! the whole world of mankind-the non
| elect. Theirs will not be blessing Of
! the same kind that the Elect will Sc
| cure, but a blessing which they will
appreciate equally. The worlds bless
ing and salvation will not signify a
change of nature from human to spirit,
but a Restitution TO human perfection.
Acts 3:l923.
What are today styled christian ma
tons are In the Bible styled king
doms of this world; and their com
plete disintegration is Scripturally out
lined us incidental TO the establishment
OF Gods glorious Kingdom under Mes
siah, for which we pray, THY King
dom come: Thy will be done on earth.
even as in Heaven"
Some may wonder how 1t ever came
70 pass that all the people of civilized
lands are enumerated as Christians
except Jews and professed infidels
Statistics tell us that all the inhab-
itants of Italy are Christians, that
more than ninety-nine per cent of the
population of Great Britain, France,
Germany, Belgium, etc, are Christians;
and that the total number of Chris
tians thus reckoned is nearly five hun
dred millions Surely 1t Is time that
intelligent people realize that some
great mistake has been made, and that
more than ninety nine per cent of these
christians" make no pretense Of being
followers Of Jesus.
The error arose in the now long ago.
When Pope Leo III. recognized king
as a Christian king and his kingdom
as a Christian kingdom, he recognized
that kings subjects as Christian. There
we have the matter in nutshell. The
whole thing was mistake. The king
was not Christian. did not know the
meaning of Christianity and was not
taught it. His kingdom was not a
Christian kingdom, and his people were
not Christians.
Meantime. here and there, obscured
to the world. there have been true |
followers of the Lord Jesus Christ IN |
every denomination. They have been
out of accord generally with the great
leaders of the church systems as well
as with the political leaders OF the
world. 1t has been true of them as the
Apostle wrote: THE world knoweth
us not. even as it knew Him not,
q John 31) The world does not yet
know. understand or appreciate That
the Church of Christ is not to be found
in any one of the professed churches
of various names Roman, English,
Lutheran, Presbyterian. Methodist
Baptist. etc. The Church of Christ is
composed exclusively of those who
have made a covenant with the Lord
through faith in the precious blood.
who have been accepted of the Lord
by the begetting of the Holy Spirit
and who are seeking to walk to the
best of their ability in the footsteps
of Jesus.-1 Peter 2:2l.
Heaven, He'll and Purgatory.
The theory that Christians only are
saved from eternal torture has had
much to do with the error of counting
all civilized people Christians. The
creeds save Christians only-Jews, Mo
hammedans. heather. all 90 to Hell
to roast eternally. Roman Catholics
provide q Second Chance for members
of their church. in Purgatory; and
many Protestants hold TO a Second
Chance for the heather who have new
er heard of Christ. All the while.
however, the Bible declares for only
one chance, but that q full one for ev-
cry member of the human family.
The only chance offered during this
Gospel Age Is the opportunity Of be
coming member Of the Church-a ,
true follower Of Jesus. Such are to {
get the Heavenly inheritance but not
until the Resurrection. The remainder
OF the world will be offered an earthly .
a 49, T.. ..y{ll .sxi,, xx,tth I