The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-08-26

$3.50 Massey Much confusion
easlQ2 RVsstll prevails through
failure 10 under.
stand tile Divine application Of justice
IN the worlds affairs Hitherto we
have not studied our Bibles with sum
cient care, but have jumped at coneln-
slons and endeayorcd 20 make the Ill
bic III them. IN every man there u
some appreciation OF justice, some real
ization that punishment ought TO be
Inflicted for wrong doing Even those
who prnctise wrong recognize this pfIn-
clple. and are ready % condemn ON
ers and 10 assist Ia Furnishing them'
even though hoping TO escape the ifuit
of their own sin.
TIE bl8.e clearly teaches That 70
some extent national judgments ana
pupisblnents have been in progress Tor
centuries. but that individual reckon
ings with Divine Justice are Tor the iu-
ture-~oxcept as violations Of Nature
laws continually bring retribution II
is In view Of this fact that the Lord
Judgment Is future that Christians are
exhorted. Judge nothing before the
time our incomplete knowledge rem
ders even the most sanity liable TO
error Of judgment Christians have the
promise that before their work as
Judges begins they will be qualified Tor
IL by glorious change from earthly
imperfection TO Heavenly completeness
I'm glory, honor and immortality.
The Scriptures discriminate sharply
between the Judgment Of the Church
and the judgment of the world: and TO
rend our Bibles inteligently we must
thus discriminate. God has not ignored
sin during the past six thousand years.
lie is Furnishing the whole world every
day. The penalty specified in the 81
bic Il death. and our race is dying al
the rate Of one hundred thousand
daily-exelusiy Of the great mortality
occasloned by the European war This
death penalty has concomitants OF trou-
BILE leading up to it-sickness, sorrow,
pnin-nl Of which are really parts OF
the dying process, and therefore parts
OF the penalty.
This penalty is not graded according
to moral differences amongst men. III
vine Justice merely decided that Fa-
Their Adam as a rebel against the Di-
vine Law had forfeited his life, and
that none Of his children could be born
under conditions that would be perfect
and satisfactory to God. Therefore
Adams death sentence passed by he
redity upon all of his children, ire
spcctive Of their degrees of sinfulness.
None of them being perfect none of
them therefore being worthy Of ever
lasting life. an of them must die,
whether with much or little pain.
whether by famine or pestilence or war
or accident Justice took no note of
the method Of the dying but merely Of
the fact that they must die SINH
larry. human laws provide certain pen
alties for crimes, irrespective OF the
different conditions Of the culprits.
The Purpose Of Jesus Death.
God might have allowed the race TO
perish under that death sentence, or
curse" II SO, the accounts Of jus
tlce would have been squared, and ev-
cry man al death would have gotten
his share Of the penalty Then there
would have been neither future life
nor future judgments for him; for a
death penalty Is the extreme limit OF
Divine Law, as well az Of human law.
But God purposed something better
than annihilation for His human crea-
lures He purposed an exhibition of
His mercy in combination with justice
the redemption Of Adam and all Of
bis family from the death sentence.
The first step In this redemptive work
was the death Of Jesus as correspond
ing price for the first man, who per
sonally sinned and who was personally
condemned The redemption of the
original sinner, through whom the
whole difficulty came, would constitute
satisfaction 10 Justice on his account
and that Of all his family, who partici-
pated IN bis penalty
Jesus redemptIve work was not with
view 10 getting people out OF fiery
Hell Of eternal torture; for there Is no
such place. according TO the Bible. His
death was 10 yet mankind out OF the
Bible Hell--the tomb-the death state
Sheol 10 the Hebrew, Hades in the
Greek To bring Adam and bis race
back from the tomb signifies their res
direction, This is the promise OF
Gcd's Word that because Christ died
for mans sin, therefore In due time
there shall be resurrection Of the
dead. both u the just and Of the I'M
Just Acts 24.i5
The theory that nobody is dead-that
these who die merely change their form
and live more fuliy-ls ID direct con-