The Alaska citizen., 1915-06-21

WHO ARE SAVED AND WHO ARE
LOST?

Luke - %.
placed before Jesus while he was
on earth. The man who asked this
one might haN e been moved by
curiosity. or he might have desired
to engage Jesus in useless con
troversy. He certainly was not sin
cere, for Jesus evaded the question
and Jesus never turned away II
candid truth-seeker without answer
ing his inquiry.
This question is an interesting
one and does not come TO your
mind to be asked in a curious or
captious spirit. and there is no good
reason why II should not be asked.
The careful consideration of il will
help the sincere inquirer after Truth
to look we'll to himself when he has
studied its merits. Philanthropy
and religion are alike interested in
the discussion of such a theme. The
former for it touches the welfare
OF the whole race. the latter for it
involves the ehectual character of
the Atonement, and the success or
failure of the moral government Of
God
This life of ours is a conquest and
We want to know if the majority
are victorious or defeated in the
&c
of apprenticeship and we want to
know what percent of the men are
accepted or elected by the Master
workman who appoints our tasks
and makes the examinations of our
work But back OF this question
lies a deeper one; What is it to
be saved and what is it to be lost?
The problem IS not the truth or
error of the Christian doctrine as
regards future punishment, or in
deed the truth or error as regards
the future life 1t is rather to as
certain whether, right here and
now, we can apply the term saved
and the term lost" to men and
women who surround us daily,
Does such condition exist right
here on earth? Is life continue
ton of what we here live? Is good
and bad distinction in time? Is
heaven and hell a distinction in
eternity? Can we logically call some
the saved" and others the 'lost?'
Vital questions these. Do some
walk after the spirit" and others
walk after the flesh" Are some
children of light" and others
children of darkness?"
Human experience teaches us that
people and that these differences
are so great that it creates a bot
tomless abyss" between individuals.
Two people may live together for
years, sit beside each other at the
table, in society be found in the
company of each other, and yet be
totally different in their respective
spheres of motive and character.
Here are two students; both called
by that name but one deserving the
title. They are in the same room.
Before one is a problem in mathe
matics Busily he engages himself
for its solution and is rewarded
with success. The other has before
him the same problem, but his
&c no
ball game, the theatre, anything it
might be but the problem. Are
these two fellows in the same world?
So far as mathematics is concerned
one of them is lost, and the judg-
ment day for him is coming when
he will be lost Is he not lost
already? Two women sit side by
side at a concert The orchestra
is giving the prelude. to the Mes
siah" One is amused at the Choir
listers gestculations, the other is
enraptured with the soft tones of the
violin the deep echo of the bass,
as his soul restlessly awaits the
glad strains of the voices. The one
notices the width a certain singer
opens her mouth, or how another
has planned her costume; the other
enters into the spirit OF the COM
poser. She recognizes every close
harmony, every inspiring passage.
When the great "Hallelujah Chorus"
is reached she is ready to rise with
queens to the reverence and glory
of the moment. Do these two wom-
en- live in the same world? AS far
as music is concerned one is saved
and the other is lost
Two young men go to the city
for vacation. One goes home again
with memories that will linger with
pleasure to him, the other nothing
but lonesomeness and nightmare.
The one has visited the museums,
the art halls, the parks. the univers-
tiles, the churches, the great bust
ness centers. Things have thrilled
him as he went from place to place
and noted the advancement the
world is making to better the con-