The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-08-10

discourse on the
Golden Rule =
"Whatsoever yel
would that men
(lfASlQk RQa2El4U should do TO you.
do ye even 30 20
theln.v (Matthew 7:12) He said:
No part Of Gods instructions to His
Church - more important than this
exhortation to Justice. Everything that
God does = based upon absolute Jus
dec. ana He invites His people to be
nke Him-to cultivate and develop in
our characters the great qualities which
He possesses, and which He has mag
nifed and Illustrated to us. Many
have the thought that justice is very
ordinary matter. which practically
everybody recognizes and follows. But
euch IL not the case. Many would say.
do you not know that we are Chris
tians, and that to practise justice
would naturally be the duty Of all
Chrtstians7 Why do you not rather ex-
hort Us to cultivate lover We reply.
Justice should always take precedence;
We have no right to do less than Jus
tee to any member Of the human fam
ily on. for that matter, even to an
animal
The trouble with the whole world Is
the failure to recognize this very prin-
c1ple Justice IL the foundation of
Gods Throne. 1t Is the basic princi-
PIE upon which He would have Us build
character, and upon which He deals
with ell His creatures. 1t Is because
this principle Of justice Is not being
recognized that the world Is In trou-
BILE, and that the great tribulation Is
coming upon our race, the Scriptures
assure us. While In mankind In gen
eral there Is very little to love, yet ev-
cry human being should receive JUS
tice. AS followers Of Christ, we are
to be the foremost In exercising JUS
tee towards all.
What grand world this would be
II every human being would resolve
to carry out the instructions Of this
texti There would be no doing" Of a
lneighbor before he could do" you;
but there would be a. sparing OF the
'neighbor, a taking into account his
weaknesses and his interests. Who
ever would take advantage Of another
would do something contrary to the
welfare OF the other As ye would, as
Jesus said, that others should do to
you. do ye even so to them
justios the Basis Of the Law.
Thirty Ave hundred years ago God
called the lsraelites out Of Egypt In
substance He said to them, -Four hun
dred years ago made Covenant with
Abraham that his Seed should bless
the world. Are you ready to have that
promise fulfilled to your They de-
clared that they were ready. So He
brought them to Mount Sinai, where
they entered into Covenant with Him
to do whatever He directed He gave
them the Ten Commandments and said
to them. II you wish to be the Seed
OF Abraham that II to bless mankind,
keep these commandments"
That Law Covenant was based upon
Justice alone, 1t did not ask them to
love their enemies. According to wheth-
or or not they would render justice
would be the Divine decision as to
their worthiness Of being considered
Abraham's Seed that would bless the
world. But they were not able to rem
der justice, to DO to their neighbor as
they would that he should do to
them. This failure was due to their
fallen condition. because sin had be-
come 1ngrained In human nature. (Ro-
mans 8:20) The grasping disposition
which has ever since manifested itself
amongst that people began to appear;
and so. although God bore with the
nation for more than sixteen hundred
years, not one Of them obtained the
reward Of everlasting life which was
offered to those who would keep the
Law.-Leviticus 1875, Romans 1915.
It Is not an easy matter to keep that
Law Covenant Of Justice. We see that
the Jews failed to do 90. We know
that the Apostle declared that by the
deeds OF the Law no imperfect flesh
shall be saved. Nevertheless God says,
Unless you keep the Law, you shall
not be the Seed of Abraham that win
bless all the families OF the earth"
The Church and the Law.
The Scriptures point out that the
Church Of Christ is the Spiritual Seed
Of Abraham. Galatians 3:8, 10, 29)
Therefore they are obligated to keep
the Law. To enable them to do what
no fallen flesh can do, God has made
q special arrangement for the Church,
though not for the Jewish nation, the
typical people. Knowing that man
kind were 80 fallen that none could
keep perfectly His Law. He sent His
Son into The world to help our race.
Our Lord, being perfect. uncontami-
mated with the fallen race Of Adam,
Holy, harmless, undeflled and sepa-
rate from Sinners" was able to keep
the Divine Law and did so. Then. In
obedience to the Divine will. He OFFER
ed up Himself In a saerifcial sense.
Tho merit Of the life which He sacri-
feed constitutes a credit which, ac-
cord1ng to the Fathers Plan, our Lord
WI give for Adam and his race, as
their Ransom-price. at the end Of the
Gospel Age.
As soon as our Lord shall have offer
ed that merit to the Father, the whole
world will be turned over to Him; and
He VIII begin His great
work or ruling and blessing all the fam
Ilies Of the earth. The long delay has
81 -
Plan. 1t was the Divine viii that He
should select a Church from the world,
10 share with Him the great future
work Of blessing humanity. Therefore |
He viii not begin Hts Reign until the |
predestinated number OF the Church |
class shall have been selected, tested. |
and changed by the power of the First |
Resurrection. Then the Spiritual Seed |
II Abraham VIII be complete.
1t 10 well to note that the Spiritual |
Seed Of Abraham is not the natural |
kind. Even Jesus as q man could new
n have blessed the world. He could |
have set up good human government,
but could have no right to give life to
he dead. Therefors He could never
AVE rolled away the curse OF death,
With ell It's concomitants. So It was
or HIM 30 do something more than
reep the Divine Law-somethfng that
Justice never required. something Of
'eif-sacrfnce. Keeping the Law merely
authorised Jesus to live forever; and II
5e had set I'D His Kingdom without
living Hts HE as Ransom, He could
lot have blessed mankind; for all are
inners under condemnation to death.
Besides keeping the Law. Jesus pre-
ensed his body living sacrifice. holy,
ccfptable to God. and His reasonable
srv1ce Of sacrifice prompted by love.
{ + our first duty also to keep the
Az n live mn to its standaAA = naar-