The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-02-11
Simple Justice-Nothing More.

you changed placesy
Simple Justioe-Nothing More.
DO you not begin TO see, dear
friends. that what God requires of us
Is much beyond what the majority
have been rendering? Do you stand
appalled,, and tell me that il would be
impossible to live fully up to that
standard? agree with you. st. Paul
also agrees, saying, I'VE cannot do the
things which we would" The Scrip
lures again agree and declare, There
is none righteous, no, not one. All
have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. Romans 1923.
What shall we do? Shall we say
that because we are unable to live up
to our own standards Of justice we
will abandon those standards? God
forbid. We are weak enough and i'm
perfect enough as II is. To ignore our
best ideals of justice would be to per
NIT the downward tendencies of our
depraved natures to go rapidly from
bad to worse-to carry us further and
further from God and the standards of
character which He approves. We
can surely be content to do nothing
less than our very best to live up to
our own ideals and to raise those
ideals as nearly as possible to the Di-
vine standard.
Suppose we do our very best daily
to measure up to our highest concep-
lions Of our God-given ideals and
standards. would God accept Of this
and count us worthy Of His favor and
of eternal life? Surely not! The Law
of the Lord is perfect. Justice Is JUS
tice Not the hearing of law, not the
well-wishing. receives the reward, but
the doer. the obedient
Here, then. we find ourselves in diff
Guilty. With our hearts, our minds, we
approve Gods Law and desire to be
obedient to Him; but we find, as st.
Paul says, that many things we wish
to do we fail to accomplish, and many |
of the things we do not wish to do we
cannot avoid. We approve the excel
lent demands Of Gods Law. We dis
approve the imperfections Of our own
flesh. Like st. Paul we cry out, 20
man that | am, Who Shall
deliver me from this dead body?"-this
body that is imperfect through inherit
ed sin and weakness. With our minds
we serve Gods Law and approve it:
but with our bodies we come short.
We cannot hope for a change in the
Divine Law Are we then hopeless
as respects Divine approval and eter-
lal life? We answer No.
Eternal Life the Gift Of God.
In our moment of pelplexity we hear
Gods Message speaking peace
through Jesus Christ our Lord" The
Message of Peace is that what we
.oud not do for ourselves God has
provided shall be done for Us through
,ur Lord Jesus Christ. Our failure to
Keep the Law marks us as unworthy
If eternal life. and worthy of the
wages of sin-not eternal torment. but
leath. God in mercy concluded to Of
er us eternal life ms DHt for we do
rot actually merit it under His leg'l
Thus we read. The
wages Of sin Is death; but the gift of
iod is eternal life through Jesus Christ
ur Lord" GRomans 6:23) What we
ould not obtain legally under the Di-
inc requirements God proffers US as a
lift. But the gift is conditional. as ex-
ressed in the words. through Jesus
'hrist our Lord.
Only those who accept Jesus Christ
$ "the Way, the Truth and the Life :
lay have Gods gift Of eternal life. /
Ience it will be seen that 1t IS wholly
mistake TO suppose that the heather |
I home or abroad can get eternal
fe. the gift Of God. IN ignorance Of .
hrist. All the Scriptures declare not ,