The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-22

DleSSeS hin anu gave MIN uOmlnlOu
over all these temporal things. How
much better for man could he but
learn the need of Gods blessings on
his temporal affairs. The living God
is ever teaching, but man is slow to
learn. And the Lord God formed man
out of the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrels the breath
of life, and man became living soul
a person. Mans body is material
something we can see and handle and
subject to decay but the wise Creator
has placed in that material farm an
energy vitality that we call life,
which gives it motion so long as it re-
mains in that body-something we
cannot see or handle nor understand.
Yet we know that something is there.
This material body, with its mysteri-
Gus temporal life is not all there is
of man. Slowed away some where in
this body of earth is Gods image and
likeness. Who will point it out? Man
has a material body with temperate
life: God has neither. God. is omni-
cent and omnepresent: man is neither.
God is an eternal spirit: man has an
eternal spirit. God has eternal spirit
ual life: man was created with an
eternal spiritual life. God is love:
Adam knew nothing about love. The
impelling force in mans creation was
love, the strong cord binding God to
man and man to God was love. The
relation between the Creator and the
ers each had his part to perform.
Mans part was obedience, faith, that
work by love was his salvation If
you love me you will keep my COM
mandments. There is nothing more
plainly laugh in Gods Holy Word than
that Gods will was that man should
reach heaven without sin and that
man could have accomplished this
by faith and obedience without re.
demption.
The holy God does not require of
man impossibilities. Had it been i'm.
possible for man to reach heaven
, without sin, surely the just God would
not have demanded it and punished
, man for failure. Reason, if there
, was no Scripture on this point, would
teach us it was far less difficult for a
sinless man in sinless world to have
lived sinless life and fit himself for
: the spiritual life in heaven, than for
sinful man in a sinful world to have
accomplished this.
Gods first and best plan for man
. to have gained the spiritual life with
!, out redemption does not at all con-
: flict with the statement that man is
now saved through the blood of Christ.
Nor does it conflict with that taught
: in the Bible that the preparation for
mans redemption was made from the
:. foundation of the world. This prepa-
ration did not in the least affect Adam
. who was not omnicent and knew
nothing of the plan of redemption.
y Had Adam not violated Gods law we
would not have known anything of re-
demption. In the creation of man, in
;, order that the creature might become
. a co-worker with the wise Creator in
:, this great plan of spiritual life, it be.
q came necessary for the creature to be
). endowed with will-power. The Low.
: ing Creator could not delegate this
: power to tn, creature without robing
himself Of that power. The wise Gre
q ator, knowing that this will-power
q granted the creature might be use for
a, his destruction, he would hedge man
% in by giving him law he could not
70 violate without denouncing all faith
is in his Creator; this law was to keep
% man from sin by pointing out to him
70 the possibility and it's awful results
n Thou shall not eat of the fruit Of the
IL tree in the garden that will bring you
e. knowledge OF evil, LOT III Cne udy tHou
e eatest thereof thou shalt surely die
e, This law was not to keep man from
r, anything good or necessary. 1t taught
d. him there was a power greater thar
Of he who had a right to command, that
lie life itself was his, only through obed
IN ience The Creator would put the
s. creature to test of faith even before
in creation was complete. He caused al
I'd animal creation to pass in review be
lie fore Adam that he might give then
lie names he found not one with whom hi
ID could associate, not one he could
to choose for mate. Adam stood alone
e. There was no other animal that Dor,
Id Gods image. He must trust the wis.,
lg Creator for a. companion. There wa
at none in sight. And the Lord God said
X it is not good for man to be alone,