The Mena weekly star., 1916-05-18


 By way of introduction to his theme
 the Pastor explained that the entire
 Jewish nation, throughout the Jewish Age, was unwittingly engaged in fur
 nishing a typical view of the whole Divine Plan of Salvation; that Nominal
 Israel was picture of Spiritual Israel; and that Gods blessings to Nominal
 Israel are still more abundantly ap-
 plicable to the Church of Christ, which | is the Spiritual Seed of Abraham. Ga
 Iatians 3:29; 1 Corinthians 10:11.) But the blessings upon Spiritual Israel are all of higher kind than those upon 1 Nominal Israel. The former have spir- | itual blessings, while the latter had temporal prosperity.
 The Bible treats the Church of Christ as new creation. It keeps before the mind continually the thought that those | fully consecrated to God are dead to human hopes. aims. ambitions and l pursuits, but alive toward God and the Heavenly things promised in Gods Word. To this class our text is appH cable. It is prayer that God will grant them His blessings
 Whether Men Bless or Curse. Those who have accepted Gods | terms in Christ and who have become children of the Heavenly Father are 1 greatly blessed with the knowledge that He is prepared to do for them all that could be expected from an | almighty, gracious. loving Parent 1t | matters not to them, therefore, wheth- | CT men bless them or curse them Our | Lord and His Apostles were cursed | of men, chiefly by the religious lead CTS of their day. The explanation why | the religious world of that day hated
 the Master is apparent It is only nat ural that darkness should be opposed
 to light, both physically and morally
 As physical light dispels physical
 darkness, so spiritual light scatters
 spiritual darkness.--John 15:1S, 10; | 3:19-21.
 But opposition is not to dishearten
 Gods children. Only to the overcomer
 is the promise made that he shall
 share Christ's Throne Revelation l o -A~l.j nOcC W lO AittiH lDis DbSlllOn
 must receive and maintain the new
 spirit, the mind of Christ They must
 contend earnestly for the faith once
 delivered to the saints" Jude 3.)
 This will not be done with bitterness | of spirit, however: for the overcomer | must develop the fruits of the Spirit of Christ-meekness. gentleness, pa
 tience, long-suffering, brotherly kind
 ness. love-Rom. S:9; Gal. 5:22, 23.
 The New Commandment. | The Christians first victory is fin
 himself. overcoming his natural pref
 erences, his weaknesses, and the world | ly spirit. He should be ready to waive personal preferences where no princi-
 pie is involved but never to compro-
 mise principle
 We can see what injury the compro- missing spirit has wrought when we look
 back to the time when the bishops of the Church began to call themselves | Apostolic Bishops, when the creeds of
 men began to be substituted for the
 Word of God No matter who may
 seek to teach us we should not accept
 that teaching unless we can prove it 1 by the Scriptures-2 Timothy 3:l6 IT; | Galatians 1:6-9.
 Those who aspire to be faithful disci-
 pies of Christ must keep His com
 mandments While the Master fully
 endorsed the Ten Commandments glv-
 en to Natural Israel. He made 1t plain | that their essence was contained In the one broad command. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy | heart. with all thy mind. with all thy soul, and with all thy strength; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy 1 self" Then to His disciples He said "A new commandment give unto you, That ye love one another as have loved you. "-~John 1884 3a- This means sacrificial love; for our
 Lord laid down His very life for oth-
 CTS. Therefore His true disciples win gladly lay down their lives for the brethren They will love and desire to
 help all who love the Lord They will
 be forgiving and long-suifering with
 one anothers weaknesses and frail. ties.
 Otherwise they cannot remain under
 the benediction of our text. This does not mean that they are to ignore se- rious faults in the brethren. but that
 so long as any give evidence of trying to do the Lords will they should be patient with such. Moreover. they
 should continually cultivate thankful ness of heart Thus they will ever re. ceive the Divine benediction.