Twin-City herald., 1940-04-27

/
ideas and hopes, come toa collapse,
will be upon "it will be upon tina
stone which the builders disallowet
Stability, Contentment, Confidenc,
and Peace, that peace which is un
speakable whether personal, nationa
or international cannot be established
anywhere or by anyone, notwithstand
ing of their efforts of reconstructions
contracts, vows or treaties made
(however praiseworthy the promoters
intentions may be), until that certain
vital matter has been settled between
mankind and Almighty God!
The question to which l refer has
been an outstanding question for more
than nineteen hundred and forty years,
/ which has constituted a worldwide
crisis of which the present disconteu-
tions, anxieties, fears, suspicious, and
perplexities are but a further accen-
tuation. 1t has been at the root of
every failure and catastrophy, that has
marked human progress down through
the ages, and if that stone which was
rejected by the builders is continued
to be rejected by us who claim to be
Christ's followers as the world has re-
jected Him, we may with assurance,
predict the devastation of everything
built on the present order of things
which is marching, and rapidly marc CHI
ing, to destruction. Here, then, is
the solution, upon which turns the
destiny of mankind:
The Almighty Gods offer of Peace
and Good Will, and the pledge of it,
in the gift of His only Begotten Son,
have both alike been rejected, and the
Son of God put to a shameful death
by the hands of wicked men; and that
rejection and death has been con-
firmed by generation after generation,
for by their unbelief, and by their
falling away they have crucified to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put Him to an open shame. And, so,
alas! the world continues to be chain
ed to that state of unrest and failure,
and to that individual discontentment
in this and doomed to everlasting
punishment, and misery hereafter.
Let US not deceive ourselves. In
spite of every good purpose, every
good work Though we give our bod
les to be burned and though we be-
stow all our good to feed the poor, if
our relationship with God and our fell
low man profiteth us nothing in this
life are in life sfter death, and more
over if we have not the spirit of Christ
we are none OF His. We are still reb-
els, we are still in the gall of bitter
ness, tresspasses and sin. We are still
bound to a disintegrating world We
are still marked for eternal death and
damnation.
The Prince of Peace has come, and
the world has rejected Him. This is
the heart of Spiritual teaching, though
contrary, of course, to the ideas OF so
many of our present day, of which the
most delusive is the glorification of
human nature, supposedly capable of
achieving its own salvation and estab-
fishing a kingdom of Peace and right
eousness of what is nevertheless a
sandy foundation.
Mankinds photograph, recognized
as true to life by all those whose eyes
arc open, is given by the Holy Spirit
Himself in the Scriptures He has in
spired. And what picture it is! Look
at the picture of mankind in their orig
inal state, if you please, lovers of self,
darkness, pleasure; lovers of money,
praise of men, deceitful, Desperately
wicked, not to be trusted! Iniquitous
and despising the knowledge of God!
Scoffers. Evil imaginations, super
stitious. fearful, prejudice, busybodies
in peoples affairs. Proud, passionate,
depraved, passed feeling and in danger
of everlasting damnation. No wonder
there can be no agreement between
nations, no settlement between indi-
viduals, or man and God.
"But in Christ"-how the heart ex-
ults at the thought of it. "But in
Christ, we who were some time aliens
and enemies in our hearts and minds
by wicked works, have become recon-
ciled to God by His death upon the
Cross.
"He is the only Panacea of Peace
with God" We are brought peace
solely by, and through, the Lord Jto2s
Christ, not by anything that we can
do, for we are forgiven in accordance
with the riches of His Grace, and by
any merits of ours, for it is written.
By grace we are saved through faith;
and that not of ourselves: it is the gift
of God. And it's not by the magni-
tude of our sorrows and penances, not
by the length or. fervor of our pray
ers. "For though we have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all myster-
les and all knowledge: and thought