Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/111

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all ? Then why should not all the ransomed have some ben-- efit from Christ's death? Why should not #//come to s knowledge of the truth, that they may believe?

Without the key, how dark, how inconsistent, these state ments appear; but when we find the key to God's plan, these texts all declare with one voice, " God is love- " This key is found in the latter part of the text last quoted* " Who gave himself a ransom for all, TO BE TESTIFIED IN DUE TIME. * * God has a due time for everything. He could have testified it to these in their past life-time ; but since he did not, it proves that their due time must be future. For those who will be of the Church, the bride of Christ, and share the kingdom honors, the present is the "due time" to hear ; and whosoever now has an ear to hear, let him heai and heed, and he will be blessed accordingly. Though Jesus paid our ransom before we were born, it was not our ^due time" to hear of it for long years afterward, and only the appreciation of it brought responsibility 5 and this, only to the extent of oui ability and appreciation, The same prin- ciple applies to all s in God's due time it will be testified tc ally and all will then have opportunity to believe and to be blessed by it.

The prevailing opinion is that death ends all probation ' but there is no scripture which so teaches ; and all the above and many more scriptures, would be meaningless, or worse, if death ends all hope for the ignorant masses of the world. The one scripture quoted to prove this generally entertained view is, "Where the tree falleth, there it shall be/ y (EccL it t 3.) If this has any relation to man's future, it indicate* that whatever his condition when he enters the tomb, no change takes place until he is awakened out of it. And thfe istheuniformteachingof all scriptures bearing on the subjed c as will be shown in succeeding chapters. Since God docs not propose to save men on account of ignorance, but - * will hav&

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