Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-30
RUSSELL CHART TALKS
Addresses Delivered at the
Columbia Theater.
NARROW WAY TO LIFE
"THE GREAT coNsUMMATIoN'' A
THEME.
Disintegrating Forces Referred to-
Prophecies Of the Bible Discussed
Real Christianity.
NARROW WAY TO LIFE

The series of chart talks by Pastor c. T.
Russell of Allegheny, Pa, commenced sun
day afternoon, the 22d instant, was
brought to a conclusion yesterday at the
Columbia Theater before large and appre-
ciative audiences, afternoon and evening.
Mr.. Russell Illustrated his remarks by fire.
quent reference to a large chart upon
which were outlined the various features of
the divine plan he was setting forth
At the conclusion of the evening meeting
Mr.. Russell held an informal reception
upon the stage where he was warmly
greeted by his old Washington friends and
met many others, including a number who
had come from a distance to attend the
talks.
An enjoyable feature of the chart talks
was the song service preceding each dis
course, which was conducted by Mr.. Lucius
NJ Thayer assisted by Miss Viva Bridge,
pianist. and w. o. Gotwals. cornetist.
In the afternoon meeting Mr.. Russell
spoke from the text found in Matthew. III:
Marrow is the way that leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it." He said, In
part:
THE way of righteousness is narrow at
the present time because this gospel age
Is part of this present evil world or dis
pensation, during which Satan is the prince
or ruler. The millennial age belongs 20
the new dispensatiOn after the establish
U
Of Satan and the annulling of his binding
irf1uence. In that glorious day the way Of
Righteousness will not be narrow and diff1-
cult but easy, and the way of unrighteous-
ness will be hard, a difficult way because
all the influences then will be favorable to
righteousness and contrary to sin. whereas
now the general influences are favorable to
sin and unfavorable to righteousness. 1t Is
this that makes the Christian way a narrow
and difficult one.
Looking back we perceive that this mar
row way to life did not exist in the Jewish
age and previous ages. 1t may be sur
prise even to Bible students to notice that
there was no way of life at all previous to
the coming of our Lord to be the Redeemer
and Life-gver.
The First Parents.
''The divine arrangement for our first
parents in Eden was not a narrow way OF
sacrifice and painful dealings with the
world, flesh and devil, but quite to the con-
trary. They were perfect and surrounded
by everything necessary to their comfort
and prosperity, and the whole test there
fore was respecting their loyalty and ODE
dience to God and His regulations. The
world similarly during the millennial age
will be freed from battlfngs with the adj
versary-who will be bound, restrained
and freed from the besetments of the world
now prevailing they Will still have the
weaknesses of the flesh to contend with
and to overcome and to get rid of, but they
VIII have compensations along this Inc
through the grace of Christ, the great Re-
deemer and Mediator, whose grace will be
sufficient for them. What joy it brings to
our hearts to think of the wonderful pro-
visions of the millennial kingdom and the
highway that shall be there for the re-
return Of all the redeemed of earth from
the broad road in which they are now
going down toward destruction to the
highway opened up through the merit OF
Him who 50 loved the world as to give
Himself q ransom for ALL
but now returning to the narrow wayr
of this present time. 1t is this way that
most interests all of the Lords people here
present.
''rhe whole world has been begotten once
to life as children OF Adam, but Adamic
life having been corrupted and forfeited
at Its very fountain, the result is that the
world is a dying world-physically. mental
ly and morally-all the natural tendencies
being toward sin and death. This way or
tendency of the whole world our Lord de-
ScrIbed as the broad road which leads to
destruction. Unless they are rescued from
1t by Him, the result would eventually be
destruction for all-not eternal torment,
but destruction. as our Lord declared. The
way of the Lord in this present time is
made narrow and difficult and hard to find
because the Lord seeks only a very choice
class at the present time-the little flock
to whom 1t is the Fathers good pleasure to
give the kingdom.
Special Rewards Of the Narrow Way.
There is no other way of life open at the
present time than this narrow one, hence
1t behooves all who name the name of
Christ and desire to become members of
His consecrated band to sit down and count
the cost before making the conservation so
that there may be no looking back after
once they have put their hand to the pillow.
For them Is provided in God s plan total
change of nature, so that in the resurrec-
tion instead of returning to their former
n14- tn I,at,, N1I L-s~~
they will be perfected as new creatures, as
spirit beings.
'All who in the narrow way have learned
what 1t means to fight the good fight
against the world. the flesh and the devil
under present conditions. and who nddi-
tionally have attained reasonable measure
of growth in the knowledge and grace of
the Lord, will be glad indeed to know that
in the divine plan the world OF mankind
when called to human perfection will find
the way an easier one than do we who now
are pressing along for the heavenly prize.
THE way in which the world will be in
yited to walk toward God and toward holf-
ness, the highway of holiness leading up
to perfection of character, will be in many
respects similar to the highway Of holt
ness that was open to Adam and Eve be-
fore they sinned.
The Millennial Age.
GAS already intimated the very fact that
the millennial age Is provided in the divine
pldn-tne very Iact that Christ and His
Church associated with Him as the seed
of Abraham" are to bless all the families of
the earth during the millennium--the very
fact that all this will be after Satan shall
have been bound-implies that the way of
life in the future will not be so narrow, so
steep. SO rugged, SO difficult to find and SO
difficult to walk in as Is the narrow way of
this gospel age.
Respecting the way of life in the future
during the millennial age-the prophet ex-
pressly declares that it shall be a broad
highway instead of narrow way or a by
path. Instead of being full of stumbling
stones and difficulties and trials. he de-
clares that all the stumbling-stones shall
be gathered out: instead of having beset-
ments from the adversary who goeth about
as a roaring lion. seeking whom he may
devour, and from many ravenous beasts in
human FORM he declares that no lion shall
be there or any ravenous beast and that
nothing shall injure those who seek to go
up on that highway of holiness Let us
quote his words from that chapter which SO
graphically describes the blessings of the
millennial age and which opens with the
declaration. The wilderness and the soil