The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-23
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.


sell, of Brooklyn Tabernacle, New
York, vas the principal speaker on the
program today. He made two adj
dresses. We quote one of these as
follows=
Our text is from one of the Mes
sianic Psalms. 1t represents our Lord
as making known to his people the
Heavenly Fathers decree r%ewarding
him for his faithfulness as our Re-
deemer, assuring him of his exaltation
to the Kingdom, and hat with this
will come the inheritance of all the
earth, with power to fully subject all
things to the Heavenly Fathers will.
He was to have it for the mere re-
uuest-"ASk of me-" AS a matter Of
fact, this worldwide dominion has not
vet come to Messiah; the heather are
not vet his inheritance; the uttermost
parts of the earth are not yet his pos
session. Indeed, as the Prophet de-
clares, Darkness covers the earth, and
gross darkness the heathen."
When we remember our Redeemer's
love for the race, the love which led
him to lay down his life Ito seek and
TO recover that which was lost" we
are inclined to amazement that he has
not yet asked the Father for his inner
itance of the heathen-we are aston
iShed that he has permitted 'the prince
of darkness" and the reign of sin and
death" for more than eighteen centu-
ries since he suffered, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God.
Our perplexity in the matter might
well be answered by our Lords words
to the Sadducees, Eye do err, not
knowing the Scriptures nor the power
Of God" AS we come to understand
the Scriptures more fully, and to APP
preciate how the power of God will
be exercised in bringing the heather
under the domination of the Redeem
er, the eyes of our understanding open
and we are enabled to rejoice accord
ingly.
Why He Did Not Ask.
Our Lord did not ask for his great
power to reign at an earlier date be-
cause he knew the Fathers plan. and
was well contented with the Divine
times and seasons; he had no wish Of
change in this. He did not ask to re-
ceive the heather for an inheritance
at the beginning of this Gospel Age,
but has been content to wait and
place that request in its due time in
harmony with another feature of the
Divine program which must first be
fulfilled. That other feature is the
selection of the Church, the Bride of
Christ, the members of His Body. 1t
pleased the Father to make our Lord
not only the worlds Redeemer, and
the worlds King, but also to make
him the High Priest of an Under
priesthood, the Bridegroom of the
Church, his Bride; the Elder Brother
OF these saints of glory whom the
Father is pleased to have developed
during this Gospel Age as New Crea-
lures in Christ Jesus''-sharers of his
sufferings, and of his glory to follow.
Meantime the heather have been suf-
fering no damage. Born in sin, shap-
en- in iniquity, condemned to death,
they were having experiences with sin
~ uCdlu oIo SOIBS dONh " Tx
great ~prison-house for periods of un-
consciousness-until the Redeemer at
his second advent shall call them and
all mankind from the great prison
house, the tomb. This he foretold
saying, Gall that are in their graves
and come forth" This will include
not only the Church of the First-Born
ones. who have been approved of God.
and who, passing trial now. will come
forth unto life eternal, but it will in
clude also all the remainder Of man.
kind, those who have not had Gods
approval, all of whom, because re-
deemed, shall come forth unto judg-
ment-trial. A fair trial will be
theirs, to determine their UOrthiness or
nntUOrthiness of life eternal by the man
ner in which they will receive or re-
ject The Christ Of God when, during
the Millennium, the same shall be
made fully known to them.
1t va part of the Divine purpose
also that the whole earth should be
filed with people, and hence the bring
ing forth of a progeny is a part of the
Divine will. The few short years of
the present life, with experience of
sin and death conditions, will in due
time be supplemented by the glorious
period of the Millennium, with it's
grand opportunities for lessons of
righteousness and obedience and re-
wards. Its corrective stripes" or
punishments, to the careless will be
to the intent that 81 many as possible
may ultimately be entirely recovered
from death conditions and brought
into full accord with God in Christ.
And others, demonstrating their un-
willingness to come into heart sympa-
thy with righteousness, will be utter
ly destroyed from amongst the people
(Acts iii, 23).
The More Excellent Way.
So, then, our Lords reason for not
asking sooner for the heather as his
Inheritance, and the remotest parts of
the earth for his possession, was be-
cause he knew the Fathers plan to be
a different plan, and that it was the
more excellent way. and he delighted
to do the Fathers will. And so with
all the followers Of Christ: So soon as
they ascertain the Fathers glorious
plan of salvation, they find it to be