The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-08-06
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Students Convention is in session
here. Pastor Russell, of Brooklyn
Tabernacle, addressed the Convention
twice today One of his discourses fol-
lows
AS you are all undoubtedly aware,
the word mountain" throughout the
Scriptures is used as the symbol for
kingdom. Earthly governments are
represented as mountains and hills,
while the Lords government is rep
resented as being established Sin the
top of the mountains" 1t is this
mountain or Kingdom of God that Is
referred to in our text. 1t has not yet
been established in the earth, and
hence the blessed work fOretold in our
text is not yet realized. We still prop
erly pray, "Thy Kingdom come; thy
will be done on earth as it is done in
heaven" True, beginning has been
made: For more than eighteen GEN.
turtles since our Lords ascension, and
the bestowment of the holy Spirit at
PentecoSt, the Church has been in
process of selection, and the Church is
sometimes styled the Kingdom, be-
cause its members when glorified will
constitute the Kingdom class-the
Bride-who, with the heavenly Bride
groom, will share the Kingdom honors
and services for the world.
1t is true, also, that our Lord is ex-
alted a Prince and a Savior, and that
shortly, at his second advent, he is to
4,1- 20 Ii nd
reign as King of kings and Lord of
lords-bMt he has not get done this. He
declared at his resurrection, "All
power in heaven and in earth is given
unto me-" yet he also in his last mes
sage to the Church distinctly pointed
out that the time for taking possession
of his Kingdom was future, and that
the time will surely come when he will
take unto himself his great power and
reign, because the time to reign will
then have come Revelation xi, 10.
More than this, the signs Of the
times, read in the light of the lamp
of Truth, the Word of God, seem
clearly to indicate that the time is
nigh at hand for the setting up of
Christ's Kingdom. How glad we all
should be! What rejoicing it should
cause to the whole world Of mankind.
to know that the reign Of sin and
death is nearing its conclusion; that
Satan. the prince of this world, will
shortly be bound for thousand years
that he should deceive the nations no
more until its termination. How we
should rejoice that 1.-The night is far
spent and the day Is at hand;" that
the Millennial morning is already
dawning; that the Sun of Righteous
ness is already rising, and that soon
the whole earth will "be full Of the
knowledge of the glory of God as the
waters cover the great Deep"
A Feast In This Mountain.
The bare announcement of the King
dom of God would strike mankind va
riOusly in proportion as the character
of the Kingdom and its work might be
understood or misunderstood. Thas
today to many the mention that the
Kingdom of God is nigh at hand
would carry the thought Of a wreck
of matter and the crush of worlds.
Not only our Second Advent friends
believe, but the creeds of practically
all denominations of Christians recite,
that our Lords second advent and the
establishment of his Kingdom will sig
nifty to mankind the end of probation,
the end of hope, and usher in to all ex-
cept the elect few great burning day
Far too long we have allowed these
traditions of men to beclOud our judg-
ment, to come between our hearts and
the great blessings set forth in Gods
Word as now due to the Church and
to the world. 1t is very proper that
those who are living in alienation from
God in wilful sin should realize that
the establishment of his Kingdom
will mean a reign Of righteousness
which will be strictly opposed to their
form of immortality, opposed to every
form Of injustice and iniquity, opposed
to every form of trickery and sham
and false pretense. But surely Chris
tians who are seeking to live In har-
mony with the Divine Law Of Love
for God, for the neighbor, for the
brother, for enemies, have every rea.
son to look forward, to long for, to
hope for the coming of the Lords
Kingdom as the most desirable thing
possible to be imagined Indeed, it Is
thus described in Bible language: 'The
desire of all nations shall come" alag
gal ii, ..
However much the few, favored by
present conditions. may be pleased to
have them remain as they are, the
masses of mankind, if they were but
converted from ignorance and super
stition and brought to a knowledge OF
the truth as Gods Word presents it,
would be glad and rejoice in the salUG.
ton which is to come to the world
through Gods Kingdom. The god OF
this world hath blinded the eyes OF
understanding Of mankind and put
darkness for light, and under the ter
rors Of the words ''doom's day" has
obscured the glorious blessings which
belong to the day of the establishment
of the Kingdom Of the Lord Oh CORN.
thians iv, A.
True, the Kingdom Of the heavens
will be introduced, the Scriptures ten
us. by "a time Of trouble such a. nsv
er was before and never will be after
Il.