The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-06-25
Sermon by
CHARLES 7.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Russell, of Brooklyn Tabernacle, ad-
dressed large audiences twice here to-
day. The topic for one was, Where
are the dead?" We report the other
one from the text given. He said:
The figures of Scripture are forceful
as well as true Our Creator speaks
of the whole world being dead-be-
cause under sentence of death. More
than this, through the fall our reason
ing faculties are more or less unbal-
anced, some in one particular, others
in another. Some have Hope dispro-
portionately large, and are continually
overestimating their possibilities.
Others have the quality of Hope pro-
portionately small. and are continually
discouraged and hindered from making
the best use of their faculties. And
thus it is with all of our talents. None
of them could really be too large If
the others were proportionately large.
1t is the mental balance, or poise, that
constitutes sound mind and judg-
ment
Viewed from the Creators stand
point, our race is sadly unbalanced
greatly changed through the 5000
years of the fall. Originally in the
divine likeness, many of its gracious
qualities and much of its balance have
departed, and hence the scriptural as
sumption that the world is nine-tenthS
dead as respects its best qualities of
mind and heart. And since death is
illustrated by sleep, the Scriptures
frequently refer to the world as being
asleep. The gospel of Christ is a mes
sage for the awakening Of some who
are not too profoundly asleep. And
even those awakened by the gospel
message are intimated to be in danger
Of becoming overcharged - drowsy
with the spirit Of this world.
Awake, o Sleeper!"
In one sense Of the word, the world
is very much awake-yery full Of activ-
ity-today as never before. Looking back
a century, it is evident that the world
was more asleep then than now. And
yet this awakening has affected chiefly
what might be termed the middle
brain. The lower organs of the mind
have never been idle. The higher or
gans of the brain are still dormant
with the majority. Indeed it would
appear as though the activities in the
middle brain and in the animal pas
sions of the lower brain have rather
detracted from the upper or higher
of fn oil
pearances mankind are more stupidity
asleep today in respect to spiritual
things than ever in the past. We are
seeking to sound forth the message Of
the Lord, awake thou that sleepest,"
especially desiring to awake spiritual
consciousness and responsibility and
activity Nevertheless, the Scriptures
and experience forbid us to hope that
a majority, or even very large mi
nority, will be awakened by anything
that we can utter.
1t is not for us to alarm, or threaten,
or shake the world with fear of eter-
nal torment. 1t is not for us to do
evil that good may follow. 1t is not
for us to awaken by such false alarms
those who cannot be awakened by
the Truth-by a truthful presentation
of the divine character and the divine
plan, and the duties and privileges
proclaimed through the Gospel. 1t is
for us to speak the message of the
Lord, knowing that none will receive
it except such as have the hearing
ear" of faith-that none will be able to
see the beauties Of the message except
those who have the eye Of faith.
"Arise From the Dead"
Our Lord defines the second step to
be that those who are awakened
should arise from the dead-should
separate themselves from the world,
its aims, its objects, its methods. Our
awakening signifies our coming to
consciousness of the actualities Of our
condition as individuals and as race
AS consciousness comes to us we look
about and see the pell NELL rush Of
humanity and ask ourselves, Why?
What? Whittier? We soon discover
that the majority of those about us
are practically unconscious as respects
future life-conscious only Of their
present existence, and worried and
fretted because they cannot attain all
Of their ambitions, which are prac-
tically limited to the few years of the
present life AS we become awake to
the Lords message we say with the
poet,
Life Is real, life is earnest
And the grave Is not its goal.
We begin to look beyond the grave,
to realize that our Creator had great
purpose in our creation as a race, and
that the present life consequently can
be nothing more than vestibule to
the future possibility Of life eternal.
We note the tendency Of our day to de-
vote at least the first fifteen years Of
childhood to education in order to fit
and prepare for the few remaining
years of the present life. We conclude
that If this be reasonable then surely
all of the present life can be none too
long for O course Of schooling, and
training, and preparation, for the life
eternal. AS our minds become awake
to the realities Of the situation from
this standpoint, we determine to fol-
low the injunction Of our text-to arise
from the dead-to follow no longer
with those who live merely for the
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