River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-10-07

tHE4Eszz 53z*H*$3l great event III MS
tory. This bellrang
out for liberty on
the day the Declaration of Independ-
ence was signed in Philadelphia. The
words of the text are inscribed upon
it: proclaim liberty throughout the
land to all the inhabitants thereof"
These words refer to the year of jubi-
lee, when the trumpet was sounded
and liberty proclaimed to all the land
of Israel. Jesus evidently thinks of
this great event when he says: "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Inc be-
cause he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor
and the acceptable year of the Lord"
Just as the trumpet sounded liberty
to the Israelites, so the gospel pro-
claims liberty to all through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
There is the liberty of release from
bondage. On the day of jubilee every
slave was freed except those who had
agreed to be slaves for life and had
allowed their masters to bore their
ears. Only those can be made free
who desire liberty, but every one who
will can have through Christ freedom
from the bondage of sin.
There is also the liberty of release
from bruises, "to set at liberty them
that are bruised" There is a diff
ference between the bondage OF
slavery and the bondage of bruises. A
prisoner behind iron bars is deprived
| g &C. Cd on
the cot in the hospital. He might
walk out if he could, but he cannot.
His inability is the bars that inclose
him. Through Jesus Christ we have
liberty from the bondage of guilt anG
liberty from the bondage of disease,
the result of the bruise made by sin.
He can break the bars and set us
free, and he can heal the disease and
give us the liberty of health.
There is also the liberty of release
from debt When the trumpet of jubi-
lee sounded every debtor was released
from the obligation to pay. In the
Lords Prayer is the petition Forgive
us our debts" and sin is a debt to
! justice. We are all bankrupts. From
the time we accept him as Saviour
there is perpetual jubilee of freedom
from the debt of sin.
Again, there is the liberty of law
The command was that during the
jubilee year eye shall do my statutes
and keep my judgments, and We shall
dwell in the land in safety" Safety
is always linked with law. Anarchy
means danger. The savage, where
| there is no law, is under the bondage
of fear. He breads assassination. He
must protect himself. All the time
he is exposed to the anarchy that is
about him. Righteous law, which i'm
poses limitations, gives really the
largest liberty.
It is an interesting historic fact that
the liberty bell was cast for the first
time in England, during the reign of
George H., in the year 1852. The
above text was then inscribed upon it,
and it proclaimed throughout all the
land the liberty of English law. After
the bell was brought to America it was
recast, and the same words inscribed
upon it. When it's notes rang out on
the first independence day, they made
a proclamation of liberty under Amer
lean law. 1t rang the first time for
England, it rang the second time
against England; but it's notes pro
claimed liberty on both occasions.
The liberty of the first was limited
and protected by English law and the
| liberty of the second by American law.
Jesus Christ was made the lend of
the law to every one that believeth."
Grace gives liberty within the limita-
lions of law. The Christians de-
light is in the law of the Lord, land
in his law doth he mediate day and
night" Legalism imposes outward OBJ
servances and makes salvation de-
pendent upon them. Grace receives
salvation through Christ, and obeys
Him as the result of loving spirit.
All this liberty can be obtained
through simple faith in Christ. IF
the Son shall make you free, We shall
be free indeed" 1t can be maintained
through the presence and power of
the Holy Spirit. where the Spirit
of the Lord is. there is liberty"
Let us ring every day this liberty
bell of the soul and proclaim liberty
throughout the land to all the inhabit-
ants thereof" The Joy of giving lib
erty to others is equaled only by the
Joy of receiving liberty ourselves. Will.
berforce, who freed the slaves of
Great Britain, did not, like the slaves.
sit up all night singing before eman-
cipation day, and with the rising sun
assist in burying the coffin full of
shackles and whips, but his joy as
he thought of the part he took in lib
Grating the poor slaves was akin to
theirs in fullness, and had the element
| of unselfishness which enhances all
Joy. Tell to others your liberty in
! Christ that liberators and liberated