Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-22
" ~ 'PLYMOUTH-BET ETHEL 81
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with the dead world, TO live on the plane OF
sin and dcath-such is not called or the Lord at
the present time Chrsts call and ms assist sns
! TO arise from the dead, seek 10 Walk In the
paths of righteousness seek justice, seek right
/ CHRIST THEIR LIGHT.
: To those awakened ones who seek to arise
from the dead world comes gradually the con-
BILE thing. They find. as the apostle expresses
it, To viii is present with me- but how 10
perform the law of God perfectly l do not
find. This the condition OF the Jews as
a nation for more than sixteen centuries. from
the time he law was given at Mount Sinai
until Christ came and brought life and I'M
mortality to light through the gospel" The
/ law awakened many of tie Jews TO a realization
that the- were In the bonds of sin and death;
! II Sc; before them the perfect standard of the
divine law-love for God with all their hearts.
mind and strength, and love for their neighbor
as for themselves, and promised them eternal
life IL they would arise from the dead to the
grand development Of character. -
We are assured that MARI Jews strove to FIJI
The conditions. only to find that they could
not do the things which they desired, because
1.-The reign Of sin and death in their bodies
had perverted their powers and made IL i'm
, possible for the higher organs of their nature
TO thoroughly dominate. suhdue and control the
lower organs. St Paul speaking for these rep;
I am. Who shall deliver me from this dead
BODY from. 7:24.) would like to arise
i ness of life. but l am bound down to the sin.
full condition by my physical frGilties. and
! there is one that can hel? me. Then he
/ announces the message of the gospel, and points
us to Christ as the who gave him release
and who is willing TO give release TO all OF those
who desire 10 come unto the Farmer thro
Him-release from the bondage of sin and
death
! Our text tells the same story briefly in the
words. Chris shall give thee light" or. Christ
shall be thy light. But the question Is, How
shall we come into this relationship with
Christ? How shall we get this light; this as
sistance. this deiverance from our old selves,
from the reigning power of sin and death In
mortal bodies.
, There is but the one way TO attain this. After
seeking to 'arise from the dead and finding
ourselves unable to DO SO. our hearts cry out
to the Lord. and through His Word and provi-
ing to Him by faith we inquire, What SHAH
we do that we may be saevd from ourselves,
/ from our own fallen conditions, from the death
that is upon the whole world-how may we
obtain eternal life? How shall we prepare our
selves for It? The answer comes that we are
not only to believe on our Lord Jesus Christ as
our Saviour. our Redeemer. but that additionally
we viii need Him TO be our guide and our help
er. and that only those who enter the school or
I Christ to learn of Him will be prepared for a
! share in HIS resurrection, the chief resurrec-
I tion. We assured that this resurrection
compieted in the glorious Transformation that
will be granted to the elect at Christs second
coming.
There is. however, only the way to enter
the school OF Christ to become His pupils.
IN the scriptures II is called the narrow way, :
entered by a strait or difficult gate Our Lord
be my disciple let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me-" Any who decline
these terms are declining the only entrances
conditions connected with the school OF Christ
| and hence decline all the blessed arrangements
| OF .flis Gospel age. They decline to enter the
list of those Invited TO DE theirs with
! Christ in His Kingdom-the very elect Nor Is
I 1t enough that we make the conservation, that
We enter the gate, to gain the prize; we must
continue in the narrow way to the end; we must
/ keen awake; we must keep separate from the
world and keep in touch with our Redeemer
who becomes the Captain of our salvation.
| While lie leads His followers by such a mar
row way, beset by difficulties tribulations,
! testin:ts Of faith and obedience, we have the
/ assursE.e that He is faithful, loving, sympa-
/ thetG, and that He will not suffer US to be
temptG above that we are able, but with
every temptation in the narrow way will pro-
| vide also a way of escape, that the trials Of
! life will not consume new creatures, but
merely consume the dross
! Acceptance Of Christ by a full conservation
1 to do the Fathers WILL laying down our lives
| in His service, and In opposition to sin, brought
us to the place of begetting by His holy spirit.
| And such as the Father thus received and ac-
cepted by the spirit of adoption into His spirit
ual family become thus heirs or God, joint
heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord upon condition
may share His glory. from. SID. Their sur
| ferings counted in parts OF His suffer
| ing. as they are counted II as members OF
FOLLY TO BE WISE
! A worldly adage has II, Where ignorance is
bliss. tits folly to be wise" So with the world
measurably happy in its slumbers. In some re-
spects IL was happier than now. The awaken
! ing Of the past century has not brought to the
world blessing, contentment, happiness, but
rather the reverse. Awakened aesthetic tastes
call for satisfaction in dainties and luxurles
which all cannot attain. While "Christendom
] today is more comfortably housed. and better
| fed, and better clothed. than e-rr before. 1t Is
more wasteful, and peevish, and discOntented
and unhappy, than ever before. Why? Because
! the selfish propensities In control of the
will, and the they see. the more they
know, the more they have, the more will they
desire.
! The suggestion then comes that awakening
and knowledge dangerous things to some
, under present conditions? We answer, Yes; the
only safe prescription for those awakened is
/ that which the Lord provides; namely, arise
from the dead and have Christ give the light
! ing is not profitable. Otherwise the heather
might just well remain in their heathenism,
waiting for the Millennial Age, with is strong
| government, law, order, enforced righteousness,
| etc; Japan Is a commendabIe example OF this.
; Aroused from the sleep of centuries, the Japan
csc have feverlsh desire to be and TO do Yet
! they are no more happy than before. and no
doubt many of them are farther from God and
/ His Righteousness at heart than were their
We reiterate that the prescription will be Of
! advantage only when taken as whole
| Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the
/ dead and Christ shall give thee light"
Awakened Christendom is on the verge of an
archy. but does not realize II. In connection
with her awakening she has developed financial
| the hour. have seized, in various ways more or
less legal and more or less just, the inventions
and opportunities brought in by the awakening.
/ 1Lese advantages have been capitalized,
| stocked, and trusted, in harmony with the gen.
| eral laws Of our time, the laws of selfishness
which govern both poor and rich. Under these
conditions these financial giants control the
world-an others to greater or less extent
! do them homage and service willy nilly.
On the other hand the masses, equally selfish
but less fortunately situated, are becoming more
| and more awake to their rights and their
wrongs, and their power through the ballot and
otherwise. They, too, are organizing and feder-
ating and growing in intelligence. The battle
between these two great institutions is sure TO
| come, and cannot be long deferred. Love on the
part of one the other, or both, would save
! the day, but more and more they are losing
confidence in love, and are developing its oppo-
site. Injustices each side are magnified.
! Neither gives the other credit for any other
principle or motive than avarice. The clash
| scriptures designate as "A time OF trouble,
such as never was since there was a nation -
I dan. 1871. Thank God for the scriptural as
surance that in the height Of the trouble the
Lord will bring deliverance by the establish
ment of His kingdom. for which still we pray.
| THY kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth
! as In heaven"
| Let US then seek TO awaken ourselves and
others along the lines Of our text-to awaken 60
Righteousness and not to sin. Let us, when
! awakened be prompt and energetic TO arise
from the dead" Let us note the impossi5lity
| OF so doing in our strength. Let us accept
the divine provision in Christ. not only for for
giveness OF sins that are past, and the cover