Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-31

Rev. G. Il. Russell, pastor or the BrOOk-
Ign Tabernacle. New York city. spoke
to large and enthusiastic audience at
Gable hall. Tuesday evening. He talked
on MANS Past. Present and Future in
the Lights of the Bible"
During his talk DR.. Russell showed
marked familiarity with the teachings
of the Bible and quoted passage after
passage from the Scriptures without the
aid of notes. An unusually large audi
ence was out to hear the talk and were
greatly benefited by it.
The speaker declared that his theme
was not a new one-that heather and
Christian creeds of ali denominations
were attempts to give the answer to this
query. Christendom by its creeds de-
Clared man created perfect in the divine
likeness. That When put on trial Adam
sinned and came under the condemna-
ton or curse" of God, which curse was
entailed upon 81 of his posterity. So far
the speaker agreed that his and other
creeds of several centuries past were
Scriptural.
He denied. however, that the creeds
we're correct when they declared that the
course" put upon Adam and his unborn
race was one of eternal torment. He
declared that no decent man or woman
would torment a victim for one hour.
For God to do so for all eternity would
be unthinkable. He asked who could
worship a God inferior to His creatures.
He declared that the wrong idea of the
divine plan had led men to copy their
wicked ideal. so that even good and great
John Calvin had caused a fellow Chris
tian, Servitus. to be burned at the stake.
"Eloody Mary" queen of England had
urged her God-likeness because she had
burned many as long as she could, copy
ing God whom she supposed burned his
victims endlessly.
eff anything the Catholic doctrine was
better than the Protestant. Both I'M
scriptural IL is less wicked TO accuse God
of making a terrible purgatory. The
torture of humanity for hundreds of
years to prepare them for heaven is less
irrational than the torture of them to
all eternity to no purpose"
EXCUSE FOR FOREFATHERS.
Pastor Russell offered excuse for our
forefathers They did not have the Bible
to guide them Protestant Bible societies
only started about a century ago. Only
about ten years ago the Catholic congress
of Baltimore permitted the Bible to the
laity Martin Luther tells that he had
been a theologian, a teacher of theology,
for years before he ever read New
Testament. It was in Latin, Germanus
had none The reading of the Bible to
Catholics is still in an unknown tongue.
No wonder our forefathers did not know
what the Bible teaches.
What advantages we promise today
every family has a Bible-in their own
tongue and with marginal references and
concordances, etc. We are correspond
insIv the more responsible for Bible
study and should know just what the
Bible teaches and just what is does not
teach. But alasl Our creeds have come
in from the past and we have swallowed
them and neglected Bible study. Let us
begin afresh to learn the true teachihss
Of Gods Word.
SINS PENALTY NOT TORMENT.
'I,ook at the Genesis account of original
sin. Not one word do we find respecting
an eternal torment penalty nor a purga-
torial PENALTY 1t plainly confirms the
APOSTLES words: The wages of sin Is
DEATH The soul that sinneth 1T shall
die Adams soul died after he was cast
out of Eden-cut off from access to the
DEMONSTRATING trees, of paradise. The SEN
tence upon Adam was: Cursed is the
earth for thy sake. thorns and thistles
shall it bring forth unto thee. and In the
sweat of thy face shalt eat bread thereof
until thou return unto the ground from
whence thou vast taken; for dust thou
art and unto dust shalt thou return
Nothing I'm the Genesis account sug-
gests a penalty of eternal torment 1t
does suggest what we know are the re-
suits of sin-death. All OF Adams chill
dren inherit from him the seeds of sin
and death. Il was born in sin and shap-
en- in iniquity, in sin did my mother con-
ceive me- This accounts for what we see
i'm ourselves and others-mental, moral
and physical degradation, imperfection>
Twenty thousand millions have been born
sinners and subject to mental, moral and
physical decrepitude.
1.-THE Saviour needed must be able to
save humanity all these defects and not
from purgatory or eternal torment. The
Jesus. will do this. His first act
was to redeem by his own death. He
tasted death for every man. He gave
himself ransom for all to be testified in
due time
why. then the delay in the work of
rescue? There is no delay but an orderly
Gods first work Is to gather
out of the world His elect church, dur
ing this gospel age With the completion
Of this work He will be ready to begin
the work for the world.
THE church is called and tested and
begotten of the Holy Spirit to new
spirit nature, perpetuated in the first res
direction. But the salvation for the
world will be different, a restitution to the
earthly perfection lost by Adam, but re-
deemed by our Lord Jesus. or this St
Peter tells us plainly in Acts 3:1s7H. He
tells us also that all who will then reject
the. great privilege of the millennium will
be destroyed from among the people
Acts 1928
'"Thus, eventually Gods plan will out
work a glorious destiny not only for those
now elect to the high glory of join
with Christ, but also for all
members of the race who will not utterly
refuse the divine offer. And this will
include those who have gone down to
the great prison house of death. the
tomb, as we'll as those living when Mes
siah shall set up his millennial king
DOM"