Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-02-16

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Feb. H.-Pastor
Russell, of Brooklyn Tabernacle, address,
ed the Bible Students convention here to-
day from the above text. He had large
audience and an attentive hearing. he
said:
Every organ of the human mind is USE
ful, If it be properly directed and con-
trolled. Combativeness, the fighting quail
ity, might at first be supposed to be In
imical, even antagonistic, to the proper
Christian Developments hindrance ana
blemish. But this is not the correct
thought. The man or woman who does
not possess this quality of combativeness
to some degree will be unsuccessful In
heavenly, spiritual matters, as well as
in earthly affairs. True, the Lord pro-
nounces special blessings upon the meek,
the peacemakers, the peacelovers, and he
calls his people sheep" and this implies
that they must not be ravenous, nor VIC
ious. But, on the other hand, the LORDS
call to his people for a separateness OF lie
and opposition to the world, the flesh and
the devil implies resistant and fighting
qualities of mind. He who possesses none
of this quality can evidently never be
victor in the good fight"
The thought of Christian warfare as
continual battle against adverse innu-
ences is everywhere prominent In the
Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus Is styled the
Captain of our Salvation" And the
apostle speaks of his followers as good
soldiers of Jesus Christ" who flight the
good fight" and thus come off conquer
ors and more than conquerors, through
Him that loved us and bought US with
his precious blood"
Good and Bad Combinations
It is our mental combination that
counts. The various members OF our
mental organism unite, combine their IN
fuence federate as 1t were, and thus form
personality Our mental members make
one or another of their members chair
man or controller of their interests ana
eternal destiny. Or, perhaps 1t is an as
ISOLATION of members which control with
one in the ascendency. 1t / sthus that
man is a free, moral agent and an image
of his Creator 1t is for this reason that
| knowledge and wisdom from on high are
so very essential to a proper character
development.
The whole world may be Svided along
these lines into two classes, the one guild
ed and controlled by earthly affairs and
interests and the other by heavenly hopes
and interests. The former are what the
Scriptures term the natural man, and IN
cludes many of earth's noblemen, as
well as the earthly, sensual, devilish. The
new creatures" is but the small number
! and includes some gathered from every
plane of natural lire, noble and ignoble by
nature, but all now impulsed by the holy
Spirit, by which they have been begotten
again to heavenly hopes, ambitions and
aims. A consideration of these two
| classes may help us to locate ourselves
/ and to determine to what extent, If at
all, we desire a change. Let us con-
slider first.
The Natural Man
The mistake is too commonly made OF
supposing that natural man signltles
| a mean or bad man. Adam was nat
uraI man. in the image of his Creator,
and pronounced by the Almighty very
good" His children today are all natu-
raj men, but fallen in varying directions
and degrees, some of them more, and
some of them less NOBLE, estimable, low
able. Each of these has his own pecu-
liar combination of faculties and has
reached his own conclusions, or will, re-
specting his course in life The per-
son without will is like a ship without
| a rudder, a derelict carried to winds ana
currents, but lacking individuality. No
one should be content to remain in such
situation. will should be formula
ted and put into control. Life should be
realized to be the valuable asset and
should be used accordingly, wit hthe best
wisdom or judgment, which the individual
can command.
Locking amongst people Of this class We
behold some noble, benevolent, reveren-
tial, the worlds wise, great and good
| though we must not for moment sup
pose that they haye no faults, no blem-
ishes, no weaknesses. Nor is it wrong OH
| their part to seek to cover. to hide their
weaknesses, which they should also be
seeking to conquer. Such noble men and
women are often mistakenly called Chris
tians and thought to be regenerate by
those who do not clearly comprehend the
difference between the natural man"
and the New Creature" in Christ Jesus.
These are natural because their
| thoughts, ambitions and efforts, though
noble, are earthly, not heavenly, not
spiritual The fact that they attend
church service and appreciate music, SER
mons and prayer proves nothing because
/ all natural men should esteem these
things and appreciate them, as the first
perfect man unquestionably did, and as
restored humanity undoubtedly will do in
/ the future. Repent We therefore ana
be converted. that your sins may be blot
| ted out. when the times of refreshing
shall come from the presence of the
| LOTus anu ne SnaI SEM Jesus Christ,
which before was preached unto you
whom the heaven must receive until the
! times Of Restitution of all things, which
| God hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began
Acts 1882.
The other extreme of the natural man. is
I sensual, vicious. devilsh. He possesses some
/ good traits and abilities but. as a whole Is
wrong, because he has put the wrong combi-
/ nation OF faculties into the place Of control
1 In his life. change Of control. a new will,
/ confOrmed to Justice. would make a new man
| Of him-not the same the man of nobler
atural constitution. but. nevertheless a nobler
/ man than he is at preset. But such a change
would not, Of necessity. signify that the indi-
| and had become a new creature" spirit-be-
! gotten.
Spirit-Begotten New Creatures
a new creature. from the scriptural stand
! point Is to whom old things both good
| and had have passed away. and all things
have become new. Such an one may have
! been a noble. natural man. as above describ-
| ed. a less oble a most degraded nat
| ural man. The change may take place. re-
| Eardless Of The moral station Of the Individual.
| Reasonings and PHILOSOPHERS NAV and do af-
| feet the natural man. sometimes favorably
and sometimes unfavora bly,. but these do not
! produce he change from natural to spiritual,
| from earthly to heavenly nature. This change
| comes from only source and only OF per
| comes from on high, 1t Is superhuman, and,
IN HHg off DC