The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1909-12-01
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabenacle.

Sunday, November 2l.-Pastor Rus
sell. Of Brooklyn Tabernacle. preached
today TO crowded house from the
above text. He said
No other book treats the matter OF
human woe and sorrow in the wise,
tender. sympathetic. helpful manner of
the Bible II assures us that however
cold, heartless and disappointing the
world may be and our friends may be
or those from whom we may have e1-
peeted better things, we have, never
theless. God of sympathy-a God oil
love No heather religion knows any
thing of such II God. With them God
attributes are merely more or less oil
ferocity. Their gods are to be placat-
ed and worshipped from fear or wbat
they Otherwise would do to their crea
lures The God of the Bible assures
us OF his love, his sympathy, in all oil
our dfstrcsseS his interest in our ar
fairs and his provision for the ulti
mate welfare of all those who VIII
come into the attitude OF loving right
eousness and hating iniquity-the only
proper attitude of heart. the only ont
which he can approve and bless with
everlasting life.
A Night of Sorrow and Death.
The Scriptures point out to us what
We recognize to be the trutb-that the
world has been under Il pail and blight
and curse of death for six thousand
years. Appropriately our text de
scribes this period as Il dark time OF
hard, blighting experiences. night
of weeping of sorrow. In harmony
with this figure it declares that dark
ness covers the teiyiliZedl enrth aud
gross darkness the heather"
Not alone does this condition affect
those who are in alienation from God
through ignorance and superstition
and the power OF sin. but II affects
also those who have accepted the
grace of God. who have turned their
backs upon sin and who are seeking
to walk in the narrow WHY. IN the
footsteps of .Iesus Well does the
Apostle say. The whole creation
groancth and trayaIeth In pain to-
gether until now. And not only they,
hut ourselves also. which have the
first fruits of the Spirit. even we our
selves groau within ourselves. waiting
fer The adoption: To wit. the redemp-
ton of our Body, - the Body of which
Jesus is the Head or Chief and we
are Symbaleal members or an under
priesthood tRomans viii. ~ 23a.
There i i difference. however. he
tween the Church and the world in this
eroaning as suggested by the Apos-
tte'S words 'Fhc world groans aloud
without alienation. and even its walt
iH2 for he manifestation of the sons
Of Cod IS il waiting IN ignorance: for.
being oul uf touch with the Eternal
one, they know not of his gracious
purposes and arrangements for these
are kept secret from all except his
sAnetided ones The secret of the
Lord is with them that fear reyer
encet him aud he will show them his
Covenant" d'salm xxN, III, These
who POSSESS the secret of the Lord
"sofroW moi rs others who have no
hope" Il Thessalonians ". 49,. They
"sreau iHwardly aud wait for the glo
rillCation of themselves and all the
brethren. members of the symboieal
Body of Christ. by participation In the
irs; Resurrection The hopes of these
must be- realized first. before the bless
ing can come Ia the .gfoauing crea-
ton IN general The latter are wait
ing for the manifestation of the sons
II God, namely. the Church in glory.
A LIGHT In Dark Place.
h" Bible represents itself AS being
the candle of the Lord the lamp of
Divine Truth and enlightenment But
Il tells us that lis light is not for the
world either NOW or 1t any time
future Its light is only for those who
by faith and obedience unto consccra
ton seek u walk in the footsteps of
Jesus. They need the light. cod pro
vldes Il Tor Them These are repre-.
scented 10y the Prophet MS saving to the
Lord, Thy Word is n lamp unto my
feet, aud II light unto my patti foot
steps, psalm cNiN. 1861 This light
evidently does not SHINE far into the
future. but enough for each onward
Sttli Us II becomes quo.
st. Peter ampiticS the same thought.
After telling us Gf the assurance which
he himself and his associates had upon
he Mount If TRANSPORTATION when
The. heheld The riSi0H' Matthew xvii.
l9l of the Lord miraculously trans
formed aud with him Moses aud Eli
lah and heard the voice from heaven.
il waS forccfu To their minds as
teaching the coming of our Lord i'll
glory. in due time Nevertheless. says
the Apostle. honoring the Bible above
any vision. We have Il more sure
word of prophecy; whcrcunto yc do
we'll that ye take heed. as unto Hight
that Shtneth IN dark place. until the
day dawn. and the day star arise"
I'll Peter /. 81, indicating that the
morning is ut hand and that the sun
Of Righteousness will soon fulfil its
mission of blessing all the families of
the earth
but Why Is This Thus!
Why does God permit the reign Of
SIN and death, injustice. unrighteous.
hess. sorrow. trouble. pain. headache
hcartachcS. etc: Why does he not
deal with humanity graciously. kindly
lovingly. rs Il Father rs he deals with
the angelic sons of God: Is il just
or loving on the part of oui Creator
10 bring forth millions Of his creatures
under these admittedly unfa,orable
conditions-bese by weaknesses and
siDwardness from their birth and sur
rounded by others similarly weak and
beset by Satan and his minions- WICK.
ed spirits: Is II Just that we should
thus be in an unequal fight subjected
TO weaknesses and dying and imper-
feet conditions on account of the sin
OF our first parents and then. on the
same account. be in danger of an eter-
nifty of torture with nine hundred and
ninety-nine chances out OF a thousand
against us.
No. thank God. that thought of eter-
nal torture which came down TO US
from the dark nuaS apA btob xr., f.,-