The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1909-09-18
PULPIT.
Thrust In Thy
Sickle.
Text. "Thrus, in thy sickle, and
reap; for the dme is come for thee
to reap" (ReveIanOn XIV, Isl.

w tCoR "AANCNGAduon ANt iOL I
they were unul subsequently, they re
veaied their Identity. as we read in the
accOunt OF Genesis xviii. The Apostle
Paul adds his testimony to this Incl
dent, saying To the Church. BE not
fOrge,ful To entertain strangers; for
thereby some have entertained angels
unawares" hebrews xiii. p.
For long centuries this relationship
between the angels aud mankind con
tinued. We have no record Of n
human being receiving an uplift from
their ministrations. On the contrary.
as God had foreseen. the influence of
sin was contagious and ere long some
Of the angelic hosts became so enam-
ored Of the daughters Of men that
they took to themselves wives OF
such as they chose" and preferred to
leave their own habitation or spirit
condition aud to remain In a material
lied form and to raise earthly families.
although their course was contrary to
the Divine arrangement and must have
been so understood by them. Divine
power was not interposed to hinder
them The error OF this sedltion. the
leaving OF their own habitation or
plane Of spirit being. from a small be-
ginning, spread. and Gods non-lnter.
ference justified the s%upposition that
he was either not able to cope with
the situation. or unable to enforce his
own Law. Thus centuries rolled by.
while the earthly children OF those
angels which kept not their first es-
tate" became giants and men Of re-
nown' at a time when maturity was
not reached until at least One Hun
dred years Genesis VII.
During all those centuries we may
be sure that every one Of tie holy
angels had fullest opportunity to par
ticipate in the seductive pleasures Of
sin. And we may be quite sure during
that epoch or age God demonstrated
fully, completely, which of the angels
were in heart and indeed In spirit and
in truth loyal to him and to all the
principles Of his righteousness. This
work having been accomplished. that
world before the flood" was brought
to an end, was overwhelmed by a
food Of waters, the Lord declaring that
the whole earth had become corrupt
through this evil, The influence of the
angels along llcentiOus lines seemingly
tended more and more to degrade hui
mainly, so that we read that God be-
held that every imagination of mans
heart was evil, and only evil, and that
continually" With this closing Of that
epoch or world" those angels which
had not sought TO abandon the angelic
plane Of being we're restrained in Tar
tarus, our earth's atmosphere. until the
Judgment of the great day of trouble
In the close of this world" when evil
IDENTIFY they will recover their power OF
naturalization.
"This Present Evil World"
This present evil world" differs
from the world before the food" In
that it is not under the ministration
of the a%ngels-but man, in a general
sense. is left to himself. Since the
food the world in general has been
going on just as If there were no God
the exceptions, aside from the Jewish
nation and the Church Of Christ, being
the destruction of the Sodomites and
the preaching Of Jonah to the Nine
vites, warning them that they were
about to perish. In other words, so far
as outward appearance goes. God has
allowed the world TO take its OWE
course, interfering only when the cor
ruption became so great as to make life
injurious rather than a favor. w
may also understand the Scriptures t
teach that God has had d silent super
vision Of the nations to hinder then
from %overturnlng or disturbing ans
feature of the Divine program. He Is
wise enough to know how to make the
wrath of man to praise him and the re
mainder more than this he will restrain
st. Paul, reviewing the question Of
human degradation as exhibited II
h%eathendom. etc, explains that tn,
great deterioration in the human fam
fly is the result of mans being left t
himself as respects the Divine super
vision. He says. looking back along
the line of Noah's descendants, "WheI
they knew God they glorihed him no
as God. neither were thankful.
And ever as they did not like to re
tain God in their knowledge, God gave
them over to a reprobate mind'-they
giving themselves over to things tina.
were not profitable, defllng themselves
etc. CRomans |, 2l-2Sl.
This condition of things continued
from Noah's day until 3H2 years afteI
our Lords cr~uci6xiOn, when the spe
cial favor of God toward the nation
of Israel terminated aud the 'mlddl,
wall Of partition was broken down
Cornelius being the first Gentle al
mltted to the privileges Of the Gospel
From that time Onward the proclama
ton of the Gospel was not restricted {,
the Jewish nation. but is for whosoevet
may have IAN ear TO hear" of ever,
nation. people. Kindred aud tongue.
During the long period from Noah t
Christ 7 twenty-five Hundred years