The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-11-19
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Our text propnetlcally represents the
attitude of mind of Gods true people.
Those who are aliens and strangers
IL they were repentant their first pray
er should be In the nature of con
fession Of sins and an acknowledge
ment of their acceptance of Gods
mercy In the forgiveness of their sins
and of his accepting them to be his
children through the merit of the Re
deemer. But even those who have be-
come children of God, by reuouncing
sin and exercising faith in Divine for
giveness in the merit of Christ, have
still to acknowledge that by nature
they were children of wrath even as
Others" Although they are saved by
grace, only their minds, their hearts,
their wills, have yet been saved or
fully reconciled to God and harmo'
nizcd to the Divine will. Their flesh is
still imperfect, fallen.
Hence, in the language of the Psalm
list, it is appropriate that the Lords
people take knowledge of their own
blemishes, imperfections, and that they
seek the Lords assistance in fighting
the good fight against those bemishes
of their flesh. Thank God, this battle
Of the New Creature, the new mind,
the new will. against the fallen flesh
and it's appetites will not last forever;
to the faithful, death will be the close
OF the conflict. The glorified Redeem
to- ia, hn I'm Of Il.
people. He guarantees us in advance
that all of our trials, our difficulties,
shall work together for our spiritual
welfare. He guarantees us that when
he shall have sufficiently tested our
new minds our new wills, by the oppo-
sition of the cravings of the flesh he
will forthwith declare our trial ended
declare us victors and heirs of glory,
honor and Immortality with himself,
according to the exceeding great and
precious promises of his Word.
The Object of Our Testing.
The question arises, Why should not
the Lord grant to us and to all man
kind an easier trial than is ours? Why
should there be fallen disposition to
fight against? Why should it not be
as easy, or more easy, to do right than
to do wrong? Why should we not
have flesh which should have good
craving merely. and not an evil cray
ing? And If we must have an evil
craving, why are we not at least re-
lieved of the outward temptations
which excite these evil cravings?-
temptations from the world about us,
melting to evil rather than to good {;
and. according to the Scriptures and
our experiences, temptations also from
Satan himself. and from the fallen an
gels. who continually endeavor to in
trude upon us, to incite us to anger.
malice. hatred, strife and the various
works of the flesh and the devil?
These questions are not unreason-
able, and God acknowledges this when
he shows us that just such favorable
conditions as these questions suggest
will be provided for the world of man
kind during the Millennium. Satan
and the evil angels under his captain
cy will be restrained according to the
Bible and not be permitted TO modest
mankind in evil promptings and sug-
gestions. We read that Satan shall be
bound for thousand years that he
may deceive the people no more until
the thousand years be finished (Rev-
Citations Xxx. y. Relief is also promised
from the injurious conduct of others.
in that we are assured that during the
Millennium nothing shall hurt or de-
stroy throughout Gods holy Kingdom
| In that blessed time every evil deed
| will be restrained that it may not ac-
complish injury to another, while even
| the effort to commit sin will be
| promptly punished with stripes" not
an immoderate. not an unjust tortur-
| ing for centuries for finite sins, but
as the Scriptures declare, just recon,
| pense of reward will be given both tC
the just and to the unjust
The Scriptures assure us that prompt
ness in the punishment for sin. and Its
reasonableness. its righteousness. viii
be promptly recognized and quickly
bear fruitage throughout the world il
peace and rder-righteousness. Thus
we read, when Thy judgments are II
the earth, the inhabitants of the world
will learn righteousness" isaiah XVI
81. The preaching of this reasonable
righteous judgment of the future sure
ly bears much better fruitage than the
preaching Of the dark ages" now for
tunately disappearing--that the wage
of trihing sin might be either cen
fury Of roasting or an eternity of tor
ment. The exaggeration Of the erro
is so great that the human mind in
stinctively resists and rejects it.
The next query we shall answer is
Are Gods ways unequal? And If not
Why should he provide at the presen
time for the trial and testing of tn,
Church under conditions so much NOR,
severe than those which shall prevail
by and by, during the Millennium
Why must zoe battle against the AID
versary and his minions as well a
against our fallen flesh? Why mus
we contend with sinful Oppositions II
our neighborhoodS and our homes
Why should not evil In every sense o
the word be restrained for us as wei
as Tor the world during the Millennium