The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-03
PEOPLES PULPIT.
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Sunday, November 2S.-Pastor Rus
sell of Brooklyn Tabernacle preach
ed today from the above text. He said:
There is a beauty and consistency
in the Bible which many overlook, to
their own confusion. Failing to right
ly divide the Word of Truth Oh Tim
othy ii, 15), failing to discriminate
between the consecrated believers and
nominal believers of the world, which
the Bible everywhere recognizes, has led
to this confusion. To the lOgicaliy-mind
ed thus confused, the Bible is an unrea
sonable Book, inconsistent with facts.
These matters are well illustrated In
our text, which was addressed, not to
all mankind, nor to merely nominal
ChriStians-but to Christians, "in God
the Father and in the Lord Jesus
Christ" as the introduction shows.
This word in means something more
than is generally appreciated. Note
the Savior's words, IF a man love me
he will keep my words: and my Father
will love him, and we will come unto
him and make our abode with him."
81 am in my Father, and We in me and
in you John xiv, 20, 23). The whole
testimony of the Scriptures is that
those who attain to this glorious one
ness with the Father and with the Son
are in all but little flock" and
amongst them are mot many great,
not many wise, not many learned"
1t is to this class alone that the Scrip
lures are addressed-though to some
extent including a justified class sup
posedly approaching this sanctified
condition. These may well be inform
ed by the Apostle that they should "in
everything give thanks" when in full
harmony with the Divine will.
But note the confusion of attempting
to apply these words to the world in
general. What has the world to be
thankful for-from its own standpoint?
1t knows not what Gods future pur-
poses are, which, therefore, cannot en-
ter into its consideration. And with
out that knowledge Of coming blessings
life is often so little appreciated that
self-destruction is preferred. Undoubt-
eddy the number of suicides would be
far greater than it is, were it not for
a certain fear or dread that the future
might be more terrible than the present.
The average man, heather and civ
iliZed, knows that his coming into the
world was without his consent He
eats and drinks and sleeps and labors,
because these are necessities. He has
headaches and heartaches, and every
other kind Altogether his experience
is ''of few years and full of trouble"
His chief pleasure is in hoping for and
striving TO attain pleasure And when
the cup" Of supposed happiness is in
his hand, the gall of bitterness is found
mingled with it. and its dregs are
sorrows. Can such q man be thank
full? especially if he has been taught
the doctrine of the dark ages" re-
specting the future-that when he
shall die he will either be ushered
into n Purgatory of centuries or tor
ture indescribable, or, worse still, that
his lot will be to suffer endleSSly-un-
less he should be one of the saints,
which he we'll knows he is not, and
which we all know, as the Bible de-
clareS, are but few" Surely to call
upon such people for thankfulness to
God would be an absurdity. And it is
to the credit of the Scriptures that
they are not thus absurd, and that our
text is addressed, not to those who
constitute the masses, but to the sit
tie fiOck"-the saints
Groaninq Creations Hope.
Before proceeding to apply our text
to the class to which 1t is addressed
(the saints, we pause to consider the
hope of the world in general. as set
forth in the Scriptures. The knowl
edge of this hope is not granted to the
world, but to the saints-that they
might know, might appreciate. the gra-
cious purposes of God toward mankind
in general; and that they might under
stand also the Divine intention respect.
ing their cooperation with God in the
blessings he purposes to bring eventu.
ally to all the families of the earth.
The explanation of the sorrows Of
the world is given in the, Bible; which
tells us that sin lies, the door and
that the mental. r.moral and physical
blemishes which cause humanity such
distress are incidental to the penalty
pronounced against sin; namely, death.
1.-THE soul that sinneth, it shall die"
Because Father Adam when on trial
representatively for his race sinned
and came under sins penalty. Dying
thou shalt die" therefore all his chill
dren sharing in his imperfections are
likewise imperfect-sinnerS, as ST. Paul
explains Romans v. 12). Thus, dur
ing sixty centuries, approximately
twenty thousand millions of Adams
children have been born in sin and
shapen in iniquity,'' and have come
into the world condemned and dying
mentally, morally and physically.
Divine sympathy exercised toward
this race of sinners provided a Savior,
"who for the JOY that was set before
him. sacrificed his life-for the world
John iii. 16). Jesus Christ by the
grace of God tasted death for every
man." Then instead Of dealing with
the world, instead of saving the world,
instead of setting up the promised
Kingdom to bless the world, the Saw
Tor did something else. And this
which he has been doing from the
time of his death until now the Apos-
tie explains to US is "a mystery" n