Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-11-30
FOB THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD CON
CERNING you IN CHRIST JESUS. I Thessa-
lonians 5:lB,

CERNING you IN CHRIST JESUS. Thessa-
lonians, Sis.
SUNDAY, Nov. 2SI-pastor Russell of Brook
lyIi Tabernacle. preached today from the above
text. He said:
There is a beauty and consistency in the Bible
which many overlook, 10 their own confusion
Falling 10 rightly divide the Word OF truth
III Tim. 2:15), failing to discriminate between
the consecrated believers and nominal believers
o the world which the Bible everywhere recog-
nizcs has led t. this confusion. 10 the logically
minded thus confused. the Bible is an unreason-
able book, inconsistent with facts. y .-.
These matters are we'll illustrated in our text
which addressed, not to all mankind nor
to merely nominal Chrstans-but to Christians
lin God the Father and in the Lord Jesus
Christ" the introduction shows. This word
lin means something more than Is generally
appreciated. Note the Saviour's words, III a
man love me he will keep my words; and my
Father will love him, and we will uut1
him and make our abode with him." Il am in
my Father, and ye in me aud in YOU" tJohn,
1920. 2S.l The whole testimony of the Scrip
lures is that those who attain to this glorious
oneness with the Father and with the Son are
IN all but q little flock" and amongst them
mot msny great, not many wise, not many
learned" IL is to this class alone that the
Scriptures are address. though to some extent
including Justified class supposedly approach /
ing This sanctifed condition. These may well
be informed by the apostle that they should lin
everything give thanks" when in full harmony
with the Divine Will e,
But note the confusion Of attempting to apply
these words to the world IN general What mas
the world to be thankful for-from its own
StNnQpOlnts II Knows not what GODS futures
purposes are, which, therefore, cannot enter into
fits consideration. And without that knowledge
Of coming blessings life II often little appre
ciated that self-destruction is preferred In
doubtedly the number of suicides would be tai
greater than IL is 10 mol for a certain feat
or dread that the future might be more terrible
than the present. .,.E
The average man. heather and civilized, knows
that his coming into the world was without Ills
consent. He eats and drinks and sleeps ana
labors. because these are necessities. He mas
headaches and heGrtaches, and every other kind.
Atogethcr his experience il 'or few years ana
full of trouble His chief pleasure IL in hop
ing for and striving to attain pleasure. And
when the cup. Of supposed happiness is
HIS hand, the gall Of bitterness is found min
gled with It, and its dregs are sorrows. Can
such a man be thankful, especially If he has
been taught the doctrine of the clark ages"
RESP Getting the future-that when he shall die
he will either be ushered into n purgatory or
centuries OF torture indescribabzfe, Of worse.
still. that his lot will be TO suffer endlessy--
unless he should be one Of the saints, which ne
well knows he is not. and which We all know
as The Bible declares are but few? Surety
to call upon suck people for thankfulness 10
God would be Absurdity. And Il 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
, little flock" ''the saints"
GROANING CREATIONS HOPE.
Before proceeding TO apply our text to the
class to which II is addressed 1.-THE saints we
pause to consider the hope Of the world In gen
eral as set forth in the Scriptures. The knowI-
edge of this hope is not granted to the world
but 10 the saints-that they might know, might
appreciate, the gracious purposes Of God toward
mankind in general; and that they might under
stand also the Divine intention respecting their
cooperation with God in the blessings He pur-
poses to bring eventually to all the families OF
The explanation of TIE sorrows of the world *
given in the Bihle which tells us that sin lies
at the door and that the mental. moral ami
Physical temishes which cause humanity suen
distress are incldlntal TO the penalty pronounced
against sin, namely, DEATH 1.-THE soul that
sinpeth, 1t shall die" Because Father Adam
when on trial respresentatiyely for his race,
THAI shalt die;" therefore all OF his children
sharing in his imperfectons are likewise imper-
lect-slnners, as st. Paul explains (ROln., 5:l2.l
Thus during go centuries, approximately 70 OCO-
0OO.OOJ Of Adams children have been born IN
sin and shapen in inquiry and come into the
Worlo condemned and dying, mentally, morally
and physically.
Divine sympathy exercised toward this race
OF sinners provided Saviour, 'who for the 10y
that was set before Him sacrificed His life
for the world. John, 3:l6.) Jesus Christ BIZ
the grace OF God tasted death for every man -
Then instead OF dealing with the world In
STEAD or saving the world, instead OF setting
up the promised kingdom to bless the world
the Saviour did something else. And this which
He has been doing from the time Of His death
until now the apostle explains to us is "a
mystery. u Cor, 1851; Eph., / %; Rom, II :25.)
The mystery Of God" the world does not
understand. because God prefers to keen tDe
matter a mystery from them. But ''the secret
OF the Lord is with them that fear HIM AMI
He will show them His covenant."-Psa., 25:I4
Aue mystery Is InaI GOu purD0Se0 that the
blessing of the world should be accomplished
not by our Saviour alone, but in association
with select class Of saints gathered out lof
the world and specially taught and prepared in
the school Of Christ during this age. Not only
is this feature OF the divine plan scripturally
called "the mystery of God" which will BE
finished by the close of this age, hut addi-
tionally the church herself is scripturnlly
termed "the mystery Of God"-the Mystic Body
Of Christ. 'For God gave Christ to be the
Head over the church. which is His body
''Ye are members in particular of the body Of
Cor. 1927.
During the long centuries required for the
finding Of this sanity class for whom the
Lord has been searching with the magnet or
truth. varlous false theories have sprung up
and found acceptance In the world. One Of
these is that God does not love the world and
has never purposed its salvation, but that on
the contrary. He foreordained and predesti-
mated that all except the "elect saints should
suffer eternal torture. because He wished TO
have II so. Another wrong theory which |
gained acceptance was that whilst God wishes
to save the world, He finds Himself unable to
Go so, beause handicapped by human self-will
and by the agRressiveness of Satan. who has
blinded and deceived the vast majority and
has them completely in his power through !
ignorance and superstition. This theory tells
that God loves the world, including the
heather millions, and that He longs to have
the gospel taken to. them. but cannot do so, |
except through human agency, and is disap- |
pointed and baffled. because those who pro- |
TESS to be His people fail to raise sufficient
To rational minds these theories which salts |
fled in the past are no longer satisfactory; |
hence many are turned to infidelity. AS the
Scriptures say. ''My people perish for lack of
knowledge Hosea 4:6.
THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION.
Leaving these unsatisfactory errors OF the
dark ages and going back to the Scriptures,
we find teachings consistent; Hslnely that as
sacn as the mystery" the church, is COM
pleted the blessing OF God VIII proceed through |
the Christ (hcad and members) to the world. |
Az II is written, lin thy seed shall all the |
families Of the earth be blessed" The mystery
be II known is that the spiritual seed OF |
Abraham" is not the Lord Jesus only, but III
cIudes also His MEMBERSHIP church AS we
read IF We be Christ's, then are ye Abra- /
hams seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Gal, s:ss.
God will proceed through spiritual Israel, |
''rOyal priesthood, after the order OF Melcnlze-
dtc'' TO natural Israel under the terms of their
new covenant. (Jer., 31.31.l During the MI |
lennial age under the spiritual kingdom OF the
Christ Operating through the earthly Kingdom |
of Ikrnell all nations will be instructed, en- |
Iightened. blessed. Not only So Int the merit |
II Christ Will then be applied also on behalf
down into the prisOn-house of dcath--sheol, !
faies-the grevV. The church VIII constitute
the first resurrection" Ills resurrection" All
sharing in il will attain life on the spirit plane
like unto the angels, but Superior. far above
angels" Later during the Millennium the world
win return from the tomb, every man H. mis-