Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-11-10
Sermon by
CHARLES 7.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Brooklyn, Nov 7.-Pastor Russell
preached today at the Brooklyn Taber-
nacle from the text above. He said
Our text prophetically represents the
attitude of mind of Gods true people.
Those who are aliens and strangers
from God would not thus pray. Even
If 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 renouncing
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-
nized to the Divine will. Their flesh is
still imperfect, fallen.
Hence, in the language of the Psalm
1st, 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 blemishes
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
er is watching over the interests of his
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 a 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 crav-
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 a thousand years that ht
may deceive the people no more unit
the thousand years be finished Rev
elations Xxx, q. Relief is also promised
from the injurious conduct of others
in that we are assured that during tn,
Millennium nothing shall hurt or de
stroy throughout Gods holy Kingdom
In that blessed time every evil dee,
will be restrained that it may not &C
complish injury to another. while eve
the effort to commit sin will
promptly punished with stripes" NO
an immOderate. not an unjust tortul
Ing for centuries for finite sins, but
as the Scriptures declare. a just recon
pense Of reward will be given both
the just and to the unjust.
The Scriptures assure us that promp
ness in the punishment for sin, and ii
reasonableness. it's righteousness, wi
be promptly recognized and quickl
bear fruitage throughout the world
peace and order-righteousnes Thu
we read, when Thy judgments are
the earth, the inhabitants of the worl
will learn Righteousness isaiah XIV
o.. The preaching Of this REASONABLE
righteous judgment Of the future sur
ly bears much better fruitage than tt
preaching of the dark ages" now 70
tunately disappearing-that the was
Of trifing sin might be either a ce
fury of roasting or an eternity of to
ment. The eXaggeration of the err
is so great that the human mind
stinctively resists and rejects it.
The next query we shall answer
Are Gods ways unequal? And if M
Why should he provide at the prese
time for the trial and testing Of t
Church under conditions so much mo