The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-10-21
!. PEOPLES ) O /
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle

On the Ocean, October 16.-Pastor
Russell of Brooklyn Tabernacle is en-
joying his usual health. en- route for
London He expects to be back in
Brooklyn the first Sunday in Decem-
Der. His Sundays in Great Britain
win be given to London. filling ap-
pointments with as many as possible
Of the smaller cities week days. His
discourse for today from the foregoing
text follows
The wonderful force, and immensely
of the thought of our text, cannot be
appreciated by those who have never
been upon the great Ocean. AS we
travel through the water at railroad
speed and keep watch in every direc-
ton, yet seldom see q vessel. large or
small, day after day, we begin to get
a little conception Of the world in
which we live. 1t is so much larger
than previously we were able to COM
prehend. Yet by the aid Of the tele-
scope and the mathematical calcula-
tons we perceive that our earth and
its seas are small. in comparison to
many other worlds. We perceive that
our solar system (our sun and his plan
etary Satellites) constitutes but small
fraction Of Gods great creation. AS
tronomers tell us that by the aid of
sensitive Photographic plates they are
able to count about one hundred and
twenty-five millions of suns. around
which planets are revolving. as our
earth revolves around our sun. And
they estimate that probably only a
portion Of these suns is visible to our
naked eye-so far distant are they.
Astronomers estimate that there are
millions Of other suns so far distant
that their light cannot even be dis
cerned by photography.
We stand appalled, at the immensely
of space and the law and order which
everywhere reign. We heartily assent
to the words OF the Prophet David,
DAY unto day uttereth speech, and
night unto night showeth knowledge;
there is no place where their voice is
not heard The person who can look
upon this wonderful display Of super
human power and who can believe
that these worlds created themselves,
shows to the majority of us that, il he
has brains. they are sadly disordered,
unbalanced. The person who. after in
telligent thought, concludes that there
is no God, that everything came to
be what 1t is by chance or by the op-
GRAFTON Of some blind force-that per-
son IS described in the Scriptures in
the following words. The fool hath
said in bis heart, There is no Cod'
psalm xiv, y.
"The Half Was Never Told"
On first reading our text some of us
might have been inclined to say. All.
beautiful poetic extravaganza. But
not so, dear friends. AS scientific in
struments demonstrate to us the I'M
;nensity of the universe we perceive
that the Prophet used very moderate
language indeed in his description of
the majestic power and greatness Of
, the Creator, representing him as
weighing the mountains in his bal.
ances and holding tile seas In the hol-
low Of his hand aud that. from his
standpoint. thousand years are but
as a watch in the night. How insig-
nifcantly small we all feel in the
presence Of our God. No wonder some
great men have been inclined to say
that humanity is TOO insignificant from
the Divine standpoint to be worthy OF
the least consideration-mueh less to
be objects Of Divine care aud provi-
dence: The Scriptures encourage us
to reason from the known to the I'M
known. They tell us that although
God is so great. so wise. so powerful,
ne is also just and loving. And the
I more we consider the matter. the more
reasonable this Bible description of
the Almighty appears. His power we
see demonstrated. The wisdom of
One SO great cannot be doubted. Then
we come to consider. Could One so
wise and SO powerful be unjust or I'M
generous? Our hearts answer, No.
No one is really great who is devoid
of justice and love. So surely as our
God is Jehovah he must possess these
qualities
When we came in contact with the
Bible. and particularly after we learn
ed something OF its teachings and got
rid of the Misrepresentation which
gathered about it during the dark ages
then we began to recognize 1t as the
message Of Jehovah to his creatures.
1t Informed us that the great Creator
Of the universe Is not only Almighty
and All-wise. but loving and kind.
with Justice as the very foundation
of his Empire From the Bible we
learned. too. that our Creator had been
pleased to make us in his own image,
in his own moral likeness. to the ill-
tent that we might enjoy him and the
fruits of his righteousness to all eter-
nifty. From this standpoint we began
70 realize that the loftiest sentiments
of the human mind and heart are
merely the reflections Of this Creator.
Thus coming into sympathetic ac-
cord with our Maker we can compre-
bend the principles of his character
what justice signifies. and mercy aud
kindness-what is wisdom as contrast
ed with foolishness. From this stand
point we were enabled to see the glori.
Gus perfection OF our Makers charac'
ter and attributes. which justify the
name which he has taken to himself