The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-31
-.-s-e-s-s-'e-s-e-s-e-sO GOO
PEOPLES
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Boston, Mass, March 27.-As Chris
tendon celebrates the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ, it is appro-
pirate that our hearts and minds
should intelligcntly grasp the signih-
canoe OF the event commemorated. st.
Paul laid great stress upon the resur-
rection of the dead. declaring that if
there be no resurrection of the dead
ali those whom we counted as asleep
would never have an awakening, and
consequently would be as dead as are
brute beasts. Note his emphatic state
ment to this effect Il Corinthians XIV,
1918. For here as elsewhere his
words contradict the thought that the
sanity dead pass Immediately to glory
and the insanity to Purgatory or to
eternal torture.
According to the Gospel of Christ,
of which st. Paul declares that he
was not ashamed, the dead are to be
esteemed as though they were asleep
at rest from all the commotion and
turmoil and strife, ignorance and SUI
perstition and sin and trouble incident
to the present reign of sin and death.
They have truly entered into rest,
whether they were saints or sin
ners. When the tine for their awak-
ening shall have come in the Millen-
NAL morning of Christs reign of right
eousness. surrounding conditions will
be very different from what they are
today, thank God! Then Satan will
be bound. the Bible assures us Grey
elation Xxx, 1-3). and the ignorance and
superstition, selfshness and crime,
which have for centuries marked his
reign will gradually draw to close,
for the glorious Messiah King will not
permit them. His reign, on the con
trary, will be marked with the true
enlightenment of all mankind; and the
result will be, as foretold; namely,
Every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess TO the glory of Cod
isaiah xiv, 231
: Gradually the world will be brought
to an Edenic condition, in harmony
with the Divine promise. Indeed, this
work may be said TO be already be-
ginning Already, by artesian wells
and irrigation processes and highways
Of travel and good roads and intelli-
gent cultivation of fields, the earth be
gins to bloom and the wilderness and
solitary place to be glad, as foretold
by Isaiah the prophet isaiah XXXv, ID.
Under these blessed conditions "All
that are in their graves shall hear the
voice of the Son of man and shall come
forth" Oohn V, %. 29)-not all at once,
but every man in his own order q
Corinthians XIV, 23). The sanity be
levers, who alone are fully pleasing
TO God, will come forth in the First,
or chief, or preferable, Resurrection
come forth perfect, on the spirit plane
like unto the angels and like unto theil
glorified Redeemer, to be his joint
Heirs in his Millennial Kingdom and
its great work of resuscitating, In
structing and ruling and uplifting al
the "groaning" families of the eartl
Romans viii, 22). Thus will be full
filled Gods promise to the spiritual
Seed of Abraham, "In thy Seed shall
all the families of the earth be bless
ed" Galatians ill., 20. Gradually, after
dealing with the living nations to some
extent, the sleeping world will bt
awakened, every man in his owl
order" Il Corinthians XIV, 23).
Our Lord assures us that all eXcep
the sanity few will come forth from
the tomb that they may have resur
rection-a raising up out of sin anC
death conditions to righteousness, t
the image of God that was lost b,
Adam; and that eventually, if willin!
and obedient, they will receive God
gift of eternal life through Jesus Chris
our Lord But the rebellious undo
those favorable conditions, we are as
sured, will be cut off from life entirel
in the Second Death (Acts Iii, 1929.
In speaking of the worlds resurreC
ton our Redeemer designates it a res
V, 2S, 29). Messiah's righteous judg
ments will then be abroad in tn
world The light of knowledge VIII b
as clear as the noon-day sun. Ever
good deed and endeayor will receiv
its reward and every wilfully ev
deed will receive chastisements, COZ
rections, to the intent that they ma
learn the advantages of the way {
holiness and go up thereon TO life etel
nal. which the willing and obediel
may reach by the close Of the Miller
NAL Age
Through the prophet Daniel, til
Lord declares that many Of the WorlC
~ who now sleep in the dust Of I'll
earth shall come forth unto shame an
lasting contempt We can readily rea
lie the shame that Will be theirs whe
the light Of full knowledge shall pr
vail and all Of their past shall stan
revealed to themselves and TO Other
in its true cOlors. We can we'll III
derstand that this will bring conteml
to many now highly esteemed among
men. But we can rejoice in Il
thought that the Millennial Kingdo
then to be in power will deal graciou
ly with all The stripes of punis
ment will he tempered with mere,
and gradually by their change Of cha
acter the contemplate ones will ceai
to be contemplate. The transformir
power of grace and Truth now opera
ing in the Church will be equally fore