The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-08
sermon By
CHARLES T..
~ nYIccrrt
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Jnmestown,sS. Y, August 7,-Pastor
Russell of the Brooklyn Tabernacle
today addressed a very large meeting
OF Bible Students in Celoron Audi.
forum. The occasion WINS n General
Convention. of Bible Students. The
audience was estimated at. nearly
5000 Taking for his text the above
words, the speaker said: sr5i.{ti
The Bible, to be understood, must
be viewed from It's own standpoint
This. rs Bible students, We are learn.
ing more and more particularly every
day. In the past we have read our
Bibles "up.side-down." Many read as
duty; others as n sort Of charm that
would placate Divine Justice and
bring us Divine favor. Now we, are
learning to read the Bible In COM
nonsense way, and to use our reason.
ing faculties In connection with its
statements and prophecies. AS con-
sequence, while others are falling from
the faith-some into infidelity styled
Higher Criticism and Evolution: 9th.
ers into fanciful wrcstings, of the
Word Of God--we nre coming to npprc.
ciate the Bible as the most safe and
sane Boob In the world. Correspond
ingly our faith In God increases--faith
In his Wisdom, Justice, Love and Pow
err to accomplish all the good purposes
which he purposed in himself before
the creation Of our race. Z Correspond
ingly, too, We are coming TO appreciate
more than ever the value of the great
Redeemer. and Of. the great sacrifice
for sin which he accomplished Mt Cal.
vary. Weure; coming to see the truth
OF what We once considered poetic
license when we sang,
there's Wilderness in Gods mercy
Like the Wilderness OF the sea-"
We are seeing more clearly as the
days go by theimeanine of the Scrip
ture which declares that eventually
the Redecmer "shall see, Of the travail
Of his soul and be satisfied" We per-
ceive now that the little handful of
saints walking in the Masters foot
steps from Pentecost to his Second
Advent and sharing In the '.Flrst Res
direction" is n0t3the end Of Divine
Love for our race, but merely its be-
ginning-"A flrstfruits unto God OF
his creatures" Games l., 49,. We are
now seeing that, according to the Di
vine purpose, the calling and election
Of the Church to the spirit nature,
to thc divine nature. must be com.
pleted before the, second. .stGp In the
great Divine Plan OF Salvation begins
the recovery OF the world from sin
and death conditions, to human per-
lection and Paradise restored.
"Let Dead Bury Their. Dead"
No Bible topic requires more careful!
discrimination, in Its study than does
the subjectpof death. This, is mainly
because Of the general confusion OF
mind which cameaupon Christendom
during the long,Ltcenturles of the
Church's comparative darkness, when
Bibles the Lamp of God upon the
Christians path were scarce, and
when few, could read the truths of
priceless value, that were chained to
lcctcrns. In consequence Of this con.
fusion we hear intelligent people tall;
ignorantly and stupidity respecting
death. They make confusion worse
COMPOUNDED by telling us of Adams
spiritual death and discussing mat.
ural" death and 1.-THE death thnt never
dies" etc., etc. I.I
To get the Bible view of death we
need to brush away such foolish bah.
blings and confine ourselves to Bible
language and the rational thought con
nected Herewith. For instance. nc.
cording to the Bible, there Is no mat.
urul death"-it Is not natural for man
to die. Itis according to the Bible ar
rangement and mans nature that he
should live-livc eternally. as do the
angels, If obcdient to the Divine com
mands., Death, therefore, is the un
natural thlng!, Do we think OF angels
as dying. and Of heaven rs filled with
cemeteries? Have they q doctors and
undcrtakcrs there? Surely mott! Yet II
would be just us proper to. speak OF
natural death amongst the angels rs ir
respect to men.
The term spiritual death SO frequent
ly used respecting Adam and his tal
is wholly unscrlptural No such ex
preston is found in the Bible; neither
such q thought. kdam could not die
n spiritual death. because he was moi
n spirit being. He was an earthly be
ing-not an angel but man. AS tht
Scriptures declare of Adam. "Thor
madest him little lower than the m
gels; and crowncst him with glory ant
honor. and dldst set him over the work.
Of thy hands; '.over the beasts Of
the field, the fish of the sea and The
fowl Of the air" Qucbrcws II, I; Psalm
I viii, s. G).
| 1t Is, therefore. absurd for US ia
continue longer to speak Of Adam dy'
ing u spiritual death. while admit
ting that he was not n spirit being
1t was simply the man Adam that
died. Ills death. however, did include
the gradual processes OF decay, and
affected not only his bones and mus
Giles, but s,also his brains-his every