River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-06-30


sent as being Babylon, declaring
that, as whole, with the various
branches and denominations, the
nominal Church of Christ is Baby
lonish. Hearken to the Lord words:
"She has become the hold of every
foul spirit and the cage of every un-
clean and hateful bird" (Revela-
ton 1929 The intimation is that
there is large outward develop
ment of the Church which is not TO
her advantage and glory but con-
trariwise. Nevertheless, this IS,
nominally, the Church of Christ.
However his spirit may have been
misrepresented and there may have
been an improper development, ulti-
mately the great Head of he Church
will bring order out of chaos and
confusion and will glorify and use
his elect"
The parable of the "leaven" ".
33) illustrates the process by which,
as was foretold, the Church would
get into the wrong condition. AS
woman would take her batch of flour
for baking and put leaven (yeast)
in it and the result would be that
the mass would become leavened,
so it would be with the Church of
Christ; the food of the entire house
hold would become leavened or cor
rupted. Every portion would be-
come more or less vitiated with the
leaven of false doctrines, which
would permeate the entire mass.
Thus to-day nearly every doctrine
inculcated by Jesus and his Apostles
has bee ONE more or less perverted
or twisted by the errors of the dark
ages.
The desirability of obtaining joint
heirship with Christ in his Millen-
NAL Kingdom, is pictured in the
parable of the treasure hidden in
the field" The finder, realizing it's
value, desired it for himself and had
such faith in it that he disposed of
all of his property in order to buy
that field, which he believed to con-
tain the precious treasure. Only
those who will appreciate the Gospel
message will gainits glorious prom
Uses If we love the present life with
its joys and prospects, its hopes and
ambitions, then we will labor for
these, but if we intelligently hear
and, by faith, believe the Gospel
offer of this age of share with
Christ in his Millennial Kingdom,
then in proportion to our faith and
appreciation will be our se1f-sacri-
| ficing zeal to attain that prize. Who
ever believes the message of the
Kingdom will find his faith an in
spiration, indeed a necessary inSpir-
alton, to the attainment of the prize,
for it will cost all that he has of
earthly blessings; and unless he has
faith that he will find the prize, he
will surely be unwilling to sacrifice
all he has for it. The field belongs
TO God. He has put the treasure
there. He offers it for sale to any
willing to pay the price. The buyer
| is the Lord and those who accept
| his invitation to join with him in the
sacrifice Of their earthly interests
that they may be sharers with him
in his heavenly glories the work
of the Millennial Age, to unearth all
that treasure in the blessing of the
world of mankind. The hiding of
the treasure is necessary; as our
Lord said, Cast not your pearls
before swine;' they will not under
stand you, they will think you fool
ish, and in their disappointment may
do you injury. Hast thou faith,
have it to myself before God"
Make your sacrifice of earthly things
to him, and he who seeth in secret
will reward you openly.
Pearls were much more in vogue
in ancient times than now. Pearl
buyers traded in these gems and
carried them to the market, where
they were highly estimated. The
parable represents one of these pearl
merchants as coming across the
finest pearl he had ever seen. He
considered il so priceless that he
was quite rejoiced to sell or trade
all of his other pearls and property,
that he might become the owner Of
that pearl.
This parable represents the Gospel
offer of a share with Christ in his
Kingdom as being superior to all
other propositions III the world.
The honors of the world, of name
and fame, position and wealth, are
indeed desirable; as the Scriptures
say, A good name is rather to be
chosen than great riches;" but when
our eyes behold 1.-The pearl of great