The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-07-16

D - huhbeli, OF brOOklyu lad
ernacie, New York, preached from the
ABOVE text. He said In part:
Ia order 70 use telescope TO ad-
vantage We need first to obtain n
proper focus on the object to be ex-
amined- And so Il Is with the Divine
pian and purpose. Looking at II with
the eye OF faith through the telescope
OF Gods word, adjustment OF the To-
Gus ID necessary. This focusing OF the
word, Christian people In the past
nave very generally overlooked. As a
result the divine plan has a blurred
and indistinct appearance to our sight.
The various word-pictures, symbols
types, allegortes and plain statements
or the scriptures without this focusing
together, make very unsatisfactory
and nondescript matter OF the gospel
OF Christ, one that Is unsatisfactory to
everybody, one that the learned OF our
day have repudiated entirely-an am
biguous collation. that is a source of
yexation TO millions OF Gods conse-
Grated people. The difficulty is that
the telescope was tempered with dur
Ing the dark ages and the proper To-
Gus was lost. Since then Christian
people have feared to readjust It.
They have gloried in the fact that
they never changed the focus. How
ever. they have overlooked the fact
that some one else did change II for
them long ago and that the unsatis-
factory view we have gotten Is the
result Of this and Is entirely out OF
accord with the clear and beautiful
vision Of Gods grace and truth and
mercy and love and wisdom and
power as seen by the apostles In
the early church.
international Bible Students Assoela-
ton.
Some OF US, dear friends, instead of
throwing away the telescope OF the
word OF God. are taking pleasure In
cleaning the lenses of the dust OF
the dark eyes and adjusting the focus
by a careful endeavor to speak where
the word Of God speaks and to be
silent where II is silent, and to bring.
as the apostle suggests, our every
thought into captivity to the will OF
God In Christ as outlined In the Bible.
The result, we all can testify. Is not
only comforting, but happifying; not
only enllghtenIng, but refreshing.
Truly, as the apostle suggests. we
have come to Times of refreshing
from the presence Of the Lord" And
all this, we perceive, is exactly what
the scriptures foretold, namely, that q
falling away and darkening OF the un-
derstanding would follow the death Of
the apostles, but that In the end OF
the age the darkness would begin to
scatter before the oncoming light of
the sun OF righteousness, In the morn
ing OF the new dispensation OF Mes
siah's reign.
In accord with all this, note the
fact that for centuries we have been
overlooking certain scriptures while
accepting others. We accepted the
apostles statement In our text re-
speeding the reconciliation OF the
church, but we overlooked entirely
other scriptures which speak OF
still different reconciliation--'God
through Christ reconciling the world
unto hifiself' (H. Corinthians v, 1917.
We should have noted the difference
between the church and the world In
this and many other passages OF
scripture. We should have remem-
bered the Lords words, "Ye are not
Of the world. even as / am not OF the
world" We should have seen that
the salvation and reconciling OF the
church Is one thing and the salvation
and .reconciltng Of the world Is quite
another thing; that these are two DIFF.
ferent salvations-the first to heaven
", spiritual conditions and joint-hear.
ship with Christ In his kingdom; the
other to an earthly inheritance, to
earthly perfection and life everlasting
and an Eden that is to be worldwide
Paradise restored. Gods footstool
made glorious.
Gods Purposes TO Be Accomplished.
Nevertheless nothing has been lost.
No feature of the divine plan has
been thwarted, for these two saliva
lions do not progress at the same
time. During this gospel age, none
are saved, nor DESTROYS to be saved,
except those drawn of the Father"
called NJ God" These have been
privileged to approach God through
the Son, whose name is "the only
name given under heaven or amongst
men whereby we must be savedl''
Acts Nv, 12). Only those who take
IN their cross and follow the lamb
through evil report and good report,
faithful unto death, can now be spirit
DekOlIeug III TIC iiSNSOAt SASS~
will be spirit-bon, members OF the
Bride Of Christ, the lambs wife and
ioint-heir with him In his kingdom.
II does not matter to the remainder
of mankind that they have been al
lowed to remain In ignorance OF the
great fact that God Is about to pour
out upon humanity a great blessing;
about to pour out His holy spirit
upon all classes: about to establish
the kingdom Of his dear Son for
which we pray, Thy kingdom Gomez"
about TO cause the knowledge OF the
Lord TO all the whole earth; about
TO give TO every son and daughter OF
Adam one full fair, righteous oppor-
.funity to come to a knowledge OF the
truth that they may be saved.
RI the knowledge OF Gods grace has
fproyen to be a grand, glorious, inspir-
ing message TO the sanctifed In Christ
aJesus. the church of this gospel age,
called 10 the heavenly calling, will not
the message OF reconciliation TO the
world. in due time, likewise bring to
the world comfort, Joy, blessing as
they shall be invited to the earthly
'portion-to full restitution TO human
perfection-tc all that was lost by
Adam and that is to be recovered by
the sacrifice Of Jesus. No wonder the
scriptHres assure us that the night OF
a.. paarly oVar and tha morn