The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-01-25
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

|
New York. preached twice here today
to large and very attentive audiences.
/ We report one of his discourses from
the above text, as follows:-
The word "toinked'' In our text is
used in 6gurative sense to signify
that God took no notice of, paid no
attention to. that long period of time
from the food to the First Advent of
our Redeemer. During those twenty
five hundred years the world of man.
kind lay in ignorance and weakness
and vice, but, as our text declares,
God took no notice of it as a whole
He gave his attention entirely to the
little nation of Israel, the descendants
of Abraham, with whom he made
! special Law Covenant. Israel entered
upon a great schooling period; first
In condition of peonage In Egypt;
and later. under the command of
Moses, passing from Egypt to Canaan,
with a wandering of forty years in
the wilderness; still later under judges,
not wink at sin amongst the Israelites.
whom be adopted as his peculiar peo-
pie" under the Law Covenant mediat-
ed by Moses. We read that every dis
obedience received lust recompense
of reward" (Hebrews Ii. ~ Stripes,
punishments. captivities. under Divine
supervision and predicted through the
hn Alo
sen people of the Lord. Obedience on
their part brought blessing and dis
obedience and idolatry brought chas-
tisements-God winked at nothing as
respects his chosen people.
At first glance this is perplexing.
Not understanding the Divine Plan we
would be inclined to expect that the
favored nation would be excused more
than others-that it would be the peo-
pie whose imperfections would be
winked at But not so: u israel was
chosen for purpose And In order to
prepare them for their mission and to
fit them to fill it, the Lord chastened
and scourged them for their sins. and
thus educated and assisted them more
than others out of degradation AS a
result. when our Lord came into the
world to be mans Redeemer. Israel.
under the chastising. scourging, in
structing experiences of many centu-
ries. was by far the most advanced
nation in the world along religious
lines.
Thus it was that when the Redeem
er presented himself. some, "a rem
nant." were 'Israelites indeed" and
ready to receive him-five hundred
during his earthly ministry and sew
eral thousand more at the following
Pentecostal season. 1t Is but reason
able to suppose hat no other nation in
the world would have furnished any
such numbers ready OF heart for Mes
slab. and consecrated fully to him.
Note. for instance, that st. PauPs
preaching TO the Athenians on Mars
Hill apparently touched not a single
heart nor head.
The Justice of the Wink.
The Almighty informs us that JUS
tice is the very foundation of all of his
dealings. He cannot be less than Just,
although through Christ he has pro-
v1ded to be more than just-that is.
loving and merciful. There must have
been a justice in this winking men,
toned by the Apostle. What was it?
The Apostle explains that owing to
death sentence that was upon the
world in general, and no provision hav-
ing yet been made for a redemption
from that death penalty and a resur-
rection deliverance. it would have been
illogical for God to give laws to the
world of mankind commanding repent
ance, etc. Why? Because they were
already condemned to death, the ex-
IRENE penalty of the Divine Law. No
more could be done to them than de-
stroy them. however badly they lived.
And nothing that they could do would
make them deserving of eternal life
So long as that death sentence rested
upon them and no prospect was Of
fered even of release from it. God let
them alone, and justly enough wink
ed at their imperfection and did not
lay 1t specially to their charge.
With the Jew it was different. God
instructed that nation through the
Law and the prophets and the chasten-
ings for their wrong doings. and thus
prepared in them little flock" of
"Israelites indeed" ready for spiritual
things. Additionally he wished to use
them and their experiences as types
or lessons for Spiritual Israel yet flu
f1Po
Of the holy Spirit through the New
Testament. have constituted very help
full lessons to the Church of this Cos
pei Age-Spiritual Israel-"For the
Law Covenant was shadow Of good
things coming after it."
But before having this dealing with
Israel. God made a Covenant with
them. promising them life-eternal if
they would obey. They gladly ac-
cepted the proposition and strove to
live righteously, strove to keep the
Law. They did not gain eternal life
under the Law, because they could
not keep it; not that the Law was de-
fective. but that they. like all other
members OF Adams fallen race, were
imperfect. God knew of their weak
ness and allowed them to be disap-
pointed in the outcome of their Gov
enant. but nevertheless he made it a
great blessing to them-a means of in
struction. which, as we have seen. ulti-
mately prepared several thousand to
be of so ripe condition of heart as
to be ready for the Savior and become
his disciples. The Jew then had this
advantage over the Gentle up to that
time. He had Gods promises. He
knew the Law of God. He was profit
ed by striving to do the impossible
thing of keeping it perfectly. Had
God not chosen the nation of Israel to
bring them under the schooling pro-
cesses of the Law Covenant Galatians
iii. 24l he would have "winked" at
their ignorance. etc, as he did with
the transgressions of other nations up
to that time.
"Now Commandeth All Men,"
What is the secret of this change on
Gods part-from winking at the sins
and imperfections of the world to COM
handing them to repent? If it was
just to wink at their sins for thou
sands of years, why did not God con-
tinue to wink at them? The Apostle
answers the question. telling US that
this change In Gods dealing which
sent forth the message that the world
should repent was based upon the fact
that his eternal purposes had by that
time reached the stage of development
which justified such message. The
Son of God had left the glory of the
Father which he had before the world
I.ol H.,s., la IL