The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-05-19

Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL
Pastor Brooklyn
abernacle.

| MemOrlal Han, recognized as tue
largest modern auditorium in the
world. was crowded today to hear Pas
tor Russell OF Brooklyn Tabernacle,
New York. Oh "Pentecostal Blessings q"
Many of the most prominent stalls aud
boxes are owned by the nobility.
many of whom occupied them, while
others. unable to attend. graciously
granted permission for their occupan.
cy by others; but hundreds were turn
ed away. The meeting was held un
der the auspices Of the international
Bible Students Association" The
speaker said:--
II is appropriate that on this day.
celebrated aud recognized as The an.
niversary of Pentecost. we should con.
slider tue import. aud have well In
mind what we celebrate. | therefore
take as my text, the words of st. Pc
ter explanatory of the occasion: This
Is that which was spoken by the
! Prophet Joel: And II shall come to
| puSS III tue IdSi uuyS ~ Sdllu NOu, ! VIII
pour out my Spirit upon all tesh and
your sons and your daughters shall
| rrophesy. end your young men shall
have the vision which your ancients
dreamed of; aud on my servants and
on my handmaldens | will pour out In
those days my Spirit. and they shall
proclaim" Il give you a preferred
translation.I- Acts Ii. 1918
st. Peter declares that the outpour-
ing of the holy Spirit upon the waiting
believers at PentecOst was mentioned
by Joel the Prophet. but he does not
say that all of the prophecy was full.
filed there and then. As n matter Of
fact we know that the holy Spirit was
not then poured out ON all flesh; II
was poured out merely upon Gods
servants and hand-maidens. A care
full inspection shows us that there are
two parts TO the prophecy III All flesh.
ana t2I Gods servants and hand maid.
ems. The order of the blessing is also
stated II will come upon all flesh
after those days. but upon the servants
and hand -maldens in those days. The
days mentioned evidently refer to this
Gospel uge-from Pentecost TO the Sec
ond coming of Christ.
In this period. of now nearly nine
teen centuries, Gods holy Spirit has
been granted to his faithful ones, and
to these alone. Only the fully conse.
Grated have been accepted of the Lord
as living sacrifices. ana only such have
/ been DegOtIen OF the molly Spirit. that
/ they may be new creatures In Christ"
| During all this time. the world has
| Spirit Is concerned. Indeed. the Apos-
tie after Penlecost went still further
and declared that "the whole world
lieth in the Wicked One" The only
action OF the holy Spirit must be. as
In the case OF Felix. TO "reprove
the world OF sin and righteousness. and
Of coming judgment" Our text de-
clares. however, that the time Is COM
ing when the world will receive
share of the great Divine blessing,
which was fully assured by the death
OF Christ. But It's time of favor will
be "0fter those days"-after this Cos
pei Age shall have come to an end;
after the New Dispensatlon, the Mil
lennial Age, shall have come. Let us
note first the blessings belonging to
this Gospel Age, In which we are spe-
cially interested, and subsequently let
us notice the blessings that God has
promised shall come to all mankind.
The Chureh's Penteoost.
Ii Is not sufficient that we say that
Pentecostal blessing came upon the
followers OF Jesus In the upper room
at Jerusalem. totally different from
anything that had been known In the
world before. We want to know why
1t was SO; and II blessing. why II did
not come sooner Goods people? We re-
member Abel. Enoch, Noah. Abra ham,
Moses. Daniel. the Prophets; we rec
ognize the fact that they were grand
''They had this testimony that they
pleased God" Yet there was no Pen
tecostal outpouring in their day. nor
until the age OF man In the world was
more than four thousand years. Why
was thlsf We answer that God has
his own times and seasons for the va
rious features OF his work
We recall the words of our Lord Je-
sus, respecting his forerunner. Verify
] say unto you, Among them that are
born OF women there hath not risen a
greater than John the Baptist; not
withstandlng he that Is least In the
Kingdom OF heaven Is greater than he"
(Matthew xi, IL. Why could not John
and others of the prophets preceding
him. enter In aud enjoy this Gospel ia
vor? We answer, in the language Of
81. Paul. God having provided some
better thing for us. that they without
US should not be made perfect" (He-
brews XII, 40,. Our Creator has great
gifts to dispense to our race through
the Redeemer, and II is for him to de-
termine the times and the seasons for
the dispensing of these blessings. and
to whom they shall go According to the
Divine arrangement the Redeemer had
| first 10 die aS man'a Rananm. prioa