The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-08
Special 10 The 1rihune.

~ Special TO Thc Tribune.
Russell OF the Brooklyn Tabernacle to-
day addressed n very large meeting oi
Bible students in Celoron auditorium
The occasion WAS general convention
timated at nearly 5000. Taking for his
text the above words. the speaker said:
The Bible. TO be understood, must be
viewed from IT'S own standpoint. This
as Bible students. we are learning more
and more particularly every day. In the
past we have read our Bibles upside
down" Many read as "A duty, others rs
n sort of charm that would placatc Di-
vino Justice and bring us Divine favor.
Now we arc learning to read the Bible
In common sense way. and to use oui
It's statements and prophecies. As a con
sequence. while others are falling from
the faith-some into inhdelity styled
higher criticism and evolution; others
into fancful wrestlinss OF the word OF
God-we are coming TO appreciate the
Bible as the most safe and sane book in
God increnses-faith in His wisdom, JUS
lice. love and power 10 accomplish all
tho good purposes which he purposed in
himself before the creation OF our race.
appreciate more than ever the value Of
the great Redeemer and Of the great sac
rlfice for sin which he accomplished at
Calvary We are coming to see the truth
of what we once considered poetic Ii
cense 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 the meaning Of the Scripture
which declares that eventually the Re-
deemer "shall see the travail Of His soul
and be satisfied" We perceive now that
the little handful OF saints walking in
The Masters footsteps from Pentecost
10 his Second Advent and sharing in the
first resurrection" Is not the end of Di-
vine love for our race, but merely Its
bcginning-"A iirst-fruits unto God Of
HIS creatures (Jamcs j, 1S). We are
now seeing that. according TO the Di-
vine purpose. the calling and election of
the church to the spirit nature; to the
the second step in the great Divine plan
OF salvation begins-the recovery of the
world from sin and death conditions. to
human perfection and Paradise restored,
"Let Dead Bury Their Dead"
No Bible topic requires more careful
discrimination in its study than does the
subject of death. This is mainly because
OF the general confusion OF mind Which
lcsme upon Christendom during the long
centuries OF the churchs comparative
darkness. when Bibles (the lamp of God
upon the Christians PATH were scarce and
when few could read the truths OF price
less value, that were chained TO lecterns.
IN consequence OF this confusion we hear
Intelligent people talk ignorantly and
stupdly respecting death. They make
tOul uSlOn worse ConLOuUdeu ny lellilS us
OF Adams spiritual death and discussing
natural death and 'the death that
To get the Bible view OF death we
need 10 brush away such foolish bab-
bliues and confnc ourselves to Bible lam
guage and the rational thought con-
uected Herewith. For instance, accord
ing TO the Bible. there is no natural
dcath'-it is not natural for man TO
die. It is according 10 the Bible arrange
ment and mans nature that he should
Twelve cternally, as do the angels, If
obedient to the divine commands. Death.
therefore. is the unnatural thing Do we
thinis OF angels as dying, and OF heaven
rs filled with cemeteries? Have they doc
tors and undertalters there? Surely not!
Yet It would be just as proper 70 speak
nj natural death amongst the angels as
in respect to mon.
The term spiritual death so frequently
used respecting Adam and his fall is
wholly unscriptural. no such expression
Is found in the Bible neither such a
thought Adam could not die n spiritual
death. because ne was not = spirit being,
He was an earthly heinS-not an angel.
hut man. AS the Scriptures declare OF
Adam. ''Thpu madest him a little lower
the works OF Thy hands: "over the
beasts OF the field, the fish of the sea and
tho fowl of tho air" (Tlebrews ii, e.
Psalm viii. >. 6).
II is. therefore, absurd for US TO con-
tinue longer to speak OF Adam dying a
spiritual death, while admitting that he
was not spirit being. It was simply
the man Adam that died. His death
however. did include the gradual pro-
ceSses OF decay, and affected not only
his bones and muscles, but also his