Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-02-22
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

o
Tampa, Fla, Feb. 2O.-Pastor c. T..
Russell of Brooklyn Tabernacle preach
ed twice here today in our largest au-
ditorium to the "Bible Students Con-
,yention." The large audience seemed
deeply interested. He said
Some apply the first text only and
think of the Divine Program as being
merely an endeayor to rescue mankind
from sin and death to righteousness
and eternal life in the present time
Such as hold this view are much con-
fused, because it must be acknowl-
edged that comparatively little has
been done, or is now being done, for
mans uplift. After six thousand years
1T is still true that ''The whole world
lieth in the Wicked One;;" Darkness
covers the earth and gross darkness
the heather" In order to have any
confidence at all in this theory those
who hold it are obliged to greatly low
er their standards. They are forced to
hope that God will admit millions of
unfit people, crude, rude. ignorant and
wicked to eternal life and happiness,
or perchance provide for them Purga-
| torial experiences, to make them fit,
| righteous and acceptable for life eter-
nal. AS a whole, Christian people are
| greatly bewildered The tendency Of
their bewilderment is toward doubt,
! skepticism, atheism.
he oil H,,;o Az f<.I To- 81
| God never intended the salvation Of
| the world, but merely the salvation of
| the Church, elect according to the fore
| knowledge of God through sanctifica-
| ton Of the Spirit and belief in the
| Truth. Those who hold this theory
| have great confusion also, because it
| seems incomprehensible that God
| would make no provision for "thou-
sands of millions" of Adams race. but
| arrange for them to be born in sin,
shapen in iniquity, and to go down to
the tomb Tor worse) without a clear
| knowledge of God and his purposes
and will respecting them.
AS we have already frequently set
forth, both of the described theories
L
| forth two salvations, entirely separate
| and distinct. They are different as re-
| SpectS time, in that the one salvation
| began to be spoken by our Lord" at
his First Advent, and began to be ap-
| plicable to his Church at PentecoSt,
and will wholly cease at his Second
| Coming in the end of this Age. The
| other salvation neither applied before
our Lords First Advent nor during
| this Gospel Age, but will apply to all
mankind, except the Church, during
| the Millennium-the thousand years
of the reign of Christ and the Church
| specially designed for the blessing of
the world and its uplifting out of sin
! and death conditions.
These two salvations are distinctly
| different as to kind, as well as respects
their plan of operation. The salvation
of the Church during this Gospel Age
since Pentecost-meanS not only a
| deliverance from sin and death condi-
| lions to eternal life but provides that
the eternal life will be on the heaven
| ly or spiritual plane and not on the
earthly or human plane of existence.
Thus the Apostle declares that our Sin
heritance IS incorruptible and unde-
| filed and fadeth not away and is re-
| served in heaven for us, who are kept
| by the power Of God through faith
unto salvation" q Peter i, 4, 81. Our
| Lord also told that in the resurrection
| we shall be like unto the angels. The
| Apostle also declares that ultimately
we shall be partakers of the divine
nature and like our Lord and Redeem
| err
| Hence, all who participate in this
| salvation of this Gospel Age are Scrip
turally spoken Of as New Creatures in
| Christ Jesus, whose citizenship is in
| heaven" These are assured that at
| the Lords Second Coming they will
constitute the First Resurrection class.
| They are guaranteed that only the
| blessed and holy will have part there
| in, and that all participating in that
First Resurrection will be Royal
| Priests unto God and unto Christ, and
reign with him a thousand years (Rev-
| Slation XXX, @. They are assured that
| the transformation of mind which
| they now experience through the be-
| getting of the holy Spirit will, in their
resurrection, result in a complete
transformation, providing them with
spirit bodies. Thus it Is written OF
their resurrection, ut is sown in weak
ness; it is raised in power: 1t is sown
In dishonor; it is raised in glory; 1t is
sown an animal body; 1t is raised a
spiritual body q Corinthians XIV, A.
Az. OF those who will share in the
| Church's salvation the Apostle says,
"we shall not all sleep. but must all
be changed" because flesh and blood
cannot inherit the Kingdom of Cod
q Corinthians XIV. 80, 81.
The worlds salvation which will fol-
bow will be wholly different from this.
1t will not include a change of nature
from earthly to spirit nature. 1t will
mean a rescue from sin and death TO
the earthly perfection of the original
man, in the image and likeness OF
his Creator, and surrounded by ev-
cry necessary blessing for his com
fort Human perfection and the Eden
home were lost through disobedience
to God The Divine arrangement is
that the merit of our sLord's obedi'
| ence unto death. when ultimately ap-
piled for mankind. shall fully can
Gel the death sentence upon him. More
and better than this. God has prom