Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-07-16

Sunday. July l0-Pastor Russell Of
Brooklyn Tabernacle. New York.
preached today from the above text
lie said in part
In order to use telescope to ad-
vantage we need first to obtain
proper focus on the object to be ex
amined. And so II Is with the Divine
Plan and Purpose. Looking at II with
the eye of faith through the Telescope
Of Gods Word, adjustment Of the TO
Gus Is necessary. This focusing of the
Word. Christian people in the past
have very generally overlooked. As a
result the Divine Plan has blurred
and indistinct appearance to our sight.
The various word pictures. symbols.
types, allegories and plain statements
of 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 source of
vexation 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. However, they
have overlooked the fact that some one
else did change 1t for them long ago
and that the unsatisfactory view we
have gotten Is the result Of this and
In 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 Assoeis-
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
AAC odth Akto anu hbJooAhhS 'bN AONNS
by q 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 enlightening. 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
falling away and darkening of the I'M
Outstanding 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 Dispensadon OF Mes
siah's reign.
In accord with all this. note the fact
that for centuries we have been over
looking certain Scriptures while ac-
cepting others We accepted the Apps
ties statement in our text respecting
the reconciliation of the Church. but
we overlooked entirely other Scriptures
which speak of a still different recon-
ciliation-"God through Christ recon
Cling the world unto himself I'll Co
rinthians V. I9l. We should have noted
the difference between the Church and
a yunplh in fbfc aDh hpP n -
sages of Scripture. We should have
remembered 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 recOnciiing of the world is quite
another thing; that these are two di.
ferent salvations-the first to heaven
ly. spiritual conditions and joint-heir.
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 footstoo'
made glorious.
Gods Purposes to Be Accomplished.
Nevertheless nothing has been lost.
No feature of the Divine Plan has
been thwarted, for these two salva
lions do not progress at the same time
During this Gospel Age none arr
saved, nor DESTROYS to be saved. except
those drawn of the Father" "cailed
OF God" These have been privileged
20 approach God through the Son
whose name is the only name given
under heaven or amongst men whereby
we must be saved" (Acts iv, 12). Only
those who take up their cross and fol
low the Lamb through evil report and
good report faithful unto death, can
now be spirit begotten; in the resur-
rection, these win be spirit-born, mem
bers OF the Bride of Christ, the Lambs
Wife and joint-heir with him in bis
Kingdom. 1t does not matter to the
remainder Of mankind that th0X have
--~~9