The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-13

The occasion was a general
convention of Bible students. The
audience was estimated at nearly
5000. Taking for his text the above
words. the speaker said:
The Bible, to be understood, must
be viewed from its own standpoint.
This, as Bible students. we are learn
ing more and more particularly every
day. In the past we have read our
Bibles "up-side-down." Many read as
duty; others as sort of charm that
would placate Divine justice and
bring US Divine favor. Now we are
learning to read the Bible in a COM
mon sense way, and to use our reason
ing facilities in connection with its
statements and prophecies. AS a con-
sequence, while others are falling from
the faith-some into infidelity styled
Higher Criticism and Evolution; 9TH
Word of God-we are coming to APP
preciate the Bible as the most safe
and sane book in the world. Corre-
spondingly our faith in God increases
faith in his wisdom. Justice, love and
power to accomplish all good pur-
poses which he purposed In himself
before the creation of our race. Cor
respondingly, too, we are coming TO
appreciate more than ever the value or
the great Redeemer and of the great
sacrifice for sin which he accomplished
at Calvary. We are coming to see the
truth of what we once considered po-
etic license when we sang,
There's a Wilderness in Gods mercy
Like the Wilderness in the sea-"
We are seeing more clearly as the
DAYS go by the meaning of the Scrip
ture which declares that eventually
the Redeemer shall see of the travail
of his soul and be satisfied" We per-
ceive how that the little handful OF
saints working in the Masters foot
steps from Pentecost to his Second
Advent and sharing in the First Res
direction, Is not the end of Divine
love for our race, but merely its be-
ginning-''A first fruits unto God Of
his creatures" Games !. 18). We are
now seeing that according to the d.
vine purpose, the calling and election
of the church to the spirit nature, to
before the second step in the great
Divine plan of salvation beg1ns-the
recovery of the world from sin and
! death conditions, to human perfection
and Paradise restored.
'Tet 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 came upon Christendom
during the long centuries of the
church's comparative darkness. when
Bibles (the Lamp of God upon the
| Christians path) we're scarce, and
when few could read the truths of
priceless value, that were chained to
| lecterns. In consequence of this con-
! fusion we hear intelligent people talk
| ignorantly and stupidity respecting
death. They make confusion worse
COMPOUNDED by telling US of Adams
spiritual death and discussing mat
ural' death and "the death that never
dies" etc., etc.
need to brush away such foolish bah
blings and confine ourselves to Bible
language and the rational thought con-
nected Herewith. For instance. ac-
cording to the Bible, there, is no mat
ural death"-it is not natural for man
to die. 1t is according to the Bible ar
rangement and mans nature that he
should live-live eternally, as do the
angels, If obedient to the Divine COM
mands. Death, therefore, is the I'M
natural thingi Do we think of angels
as dying. and of heaven as filled with
| cemeteries? Have they doctors and
undertakes there? Surely mo- Yet it
would be just as proper to speak of
respect to men.
| The term spiritual death so frequent
ly used respecting Adam and his fall
| is wholly unscriptural. No such ex-
preston is found in the Bible; neither
such thought. Adam could not die
a spiritual death. because he was not
a spirit being. He was an earthly be-
ing-not an angel, but man. AS the
| SCRIPTURES uecIdF6 OF. AQdms lnOu
madest him little lower than the an
gels; and crownest him with glory and
| honor, and didst set him over the
works of thy hands," ''over the beasts
of the field, the fish of the sea and the
| fowl of the air. (Hebrews ii, Z; Psalm
| viii. 8, s..
1t is. therefore, absurd for us to
continue longer to speak of Adam dy-
| ing a spiritual death, while admit
ting that he was not a spirit being.
1t was simply the man Adam that
died. His death, however. did include