Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-01-11
What God Winked At

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THE times Of this ignorance God winked at;
hut now hath commanded all men everywhere 10
repent: because He hath appointed day th
which He will Judge the world IN Righteousness
TORONTO. Canada Jan. s.--Pastor c. 7. Rus
sell. of Brooklyl Tabernacle, New York, preach
ed twice here today TO large and very attentive
audiences. We report one Of his discour'es ire M
the above text. ne follows;
The word "winked' in our text is used In
a figurative sense TO signify that God took
NJ notice Of paid no attention TO. that long
period Of time from the flood to the First Ad-
vent Of Redeemer. During those 800 years
tho world Of mankind lay in ignorance and
weakness and vice. but, as our text declares
God tool: notice of II whole. He gave
Israel the descendants OF Ahrsham, with whom
He made q special law covenant Israel entered
upon Lieat schooling period; first IN a condi-
ton Of peonage in Egypt and later under the
command Of Moses passing Yroin Egypt 10 "a
nsan. with a wandering of n years IN the VII
drr?ess: sti later Unef judges. AMI mn under
kings. etc. God did not wink at sin amongst
the Israelites, whom He adopted as His ''pecu-
liar people" under the law covenant mcdiated
by Moses. We read that every diSobedlence re-
eeived Just recompeuse or reward. Heb
90. Stripes, punishments. captivities, under d.
vine supervision and predicted through the
prophets. the portion of the CHOSEN poole
OF the Lord Obedience on their part brought
blessing and disobedience and ldolatry brought
chastisement-God winked at nothing as respects
His chosen people.
At first glance this is perplexing. Not I'M
Outstanding the divine plan we would be inelin-
excused more than others-that it would be the
people whose imperfections would be winked at
But not so: Israel was chosen for : purpose:
And in order to prepare them for their mission
and to fit them to fill it. the Lord chastened
and scourged them for their sins, and thus edu-
Gated ard assisted them more than others out OF
degradation. As a result, when our Lord came
into the world to be mans Redeemrr. Israel
under the Christening, scourgng mstructlng eN-
periences Of many centuries. was by far the most
advanced nation in the world along religious
lines. -
sented Himself. some, "a remnant" were lsra-
elites indeed" and ready to receive Hlm-j10 dur
ing His earthly ministry and several thousand
more at the following Pentecostal season. " IL
but reasonable to suppose TINT no other nation
in the world would have furnished any such
numbers ready of heart for Messiah: and CON
secrated fully to Him. Note, for instance, that
st. Pauls preaching to the Athenians on Mars
Hill apparently touched not single heart nor
WHAT WAS NOT wINKED AT.
With the smoke of the dark ages in the eyes
of our understanding and our poor brains be-
, fuddled by unscriptura theories we once thought
this passage implied that God winked at thou
| sands and millions slipping and sliding down
into Purgatory or into worse-eternal torment
With increased light we perceive that those
thoughts were fallacious that nothing In the
Bible teaches that those poor creatures who had
neither the Gospel Of Christ nor the Law or
Moses. were damned by their Creator In the
they were simply allowed to die In their igno-
rance and sin under the penalty imposed upon
4
Trained from giving them any light upon the
4 future respecting what he intended to do for
| the blessing OF the world Of msnkind-the recon
| Citation of the world unto himself through
Abraham's seed. We that the Divine
purpose included them with all mankind in the
| redemption accomplished by Jesus. and that
consequently they. with the remainder OF the
world will share in the resurrection of the dead
both of the Just ana of the unjust.
| What a relief this brings to our heads and
hearts, How we used to wonder that the God
| of Love cOuld not only cOunteunncc the eternal
torture OF these millions but more than that
i foreknew it, predestinated it, and winked at 1t
rs though it a joke. trifling matter
Surely we can love Creator the better, in
proportion the eyes. of our understanding open
to the true teachings of His Word. And surely
| at the opening of a new year all who through
/ the Divine Word thus discern the Divine char
! avter to be just and loving will be influenced
thereby to reciprocating love, which will take
pleasure in doing those things pleasing IN His
sight, and which will be, grieved at anything
/ that would displease Him! --.f
THE JUSTICE OF THE WINK.
The Almighty. informs that Justice is the
very foundation Of all Of His dealings. He can
not be less than just, although through Christ
he has provided to De more than Just-that is
4 loving and merciful There must have been
Justice 10 this winking mentioned by the apostle
| What was 1t?
The apostle explains that owing to a death
sentence that was upon the world in general
and provision having vet been made for a
| redemption from that death penalty, and a
! resurrection deliverance, It would have been
mankind commanding repentance, etc Why !?
Because they were already condemned to death
the extreme penalty of the Divine Law No
more could be done to them than destroy them.
however badly they lived. And nothing that
| they could do would make them deserving OF
eternal life. So long the death sentence
of release from il. God let them alone and
justly enough "winked' at their imperfection
! and did not lay 1t specially to their charge. He
permitted them to go down to the tomb
, lightened respecting His gracious purposes OF
the future for them and for all men through
Christ.
| With the Jew 1t was different God instructed
| that nation through the ldv AID the pr0pheTs
and the Christening for their wrong dcings, and
thus prepared in them "a little flock" of Isrd-
] elites indeed ready for spiritual things. Addi-
tionally He wished to them and their ,xpe-
rence types or lessons for spiritual 1srsel yet
/ future. These types, under the guidance Of tho
! Holy Spirit through the New Testament have
constituted very helpful lessons to the church
of this gospel age-Spiritual Israel-'For the
law covenant was shadow Of good things com
ing after It,"
But before having this dealing with Israel.
God made covenant with them, promising them
life eternal If they would obey. They gladly
accepted the proposition and strove to live right
ecgsy stroye , to keep the law I" The did net
could not keep it; not that the law was defect
i've. but that they. like all other members of
Adams fallen race, were imperfect. God knew
of their weakness and allowed them to be dis
appointed in the outcome of their covenant, but
nevertheless He made it great blessing to
seen. ultimately prepared several thousand TO
be of so ripe a condition of heart to be
ready for the Savior and become His disciples.
The Jew then had this advantage the Cen
tile up to that time. He had Gods promises. He
knew the law of God. He was profited by
striving to do the impossible thing of keeping
it perfectly. Had God not chosen the nation
of Israel to bring them under the schooling pro-
cesses of the law covenant-Ga 3:24.-He would
have ''winked' at their ignorance, ETC., as He
did with the transgressions of other nations
; up to that time.
NOW COMMANDETH ALL MEN.
Wfat is the secret OF this change Gods
part-from winkng at the sins and mperfections
Of the world to commanding them to repent?
II It is just to wink at their sins for thou
sands of years. why did not God continue to
wink at themi The apostle answers the ques
tion. telling that this change in Gods deal
ing which sent forth the message that the world
should repent was based upon the fact that His
eternal purposes had by that time reached the
stage of development which justified such
: message. The Son of God mad left the glory
of the Father which He had before the world
was: He had humbled Himself to become a man.
As the man Christ Jesus He had been obedient
to the Heavenly Fathers wish and had laid
Gown His life scarificially-that it might first
benefit consecrated believers during this gospel
age: secondly that II might bless the world Of
mankind during the mlennial age.