Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-03-23

originally knew His Creator ana was
In fellowship with Him. but that he
gradually slipped away from this into
greater and greater depths OF degrade
tion. mental, moral and physical. Let
me read Saint pnul's words: when
they knew God they gloriaed Him not
as God, neither were thankful, but be-
came vain IN their lmaginations and
their foolish heart was darkened. Pro
Tossing themselves to be wise. they be-
came fools. and changed the glory Of
the incorruptible God into an image
made like To corrupible man, and to
birds and four-footed beasts and creep
Ing things. [Contrary to Divine In
structions they. imagined that the reg
ognitlon Of God in all these various
creatures would increase their rever-
ence and make them better and more
thoughtful Of the lower creatures. But
herein they were foolish.l Wherefore,
God also gave them up to uncleanness,
through the lusts Of their own hearts,
to dishonor their own bodies between
themselves. >" And even as they
did not like to retain God In their
knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind. to do those things
which are not proper."-Rom. 1, 21-2s.
"Feel After God and Find Him."
But the feature OF our text which
most particularly impresses me is
Saint Paul's declaration that God de-
termined and appointed in advance the
times Of these nations--when they
should be brought in contact with the
light of Divine Truth, to the intent
that the reverential quality, inherent
in the race, might exercise itself and
feel after the true God and haply find
Him.
We see that in Divine providence the
torch Of the Gospel, frst lighted in Pal
estine, spread westward and north.
ward. through Europe, and still west
ward to America. 1t, indeed, has been
the torch Of civilization. No other pow
er in the world possesses the dynamic
force Of the Gospel Message. In pro
portion as 1t is received in It's purity II
breaks the fetters of ignorance and su'
perstitlon. It sets men free. 1t de
clares. as does our text, the oneness OF
the human family-that the entire hui
man family are by nature brothers. II
tells that God is no respecter Of per
sons and that the same laws Of right
and wrong apply to kings and princes
bishops and clergy, that apply to the
humblost members Of the race, and
that all must give an account to the
great Creator sooner or later.
This feature of the Gospel Message
has been the lgnitlng spark for all oul
civilization. But, Olasl the comblna
tion Of this civilization with the innate
selAshness Of the unregenerato pro
duces Il human type which Is danger
GUS, because Of its higher intelligence
and unrestralned sweep Of ambition
and Imagination combined with Q
fallen nature, born In sin and shaper
In inlqulty and continually tending to
ward selAshness In other words, {
man wholly ruled by selAshness is dan
gerous to his fellows in proportion t
his education and enlightenment III
knows, better than his heather neigh
bor how to take advantage OF the cir
cumstances and conditions OF life, 10
he Is lifted mentally to a higher plane,
Conditions Now Changing.
Saint Paul In our text declares thai
God has predetermined "times" 0sso
ciated with His dealings with the ma
tions and IN bringing to them the Cos
pei, We have already considered th,
Divine order and time in association
with the call Of the elect Church,
'llttle dock"-called out OF every ma
ton, people, kindred and tongue, 4
be the Redeemcrs associates In th,
Messlanic Kingdom which is to bles
Israel and all the nations We be
lleve TINT this election Of the Churcl
class Is about complete and that sool
thereafter Gods Kingdom, tho relgI
Of righteousness, the worlds Judgmen
Day, will begin.
It should not surprise VS., therefore
to find great changes immlnen
amongst tho peoples Of the who'll
world, The bounds Of human habltO
tlons and the barriers OF language ar
rapidly yielding because OF the othe
times Of Divine appointment whlcl
have been reached, viz, the perlo,
mentioned in Daniels prophecy as 9TH
Time Of the End" Daniel xii, /.
And hero we must remind you Ofresl
that the Time OF tho End does no
mean the end OF time II merely sis
niaes tho time for the ending OF th
present order OF things, that a new OF
der OF things, the Messlanlc Kingdom
may be substituted. twenty-five cen
turtles ago God determined this tim
and appointed II and gave US four YER
Important proofs by which to dentif
II. Lot us examine these
C) The frst sign OF the Time OF IN
End was to be. "MOny shall run to an
FRO" How wonderfully this prophec
Is fulalled before our eyes todayl II
fulnlment has been in progress, espC
clally for ifty years And II Is lea
than eighty years since the drst locC
motive was built The nations, fr'
separated by diverse languages, ker
well within the bounds OF their habits
tlons for many centuries until now
and now suddenly we have runnin
to and fro In tulfllment OF this proph,
cy which Is amazing The various M
lions aud languages are being scatter
cd all over the earth,