The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-09-27

4 s.
great glory was necessary for mans
deliveranee from sin and death. Here
| we have, then. the Gospel which st.
Paul received and which he, in turn
dispensed--th the true Gospel Of which
| he was not ashamed. As he wrote
! 10 the brethren at Rome. II am not
ashamed OF the Gospel Of Christ, for
il is the power NJ God nuto salvation
10 every one, that helieveth-to the
Jew FIRST and also TO tbe Greek
Gospel In Nut Shell.
As great oak may be said 10 be in
an acorn. SO the great Gospel Message
MAY De said TO be in out text. as st.
Paul declares. Every time we look
at IL. il seems little larger and a
little more beautiful than before. We
cen almost ser it grow--not that the
Gospel is growing, for it is the. same
that God purposed i'm Himself before
the foundation OF the world, 1t is
our appreciation OF the Gospel that
grows. in proportion las we grow In
grace and in the knowledge of the
Divine Plan and in the Spirit of our
Lord; for without His Spirit. the Holy
Spirit. to enlighten our understanding
and to enable us to appreciate the tes-
timOnies of the Word, we would not
be able to comprehend "the deep things
Of God" i, ~'
How plainly the Apostle states this.
saying. THE natural man receiveth
not the things Of the Spirit of God,
- neither can he know them, be-
cause they are spiritually diseerned:
- but God hath revealed them
unto us by His Spirit. for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea. the deep
things of Cod Cor. il, a. TO-,
Pastor Russell's reputation for faith
fitness to the Divine Word, his cour-
age TO speak the Truth in Love,
and his power to hold vast audiences
In rapt attention for hours has spread
everywhere. Newspapers to the num-
Der Of 1,5OO-in the States. in Great
Britain and in the Dominion-which
are publishing his sermons and also his
comments on the International Sun
day School Lessons are Jealous in their
support Of his eXc&llent services and
are praying still more power to his
voice and pen. "
+ We have merely seen the root of the
Gospel. continued Pastor Russell, as It
centers in the promise made to Abra-
ham and In the redemptiye. work ac-
complished by our Savior. In Romans
H. 1924 st. Paul uses the illustration
Of an olive tree. and declares the
branches of the tree to be the men,
bers of the Body Of Christ. which is
the Church From these branches will
come abundant fruitage by and by,
Of .'olire oil" for the light Of the World.
st. Paul points out that the natural
Israelites were the natural bra inches
and that the Jews therefore had the
first right, privilege and opportunity Of
becoming the members Of the Body of
Christ. the Church. As a. matter of
fact, all privilege and opportunity was
excluded from the Gentiles until Is.
rael's time Of favor was complete
three and half years after the cross.
During those years the Lords provi-
dence SO blessed the. Jews that they
were all brought in contact with the
Truth under most favorable conditions.
We remember that thousands were
converted and blessed at Pentecost, and
other thousands little later on. We
may be sure that every worthy branch
in that tree was accepted OF the Lord
every "Israelite indeed in whom was
no guile ST. Paul tells us that then
the unbelieving Jews, the natural
branches. were all broken of, separat-
ed from the Divine favor in which they
had previously been. Then began the
work of calling, preparing and en-
grating Gentiles. whom the Apostle
represents as Of wild olive tree.
This work Of ENGRAVING the Gentiles
into the Jewish stock and making them
eellow-heirs with the Jews Of the orig
inal Divine promise made to Abraham
has progressed for now nearly nineteen
centuries. This is the same Gospel,
because it all springs from the same
gracious promise. 1t was good
tidings" when as a message it was
tensifed when God made oath to its
certainty Of fulfilment. The fulfment
began in Jesus. continued through the
Jewish disciples, and now has accumu-
lated considerable number of the
Gentiles-probab ly the foreordained
number is completed. When the Elect
number shall have been tested and
proven and shall have been accepted
in the resurrection change and passed
beyond the veil-then this most won.
derful feature Of the Gospel will have
been accomplished.
<.. Jewish Share Of Gospel
The completion Of Spiritual Israel
win be followed by the establishment
Of Messiah's Kingdom and the begin
ming of the blessing Of all the families
Of the earth. We are to distinguish
here between the Church and the fam
flies Of the earth, for the Church in
their conservation and acceptance Of
the Lord and begetting Of the Holy
Spirit become members Of the new.
nation. They are no longer humans.
AS St. Paul declares, .Ye are not in
the flesh, but in the spirit, If so be that
the Spirit Of God dwell In you" (Ro-
mans viii, o.. The Church not only re-
ceives eternal life, but that life is on a
higher plane-as spirit beings Theirs
will be glory. honor and Immortality,
in joint-heirship with their Lord.