Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-02-24
Pastor RusseII's Sermon


Of which we are now ashamed. We
perceive that creed worship did rs al
most as much injury as did Idol wor-
ship to the heather. Nearly all these
creed-idols declared eternal torment for
the thousands Of millions who had new
er heard Of the Only Name. Indeed,
nearly all Of them claimed that only
small minority Of Christendom would
escape eternal torture. Some Of these
creed-idOIs declare that so awful ca
tastrophe as the torture OF twenty
thousand millions was foreknown Of
God aud predestinated by Him before
the creation Of Adam. Others claim
the contrary, that God had benevolent
intentions toward our race at the start,
but that His plans misearried and
would produce the same horrible re-
suits, either because OF Divine unwis-
dom or because OF lack Of power. How
such presentations distressed every
Christian loyal at heart toward His
God aud sympathetic toward bis fell
lowsl
Our colleges and universitles--and,
sad to say, our theological semlnarIes
ARE busy turning out unbelievers--
infdels. Nor are these people wicked
or immoral in their unbellef; they are
as well-meanlng as ever, but have
lost their way. They reject the Bible
because they believe 1t to be the
foundation OF the various inconsistent
cles In their creeds; they are STUN
bling for lack Of knowledge; they can
not believe that mans hereafter Is
one OF centuries Of suffering, or OF
eternal suffering.
Let US now demolish these idols
which so long have mlsrepresented
our gracious Creator and blinded us
with ignorance and superstition. Let
us receive the Scripture teaching only.
Let US rejoice in the election Of the
Church to be the Kingdom class and
let us rejoice in the hope Of Its King
dom glory for the blessing Of the non
elect. Let us rejoice that "the wilder
ness shall blossom as the rose, and
that the solitary place shall be glad"
and that God will make His footstool
glorious during the thousand years
Of Messiah's Kingdom So desiring
we will come into line with our text:
"IAt him that glorleth glory in this,
that he understandeth and knoweth
Me, that | am the Lord, which exer-
clseth loylng-klndness, Judgment and
Righteousness In the earth"
Now We. Soc obscurely.
Saint Paul declares: ''Now we see
obscurely." Only by faith can we
see Gods loyingklndness. The reign
Of sin and death for six thousand
years has been but the natural re-
suit Of the violation OF Divine Lazy
which our first parents transgressed.
The beginning Of Gods work for our
reclamation from its consequences was
In the sending Of His Son to be our
Redeemer. Since then He has been
gathering an elect few TO be Messiah's
Bride and jont-helr in His Kingdom
soon-very soon, we hope and be.
lleve the Church will be completed
and the Messlanlc Kingdom will man
lfest Divine clemency, mercy, loving
kindness, Judgment and righteousness
IN the earth
The Bible declares that the penalty
for sin Is being experienced by hu-
manlty at the present time the death
penalty-and that the redemption price
Of Chrlst's death Is sufficient for the
sins Of the whole world. II declares
that on account OF this redemption,
ultimately the resurrection OF the dead
shall take place--"all that are In their
graves shall hear the voice Of the Son
OF Man and come forth" II Is be-
cause OF the Divine intention that
there shall be resurrection Of the
dead that the Bible everywhere both
In the Old and New Testaments,
speaks OF those who have died, both
good aud bad, as being asleep" aud
the promise Is that "They that
sleep In the dust Of the earth shall
awake"
Nor will they come forth to similar
conditions Of sorrow that now sur
round us all. On the contrary, the
First Resurrection is to he composed
Of the holy, the sanity, ana they are
10 be associated with their Redeemer
as his Bride aud Consort, to assist In
delivering and restoring mankind
Later the Imperfect who have not had
their full trial the great mass OF man.
kind, will be brought forth, that they
may learn the ways OF righteousness,
that they may learn to know God, and
Jesus Christ, and IN due time be up.
lifted out Of the conditions Of sin and
death, Then will como a., worlds
opportunity, How Joyful ls the mes
sage, "There shall be no more DEATH
neither sorrow, nor crying, nor dying;
for tho former things have passed
awayw
An, how different Is Gods PROPOSE.
tlon Of general upllft Of the worthy
and their assistance back 10 perfec-
tlon--to all that was lost IN Adam.
How different Is this FROM the doc.
trlnes Of demons" whloh save per-
| picked us, which have dvttsl the
Church Of Christ into nuMheoless
| .oats a.d ,,.,tt.. "a ,..ht.t 49,. -