Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-30
"THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"

In the bible symbols light stands
as the representative of God, of Christ
Of the church, of truth, which by and
by as 1.-The sun of righteousness shall
arise with healing, in it's beams" FOL
the cure of all the masses Of the earth
II will scatter the darkness of sin
ignorance and superstition-thew works
OF the prince of darkness, who vii
then ''be bound for thousand years
that he may deceive the nations nc
more until the thousand years are mn
ished." OF the heavenly father We
read, God is light, and in him Is nc
darkness at all"
Of Jesus we read, Il am the light OF
the word" Of the church in her pres
emf condition we read, LET your light
so shine before men that they may
see YOUR good works and glorify your
father which is in heaven Hide
rot your light under bushel, but SCI
it on a candlestick that 1t may give
light unto all that are in the house.
Nevertheless, "The darkness hateth
the light, neither cometh to the light,
and "tne whole world lieth in the Wick.
ed one"-in darkness. Notwithstand'
ins the faithfulness of Jesus and the
flew lght-bearers enlightened with the
holy spirit Of which they are begot
ten, still darkness covers the earth
and gross darkness the heathen.'
"7hy Word is Lamp to NY Feet
This same thought pervades the
scriptures from first to last, name
ly, that for six thousand years from
the time of the entrance Of sin to the
second coming of Jesus, the world Will
be subject to a reign OF sin and death
it will be under pail Of darkness,
ignorance, superstition, sin. The on
ly ones who will see the path OF right
eousness distinctly will be those guld
ed by the lantern word
They are represented as saying, Thy
word is lamp to my feet and a Ian
tern to my footsteps" st. Peter, writ
ing to the church from the same stand
point, declares, 1--WE (the church, have
more sure word Of prophecy where
unto We do well that We take heed, as
unto a light that shineth in dark
place until the day dawn" psalm
119:105; II. Peter 1:19D
The prince of darkness has been in
command for centuries. The lights OF
the past were the noble prophets OF
the Jewish line whose lights affected
few in their own nation, and were not
discernible at all amongst the heather
world. John the Baptist, we are told
was burning and shining light, and
Jesus was a still more brilliant light
and his faithful few during the past
eighteen centuries have shined forth
rejecting their masters light. But all
of these have had comparatively little
influence in the worlds 1t still lies
in the wicked one-in darkness, see
ing not, neither understanding divine
things.
A Better Day Coming.
Our text tells of a better day sure to
come. 1t is not sure to come because
of the operation of the evolutionary
law, for the natural would seem to con
tradict such a thought. Darkness
leads on to darkness more intense;
and, while light begets light, darkness
begets darkness; and the masses are
in the darkness, and the wicked one
the prince of darkness. Never, then,
might we hope foEthe adjustment OF
darkness except in the way in which
God has foretold it-through the estab
lishment of Messiah's kingdom
through the shining forth of the sun
of righteousness-the church in glory
Matt. 13:43.
Our text is quotation from the old
testament; it had beginning of its
fulfllment in our Savior, and in the
apostles. The people of Palestine
long in doubt, uncertainty, ETC., saw
q great light in Jesus and his teach
ings. And throughout this gospel age
for more than eighteen centuries, this
great light has been exercising a feeble
influence amongst men. The light it
self has been pure-the divine word
and the principles of divine righteous
ness.
But, alas! few have been faithful in
receiving the light in its purity and in
shining it forth upon others. In gen
eral the light has been corrupted by
human selfshness, by sin. AS a con
sequence the name Christian today
does not stand for all the blessed light
and truth and faithfulness to Goo
which the master inculcated.
(which Lighteth Every Man,
The apostle declares that Jesus il
.the true light which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.
John l. 81 The expression, true
light" implies that there are false OF
ir~station lights. and of these we know