Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-03-30

be given in these columns.
Pastor Russell's discourse today was
reminiscent of Arabia as the Cradle OF
our Race. His text was. "As all in
Adam die, even so all in Christ shall be
made alive; every man in his own or
der."-I Cor. XIV, %, %.
Arabia is accredited with being the
ancient Eden, eastward in which wa
the specially prepared Garden wherein
our first parents had their trial-not for
a reward of heaven or a punishment OF
eternal torment, but for a reward OF
everlasting life under perfect earthly
conditions, or for a penalty of death.
Here man, created very good, in the
image of his Creator, sinned and be-
came subject to the penalty of sin
"The soul that sinneth, 1t shall die"
Here also is Mount Ararat, on which
the ark rested after the flood, and from
which came forth the family of Noah
to people the earth afresh. Thus was
Arabia twice the Cradle of mankind.
~"lsrael Hath Not Obtained"
The first declaration of the Gospel,
the first mention that Divine favor
would yet rescue mankind from the
reign of sin and death, was made, not
publicly, o to all of the race, but
merely to one man, the friend of Cod
Abraham.
But God gave Abraham words only,
Wonderful words of life"-that in him
md In bic nncfapitu aunntrioIl v oil Tho
families of the earth should be blessed.
But there was not a sign of change so
far as the Divine dealings were con
cerned. Doubtless it, was because God
foreknew that approximately four
thousand years would intervene before
ed His oath to His promise.
In due time. at Mount Sinai, God en-
tered into a Covenant with the children
of Israel. by which He agreed to bless
them and to fulfill in them the Abra-
hamic promise that they, as Abraham's
seed, should bless all the nations of the
earth. The only condition connected
with the promise was that they were
to show their fitness to be the Divine
channel. Full of joy and faith the
Israelites obligated themselves thus.
All! much they knew not. They did
not realize their own weakness and i'm
perfection through the fall and their
inability to fulfill the Divine require
ments. the spirit of the Law of their
Covenant. They soon found that while
the Law said. HE that doeth these
things shall live" they were not able
to do those things; and therefore they
We're all dying like other men. Had
God deceived them and entrapped
them? No. Gods proposition was sim
pie enough. He was merely teaching
them a great lesson-that sin as a dis
ease had taken hold upon humanity
and that, however willing they might
be. all were weak and perverse and
unable to fulfill their good intentions.
AS a consolation God assured Israel
that He would send the DeIiverer,
One still greater than Moses. who had
delivered them from the Egyptian
bondage. This great Deliverer would
deliver them from the greater bondage
of sin and death, so that they would
be able to obey the Divine Law and
be used of God in blessing and in
structing other nations. This Greater
than Moses, they were assured, would
inaugurate n New Law Covenant.
based upon better sacrifices than the
blood of bulls and goats. and He was
known to them as Messiah, the Mes
senger of the New Covenant.
Heirs of the Promise.
We must never lose sight Of the
kernel of the Gospel Message. The Ill
Innate blessings of the Messianic
Kingdom, through the Seed of Abra
ham, viii be to all the families of the
earth, but previously. the Divine work
is the calling of the Seed of Abraham
which is to do that work Of blessing.
The promise was not made to all the
families Of the earth, but to Abraham
and his Seed. Hence the heirs of the
promise are not all the families of the
earth, but the Seed of Abraham.
To the saints of Galatia, who had
been Gentiles, but had accepted Jesus
and were trusting to become joint
heirs with Gods dear Son in His Mes
sianic Kingdom as members of His
Bride Elect, Saint Paul writes, IF
We be Chrlst's, then are We Abraham's
Seed, and heirs according to the prom
lse." Galatians iii, 29.) How strange
that we should have lost sight of this
great inheritance! With our Lord, as
Abraham's Seed, we shall inherit the
earth; as it is written, 81 will give
thee the heather for Thine inner
itance, and the uttermost parts Of the
earth for Thy possession"