Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-14
Pastor Russell's Sermon

the Heavenly Kingdom. Its blessings
waited for and prayed for are still fu-
ture. They cannot come until the First
fruits shall have been harvested, st,
James Q1Sl declares that the Church
Is a kind of Flrst-fruts unto God of
His creatures. Through this First
fruits the Divine blessing will operate
amongst men for thousand years, to
restore that which was lost-human
perfection In the Image and likeness of
the Creator.
st, Paul's argument proceeds along
this line He declares that the first
feature Of the Divine Plan is to bring
many sons to glOry-as jOint-heirs with
Jesus. AS Jesus was made perfect
through sulferings, so these following
Him as their Captain and Leader, walk
ing in His steps, are also to be made
perfect through sufferngs, for "lf we
suffer with Him, we shall also reign
with hlm."-IIeb. 21O; 2 Tim. 2:l2.
Proceeding, the Apostle discusses this
sanctlGed class, Head and Body. They
are sanctlGed or set apart under
special covenant, which reads, "Gather
My saints together unto Me, those that
have made a Covenant with Me by sac.
nfce." psalm 50:5J This special
sanctlfcaton or setting apart to sacrI-
fee marks this little company Of sons
Of God as separate and distinct from
all others Of Gods creatures. With
their Lord and Head, they are heirs
Of God-jont-heirs with Jesus Christ
their Lord, If so be that they suffer
with Him. The Redeemer who sane
tihes them and those who are sanctilied
through Hin "are all Of one Body or
company, for which cause He Is not
ashamed to call them brethren, saying,
| will declare Thy name unto My breth.
ren-ln the midst Of the Church will
sing praise unto Thee Heb. 2:ll, ~.
Christ Jesus and His Children.
Then the Apostles argument broad
ems so as to include the general scope
Of Messlah's redemptive wOrk-eXtend-
ing beyond the Church, His Body, to
Adam and all the families of the earth,
st, Paul quotes in proof Of this, BE.
hold, and the children which God hath
given Me- This statement evidently
applies TO those who will be saved to
the human, earthly salvation during
the Millennium They will all be the
children Of Messiah, That it could not
refer to the Church is evident; for we
are never styled the children Of Christ,
but His brethren, His spouse, His mem.
bers.
st. Peter elsewhere emphasizes this,
saying, "The God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ hath begOtten MS"
Ia Peter 1;3l Jesus emphasized this
also, saying, MY Father aud your
Father" Never did the Master speak
OF Himself as the Father of His
Church class. nor would 1t be an ap.
proprlate figure that lie should be rep
resented as espoused to His own chill
dren, On the contrary, He is pro.
phetically declared to be the Father
Of restored humanity. To the world
Tie becomes the Second Adam. The
FIRST Adam, the qualified head or ia.
ther Of humanity, failed to give ever.
lasting life because Of his disobedience,
by which he himself came under the
sentence Of death.
The LogOs left the Heavenly glory,
was made flesh and was crowned with
glory and honor like the first man
that lie might taste death for every
mnn-that He might redeem the race
from the sentence Of death. In max
ing satisfaction for sin lie associates
with Himself the Elect who present
their bodies living sacrifices, holy aud
acceptable to God, as His members
Then IN dealing with the world He will
officially take the place Of Llve-Giver,
or parent-tO restore, to regenerate, to
revive, to resurrect, to upIift, all the
willing and obedlent, during the thou.
sand years Of His Messianic Kingdom.
All obedlent to Him will thus be en-
nblcd to regain all that was lost
through the first father, Adam human
perfection In an earthly Paradise with
everlasting life and fellowship with
God. Since Jesus will be the Life.
Giver to all Of the race at the cost Of
His own life He is appropriately styled
their Father, and they His children.
So also we read in the prophecy that
He shall be called "The Prince OF
Peace" the Father Everlasting-the
Father who gives everlasting life.
All Things Put Under Him.
At the dawn OF this thousand-year
Day in which His Kingdom will nc.
compllsh the full rolling away of the
Curse, how appropriate that this text
should have our consideration! And
how appropriate It is that this text
should greet the thousands who enter
and leave our Union Station! AS we
run to and fro In these charlots which
so like lightning, let us have in mind
their newness, aud also the fact that
the Lord has specially declared that
they will be signs by which His people
may know that they are living In the
time when they may expect speedily
the fulalment Of the gracious promises
Of our God to the effect that He will
through Jesus Kingdom wipe away
all tears from all faces, bind up the
broken hearts, lbcrate the captives OF