The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-07-21

1870 giving VNC1y
e~idence of growth
y8ssaMs&Q In grace and
klAS.Qkakl22EDj knowledge Of the
Scriptures. TIL
program calls for four %discourses daily
for eight days. Amongst the speakers
are some noted Bible students. Pastor
Russell was one Of the speakers Of to.
day. We report his address, from the
text, "Woe unto you that are rich! for
ye have received your consolation. y y "
And He lifted up His eyes on His dis
ciples, and said. Blessed be We poor:
for yours Is the Kingdom of God."-
Luke 6:24, 20.
Think not, my dear brethren, said the
Pastor, that my address is intended to
stir up class animosity. The tribula-
lions and disappointments of life come,
not through needing the Divine Mes
sage. but through neglecting it. Al
though not rich myself, I can sympa-
thize with the rich in their position, as
well as will the poor in theirs. God,
Himself very rich, is able to sympa-
thize with both the poor and the rich:
so is the Savior, who, being rich. for
our sakes became poor, that we
through His poverty might become
Tich in the truest sense of that word.
Some of Gods faithful servants in
The past were very rich-Abraham, for
instance. Nevertheless, the Lord fore
warned us that not many rich, great,
learned, or mighty would receive the
highest blessing promised during this
Age. On" the contrary, recipients Of
the greatest favor will be chiefly the
poor of this world, rich in faith. These
will be heirs of the Kingdom.
The Master evidently intended to in
slude riches Of every ki~nd-learning,
Influence; honor of men, ETC., as we'll
as financial wealth. This view broad
n the text to signify that all who
now possess great privileges and bless
mgs above the average of mankind
will, by these blessings. be more or
less hindered from obtaining the best
things Of Gods favor, and more or less
subject to woes.
We are not to take the views Of the
Darker days, and to suppose that the
Master meant that the rich at death
would be thrown into everlasting tor
cure. The woes Of the Bible, on the
contrary, apply to the present life.
The rich, the influential, the learned,
the great, addressed by the Master in
the words of our text. were living I'm
The close Of the Jewish Age. but re-
allied it not. And we might have no
secession whatever to apply our text to-
day, but might consider it as already
fulfilled in the past. except for the fact
that the Jewish nation and it's expe-
.1ences at that time typif1ed the Cos
pei Church and the experiences OF
S~hristendom in our day.
Wrath. 10 the utternnost Upon ehe
Jews.
st. Paul, referring to the same woes
which Jesus predicted, but living near
:he close of the Jewish Age. when the
woes were being poured out. declared.
Wrath has come upon this people to
he uttermost--that all things written
n the Law and the Prophets concern
ng them should be fulfilled. Il Thes
%salonians 2:16.) If all the woes pur-
posed of God upon the Israelites in the
conclusion OF their Age were fulfilled.
as st. Paul declares. then none of those
woes belong to the future.
That woes and tribulations are assoc
dated with the present life for both
The rich and the poor Is unbeatable.
ALL acknowledge these woes. But the
most terrible ~forebodings are associated
with Imaginary woes of the future life
quite contrary to the Scripture teach
ngs. If we must speak of tribula-
ions in the present life, in order to be
faithful to our commission, we are
ylad to be able to set aside and nullify
he nightmare Of the Dark Ages re-
specting eternal torment for any.
The Jews. whom Jesus addressed,
He declared "knew not the time of
their visitation They realized not
that they were living In the end of
their Age, and that a great settlement
Of matters was about to take place.
Similarly. we are now living iii the end
Of this Gospel Age-another great set
Element day Ia the Divine arrange
ment. The intellectually. politically.
socially and financially rich at that
time. addressed by our Lord. werevery
self-satisied. very prosperous. and
looked for the Messianic Kingdom in
an opposite direction from that which
Jesus taught. So today, the inteIlec-
tial and the rich In various ways are
safssfed as never before. and merely
wishing that nothing might disI.l5
their wonderful progress FOR the future.
and these are looking for their bless
ings and prosperity in a direction the
reverse Of that indicated by the Wo-ss
of God.
Jesus propbeticaliy foreknew ane
ftoretold the crisis Of the Jewish nati.
Message gathered out ;of that rs
ton the ~sIsraelites indeed. ii, wha-
no guile Then the nation wre
given over TO itself. The Divine Hans
which had guided it safeiy HI the past
let so the rudder:: and human passion
accomplished the wreck In the anarchy
which overthrow tile nation In a. u.