The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-02-28
Pastor RuSSell's Sermon

Is that present achievements, out.rapk
those OF the past. not SO mu,1h in skill
As III opportuniry. AHcient masonry
found south Of Ms here. like that in the
Great l'yramid Of Egypt. tells OF "a
skill with which we cannot yet com
pete. I'D that great stones were so truly
squared and so accurately laid as to
make il difficult TO find the crevices be-
tween them
we must credit our great progress TO
God. Ills time has come for lifting
klIe veii of ignorance ana superstition.
lie has been gradually favorlmg the
| increase or kuuwIpdgc along every
| line. We today are merely taking adj
! vantage OF this more extended knowl-
! edge. carried into al the noincs and
! Offices 10y means of steam printing
presses. railroads. steamships. postal
service. etc. instead. therefore, OF try
! ing To beiittle our ancestors. let MS
confess that we have drawn and are
still drawing from them deep tnSpira-
ton along various lines the Bible.
| Let us accredit orr progress, not to
Evolution hut 10 the more reaSoma BILE
| proposition that Gods tine has come
TO give Ms the blessings promised in
the ScriptnreS-theb blessings which are
heraldin- Messiabs Kingdom Of
peace on earth. good will toward
mem. We have waited for IL. prayed
for it and SING about it for centuries.
And now that we are beginning TO en-
joy its blessings. now that the dawn
ing Of the New Day is visible on every
hand. let Us make no mistake. While
learning from each other. let US not
forget to be taught of God. reading in
the signs of the times the fultilment
Of the predictions Of forty centuries.
What Will Man Become7
Our text asks. What IS man that
Thou art mindful OF him. iu1mating
what we all acknowledgement man is
poor. weak. imperfect. fallen. unwor.
thy of his Creators favor and bless-
ing. He Is not deserving Of eternal
torment, but deserving Of the Divine
sentence. Dying, thou shalt die" be-
cause or degradation through the fall.
Yet God is mindful of man
God has made provision for mans re-
cOvery from sin and death. The foun
Gatiun for the recovery was laid by the
Sin-Atonement Sacrifice at Calvary.
The blessings of that Atonemeut have
been extended thus far only to a small
number. They have been limited TO
such as would take up their cross aud
fuIiuw IN the SaviorS footsteps. As
tue Scriptures declare. these are few,
a little fiock"-uot many great. wise.
rich or noble. a..... .-.. ..
But the selection Of the Elect to he
associates with Messiah in His glori-
GUS Kingdom is only the beginning OF
Gods favor toward mankind. The
Elect will snon be completed. The
sanity followers OF Jesus from every
nation and denomination win soon be-
come His Bride and Jont-heirs ia the
Kingdom Then that Kingdom will be
established by Divine Power in au-
thority and dominion. not to crush
mankind, but for human uplift out Of
sin aud degradation, ignorance and
superstition, back to the full image and
likeness Of God.
II mankind in the fallen condition.
and imbued with sin and scltisEness.
can be influenced by knowledge and
ambition to accomplish the wonders of
our day. what will not be possible to
the restored man. as gradually he re-
attainS the image and likeness Of his
Creator! The eyes Of our understand
great length and breadth Of human pos.
sibiities. under those favorable con.
ditions which God declares will obtain
during the thousand years of Messiah's
Kingdom, for which we pray, THY
Kingdom come; Thy will be done Oh
earth. as il is in Heaven"
Little Iower Than the Angels"
Our context declares that man was
made "a little lower than the angels;
that is to say. man as an earthly. or
animal being. is Oh lower plane than
angels. who are spirit beings Yet
there is one respect in which man is
treated from a standpoint superior to
that of angels. OF man God said. I'm
Our likeness let him have dominion
over the earth" So man was to have
the earth as his little universe. But no
dominion. SO far as we know. has ever
been given to the angels
Mans ruling power was neutralized
by the sentence Of death which came
upon him. AS the dying process
continued, mans power to rule his
dominion waned. Whereas originally
he was able by mere exercise of bis
mind to control the beasts. he has since
been obliged to cope With the beast
by brute force and superior cunning.
Finally by tnvep ton, fire arms. etc. be
has gained the mastery III the world by
force.
Doubtless the lessons Of experience
in all these six great Days (six thou
sand years since the falb will uIti.
mately inure to mans benefit. His eI.
ercise Of bis ingenuity in battling with !
thOrns. thistles. beasts. etc. has served
~ quicken, to euergjze. To give him |
force OF character. Eut alas! this force |
OF character is not iu any way advau-
tageous: for IN many respects II is /
contrary 10 the highest standards--cou /,
trary TO the image Of bis Creator
During the great Day just beginning
(the seventh or the great THOUSAND
Year Days-t the Sabbath man will
have weighty lessons 10 learn The |