Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-07-31

llRASI2R RUSSElL)l knowledge Of the
Scriptures I ne
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. - I"
And He lifted up His eyes on His dis
ciples, and said Blessed be ye poor:
for yours Is the Kingdom OF Cod
Luke 6:24. 20.
Think not, my dear brethren. said the
Pastor that my address is intended to
stir up class anlmOsity Tho trlbula-
tons and disappolntments Of life come.
not through needing the Divine Mes
sage, but through neglectlng IT, Al
though not rich myself. | can sympa-
thize with the rich In their position, as
well as with the poor In theirs. God,
Himself very rich. Is able to sympa.
thize with both the poor and the rich;
80 is the Savior, who, being rich. for
our sakes became poor that we
through His poverty might become
rich 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.
clude riches Of every klnd--learning.
influence, honor Of men. ETC., as well
as financial wealth. This view broad
ems the text to signify that all who
now possess great privileges and bless.
ings above the average Of mankind
will, by these blessings, be more or
less hlndered 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.
ture 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 In
the close Of the Jewish Age. but re.
allied 1t not. And we might have no
Occaslon 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 lts expe.
riences nt that time typined the Cos.
pei Church and the experiences OF
ChristendOm In our day,
Wrath 10 tho Uttermost Upon the
Jews.
st. Paul, referring to the same woes
which Jesus predicted, but living near
the close Of the Jewish Age, when the
woes were being poured out. declared.
Wrath has come upon this people to
the nttermost-that all things written
In the Law and the Prophets concern.
INK them should be fulfilled Il Thes.
snlonlans 2:l6l II all the woes pur.
posed Of God upon the lsruelltes In the
conclusion Of their Age were fulfilled.
az ST. Paul declares. then none OF those
woes belong to the future.
That woes aud tribulatons are asso.
ciated with the present life for both
the rich and the poor In undebatable.
All acknowledge these woes. But the
most terrible forebodlngs are associated
with imaginary woes Of the future life
quite contrary to the Scripture teach.
tngS II we must speak Of trlhula
tons In the present life, In order 10 be
faithful to our commission. we are
glad to be able to set aside and nullify
the nightmare Of the nnrk Ages re.
-sperting eternal torment for any
The Jews, whom Jesus addrr Scd.
He declared "enew not the time OF
their visitation They realized not
that they were living In the end Of
their Age, and that q great settlement
OF matters was about to take place
similarly, we are now living In the end
Of this Gospel Age-another great set
tlement day In tho Divine arrange
ment The intellectually, politically
socially aud financially rich at thar
time, addressed by our Lord, were very
self-satisned. very prosperous, and
looked for tho MesslOnlc Kingdom In
an opposite direction from that which
Jesus taught SO today, the lntellec'
tual and tho rich In various ways are
satisfied 40 never befora and maVly