Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-12-20
Pastor Russell's Sermon

10 hciIhCl uuuBcl hOl want, HelIuci
suffering nor pain, nor any dlsadvan.
tage whatever. Their Heavenly Fa-
ther knoweth what things they need
and provides bountifully for them.
The Church is to learn this same les
son and to reJoicingly work by faith,
enjoying full confidence and trust in
Him who loved us and bought us with
the precious blood of His Son
These children of God need not feel
harassed respecting life's experiences
They have Heavenly Father. and He
knows their needs better than they do,
and is both able and willing to give
what Is best for them. And If their
experiences in the family Of God shall
bring them less prosperity and more
adversity, more trials, more difficulties.
and necessitate more economies than
before they became His children, they
are instructed that. walking by faith
and not by sight. they shall firmly trust
Him. come what may.
Learning Lessons Of Faith.
All who can lay claim to being chill
dren Of God by faith can surely be.
lieve that He who Is able to provide
for the birds and the lilies Is no less
able and no less willing to provide for
those who have become His children
through Christ-those for whom He
gave His Only Begotten Son Would
He redeem them with that precious
Sacrifice and then have no care for
their future welfare? Would He beget
children with His Holy Spirit and then
be negligent in providing for their ne
cessities? Nay! God will not over
look the interests of His consecrated
children. and whatever may seem to be
an oversight and lack Of provision is
to be understood to be in reality the
reverse-that which the Heavenly Fa-
ther sees to be for their highest and
best interests.
$50 Clothe the Grass"
The Master called attention to the
beauty of the lily. Much is discernibe
tD the natural eye. and still more when
we examine the perfections Of the flow
er mlcroscopicaly. Wonderful indeed
is the raiment Of the lily Solomon in
all his glory had no such seamless robe,
and no such perfect texture for his raj
ment
Perhaps the Master had deeper
thought respecting raiment than ap.
pears on the surface by His words.
Shall He not much more clothe you?"
While He assuredly meant that we
are to trust Heavenly provision for our
natural clothing, 1t would appear that
He may have meant clothing for us
as New Creatures-the spotess, seam
less robe Of Christs righteousness,
granted TO US rs a wedding garment
in the merit of which we have access
to all the riches Of Gods grace in the
present life and, If faithful, shall be
granted an abundant entrance into His
everlasting Kingdom.
"Take No Anxious Thought"
God takes thought respecting the Di-
vine plans and arrangements. Jesus
thought ont carefully the course He
pursued; and He instructed those who
were desrous Of being His disciples to
sit down and carefully count the cost.
All these things show us that the Mas
ter would not have His followers
thoughtless, living merely moment by
moment, failing to make provision for
the seasons, the weather, the table,
etc.
What He meant, what the Greek
text fully bears out, is that His fol-
lowers should have no worry respect
ing temporalties Having exercised
thought, prudence, care, having done
to the best Of their judgment and
ability, not sothfully, but energetical-
ly. they are to rest the matter, realiz-
ing that all their affairs are placed in
the hands of the Heavenly Father
through Christ, and that all the Heav-
enly powers are pledged to make all
things work together for good to them,
because they love God and have been
called according to His purpose.
"Seek Ye Chiefly the Kingdom"
While anxious care was not to be ex-
erclsed respecting temporalities, great
care was to be exercised In respect to
anything appertainlng to the Kingdom.
The call Of the Church is to member
ship In the great Kingdom OF God, of
which Christ Is the Head, the Chief
King: we may be under kings and un-
der priests, associated with our Re-
deemer In His great Messlanic work
OF thousand years. 1t was to attain
Il share In that Kingdom that we made
conservation Of our lives, our wills, our
all, to the Lord; and only through
great tribulatIon can we enter that
Kingdom AS God is pleased to see
our restfulness respecting temperate
ties Of life when He has agreed to pro-
vide for us according to His Wisdom
and In response to our efforts, 80 He
Is pleased to see, on the contrary, our
zeal our perseverance, our almost wor-
rying that the great prize OF the King
dom should not be lost by us,
The reason for wishing us to thus
worry for the Kingdom. and not to
worry for earthly things, Is evident on
reflection. To worry about earthly
things would be to show taithless.
ness and doubt In respect to God and
His promised care. But our attaining
the Kingdom or our failing to attain
II Is made dependent only on ourselves.
Cod hns already donn HE mart He