Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-10-06
Pastor RusselPs Sermon

they are guided by the Holy Spirit and
their eyes Of understanding open.
We may well thank God that the
i..le in which Satan will be thus priv
LEGGED to put darkness for light to de-
celve the world is limited. The Bible
that soon Christ will take
His great power. His first work will
be the binding Of Satan that he may
no longer deceive men. And then the
Redeemer will begin His great work
Of blessing mankind, in the thousand
years Of His appointed reign.
What Prison Statistics Show.
In all modern prisons statistics are
kept which show the religious instruc-
ton received by the prisoners earlier
In life. In almost every instance the
prisoners guilty Of the most serious Of
fenses were from infancy trained to
think Of the Almighty as the great
Enemy Of His creatures, who foreknew
and fore-arranged for the eternal tor
ture Of all but a handful. Did these
creeds better those who confessed
them? Did they inspire in the parents
Of these criminals heart-devotlon to
God2 Nay, in almost every case where
the false. horrible creed-ldol was wor-
shipped. fear prevailed instead Of love,
bedlam instead OF holiness. Is not
this the case even today in the major
lty Of homes Of so-called Christendoml
Foolish Fears, Vain Imasinations.
Little have we realized the foolish
ness of such reasoning. The influence
Of the creeds Of the Dark Ages has
been the very reverse of what has been
expected OF them. Man naturally has
reverence for God. This may be
seen In the shape of his head by those
who can read phrenologically. 1t is
seen also in the fact that in heather
lands worship is practlsed. The true
knowledge OF God would incline men
to come to Him. The highest qualities
of their being would find expression
in worship, praise. alteration. With
the enlightenment Of the Bible man
would indeed learn that all are sinners.
that all come short of that glorious
perfection which God originally Great
ed and which alone He can approve.
Guided by Bible instruction these
would realize that "the wages Of sin Is
death"-not eternal torment.-Romans
3:10-12: 6:23.
The desire for life everlasting per-
sists in every creature; and mans at
titude would have been to approach
his Creator to ascertain If It would not
be possible for him to return to rela-
tionship with God and to regain the
gift Of life everlasting. Then would
have come the answer that no fallen
creature is able to recover himself. but
that God has provided through Jesus
death reconciliation.
A Savior Able to Save.
AS the repentant one would strive to
live up to the Divine standards and
find II impossible because Of inherited
imperfections, he would be drawn to
the merciful Father In Heaven. to
learn how to attain to the condition
which his heart coveted. Then he
would hear the answer through the
Scriptures that while God has provided
for the world in general thousand
years Of Restitution, yet He is willing
now to receive few choice characters,
on special terms. These must have
their Masters spirit, love for right
eousness and a hatred for iniquity, a
loyalty to God ready to lay down life
and every other thing in His service.
Such would be inducted by faith into
the elect Church, would be begotten
Of the Holy Spirit. to be trained by
trials. difficulties. testings and polish
ings, and eventually, II faithful, be
accorded a change of nature from
earthly to Heavenly, participation with
Christ in His great work Of blessing
and restoring humanity during His
thousand-year Reign.
Errors Effect tho Opposite.
Our willy foe, Satan, well knew all
this, aud has worked in opposition to
It. BY hiding from men the true Cos
pei light, he has. driven them in dread
away from their best Friend-Al-
mighty God, From infancy they hoped
to escape eternal torture, but as the
weaknesses Of their fallen nature yield
ed to the temptations on every hand,
they prayed forgiveness. AS sins null
tipled, doubts and fears gained con-
troll, and in dread of God aud In fear
OF the unjust and unmercful arrange
ments Of the future taught them from
infancy, they plunged headlong Into
sin, strivirs TO forget God. Some were
led to one excess, some to another
gambling, drunkenness, frivollty, pleas
ureseeklng
One merchant told me OF his own ex-
perience. He said. "My good Methodist
wife told me would surely go to hell,
replied, Mary, | know II, | know itl
Aud when | get there, there will be
one sinner who will deserve some
thing" He said, Pastor Russell, |
held the ordinary view-that all except
the sanity were sure to spend eternity
In torture. That seemed to me most
uniust-thnt the Almighty had tnken
advantage OF His power to create us
under unfavorable conditions, with the
fore-knowledge that we should spend
eternity In torment concluded that