River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-07-02

lRASlORR USSELU the principal cities
of the United
Kingdom and the Continent-PaStOr
Russell is on the Atlantic homeward
bound. While abroad the Pastor also
lectured in many cities, and was the
principal speaker at a General Conven
ton Of the international Bible Students
Association held in the British Metrop-
oils. Today the Pastors text was. Even
when we were dead in sins. God hath
quickened US together with Christi
Ephesians 20.
The Pastor began with a review of
the trial of Adam in Eden. He proved
conclusively that our first parents were
created perfect, in the image and like
ness of their Creator. Adam disobeyed
God, and thus brought upon himself
and all his posterity the sentence Of
death. Dying. thou shalt die" $50
death passed upon all men,; for all
men are members of the race of Adam.
All are under the curse OF death, which
came upon the world as the result of
sin.
The speaker also showed that we
were not condemned personally, for
we were not on trial personally. Fa-
Their Adam alone was on trial, and
death. Gods great Law declares that
''all unrighteousness is sim; that 1.-The
wages of sin is DEATH; and that 1.-The
soul that sins shall die" Adams chill
dren were born in sin-born after his
fall from perfection. Therefore it nat
urally follows that they partake of i'm
perfection; and if the perfect man did
not keep Gods perfect Law, how could
imperfect men keep it?
Having demonstrated that all man
kind are under the curse of death by
reason of Father Adams diSobedience,
the Pastor next discussed the PROPOSE
ton which the Bible sets before the
race. That proposition is not a ques-
ton of Heaven or He'll. but n Of life
or death eternal. To those who are in
harmony with God. who delight to do
His will. He is pleased to give life
everlasting. But to those who are not
in harmony with Him He has decreed
to give death eternal-they shall not
have any place whatever in all His
Universe.
For instance, Gods provision for the
angels was that since they were per-
feet, they should, if they maintained
their perfection. live everlastingly.
From Gods standpoint, to live ever
lastingly-the only way that He would
Io-o H; Sn+n1Iiooyt oraa fIIpnc, Iiun at
all-is to live happily. to enjoy life. to
live in pleasure. All the holy angels
are happy, perfect and blessed; for
they have not transgressed the Law
of God. So then, the speaker contin-
ued. we see why the Scriptures teach
that mankind are under. the sentence
of DEATH. In fact, the Bible speaks Of
all mankind. the world in general, AS
a dead world-not that there are lo
people who are active. not that all
have gone down into the tomb, but
that those who have entered the grave
have merely preceded the others to the
place whittier all are going, q OF
the one sentence upon all.
Gods Loving Purpose.
The Pastor next showed that, &C.
cording to Gods righteous Law, man
kind are now unfit to live under the
perfect conditions which He has pre-
pared. Even with the best of inten-
lions, imperfect beings continually
make trouble for themselves and 9TH
ers. In the present imperfect condi-
ton of the race, humanity would make
trouble wherever they might be. This
is contrary to the Divine will: God
urposes to have u Universe in which
everybody shall be happy, everybody
good, everybody perfect.
With some the question might arise,
'.Why did God make us imperfect?"
The speaker, after propounding the
question. then answered it: The Bible
declares that Gods work is perfect.
deuteronomy 32:4.) Humanity in their
present imperfect condition are not
Gods work. God made Father Adam
perfect. After Adam had become a
sinner and had brought the curse Of
death upon himself, he propagated a
race by the law of nature. Therefore
all of his posterity were born in sin.
and for six thousand years have been
falling, sinking lower in degradation.
This is the Scriptural explanation of
human imperfection; this is why the
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