River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-06-11

from any one in whom it has conf
dence.
One great difficulty, the Pastor de-
clared, seems to be that children lose
confidence in those whom they find to
be deceitful. Even if the person has
never deceived the child, it soon finds
out whether he deceiyes other people
or practises falsehoOd in any way; and
as a result of that knowledge the child
mind is perverted. 1t loses faith In
others, and imbibes that same dis
honesty of purpose and thought. The
speaker also deplored the fact that
some parents seem to think it wise and
proper to teach children to take advan-
tage of somebody else. and even to fb
a little. i'm order to further present In
t~erests. This, he declared, is a serious
mistake.
Those who awaken to a sense of re-
sponsibility to their Creator should
arise from the dead condition as far
as possible, the Pastor holds. He re-
minded his hearers that when one first
awakens in the morning, there is a
mental freshness which is invariably
lost if one turns over and falls asleep.
SO the moment of the souls awaken
ing is a favorable moment of which to
AXE advantage. But if the soul has no
encouragement at that critical moment
it may drop off to sleep again. All who
are awake should do all in their power
to encourage those who have just
awakened, that these may rise from
the dead world and be separate from
conditions around them.
"christ Shall Give Thee Light"
The speaker declared that merely to
awake to a realization of ones condi-
ton, merely to arise from the dead
condition of the human race as respects
higher things, is not to be a Christian.
While Christ gave the light which en-
abled us to see, first Of all, that the
wages of sin is death, but the gift Of
God is eternal life through the Re
deemer, yet the newly awakened must
| accept Christ as their Ransom-sacrifce,
must lay hold upon Him, before they
may be considered Christians.
Pastor Russell went on to show the
steps to be taken In order to have ones
eyes Of understanding opened. The
first step is to recognize hat we are all
sinners and to accept Christ as our Re
deemer from the curse of sin and death.
Those who take this step are shown
the second step-that Of conservation.
Unless that step Is taken, the light will
not shine much more clearly for that
individual. Those who take each step
as soon as it is clearly seen will go on
from grace to grace, from knowledge to
knowledge; for 'the path Of the just is
as the shining light which shineth more
and more unto the perfect day." So
then. in order to progress one must
take the step Of full conservation to
the Lord.
The Awakening of the Christian.
Next the Pastor pointed out the mis-
take which many of us have made in
the past. We did not really know
what it Is to be a Christian. We do
not become Christians, members of the
Body of Christ. when first we awake
or when first we arise from the dead.
Then we were merely looking toward
Christianity, merely getting the soul
awake to see the possibility Of har-
mony with God and escape from the
condemnation upon the world. AS st.
Paul declares, there Isl condemnation
Upon all except those who are in Christ
Jesus. But from the moment we get
into Christ we lose the condemnation
Of death that came upon the race be-
cause Of Adams disobedience. Then
we are individually on trial for life.
The first trial for life everlasting was
given to Father Adam, the Pastor said
Adam failed to pass the test, and thus
brought condemnation upon all his pos
terity-the world Of mankind. 1t is Il
point in law that a man under con
demnation for a capital offense cannot
be condemned again unless first freed
from the previous condemnation. AS
a race, mankind were sentenced to
death by Gods Law, Dying, thou
shalt die" Since all humanity is un-
der this condemnation no one can have
an individual trial through Christ IN
til first he has gotten free from that
condemnation which is the penalty Of
dan SIN. 80 the mSr0 AWdK0uIuS
to a realization Of our condition does
not give any one a second trial for life.
Arising from the condition Of sin and
degradation and trying to live an hon
est, decent life would not mean that
one had passed into trial again.
Church Only on Trial Now.
Then the Pastor demonstrated from
Scripture that only the Church class
are now on trial for life, and that the
world is not on trial at all, but is dead
in trespasses and SINS" The worlds
Judgment lies in the future. The
Church's judgment has been progress
ing for nearly nineteen hundred years.
The first to be tried was the Head Of
the Church-our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. He was found worthy and was
glorified. The Apostles were tried, and
throughout the Gospel Age the individ-
mol manhorc of thn Chureh have hapn