Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1914-06-18

(GASI0R- RUssELYl its beautiful pres
entation of the
prominent features of Scripture and
points which long have puzzled critical
people Whoever sees it thereby OBJ
t;lins q grasp upon the Bible as
whole. The public are certainly CRATE
ful to Pastor Russell, through whose
jnstrlmentality this wonderful work
s,f art is being exhibited free.
Today the Pastors text was, Study
20 show thyself approved unto God,
workman that needeth not to be
ashamed. rightly dividing the Word of
Truth % Timothy 2:15.
We are all sadly aware that not
many of the people of God have the
full assurance of faith mentioned in
the Scriptures, the speaker said. In
deed. We must all admit that the great
majority are losing, not only their
faith. but also the foundation of faith.
For years the great colleges of Chris
tendon have been undermining faith
by undermining belief in the Bible
While they do not make an attack
upon faith itself. while they all admit
that faith may have its place as Il
grand quality of character, and that
the Scriptures instruct for fnith, yet
they proceed to do the very same kind
of work that Robert IngerSoll and
Thomas Paine tried to accomplished
undermine confidence in the Bible as
the Word of God. That confidence is
the very basis of all faith.
After we have lost our confidence.
what have we left for a foundation of
belief? We have merely what is called
Higher Criticism and Evolution; and
this means that after q little process
OF reasoning along these lines many
would conclude that the Bible is mere
ly collection Of choice pieces of an
Gent Jewish literature written by men
who really knew less than do we
The Pastor then demonstrated that
those who reject the Bible as the Word
of God have no other foundation for
whatever faith they may possess than
the guess of this or that man, or of
themselves. He pointed out the well.
known fact that all men are more OF
less imperfect in judgment; and that 1.
men were to picture God there would
be as many different styles of God as
there are different persons.
The speaker illustrated his point b,
calling attention to the numerou.
crceds formulated during the Darl
Ages and to the different kinds.of Cod
those different creeds have pictured
The noblest minds Of that time wer
deceived into worshiping the wors
kind of images that could be made
He declared that while the heather
nations We're making their ugly idol
out of wood. stone. clay or metal, tn
nations of Christendom were printin
atrocious descriptions of God the Xix
of which could not he moulded out O
clay or fashioned out of anything else
BE was not finding fault with our fore
fathers but with the real instigator o
the creedal misrepresentation of til
Almighty AS St Paul declares, 9Th
god of this world hath blinded tn
minds Of them that believe not, les
the light Of the glorious Gospel o
Christ should shine unto them"
Tho Cause of the Falling Away.
Then the Pastor showed that tn
eyes OF many Christians are not wild
open for the same reason that st. Pau
gave the Corinthian Church The go
of this world has fastened the band
ages SO tightly that it is with difficult
that any get the eyes Of their under
standing open Again. ST. Paul fore
tells that in the end Of this Age "man
shall depart from the faith, givin
heed to seducing spirits and doctrine
Of demons" The Pastor declared tina
we have come to the time when man
have denied the faith and others ar
denying it-good people, intelligen
people, ministers of the Gospel in tn
various pulpits, professors, theologian:
college presidents-confessing that the
have lost the basis of their faith.
We are not to suppose for even me
ment that these>people who are fallin
away from the faith are wicked. o.
the contrary, they are well-intentione
many of them fine people. But the
have gotten under delusion. In tn
light of the New Dispensation the dc
lusions of the past are coming up con
stantly for criticism. Indeed. so grea
is the conflict between the light Of tn