The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-06-02

CnflSL Sndll give tnee uRnC. - Epne-
SLAMS 5:14
The Pastor introduced his theme
with the observation that the majority
Of humanity are not awake; that they
seem to be passing through life in
dreamy st6te; that as rule they are
not thinking about the important mat
tiers of life, but about the trivialities-
what to eat and drink, what to wear,
where to go, etc. The world. he de-
clared, spends its time thinking about
these things rather than about the
things that pertain to God, to His will
and His ways, and to the everlasting
life Of the future.
Then the Pastor reminded his audi.
ty has been brought about While the
world In general may be said to be
asleep, In one sense of the word it is
dead. Thus the Apostle declares Of the
Church, "You were dead in
trespasses and SINS" The whole world
Is under the sentence of death passed
upon Father Adam because of his dis
obedience to the Divine command. Our
first parents sinned, and their posteri-
ty. all mankind, shared with them the
penalty, 'Dying. thou shalt die."-Gen-
esis PIT. margin.
But this death sentence that was
passed upon all has been changed, the
speaker asserted, to be sentence of
sleep, from which there is to be an
awakening. God foreknew the fall of
man, and purposed to redeem the hu-
man family from death. In the Divine
Program Jesus was the Lamb Of God
/ slain from before the foundation of the
bworld. Therefore, because God had
purposed the redemption and restitu-
ltion of humanity by an awakening
from death. He always speaks of death
. as sleep, when communicating with
those who believe.
i Tho Awakening of the Soul.
Proceeding to his text, the Pastor
discussed his theme in three divisions:
1.-THE awakening of some of the world in
Ethe present time, the awakening of the
Of the world during the Messianic
/, Reign. To all who come to the Lord.
! he declared, there came a time when
they began to think of subjects I'M
thought of before-the higher things,
those pertaining to God and the world
to come. Up to that time some had
! been stepped In sin and degradation;
lothers had lived merely for the pres
lent and seemed never to think about
ianything except the trivial affairs Of
everyday life. But somehow they be-
gan to realize that they were sinners
tthem. Perhaps they got the right
i, view, that this sentence was one of
death; but more likely they got the
wrong view, that 1t was a sentence of
eternal torment.
Then the Pastor showed that the ma
jority of children reach this important
crisis between the ages of twelve and
fifteen years. At that period there is
a great change in human nature; and
J therefore 1t is most advantageous
to spring up In those who have reach
ed the age of responsibility. The
speaker here dwelt upon the duties of
parents and teachers who have control
of the young at this important stage of
development. While he fully believes
In the Importance of training a child
In the nurture and admonition of the
Lord from the very beginning of its
existence, yet he holds that both par
ents and teachers should be especially
alert with children at this most favor
able time for opening their mental eyes
to see things in a new light, for their
learning to look beyond the trivialities
of the present life to the higher things
pertaining to the life to come.
"Arise From the Dead"
The Pastor next pointed out the falla-
cy Of the belief that the young must
SOW their wild oats" and expressed re-
greet that even Christian parents seem
to be imbued with this false idea.
Those who SOW wild oats, he main
tanned, will reap wild oats; for what
soever a man soweth. that shall he also
reap" according to the Scriptures. His
thought is that from the beginning of
Its existence the child mind should be
kept near the Divine standard The
parents should be able to express to
the child In sympathetic terms those
thoughts which it is so ready to receive
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
De deceitful. Even If the person has
never deceived the child, it soon finds
out whether he deceives 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 fmbibes that same dis
honesty of purpose and thought. The
speaker also deplored the fact that
some parents seem TO think 1t wise and
proper to teach children to take advan-
tage OF somebody else, and even to fib
little. In order to further present in
terests. This, he declared, is serious
mistake.
Tnose who awaken to sense of re-
sponsibilfty to their Creator sbould
arise from the dead condition as ia,
as possible, the Pastor holds. He re-
minded his hearers that when one first
awakens in the morning. there is .
mental freshness which is invariably
lost II one turns over and falls asleen
30 the moment of the souls awaken
ing Is a favorable moment of which RI
take advantage. But if the soul has no
encouragement at that critical moment
1t may drop off to sleep again. All who
are awake should do all In their power
TO encourage those who have inst
awakened, that these may rise from
the dead world and be separate from
conditions around them.
"christ Shall Give Thee Lioht.r
The speaker declared that merely TO
awake TO a realization of ones condi-
lion, merely to arise from the dead
condition Of the human race as respeSts
higher things, is not to be Christian
Whlle Christ gave the light which en-
aDied 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 sacrifice
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