The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-06-08

according to st. pauls argument SD
his letter 10 tho Romans, although IaRn
was Greated perfect. there came o.
time IN the history Of the fallen race
when men were unwilling longer % res
thin God In their minds; and then the
Almighty gave them over to repFobate
minds, to do improper things, and to
sink lower and lower in degradation.
ThBn It was that the doctrines Of de-
mons" were inculcated Into the human;
mind, SO as to keep men in~~agnorance.s
darkness anu superstition. The god
Of this world blinds the minds OF
those who believe n~ot-binds them by
these various false doctrines which
once Gods people believed. {
The Pastor then gave the two views,
Of the Almighty which once obtained
IN the thoughts OF many Christians.
One side Of our minds, as it were, pic
tureA God as the great representative
or Satanic energy, bent upon destroy
ing nearly all the creatures whom He
had brought into the world. The 9TH,
or side, somehow, imagined Him as
kind. loving and merciful. But we did
not know how to balance these two
sides. Fortunately for US, however,
we got the devil1sh side subordinated,
and thought OF God as loving, and by
going to Him daily In prayer we tried
to forget the devilish part. The whole
world has been more or less in this
condition.
But, thank God! said the Pastor, we
are in the time when the path Of the
just Is shining more and more unto the
perfect Day. That Day is now so near
that we can almost see its dawn. In
a little while the Church Of Christ will
have been fully ga~thered-out Of every
people, nation, kindred and tongue,
out of all denominations.
Full Assurance of Faith.
The Pastor then explained how the
consecrated people Of God may have
full assurance Of faith. In His Word
God tells us that by nature we were
children Of wrath even as others; that
Christ tasted death for the whole
world, and that by and by He will
give human life, restitution life, to all
who will receive it; but that meantime
the call Is for those who will separate
themselves from the world and be "a
peculiar people, Jealous Of good works"
of everything that is Gods willard
ready to lay down their lives in doing
that will. Those who know that such
is the teaching Of Scripture have a
good basis for faith. Those who have
taken the steps Of repentance of
sin, Of trusting in the Redeemer for
salvation, of cOnsecrGting themselves
20 God, DOW have by faith all those
graces Of character reCkOncd to them
which the world will actually receive
during the thousand years of the Reign
OF Christ. To the cGnserrated the FQ-
Their has fulfilled His promise by Civ
ing them a measure of His Holy Spirit.
Lest any should mtsapprahend his
meaning. the Pastor explained that the
Holy Spirit is not now manifested in
: the same way that 1t was in the early
Church. At that time it was mani
Tested in a miraculous way--with out
ward evidences, such as tongues. mira
Giles Of healing, etc, attesting that
those who received these gifts we're
NN'AS !" "NN NS HN-llADClS vi Ills
Church and had been begotten Of the
Holy Spirit. But after the Church had
been established. there was no further.
need of such manifestations. Through
out the remainder Of the Gospel Age
the Holy Spirit has manifested itself
only by the fruits of righteousness
meekness, g~entIeness, patience, broth
erly kindness-lOVe. When the mirac-
ulous gifts ceased, these fruits and
=, graces Of the Spirit continued.
, The Pastor concluded with an exhor-
: tation that the people Of God see to 1t
that they daily grow in grace and in
knowledge, becoming more and more
like the Lord Jesus in character. Our
Lord said that every tree is known by
, its fruits. Are we bearing good fruit?
} he asked. Are we having more and
more fellowship with God and with
u Lord Jesus? Are we getting into
deeper and broader sympathy with all
Of the Household Of Faith? Are we
Y coming more and more into sympathy
q with the poor world in its fallen condi-
ton, and with every good effort to help
them up out Of such condition? II so.
-. then we have evidence not only that we
: have believed in the right Book and in
the true God, but that we are the chill
dren Of God and Observation-Disclosures with
1 Jesus Christ our Lord. 80
We shall be tested as to our willing
. ness to suffer with our Lord. This
does not NEAR suffering for wrong-do-
. ing; for st. Peter reminds us that a
Christian who suffers as a ~busybody in
I other mems affairs is not suffering for
: Christ's sake. Perhaps one-half Of the
suffering in the world and in the
Church results from busybodying. But
q the people OF God are not to suffer as
e~vil-doers. They may be misrepresent-
q ed as ~evtldoers, but such suffering Is
$ not for evil-doing, even IL they be so
blamed. But "if any man suffer. let
IS him suffer as a Christian" The speak
e er reminded his hearers that Jesus
Himself was accused OF being an evil
doer. a blasphemer, an injurious per
1t son; and 30 were the Apostles-an their
d prosecutions were on that score. But
IT what the Apostle Peter says Is that II
b You suffer let 1t be for something right
that you have done, in harmony with
It your covenant with God, In harmony
h with Gods Word and will. Those who
suffer as Christians should rejoice
therein: for the Spirit Of God and OF