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

of God, be following after righteous
ness. Many men have Teen led to
drinking and all sorts Of debauchery
and sin merely by reason OF not seeing
the real God; for if any one see Him,
he is sure to love Him. Mankind are
so made that worship is natural.
Notwithstanding the six thousand
years of falling, there is in every mans
brain, unless he be an idiot, the quail
ty of reverence, which impels him to
desire to worship his Creator. But,
according to st. Paul's argument in
his letter to the Romans, although man
was created perfect, there came a
time in the history of the fallen race
when men were unwilling longer to re-
tain God in their minds; and then the
Almighty gave them over to reprobate
minds, to do improper things. and to
sink lower and lower in degradation.
Then it was that the doctrines of de-
mons" were inculcated into the human
mind, so as to keep men in ignorance,
darkness and superstition. The god
of this world blinds the minds of
those who believe not-blinds 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
tured God as the great Representative
of Satanic energy. bent upon destroy
ing nearly all the creatures whom He
had brought into the world. The 9TH
er 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 devilish 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 it's dawn. In
little while the Church of Christ will
have been fully gathered-ont of every
people, nation. Kindred and tongue.
ont 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
Cod 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: blt that meantime
the call is for those who will separate
themselves from the world and be %
. 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 firth. Those who have
6 taken the steps of repentance Of
b sin. of trusting in the Redeemer for
salvation. of consecrating themselves
to God, now have by faith all those
graces of character reckoned to them
+ which the world will actually receive
h during the thousand years of the Reign
1 of Christ To the consecrated the Fa-
Their has fulfilled His promise by CIV
o ing them measure of His Holy Spirit
Lest any SHOULD misapprchend his
j. meaning. the Pastor explained that the
il Holy Spirit is not now manifested In
e the same way that it was in the early
g Church AT that time it was mani
l. tested in a miraculous way with out
# ward evidences, such as tongues mira
k cles OF healing, etc, attesting that
It those who received these gifts We're
e acceptable to God as members of His
n Church and had been begotten of the
% Holy Spirit Rut after the Church had
d been established there was no further
is need OF such manifestations. Through
n out the remainder Of the Gospel Age
IF the holy Spirit has manifested itself
y only by the fruits of righteousness
he meekness. gertleness, patience, broth.
erly ktndness--love. When the mirac-
ulous gifts ceased. these fruits and
If graces of the Spirit continued
y The Pastor concluded with an exhor
" tation that the people of God see to /,
Vi that they daily grow in grace and ir
h knowledge. becoming more and more
IS like the Lord Jesus in character. Oul
r. Lord said that every tree is known by
Is its fruits. Are we bearing good fruit
" he asked Are we having more ant
nt more fellowship with God and will
r.. our Lord JESUS? Are we getting int
d. deeper and broader sympathy with al
AZ of the Household of Faith? Are w,
IN coming more and more into sympath!
- with the poor world in its fallen condi
~ ton, and with every good effort to hell
So them up out If such condition? If SO
then we have evidence not only that w,
have believed in the right Book and ii
- the true God. but that we are the chill
" dren of God aud hers-joint- heirs witt
W ('hrict