The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-21

The Bible was given for mans instruc- tion and enlightenment by his creator.
 The fact that much of it is symbolic and in parables does not prove it either untrue or unworthy of study.
 In fact, the command is to study the Scriptures" It must be made the bread of life by faith to the saved It is true we may misinterpret much of the sym bolic language, and not be able clearly to define it's meaning, but we can get the great cardinal doctrines of saliva tion and spiritual uplft as taught in the Scriptures, and which experience and history have taught us is the best, most helpful and most satisfying of all phi losophy.
 The soul of man is the breath of God, and destined to live forever. It has the right and power to raise itself in the scale of being, or to lower itself into greater depths. It rises by constant de- sire, which places it within the range of divine aid. It lowers by crushed or dis regarded desires into the realm of de- pravity. Seek and ye shall find" Prayer is the souls desire, uttered or unexpressed, or the mind through which divine aid finds it's channel to inspire and uplift the ideals and purposes of the soul.
 The life becomes a prayer in whatever state 1t may find itself and intuition it's medium of faith. By faith are ye saved, aid that not of yourselves, 1t is the gift of God" We take that to mean that each created soul has this medium of faith, it's own intuition as a part of | it's being, and that it can teach itself | to use Fs own God given powers to it's own eternal uplift by confidence in it's own possessions and in the means offered | for its uplift, namely, the love of God | through the sacrifice of the Savior The l fatherhood of God and the brotherhood l of man is a natural consequence of the | great foundations laid in the entire | Scriptures for mans uplift into some | thing higher. Trust God and do good" It matters not what other attainments | individuals or nations may have, with | out these great fundamental facts of be- | ing deeply seated in the mind and soul l the soul will fail to realize its destiny, | and fall short of the objects of it's ex- l istence if not swept into mad rush of ruin.
 l The trouble today with the central en- | pire Is the complete disregard of the l destiny of the soul. They have set at | naught all of the teachings of the Scrip l ture and have gone in mad rush after | material things-"I, God and the army | Those nations have become soaked with | avarice and material gain, and having ! laid down God, they naturally take uf the forces of eyil which they are repre- senting in this world war-organized evi
 In struggle for supremacy over organ
 ized good or the powers of right al taught by God and exemplified b5 Christ. Such a struggle is propheciee all through the Scriptures and is DOT trayed as a part of the worlds history 1 8 necessary part, we presume, but it i. given as a mystery to mankind, for God! plan of spiritual development cannot b.
 fully comprehended by finite man.
 Mystery, Babylon the Great, tn mother of harlots and abomination O the earth"
 The prophecy is clear that a great de
 ception should occur, and many peopl,
 should be honestly deceived and led cap tive by cunning power of evil into al | imaginable forms of crime and sin, sucf
 as the world had not known, for tn power of evil was to be given a try-out so to speak, and it's strength accumulated | through centuries was to be let loose il
 a war prohpecied to last 42 months, Evi
 was to have seat of government, ;
 king, political and industrial power It's strength and cunning was to be
 real menace aAd power in all nations. l
 was to have rioh merchants and banker
 in all nations who would prove loya to their king of evil. It should threatel
 the existence of all nations, either b. the power of armed force or by tn power of deception and intrigue. for tn, two great weapons of the devil is decep
 ton and torture, of Germany it is ''divid
 and conquer"
 The Scripture does not leave doubt o
 the final issue, but makes it plain tha
 evil, when it seemed most confident o
 success, was suddenly to be throw
 down to the bottomless pit. Its kings, it l leaders, it's seat it's very existence ant
 all of its adherents were to be over whelmed completely and utterly de stroyed from the face of the earth. It i
 the destruction of the power of evil tha is prophecied, with all that may include
 The symbolic language is as strong a
 language can make anything. It is on picture after another all through Reve lations. See thirteenth and fourteentl
 chapters.
 The great world movements of thi
 war; the incarnate evil of Prussianism the blind following of deceived people the awful extremes they are going tc the intrigue and deception by diplomat
 and spies, the loyalty in all lands o | German financiers and merchants, al
 go to prove this war g. fit thing to b
 the world struggle between good an,