Souvenir Notes — Bible Students Conventions, Supplement (1915)

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SOUVENIR

NOTES

BIBLE STUDENTS' CONVENTIONS

SUPPLEMENT

SUPPLEMENT to the International Bible Students SOUVENIR Convention Report

PASTOR RESSELL.

DEAR FRIENDS: Greetings! At the beginning of this year it was thought that the San Francisco-Oakland Convention would be the only General Convention for the year 1915, and so, when arranging for the publication of the 1915 Souvenir Report, we arranged to report only that General Convention and the Western Tour.

However, soon after that Report was well under way, the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society arranged for other General Conventions, the importance of which seemed to make necessary the preparation of another Souvenir Report, which we have styled a "Supplement" to the 1915 Report.

This Supplement will contain a report of much of the proceedings of the Springfield, Mass., convention, the Portland, Maine, convention matter from various conventions in Canada, and the Hershey, Pa., convention.

Additionally it will include a number of messages from various brethren in many of the foreign countries, messages which were delayed in reaching us in time for the main report. These we feel sure will be found very interesting and tend to enlarge our interests and sympathies for our brethren in the various lands, and bind us closer with the cords of love.

Lastly, we wish to call your attention to a very valuable article, just prepared especially for this Supplement, by Pilgrim Bro. Paul S. L. Johnson. This article is in the nature of drills upon character building, based upon his various lectures which have appeared in the various Souvenir Reports from time to time in the past, especially in the year 1912, a number of copies of which we still have in stock. (See special price for the 1912 Report at the back of this Supplement.) These special drills by Bro. Johnson will be found exceedingly helpful to the friends in general in mastering the principles of character building covered by his lectures.

Praying the Lord's blessing upon this Supplementary Report, I remain. Yours in HIS service.

L. W. JONES, M. D.

Metropolitan Auditorium, 4100 Michigan Ave., Chicago, III. (Please make a note of this my new address.)

To the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

IN THE INTEREST OF

HIS CONSECRATED SAINTS, WAITING FOR

THE ADOPTION.

This Work is Dedicated

“To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God.”

“Wherein He hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things, under Christ.”—Eph. 3: 4, 5, 9: 1: 8-10.

Clipping from the Springfield Homestead-July 25,1915

New High Record of Attendance at Annual Bible Students Association

PASTOR RUSSELL TODAY

Mayor Stacy Welcomes Delegates and Judge Rutherford Speaks on "Love of God."

ULLY 7,000 people attended the three sessions of the annual convention of the International Bible Students Association in the Auditorium yesterday and judging from the success of the opening day of the gathering, this year will set a new mark for attendance at the yearly meeting of delegates from every part of the United States. Mayor Frank E. Stacy welcomed more than 1,000 delegates to the city when the

convention opened at 9:30 yesterday morning and the response was given by Chairman Menta Sturgeon.

Corinthians, with Love, the general topic of yesterday's session as the central theme.

There were fully 2,000 present at the afternoon meeting which opened at 3 o'clock and in the course of which Judge J. F. Rutherford, a prominent member of the New York City bar delivered a powerful address. In the morning, J. W. Thorn of Boston delivered a discourse based on the first chapter of 13th

In the evening fully 3,000 people crowded into the Auditorium to witness the first section of the great photo-drama of the Creation which will be shown in four parts. Last night's exhibition was two hours in length and covered the history of Creation and the Bible to the time of Moses. The huge audience last night appreciated to the fullest extent the beauty of the pictures and their remarkable portrayal of the exact conditions and episodes of the earth's earliest days. Part two will be shown tonight and on Thursday night part one will again be exhibited and the succeeding parts will take up the last three days of the convention, which closes on August 1.

In behalf of the city Mayor Stacy welcomed the delegates yesterday morning and spoke words of praise for the association, complimenting it upon its objects and the men enrolled in its works. The mayor's remarks follow:—

Address of Welcome by Hon. Frank E. Stacy, Mayor.

Mr. Chairman, honored guests, members of the International Bible Students Association, and friends:

The duty that is assigned to me this morning, as mayor of the City of Springfield, of saying a few brief words of welcome to your Association, is a very pleasant duty. I feel highly honored. Of course you know when the mayor addresses any gathering he is always expected to look into the faces of the visitors and say, "How do you do; glad to see you." That is a pleasant duty to me today. In addition I bring the greetings of the City of Springfield to this convention. Springfield is always pleased, and with them the mayor, to welcome any association that has to do with the welfare of the citizens of this nation. I am pleased to bring greetings to your association, knowing full well that there is no association that has done more to this end, or can do more than you can.

I hope and trust that this convention, started on this beautiful Sunday morning, will bring good, to you, to us, and to others. Of course when you go into a city they want to show you all of the good things they have, and so we in Springfield want to show you everything we can during the coming week. We are proud of our city. We have a good, clean city, beautiful parks, library and schools, and we want you to take advantage of every one of them. I want to assure you that the key to all of our buildings, and to all of our homes, hang on the outside, and that Springfield

bids you welcome everywhere. I also want to assure you that I know in Springfield you are in the hands of a good reception committee. Yet, if there is any little special courtesy that I can show you, as Chief Executive of this city, I want to have you free to call upon me at my office. We have a beautiful set of buildings here; I think the most beautiful in the United States. We have some very beautiful council chambers, and we hope every one here will visit these chambers, and visit the mayor's office. I want your stay here to be so pleasant and profitable that when you go back to your homes you will say that you had a pleasant time in Springfield, and that you will want to come again.

I thank you.

Chairman Menta Sturgeon, who presided over the opening session, responded to Mayor Stacy's welcome in the same spirit in which it was offered and praised this city as a great convention center and a community which had always been appreciative of the work of the International Bible Students Association. The association, he said, was overjoyed to have the use of a building like the Auditorium, having learned from the convention of 1913 that it was truly an ideal place for just such a gathering as yesterday's.

The Homestead prints Chairman Sturgcon's response in full:

Response to Address of Welcome by Chairman Menta Sturgeon.

That makes us feel at home, and I will promise you that we will use your latch key properly. We are not going to steal one thing. This gives us promise of very blessed associations during our brief stay here in the scity of Springfield. I do not know of any place on the whole earth where we would rather be than in Springfield, Mass. (Applause). When we use the term Massachusetts we have in mind some of the history that has made this State what it is. We know from its very beginning to the present time that the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ has credit for everything that is good in it. It is a noble state indeed, because there are so many thoughts and sentiments behind it which have made it so noble, and we are very glad to be here.

We would like to say to this city, through its chief executive, the Honorable Mayor, that in coming here we come with a spirit that is international. We are called the International Bible Students Association because that name properly represents the

membership. It is not made up of one nationality or of one race of people, but it is made up of people gathered together, or associated together, from all the different nations and races. And they are associated together for the purpose of studying the Bible, God's Word. That is the best there is, and that is what makes people good; it is what makes cities good. We are associated together all over the world, irrespective of denominational organizations. We stand free from all sectarianism. We are very free to say that we honor and respect every one of the ministers of the gospel in this city today. Our hearts go out in sympathy and love to every member of the churches in this city. It would give us pleasure to bring some measure of blessing to them. We want to assure those who have so kindly received and welcomed us that we are here free beyond and above all spirit of division in the religious world. We stand associated together as those gathered from all denominations; from the Roman Catholic, the Greek

SUPPLEMENT TO FIFTEENTH SOUVENIR REPORT

Catholic, the Lutherans, from the Church of England, the Presbyterian Church, from Methodists and Disciples and those who love the faith outside of any denomination. In fact we are gathered together from all over the world as those whose love is for the truth as it is in the Bible. We recognize no divisions. There should be no divisions among brethren in Christ. We are all one in Him; we have all one Master. In being invited to this city and coming here, we wish to assure the chief executive that we come, having this spirit of love and one-ness for all churches, and for the citizens of Springfield as well.

We hope to trade with the stores while here. There is no objection to that. When we need any collars or neck-ties we are going to buy them. That is going to help to spread the good influence. Of course the storekeepers here want us to trade with them, and we are going to do it. While we may not be the richest people on earth, except in faith, it has always been our privilege to trade with the people where we go, and that is good for the men in business; they like that. I think it is because we are free

vention. Love shall praise in song, love shall pray, love shall speak and love shall hear. This is to be a lovely convention. It shall be the fruit of the flower that will open its petals and spread o'er all. It will be the sunshine of God's love in Christ that shall be over our minds in our hearts. Love shall be the atmosphere that the new creature shall breathe for its sustenance during these days. Love shall be the motive controlling our words and actions. Let us be constrained by the love of Christ in what we do. Let us keep this king upon the throne of our hearts, and then we know this will be the best we have had in the way of conventions. If we shall prove ourselves able to show forth the spirit of love it will prepare us for being overcomers to the degree that we may hope to be with Him, and like Him, and see Him as He is.

We are glad that our association can meet in this beautiful city, under such delightful conditions and with such favorable environment as we find here. We appreciate this beautiful auditorium, with all of the favorable arrangements. We like

and glad to do this that those at different places say, "We are glad to have the people come." I venture to say there is not a hotel or store that can say we did not pay for what we received.

the surroundings. I am sure we would like the officers too, if we could meet them. I believe that we have the highest kind of appreciation of all that we are favored with. We hope to make use of these things in the spirit of love as we have been invited to do. We promise that these meetings shall be perfectly free and open to all irrespective of religious denomination, or tenets, or belief. We call no one in question, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian—all are free to come. All are welcome here who believe in the precious blood of Christ. We hope that in the addresses given to the public a greater degree of light upon God's Word may be realized, and that it may be productive of a larger degree of love. We are looking forward to Pastor Russell's presence among us. We have just left his party up in Canada. In the meetings held in various cities there all seemed desirous of hearing him. I heard every message he gave there, and I saw the deepest kind of rapt attention given to what he had to say by every congregation, as he opened up the present situation in Europe and elsewhere, showing from the Bible the outcome of it all, and bringing light and comfort to their hearts. We are glad that, in the Lord's providence, he is to hold a public meeting here, when he will speak on the great "Battle of Armageddon." We trust that light, and the spirit of love may be spread through the presentation of these truths. At eight o'clock each evening

Pastor Russell leaving Auditorium at Springfield.

It has been my privilege to attend these conventions all over the country for years, and I have not known of one single convention that was characterized by carelessness about little things. We are not here to smoke, because we do not smoke cigars or cigarettes. There will be no need to clean up such things after us. We are not going to strew things about the streets. We are going to behave ourselves as we always do. That is the spirit of the Bible. I am glad everyone looks clean and right,and I hope you will stay that way during the convention.

What we want now is a motto for this convention. It has been given us by the members of the program committee. The keynote, the deep-seated, actuating motive, the word that represents this convention in its very inception, and its very gathering, is Love. Have you noticed that the program opens with love, and ends with love, so you will have to get in on the love basis. What does that mean, to love the brethren for eight days? That may not be so easy with some of us. It is something we are called upon to do, and can do. It will be a very good time to

the Photo Drama of Creation will be shown in the Auditorium, free to all. We give the invitation to all who desire to come to witness this great photo drama.

Now, then, we who have come here today from different parts of this country, and other countries, come as those who are one in spirit with Bible Students everywhere in all the world. We have gathered together here in the name of the altogether lovely One, Jesus Christ. Having Him as our Head, being members of His body, therefore having his spirit, we are gathered as one in the spirit of love. With the deepest gratitude and appreciation of the reception given us; of the gracious words of welcome we have received, we desire to say to this city through its chief executive that we thank you for your generosity, for your kindness, and we trust we shall be worthy of it. We hope that you will be glad to have us come back again.

At the conclusion of this response by Chairman Sturgeon, Honorable Judge Rutherford, of New York city, arose and made the following motion: "While His Honor, the Mayor, is present, as a member of this convention, I want to take this occasion to move that we, by a standing vote, express to the citizens of Springfield, and especially to the head thereof, the Mayor, our deep appreciation and thanks for tendering to us this magnificent auditorium for this convention." The motion

adopt the suggestion made in one of the recent Towers, to the effect that we will resolve each day to walk in love. We are going to ask for opportunities for exercising brotherly love, and at the close of each day we will examine ourselves to see wherein we have exercised the spirit of love, and wherein we have failed, in order that we may overcome on that point. Thus, by walking in love, studying love, exercising love we shall grow in the spirit of love, I trust at the close of this Convention we will have more of the love of God than ever before. God is love, and His children are the children of love, that is their chief characterization.

Love divine, all love excelling.

Joy of Heaven to earth come down.

Thou hast made with us thy dwelling, Love doth all thy favors crown.

Father, thou art all compassion,

Pure, unbounded love thou art,

Thou hast brought to us salvation,

Thee we love with all our heart.

That is the greatest gift we are going to bring to Springfield. Let love characterize all that we may say or do. Let love walk these streets for the eight days that we are gathered here in conwas promptly seconded, and immediately the large audience rose to its feet, as a unit, seemingly desirous of unmistakably indicating their sincere appreciation.

Following Chairman Sturgeon's response there was a praise and testimony meeting, after which W. J. Thorn of Boston spoke on the theme of the day, bringing home with great force his arguments for the magic power of love as a factor in human and divine affairs. His talk closed the morning session.

Following a praise and prayer meeting at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon Judge J. F. Rutherford of New York delivered an address which was the most powerful of the day. He spoke on the general theme of the day, Love, and his brilliant oratorical powers were never displayed to better advantage. "The Love of God" was his specific topic and he placed great emphasis upon its all-important bearing on the spiritual welfare of mankind and pointed out the wonders of self-purification that it had accomplished in numberless cases which human history could disclose.

Fundamental, all-powerful, and all-necessary, is love of God, the speaker declared, and without it no man can hope to attain the spiritual heights that are the ambition of every true human entity. The address in part was as follows:—

THE subject of love is an inexhaustible one. Only a new creature in Christ Jesus can appreciate the love of God, and he cannot have the full appreciation of it until the day of his perfection.

We speak of the world as those who are outside of Christianity—that is to say, those who are not the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. The world knows not the love for the reason that it knows not God. The knowledge of God is absolutely essential in order to have love for Him, or for others who manifest His spirit.

Love is the greatest thing in the universe because God is love. There is a distinction between our love for God and our love for our brother. Love for God may be defined as a worshipful adoration for Jehovah and a joyful submission to His will, because of our reverence for and gratitude to the mighty One. Man has every reason to have his heart filled with gratitude toward God. The greatest desire of man is to have life in happiness. If any one would give to him that great desire such a one would merit his gratitude.

Man made in the image and likeness of God lost his image because of the disobedience of Father Adam. He had no way of regaining it unless Jehovah did something in his behalf. Here God manifested His wonderful love for man as expressed in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." In order for this wonderful gift, which was prompted by love to result beneficially to man, it is necessary that man know that the gift was made, and that he accepts the evidence and acts thereupon. Jesus stated in John 17:3, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." Only those who have come to a knowledge of the greatness, love and mercy of God have known Him, and only those who have taken the step of willingly submitting their wills to God have known Him. A great many professed Christians know of God, but do not know Him. To know Him means to make a consecration to do the Father's will, and to do it. The Apostle states that this proves our love for God, 'that we keep His commandments with a joyful heart.' The Christian should love God because he has redeemed him from death, and has called him to become a joint-heir with Christ Jesus in the kingdom. A Christian is one who has submitted his will to Jehovah, and having done so, Jehovah has begotten him by His Word of Truth; begotten him to the divine nature; to membership in the Heavenly kingdom.

To such alone has God revealed Himself, in this that He has made it possible for such to understand the secrets of His great plan. Many persons, even Doctors of Divinity, and ministers, claiming to be Christians, yet manifest complete ignorance of God's plan, which is evidence that they do not love the Lord, because the Father states that all who love Him and keep His commandments, to them He will make known the secrets of His plan. (1st John 2:27, 1st Cor. 2:9, 10.)

The Bible was written for the benefit of Christians (Romans 15:4) and through its precious words the Christian receives a comfort of heart and mind, that he in turn may use this knowledge and blessing to comfort others who are in distress. (2d Cor. 1:3, 4.) As the Psalmist puts it, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; who daily loadeth me with His benefits,"and thus assigns another reason why we should love and praise the Lord.

We should love Jesus for the same reason that we love Jehovah, and in addition thereto, we should love Him because He loved us and gave His life for us; because He bore our burdens and made atonement for our sins. The Christian has another reason for loving Jesus, because all fully consecrated, who are faithful unto death, shall constitute His bride. The sweet relationship existing between Christ Jesus and the Church is that of a bride and bridegroom. Again, the Lord declares through His messenger that the followers of the Lord Jesus are His ambassadors in the earth, to whom has been committed the message of reconciliation. Therefore, they are His honored representatives, and that is a special reason why they should love Him.

Love for the brethren means an unselfish desire to do them good, and doing good unto the brethren, even to the degree of sacrificing our own interests, whether such desire or act be known or unknown to the recipient; to do anything in one's power that the brother may grow in the likeness of Christ. The Apostle proves that this is true brotherly love by his statement in Ephesians 3:13-19.

Jesus commands that His followers shall love their enemies (Matt. 6:44-46, Luke 6:27-32). The nations of Europe today, engaged in bloody warfare, prove by their conduct conclusively that they are not true followers of Christ Jesus, even though many of them who are fighting in the trenches have the title of minister of the gospel or Doctor of Divinity. Love for our enemy would mean a desire to do good unto the enemy as opportunity offers, and never to do them evil. No true Christian could be guilty of murder, and war is murder intensified. This is another conclusive proof that that which is called Christendom, namely, the kingdoms of Europe whose kings claim to rule by divine right, is not Christendom. Christendom means Christ's Kingdom, and if Christ's Kingdom was in operation in Europe, love would be manifested, and where there is love there would be no war.

God has promised that when the church is filled with all the fullness of God, and glorified together with Chirst Jesus, then the reign of the great Messiah shall begin. He is the great Prince of Peace, upon whose shoulder shall rest the government of earth, and who will minister life and blessing to all the groaning creation. (Isaiah 9:6, 7.) That will be the time promised through the Prophet Joel, when God will pour out His spirit (which means love) upon the peoples and nations of earth. That will be the time when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:2-4.) That will be the time in which it will not be necessary to teach every man his neighbor, saying, "Know the Lord," "for all shall know Him, from the least to the greatest;" for them "the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the (whole) earth as the waters fill the deep."

Last night the largest audience of the day gathered to see the first part of the Photo-drama of the Creation. This magnificent Bible story is a bigger and better version than that seen here at the 1913 convention and last night's gathering watched it in almost breathless interest. The evolution of the earth was strikingly shown by film and slide and then the various episodes of biblical history were flashed on the screen. Costuming and settings were absolutely correct in every detail, one of the striking scenes being the coming of the flood and the story of the ark. The first part closed with the times of Moses, from which point the narrative will be taken up tonight.

Hotel Arrangements at Springfield.

"Let Your Light so Shine Before Men."

THE Committee seemed to be especially favored in providing accommodation for the visiting brethren in Springfield's best hotels. Chiefly along this line, we mention the arrangements perfected at the Nelson-Haynes.

This hotel, situated within one block of the Auditorium, was found to be undergoing a change of management and being without license privileges to serve meals, upwards of

100 rooms nicely furnished with hot and cold water or bath connections were turned over to the committee with the understanding that we should use the entire house. Special arrangements were made with the authorities whereby the committee could supply meals to their invited guests without a victualer's license, which made it possible to offer free entertainment to members

of the "Bethel Family" and altogether over two hundred of the brethren were housed at this one location.

One of the local brethren was placed in full charge of the hotel, by the management, the result being that for the time being the hotel was converted into a "veritable""Truth Home." Dining room arrangements were perfected on the same lines as at the Brooklyn "Bethel," the family carrying out the usual customs at each meal of service and table talks. The management very artistically arranged cards, for each day of the convention, displaying the daily motto—LOVE-OVERCOMING FAITHFULNESS-DISCIPLINE-CONFIDENT ASSURANCE-WATCHFULNESS-REWARD-HELPFULNESS—a feature very much admired and appreciated by the friends.

The proprietors, their families, as well as each of the employees, seemed to fully appreciate the spirit of the conventioners and exhibited much interest in hearing the "Truth." Each employee was given copies of the "Scripture Studies" or Scen-

arios and received them with marked pleasure and interest, some are reading, one has already attended the class meetings and given testimony to the effect that "when the convention convened he was in the Roman Catholic belief.

He now rejoiced in that he had heard the Truth and that he saw the light and wanted to learn more."

Group of Speakers at the Springfield, Mass., Convention.

The brother who was in charge of the "Home" has received many kind letters of appreciation, among which we quote from one: "Dear Brother: Your untiring efforts for the comfort of your brethren impel me to express again to you my thanks and sincere appreciation of the same. Your unselfish motives were noted keenly by the (Proprietors) Nelson-IIaynes. In a lengthy discussion with them on various features of God's Plan, they said, 'they had noticed the sweet, loving spirit among their guests, the difference between them and other people, and (your) unselfish, kindly spirit for the comfort and welfare of the conventioners.' I tell you this, dear brother, that it may encourage you to 'let your light shine and to continue to be a living epistle read and known of all men,' for I verily believe

Another testimony, contrasting the experience of the hotel clerk, with other large gatherings is of moment. Before the guests had all left the hotel, our attention was drawn to the fact, "A fine set of people! peculiarly noticeable is the fact that in many instances they were prepared to pay more than they were charged; several drawing our attention to errors in our favor; and not a single instance where one left without making full payment of their accounts and with individual expression of their appreciation of kindly treatment."

we testify most strongly in the above manner. We are the only Bible the world knows. We are the light of the world. O! that we may shine more brightly as the darkness gathers round."

Clipping from the Springfield Daily Republican, July 27,1915

PASTOR RUSSELL

Speaks to Bible Students. Subject:"Overcoming"

OVER 1,200 DELEGATES IN CITY

Two Big Meetings at the Auditorium—Creation Pictures Shown Last Evening

Pastor Russell of the Brooklyn tabernacle was the principal speaker at yesterday's session of the International Bible students convention, which is taking place this week in the Springfield Auditorium. All day yesterday more members arrived in the city, and a smaller number, who were unable to remain longer, departed for their homes. The number in attendance was increased yesterday to over 1,200. Pastor Russell arrived in the morning just in time to make his first scheduled appearance at 10:30 o'clock, and was met at the train by a large delegation.

PASTOR RUSSELL'S ADDRESS.

The subject of the session yesterday was "Overcoming," and this Pastor Russell took as the title of his address at the afternoon meeting. There was a very large audience present when he mounted the stand at 2.30, and close attention was given every word he said.

Discourse by Pastor Russell. Subject: "OVERCOMING."

PASTOR RUSSELL delivered a very interesting address. He spoke as follows: My text is found in Revelation 2:25, 27: "He that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of My Father."

The Bible tells us that our Heavenly Father purposed in Himself, from before the foundation of the world, all of the great Plan of Salvation which He has since been carrying out. He will make no changes in His Plan; He knew the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:9, 10; 55:8-11.) Such a wise, gracious, Almighty God is ours. Although He had this purpose before the world was, the Scriptures show that He did not make it known, except very vaguely, until the time of Abraham. This, you remember, St. Paul points out to us, saying that God first made declaration of His Purpose to Abraham, He first preached the Gospel to him (Galatians 3:8), because he had proven faithful, loyal, obedient, trustful. He said, "Abraham, in thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." It is My purpose to bless the whole world of mankind, and all of that great blessing shall come through your posterity.

Then God seemed to ignore His own promise, and century after century passed without anything apparently being done. In the meantime, the natural seed of Abraham through Isaac had gone into bondage in Egypt. Four hundred years after the Covenant with Abraham his seed were still in bondage, with that Covenant yet standing. Then God sent a message through Moses to this effect: You are the natural seed of Abraham. Are you ready now to have fulfilled to you the promise which I made to your great-great-grandfather, Abraham? You can readily imagine how this people felt. "Are we ready? Does God think we are not? Have we

not been waiting all this time, and thinking He was not ready?" They indicated that they were ready. God purposed that Moses should be their leader to bring them out of the land of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and onward into the land of Canaan, where they supposed they would accomplish great things, and become so great and mighty a people as to conquer the whole world and rule in righteousness to bless and uplift mankind in general.

NATURAL ISRAEL'S FAILURE TO INHERIT PROMISE.

When God had brought Israel to Mt. Sinai, He indicated to them that before they could as the seed of Abraham bless the world, they must demonstrate their faithfulness, their fitness. He would give them His Law in a great Covenant, and if they would keep that Law Covenant, then they would have the right and should receive the opportunity to become the blessers of the rest of the world. You remember that God gave them the Ten Commandments through Moses at Mt. Sinai. Then there was Mt. Gerazim and Mt. Ebal, with a valley between; and you remember that the blessings were read from Mt. Gerazim and the cursings from Mt. Ebal. The people were promised that if they were faithful to God all these blessings should come upon them, but if they failed, the curses should be theirs instead. If they would keep the Law and remain loyal to the Lord He would make them a great power in the world to bless other nations. More than that, they should have everlasting life. "He that doeth these things shall live by them."

We remember that Israel said, "All these things will we do." We are ready, we appreciate the offer, and wish to be the blessers of mankind. Oh, the honor we shall have! I can imagine that they increased in stature as they thought about it, that they inflated their lungs as they dwelt upon the thought of how great they would be. It must necessarily be a great people who could conquer the whole world and bless it. They could see no other way to bless the world than to

conquer it first.

They were only a little nation among others older and stronger surrounding them.

But they could not keep the Law of God, because the Law is the measure of a perfect man's ability. No fallen man could keep that law, which included so much; as the Savior said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind and heart and soul and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself." None but a perfect man could do all this. They did not realize how imperfect they were. But as the days and months and years went by, they learned that they were not able to bless the world.

You remember that God gave them an annual Atonement day. He said, so to speak, on this day, "I will wipe off the slate again, and you may try on a clean slate for the coming year." They tried year after year in this way. These yearly typical sacrifices were arranged for them which could never take away sin, but which in a typical way represented them as brought back into harmony with God for another opportunity for life through keeping the Law. Finally they became very much discouraged. They saw that they were not accomplishing anything along this line. They did not have everlasting life any more than other people, or than they had before they entered into the Covenant. They were in no condition to bless the world. Their nation was not prospering very well, though they had struggled along century after century.

GOD'S PROMISE OF A NEW COVENANT.

Then God sent Israel word through His prophet, saying, "The day is coming when I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah." Under that New Covenant, "I will remember your sins and your iniquities no more. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh." Oh, what a promise was this! It has not been fulfilled even yet; will it ever be fulfilled? Yes, and soon. We see, in the light of St. Paul's testimony, that God has had an arrangement to get ready an antitypical Moses, an arrangement for the making of "better sacrifices" than those of bulls and goats, by reason of which He will effectually and finally take away sin.

God is getting ready to do this not only for fleshly Israel, but for all the families of the earth. He will not only remove the embargo of original sin which has stood against the race, but He will take away sin perpetually, under the New Covenant, during the thousand-year period at the beginning of which the New Covenant will be inaugurated. The Jews are still waiting for the New Covenant. "It shall come to pass after those days that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt," but, "I will make a New Covenant" with a better Mediator than Moses, and "better sacrifices" to cancel sin and bring the sinners back to the place where I can make satisfactory arrangements with them.

The point we have in mind is not the difference between the Law Covenant and the New Covenant, between the Covenant made with the Jews in the past and the Covenant to be made with them and the world of mankind in the future, but the fact that God had made certain promises to that nation, and that they had hoped to have the promises fulfilled in them, but failed to get what they had hoped for. What were those things? They hoped to be a nation of overcomers, a victorious nation, and that God would bless them and exalt them very highly, so that they might subdue the world and bring all in subjection to Jehovah; that they might impress the Law given at Mt. Sinai upon all nations, and be judges, rulers, to do the work God purposed for the world. This is what they failed to do.

GOD'S PURPOSE TO BE OUTWORKED IN CHRIST.

What did God do about the matter? Did He say, "Israel has failed, and no other nation will do better, and I may as well give the whole matter up?" No, He said nothing of the kind. We have not that kind of a God. We have a God who knows what He is about. He had His plan completely arranged from the beginning, and it has met with no reverses at any time. When there was any failure it was what God foreknew, and had foretold prophetically. It was no surprise to God that Israel failed. What did God do then? In due time, He sent His own Son into the world.

Was that a new thought? No; this was already purposed by the Father from before the foundation of the world—that His Son should come to earth, become a man,

and die as a Ransom for the sins of the whole world. In His case, the Law manifested the One, and the only One, who could and did keep the Law. Jesus was approved by the Law. He came as the natural seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, born under the Law and obliged to keep all the terms of that Law. Unless He could keep the Law, He could never be the promised Seed of Abraham; He could never bless the world. But there was no fault found with Him, thank God! He was wholly obedient to the Law of God and fulfilled the requirements of the Law Covenant to the uttermost.

Did Jesus bless the world as the natural seed of Abraham? No. Why not? It was not the natural seed of Abraham, in the special sense, that was to bless the world. Suppose this perfect man, Christ Jesus, in whom was no sin, had attempted to bless mankind as a man. What kind of a blessing could He have given them without first redeeming them? You see, He could not have given men the blessing which God designed them to have. He might, indeed, have set up a kingdom, established upon wise principles. He might have been recognized as a great teacher and reformer. The world might have bowed down to Him, acknowledging their willingness to serve Him as their King. Still, they would have been under the death sentence.

Jesus as a man could not have set them free from that sentence, "Dying, thou shalt die." Millions had already gone down into the tomb. Although Jesus kept the Law perfectly, He could never have blessed all the families of earth as a man in any permanent way. He might have told them how to eat better, how to clothe themselves better, how to speak and act better, and how to do everything more wisely, but still that would not have brought the blessing of everlasting life which God designed man to attain. Jesus would have had everlasting life Himself by keeping the Law, but He could not have given everlasting life to a single individual. He might have awakened some of the sleeping ones out of death by the use of His power, but He could not have kept them awake, because He had not this right, since the sentence against Adam and his posterity was, "Dying, thou shalt die." Hence it was necessary that Jesus first attain relationship to God as the spiritual Seed of Abraham before He could be the One to save and bless the world.

What did He do? Ah, He gave His life as the Ransomprice for the sins of the whole world, a Ransom for Father Adam, in whom all the world were condemned. Inasmuch as all men died in Adam, the sacrifice of the one perfect man, Christ Jesus, was sufficient to accomplish the redemption of the whole human race, which was in Adam's loins when he sinned. What beautiful harmony we find in God's arrangements! As Bible students, we know that the word, "ransom," was used in the Bible, when speaking of our Lord's sacrificial death for man, signifies a corresponding price. It was the perfect Adam who sinned, and it was the perfect man Jesus who gave His life as Adam's Redemption-price.

It was not enough, however, that Jesus laid down His human life. There must be something more. Jesus must receive a spirit life. But why not receive back again the earthly life? Because, if He took back the earthly life which He had laid down, He would need it for Himself, and He would have no life to appropriate for Adam and his race. He would merely have died and been resurrected to human life again. His death would have been of no avail. But we see the beauty in God's plan. God arranged that in permitting Jesus' earthly life to be unjustly taken away, He would give Him a new life, on a new plane of being, as a New Creature. Then, as a New Creature, having received life as a divine being as a reward for His faithfulness, He would still have to His credit the earthly nature, the human life, which He had not forfeited by sin. Thus He had a right to two lives. He needed the one for Himself and the other to give for Adam and his race. He needed the two; nothing less would do, you see.

GOD'S WONDERFUL NEW NATION.

The Plan of God having carried out thus far, the next thing in order was that Jesus should start a new nation. A new nation? Yes. When God spoke to Abraham about his seed, He intimated that it would be a nation, and not merely an individual. The natural seed of Abraham as a nation were hoping for much, because a nation was mentioned. When the suggestion was made to them that they might not be fit to be God's special people, they said that that could not be. They supposed that they had the inside track; that since God's Word could not be broken, and they were the natural seed of Abraham, He would have to take them.

But He would not have them if they were not in the right condition of heart. They were probably quite surprised when Jesus declared that God could raise up children from the stones rather than take the unworthy. God would fulfil His promise, but not through them as a nation.

We might not have understood the matter had it not been that God's providence revealed it through the apostles. The Apostle Peter states, writing to the Church of Christ, "Ye are a Royal Priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people [a people for a purpose], that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." This is God's arrangement, then. Where is He getting this nation? He is selecting its members individually, not taking a whole nation, as He did with the Jews. He said to them, Stand aside now; I will show you that I purpose to make a new nation. This is what God has been doing for 1900 years. It is to be a new creation as well as a new nation—a new creation "created in Christ Jesus unto good works." That is why God gives us some good works to do. He is making us co-workers with Himself. "Ye are God's husbandry"; "Ye are God's workmanship," according to the teaching of Christ.

CALL OF GENTILES TO SHARE ISRAELITISII PROMISE.

My hearers know what I mean by the teaching of Christ. I do not mean the teaching of any sectarian system. All who come into harmony with the Lord according to the terms of the Covenant made with Him come under Christ Jesus as their Head. His teachings are found in God's Word, the Bible. It is this one Church of Christ that is the New Creation. We do not know who the members are, but the apostle says, "The Lord knoweth them that are His." I will do my best to recognize the Lord's children wherever I find them, whether white or black, male or female, rich or poor, ignorant or learned. I will do my best to appreciate them. I might make mistakes, and you might make mistakes, but the Lord will not make a mistake. He knows all who are His. "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's Seed, and heirs according to the promise."

It was this class that God referred to away back in Abraham's day, when He declared that the Seed of Abraham should bless all the families of the earth. And you and I are of that Seed, if we are in Christ. How beautiful and wonderful it is that God is thus founding the new nation. But, you may say, we are not Israelites, and the promise was to them. Yes, we are Israelites, if we are in Christ. According to the Law, the Jews could claim nothing, because they could not keep the Law. We as Gentiles could claim nothing because we could not keep the Law. But God did not place us under the terms of the Law Covenant.

How, then, do we come in? The apostle explains that the Jews died to their hopes concerning their Covenant; all hope of accomplishing the desired end through that Covenant must be abandoned. God gave the Jews an opportunity to try for many centuries, and they failed. So there would be no use trying to bless the world under that Covenant. One who did keep that Covenant, and who therefore has all the rights coming from the keeping of it, is choosing us to be His Bride. It is God's proposition. No matter how poor a maiden may be, or how rich a king, if he accepts her as his wife she is his joint-heir in all his possessions. The honors that are his are shared by her as his queen. That is exactly the picture God gives us of Jesus and His Bride.

Those Jews who could get nothing through the Law, because they could not keep it, and who were living in Jesus' day, could become united to Him as members of The Christ heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus. We who were Gentiles, and had no rights at all as Jews, have been invited by this great King to become fellow-heirs with the faithful of the Jews, to share with them all that they will receive through Christ. Good. Thank God for the door opened to the Gentiles also! So Jesus, for 1900 years, has been selecting this Bride class to inherit with Himself the Promise made to Abraham.

CHURCH OF CHRIST ARE UNDER GOD'S LAW.

But has God given over all of the conditions made with Natural Israel and said, Never mind; I do not care for My Law any more? No, not at all. Are we, then, obligated to keep the law? Yes, we are thus obligated. We

Gentiles, who were never under the Law? Yes. How? This way: God is still of the same mind as in the beginning. No one will be fit to bless others unless he himself is in harmony with God through His Law. But we are not under the Law Covenant. According to the flesh we could not keep God's Law, but we can keep it according to the spirit. Covered with the merit of Christ, "the righteousness of the Law—its just requirements—are fulfilled in us." Who? Those who "walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."

God in His arrangement tells us that He has reckoned us dead to ourselves, to our fallen nature. He knows our blemished bodies could never keep that perfect law. He knows that you and I as human beings could not keep it.

Pastor Russell is having a good time at the Springfield Convention.

But if we are willing to give ourselves over entirely to Him, to use all our strength in seeking to live according to His will, we may be accepted through Christ as members of that wonderful new nation, which when developed in the School of Christ will be fully qualified and equipped for bringing in the grand blessings long ago promised to all the kindreds of earth, both the living and the dead.

We lay ourselves at His feet and say that we will be glad to do anything in our power. Then what does God say? "Come, and I will accept you through Jesus Christ. His merit will cover your imperfections. I will beget you with My Spirit and you shall be New Creatures in Christ, to whom "old things have passed away and all things have become new." We rejoice to have such a precious relationship. The God of Heaven has received us into His family. He has raised over us the banner of love. Instead of being sinners, we are now justified freely by His grace from all things from which the Law could not justify us. There is naught against us on God's Record.

What else have we? As New Creatures we have entered into a Covenant that we will keep the Law of God. Is that true? Yes, my dear brother. What about our imperfect flesh? God says that He will judge us according to the spirit, the intention. If our hearts are loyal, if our endeavors are the best we can put forward, He will cover our defects with Christ's sacrificial merit. The blemishes are not ours willingly. If we do all in our power to overcome, these imperfections will not be counted against us.

God keeps us clean by continually applying the virtue of Jesus' blood as we ask for it. He recognizes us as His children, who have come into the schooling condition under our Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we receive the necessary lessons, experiences and assistances, to the end that we may be prepared to be the teachers and rulers of the world by and by. It is an individual work. It will be a collective nation when completed and we are changed in the First Resurrection, brought to perfection as New Creatures. It is to be a royal nation, a royal family on the spiritual plane then.

THE GREAT WORK GRANTED THE "OVERCOMERS."

We have been aspiring to the same great work that Israel aspired to. They aspired to be God's people to break in pieces the Gentiles. The Lord declares in the 2nd Psalm that the heathen (the peoples) shall be broken with a rod

of iron; that they shall be "dashed in pieces as a potter's vessel."

God will overthrow present governments, institutions and arrangements and establish a New Order of things. He says, "To him that overcometh will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron," etc. The appeal to God's people to be "overcomers" is an individual one. We cannot get into the Kingdom by classes or nationalities, or by churches or sects, or by any other way than individually. That is the way the Lord puts it in our text, "To him that overcometh."

What have we to overcome? You have not to overcome your will, because you did that before you came into God's family at all. God would not accept you until your will, according to the flesh, was dead. So the Bible puts it. After giving up your will, He begat you by His Spirit to be a New Creature. This new mind, this new will, this new disposition, this new spirit, is the one that is now animating you. What have we to overcome, then? Many things. There is the spirit of the world about us, which is altogether different from the Lord's spirit. It is the spirit of selfishness, a spirit sometimes more noble and sometimes less noble, but always a selfish spirit. It is an ambitious spirit, ambitious in wanting to get pleasure and the good things of life, the world's approval, and everything of a worldly kind.

DECEPTIONS OF THE FLESH.

You find that spirit all around you, in the office, the factory, the stores, in the newspapers, and everywhere. The suggestion of selfishness comes from every side, "Serve the present system and the interests of the present life; live for present things." Then your own flesh has certain suggestions for you. It suggests, "You have a natural appetite in this direction, and in that; gratify it. God would not have given you the desire if it were not right." These tendencies have come down to us through 6000 years of sin and selfishness, and these things we are to overcome.

These tendencies toward pride, show, vanity, to vie with other people to see whether we can get as much money as they have, or more, or as good an automobile as theirs, or better, are of the spirit of the world. They are the motions of sin in the flesh, as the Apostle Paul expresses it. You have these in your flesh. You do not have them as New Creatures. The New Creature must operate through the flesh, but the flesh is not you. You must make a distinction between you and your flesh. The flesh suggests to you that these would be the things desirable, the things pleasurable. "Come now, don't be an extremist," it urges. It is in making such propositions as this, bringing such pressure to bear upon us, that the flesh tries to turn us away from the narrow way.

It says, "That way is too difficult; do not make such sacrifices; God does not expect it of you." Oh, the flesh knows a lot about what God doesn't expect of you. It is always telling you that God does not expect this or that, and that He wants you to enjoy this or that advantage. But never mind what your flesh says. What does God say? The flesh will try to deceive you, to get you to see things its way. The flesh is an enemy that you will have a great battle with. But this is not all. You have the Devil also. There are many evil impulses which the Devil has nothing to do with except indirectly from the fall, and the general evil influences which he has set in motion. They may come from our own minds, and from the world, with which we must also wage a warfare. But there are plenty of contrivances of the Devil. Many of these have come through the theological teachings of the various religious systems. They are some of the Devil's traps by which he seeks to ensnare us and keep us from walking in the narrow way, to keep us from becoming the Seed of Abraham.

ARE WE CONQUERORS—“OVERCOMERS?"

Abraham's Seed are to be conquerors. We are to love God with all our heart, to the best of our ability. Are you doing it? Are you trying with heart and soul to attain to what God wills for you, to use your best powers in doing that which would be pleasing to God? Or are you giving your best to something else, and giving God the fag ends, just at about the close of your life? Are you giving Him just a minute or two of prayer, after spending the whole day seeking the things of this world and in making provision for the flesh? What kind of a way would that be to serve God, my dear brother? The Lord is expecting you and me to be overcomers. He says, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne."

The Seed of Abraham is to uplift mankind from degradation and sin and bring them back to God. The necessary preparation is this work in ourselves. We are not expected to perfect the flesh, but we are to so bring our minds into subjection to the will of God that we can truly say, "This is the best I can do." God will be very pleased with that, I think. When you have done the best you can as a New Creature, be sure that God will ask no more. You are to "overcome," to be "more than conqueror," if you would be a winner of the great "prize" of the High Calling.

We have many and varied besetments from the world, the flesh and the Adversary. The very first thing in seeking to do the will of God is that we be just. That is the basis of character. We not only want to love God with all our heart, but we also wish to love our neighbor as ourselves, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. That is the Golden Rule, and Jesus sets it forth as a standard that God requires us to observe. God is looking to see to what extent you will observe the Golden Rule; to what extent it enters into your life. You owe every man justice. That comes in before love. Then, after you have rendered justice, have kept the Golden Rule, pile on love. But you must not give anything less than justice.

I would like you to notice that all these things begin at home. I have known people who would be just to a penny with the butcher and the baker, who would feel that they might take advantage of the members of their own family. You ask, "How could that be?" You must find the explanation. But it is surely a fact. Many husbands are less just to their wives than they are to others. Many wives are less just to their husbands than they are to other people. Many parents are less just toward their children than they would be in dealing with the children of others. Many children are less just to their brothers and sisters and parents than they would be to other people. All this is wrong, and the sooner we see wherein it is wrong and correct ourselves the better. You say, Circumstances are different in different cases. My husband would take advantage of me if I treated him justly; or, my wife would take advantage of me if I treated her justly.

That is the way with the great nations. They do not trust each other. The British said, "The Germans are getting ready to swallow us up." The Germans said, "The English are jealous of our prosperity; they would like to grab more territory and make a greater British Empire." But you and I are responsible to God. Never mind about the other person. Leave others to Him. If you have acted in harmony with God's Law, and it has caused you great disadvantage, the apostle declares that "the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you," and you will have the victory in your heart. Let us keep this in mind.

The nation God is electing must have hearts that are just and reverential and loving, desirous of doing His will. I think all the overcomers will have the characteristic of justice. God says that justice is the foundation of His Throne. Do you think He would permit Messiah's Throne to have any other foundation? Do you think that you and I will be permitted to sit in the Lord's Throne if we do not have justice deeply imbedded in our whole being?

CHRISTIANS MUST GO BEYOND GOLDEN RULE.

Is that the end, the keeping of the Golden Rule? No, dear brother, that is the beginning. You are to go on and have as much love as possible, a sacrificing love. Be sure that the Law of Justice is reigning in your heart, that you are doing according to the Golden Rule, then pile on love. The Spirit of the Lord is manifest in all who possess it. You can see it. How can we see the Spirit of God? We can see it in the life. God's Spirit is the spirit of meekness, gentleness, patience, long-suffering, brotherly-kindness, love. Ah, that is the spirit we are of. That is the overcoming spirit. It is to attain to this, dear brother, that the Lord has invited you; and to that end He is encouraging you.

Remember, the Lord knows your imperfections. If you are coming along slowly. He knows if there have been impediments in the way. He knows all about your affairs. He wishes you to be a conqueror, that you may be granted to sit with Him in His Throne and rule the nations. Are you a conqueror, my dear brother? To what extent are you conquering? This represents an inward fight against the perversity of the natural mind. These selfish tendencies manifest themselves in the home and family relationships and more or less percolate into the Church of God. In these various experiences and testings we are to see that we manifest the spirit of love, in our words, our thoughts and our doings, that, as the apostle says, we may be copies of God's dear Son.

BIBLE PREDESTINATION.

You remember the Apostle says that God has predestinated us. What a strong word! Yes, that is what he says. We did not know its meaning at one time, because we did not then search the Scriptures. We thought that certain individuals would surely get to glory, according to God's predestination. But the Bible says that all who will be of the predestinated class must become copies of His Son. That is important for us to remember. We hope to be of that class, do we not? Ah, yes! If we have been following the Lord's way, if we have tasted His mercy in the forgiveness of our sins, if He has led us beside the still waters of His grace and truth and in the green pastures of His favor, if we have the Lord Jesus as our great Shepherd, shall we now make shipwreck, when we are so near the Kingdom? No, no! We will not think of turning back. We will go on, cultivating more and more of the Spirit of the Lord. If we make mistakes we will strive to correct them, and make apologies, always making sure that we are serving the Law of God in our hearts. We will see that in heart we daily cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

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