Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 155, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1913 — THE LEPROSY OF SIN A SAVIOR NEEDED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE LEPROSY OF SIN A SAVIOR NEEDED

“Every Unrighteousness is Sin” -- "There Is None Righteous, No, Not One.” Open Sine—Secret Sins—Hypocrisies. False Accusers —What God Approves. What God Hates—The Wiles of the Adversary—The Redeemer Soon- to Be the Good Physician—Ten Lepors Cleansed —Only ( One Appreciative.

St. Paul, Minn., June 29. Pastor Russell spoke here this afternoon, and in Minneapolis this evening. The announcement of his coming is always sufficient to draw a crowd. We report one of his addresses, on the text, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the

nine? Only one hath returned to give glory to God. "-Luke 17:17, 18. Leprosy, said the Pastor, has long been regarded as Incurable, and therefore used as an Illustration of sin, Which also Is Incurable. As only the Master’s word could heal leprosy, so only a Divine remedy can cure sin. In olden times lepers were required to separate themselves from others, and whenever approached to cry. “Unclean!” So sinners by Divine decree are Isolated from the pure, the holy. The Pastor then reminded his hearers that humanity constitutes but a small proportion of God’s great family, amongst whom are angels, cherubim, seraphim, etc., who always have fellowship with God and with each other. But while the Scriptures declare that mankind are sinners by heredity, all do not appreciate their condition, nor cry aloud. Unclean! God wishes each to realize that he comes short of tjie Divine standard of perfection—of what God would bless with everlasting life. While the Bible declares that all are sinners, yet it does not unreasonably say there is no difference. It does say, however, that the slightest degree of sin means that we are sinners; and that the person with the least taint would need the Savior—need to be cleansed. Each must see his sin and cry, Unclean! Lord, save, or I perish! Many of us, said the Pastor, when reading our Bibles forgot that perish means to die, to lose life. Nothing in the word signifies to be tortured to all eternity. “The wages of sin I: !eath,” destruction—annihilation, if you please. Had God not made provision for man’s recovery, there would have been no future life for the race. Death would have been as hopeless a state as leprosy is a hopeless disease, from which there is no recovery.

Jesus the Good Physician. Jesus alone can cure this leprosy of sin. God has so arranged the matter. As the penalty of sin upon mankind means death, so whoever would redeem Adam’s race must be prepared to pay his penalty before he could be assisted legally, justly. None of Adam’s race could serve as a redeemer, because all were born In sin, and therefore as subject to the penalty as Adam himself. Nor could any be born sinless, because the life of the race came from Adanj. Whoever would redeem mankind must have a life separate from that of Adam, and be willing to sacrifice it on Adam’s behalf. Any of the angels could have bycome man’s redeemer, had God made them the proposition, and any had chosen to accept it But He gave the first opportunity to the very highest of His creatures, His Only Begotten Son—the Logos, of whom it Is written that the Beginning of the creation of God, the First-born of every creature. Pastor Russell then showed conclusively that not even Jehovah Himself could demand that one holy creature should die to redeem humanity; and that if the Logos had chosen not to accept the Father’s proposition, it doubtless would have been extended to others. But such was the Son’s love and loyalty that to know God’s will was to further it cheerfully. St Paul explains that the Redeemer’s faithfulness and loyalty in doing God’s will to the extent of laying down the human life became the basis of His still higher exaltation—above His prehuman condition. Thus Jesus has been qualified to be made a Prince and a Savior, able to grant forgiveness to all who come unto the Father through Him. What Sin-Forgiveness Means. Forgiveness of sins has two aspects; (1) the cancellation of the legal condemnation; and (2) the recovery of the sinner from his degradation. Jesus came Into the world to accomplish both these results. By His death He could legally satisfy Divine Justice, giving His life as instead of Adam’s forfeited life. Then, raised frpm the dead, with plenitude of power. He would use that power for the recovery of mankind from the mental, moral and physical degradation brought about by sin. \ The Pastor then showed two classes of sinners saved. The mass of mankind will need the severe lessons of Messiah’s Kingdom to show bow obedience to God will bring a gradual recovery from sin and death beck to perfection. The other class Is the Churcb lof the Gospel Age. His text well B hietratee these two cleesee of sinners.