Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 287, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1914 — FILLED WITH ALL GOD’S FULLNESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FILLED WITH ALL GOD’S FULLNESS

Wideness of God’s Mercy, Like the Wideness of the See.

Balm For the Wounded Soul —“Come Unto Me"—“All Ye That Labor and Are Heavy-Laden"—Divine Character Blandered—False Theology Driving Many Away From God—Predicted Hour of Trial Upon tile Whole World —Thousands Falling Away.

November 29. Pastor Russell’s discourse today threw great light on the Divine character, which is so little known. His text was St Paul’s prayer, as recorded in Ephe-sians~S:l7-19. The Pastor holds that a thorough study of the Scriptures will

demonstrate that Divine Justice, Wisdom, Love and Power are all enlisted on behalf of Adam and his race —to do us good, to save us from our sins and from the dead and dying condition In which we find ourselves, mentally, morally and physically. Every reasonable mind, he declared, should realize that God should be just and loving toward all His creatures. The thought of an angry, vindictive, torture-loving God should be rejected by every rational mind as ungodlike, demoniacal.

Doubtless , t thl6 would have been so if it were not that misconceptions of the Divine character have been impressed upon our minds from earliest childhood. These misconceptions, called “doctrines of devils,” were often taught us by those whom we properly loved and whose piety we reverenced, but who were themselves deceived. *“ It is high time, the Pastor declared, that more reverential, more loving, theological views were seen by mankind. The lack of this true theology is driving many-away from God and His Word into vain philosophies and “science falsely so-called”—Higher Crlti- . cism, Christian Science, Evolution,. Theosophy, etc. Measurements of Divine Character. Next was discussed the Inability of’ the human tongue to tell the wonderful measures of God’s Love. As St. Paul suggests in our text, the privilege - of appreciating these lengths, breadths, depths and heights, is granted only to< the saints of God, and to these only in/ proportion to their saintliness. Though beloved of the Lord and carefully cherished, a babe in Christ cannot comprehend these measurements of Divine character. When first he believed in the Lord, he saw something of Divine love and mercy, which influenced him and drew him to the exercise of fait)' t and the renouncement of sin. Appreciating the call, he then made full s» jrrender to the Lord in Response to 'the invitation, “I beseech you there/ ore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living / sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,/which is your reasonable service.” Having thus done all in his‘ power, he received the begetting of tk.e Holy Spirit, not with outward demonstration, but with inward grace, and the enlightenment of the eyes/c it his understanding. From this W standpoint, he began to see/more of the measurements of Lovq/Dlvine. If living up to his privileges, he is hourlygrowing in grace, inyknowledge. In appreciation of the Divine character. It was then shown that the reception of Christ Into our hearts by faith brought strengthening by His Spirit in. the inner man—the new nature. As this Spirit of Christ dwelt in the Heart by faith, it rooted and grounded us In His character-likeness, which is the same as that of the Father—Love. This experience enables us to comprehend with all saints these measurements of our Creator’s character as others cannot. Yet, as the Apostle says, we who know only in part now will by and by, after our resurrection, change from earthly to Heavenly nature. see our Lord as He is and knoyr as we are known.

In our text, said the Pastor, which! applies only to the present life, the Apostle declares that even the saints cannot know the Love of Christ, because it “passeth knowledge.” But St Paul gives another intimation of how this keen appreciation of the glorious character of God comes to His consecrated saints—by their b&ng “filled with the fulness of God.” This rifieans. not merely the renouncement of sin and the consecration of ourselves to our Lord, but a filling with His Spirit His disposition—a gradual work. The Spirit of the Lord Is one of holiness, not only of separateness from sin, but or opposition to it; not only i of sympathy with righteousness, but of activity on its behalf; not only of putting away from our hearts every sympathy with the unfruitful works; of darkness, but also the receiving of that spirit condemns them by daily life and a word fitly spoken, not only by an appreciation of the fruits and graces of the .Spirit of God—meekness, gentleness, long-saffering. brotherly kindness, love—but so great am appreciation of them as to lndncp, na> more and more to stamp these gracious characteristics of Divinity upon ourown thoughts, words and deeds. Thus it is that we become “copies ot God’s dear Son.” and “meet for tin. inheritance of the saints In light.” on* derstanding the deep things of God