MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1913.
PAQE 2,
PLATTSMOUTH SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL.
RESCUED FROM'
CURSE OF GOD
I
Pastor Russell Says We
Are
t Emerging From
WANING POWER OF GREEDS.
God's Curt Not What We Supposed
Th Rescue Differs Also The Curse
I We Imagined The Curse Mentioned
In the Bible A Just Penalty, Not a
Devilish One It Could Not Be Worse.
; The Limit of God's Law Jesus the
; Rescuer The Preparation Is Ample.
Results Sure As Foretold In Bible.
Brooklyn, X. Y.,
Oct. 23. AVo re
Iort one of Pastor
Russell's sermons
of today from tlie
text. "There shall
be no more curse."
(ttevelation 22:3.)
lie said:
We are emerg
ing from a horri
ble nightmare of
delusion. The
shackles of super
stition are break
(gySTOR. gU5SELL)J
ing from our minds. Our forefathers,
under the threat that to doubt the creed
meant to be damned, feared to think
for themselves. Satan helped not only
to make our creeds, but to manacle us
to them by direful threats. Weil may we
praise God for the dawning lighter the
New Day, which is bringing us bless
ings of a spiritual kind, even as it is
6howering upon us temporal advan
tages such as the world never before
knew. Freedom to think transcends
all physical liberties. Truly "the lib
erty wherewith Christ makes free" !
the great boon of God to man. In pro
portion as it has been received there is
Joy; otherwise there is discontent,
groaning, pain.
God's curse, as set forth by the
creeds, consigns the whole world to
eternal torture, except as any should
be no fortunate as to hear of the Sa
vior, and to respond and to be favorably
environed for saintship. In our irra
tional dread we stopped not to ques
tion the authority of tho?e who made
the creeds. It was asserted that they
were a condensed statement of the I'.i
ble teachings, prepared by very holy
and very learned men; and that it
would be dangerous for any to at
tempt to understand the Bible without
the aid -of the especially ordained
apostolic bishops.
But that day has gone. Education
has become more general. Contradic
tion amongst the apostolic bishops has
demonstrated that they are fallible
that none of them were inspired, as
were the twelve "Apostles or tue
Lamb," whom Jesus appointed to be
the twelve foundations of the Church
of the New Jerusalem.
Back Now to the Bible.
Satan, perceiviug the crumbling in
flrence of creeds and the tendency to
return to the Bible, has invaded all
the institutions of learning. He has
captured nearly all the professors.
Claiming to be an angel of light and
leader toward the Truth, he has been
poisoning their minds with Higher
Criticism and Evolution. By this mas
ter stroke he has accomplished in
these last thirty years ten thousand
times more than Voltaire and Ingersoll
ever hoped to accomplish.
Nevertheless, the Divine arrange
ment will not be frustrated, although
worldly wisdom has captured the
worldly-wise, as the Bible foretold.
(Isaiah 20:14.V Liberty of mind has
brought to Bible students an opportu
nity and a willingness to study the
Scriptures without creed spectacles
And they are being blessed. A light
Is going forth to the ends of the earth
a truer light, from the Word of God.
The Curse of God.
Instead of God's curse being eternal
torture, from which only a handful
would be rescued by the Savior. Bible
students now see that the Bible dis
tinctly tells that "the wages of sin is
death" that capital punishment with
the Almighty is precisely what it is
with the most intelligent of Ilia crea
tures. Kom. 5:12; 0:23.
The record throughout the Bible is
the same as the statement with which
it bgins. There we are told that the
Almighty declared the curse in these
words. "Because thou hast barkened
unto the voice of thy wife been dio
liedient). accursed Is the ground for
tby sake; thorns and thistles
shall it bring forth to thee; in
the sweat of thy face fcbalt thou eat
bread, until thou return to the ground
whence thou wast taken: for dust thou
art and unto dust shalt thou return."
This fully accords with the Divine I-iw
as elsewhere recorded in the Bible:
"The soul that sinneth. It shall die." .
The curse is a heavy one. Under It
our race has been going down to the
prison-house of death for six thousand
years, a "groaning creation." as the
Apostle declares. Every century our
chains of sin have grown heavier, our
mental, moral and physical' powers
have grown weaker, until now the av
erage length of human life is only
thirty-six years; whereas rather Adam
was able to stand up under the curse
for nine hundred and thirty years.
The dying has attacked us In various
ways. - Our insane asylums tell us of
some wio. have died mentally... Utr
orisons tell us of others who have died
f& al" i
... pi
morally. Our hospitals tell us of oth
ers dying physically. Yea, all of our
aches, disappointments and trials tell
us that the curse of God -upon us is
severe, although It Is just.
"Nu More Curse."
The statement of our text is of itself
a contradiction of the eternal torment
theories. A similar contradiction is
the declaration, of the Lord through
the "Prophet that Sheol Hades, the
tomb shall be destroyed. (Hosea
13:14.) These comforting promises
apply to all men. All go down to
Sheol, Hades, the tomb. All are under
the curse; and the destruction of
Sheol clearly signifies the release of
humanity from dying conditions and
from the tomb. In other words, these
two declarations are the equivalents
of the promise of the Bible that "there
shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the Just and the unjust."
But let no one suppose that the de
struction of Sheol will be an instanta
neous work. The curse of death has
lcn upon our race for Six great Days
of a thousand years each. God's prop
osition in the Bible is that in the Sev
enth Day, the Day of Christ, also a
thousand years long, the curse shall be
gradually removed. Not until the close
of Messiah's thousand-year Reign will
there le no more curse. Not until then
will Sheol, Hades, the tomb, have been
destroyed.
The reign of Sin and Death and their
ravages upon our race are matters of
history. The Beign of Christ, the
Iteign of righteousness, the lteigu of
life, the uplifting of humanity, are
matters of prophecy. Those who believe
the Bible to be the inspired Word of
Jehovah may well rest their faith im-
plicitly upon these prophetic assur
ances. Those whose faith in the Bible
has loen undermined by the Adver
sary's work along the lines of Higher
Criticism are without chart or rudder
on a sea of doubt. They know not God
and have uo message from Him. Their
guesses would naturally be as widely
different as their brains.
The Context Wesley's Favorite.
John Wesley came into prominence
at a time when the teachings of John
Calvin had saturated theology. Less
logical than Brother Calvin, Wesley
had a more tender heart. He could not
answer Calvin's wsition, which was
fortified by numerous texts telling
about "tho Elect," "the very Elect,"
and the necessity of making one's call
ing and election sure. Wesley's loving
soul especially rebelled against the
thought that the non-elect should have
leen predestinated to their fate before
the world was created. Ho could not
dispute Calvin's logic, yet he felt that
it was an aspersion against the Divine
character, which made God to appear
Satanic In the extreme.
While agreeing with Calvin that all
except the saintly would be everlast
ingly tortured. Wesley claimed that
even if God foreknew the number of
the unsaintly and had foreordained
their torture, there must have been
some option left with them. He ran
sacked the Bible to find some proof
text supporting this theory. He found
and especially rejoiced in the verses
preceding our text. They pictured the
New Jerusalem the Messianic King
dom in its glory. They show a river
of the Water of Life proceeding from
the Throne of the New Jerusalem.
A little further down in the same
chapter, the blessed declaration is made
that in that glorious time of the future
the Spirit and the Bride shall say,
Come, and he that is athirst may come,
and whosoever will may take of the
waters of life freely. Bev. 22:1-3. 17.
"Ah," said Brother Wesley, "that
tells of free grace!'' He perceived that
these things belong to the Truth. He
trusted that the time would come when
the Church would conquer the world
with the Gospel Message, and when
these prophecies would le fulfilled, and
there would le no more curse.
We perceive now that both of these
brethren. Calvin and Wesley, had
grasped precious truths; and that these
merely needed to be harmonized, in
order to give us the full truth on the
subject of God's purposes. Brother
Calvin was quite right that only the
Elect are to be saved during this Gos
pel Age. Brother Wesley was equally
right that eventually Free Grate will
prevail,
"And every creature, botvl nnd free,
Will liail the glorious Jublli-e."
The connecting links are furnished
us in the Scripture which tolls th:t
before Messiah's Kingdom may be s
tablishcd, the Church must bo com
pleted and glorified. The Election
then ended, Tree Grace will begin.
The. Election appertains to the "Church
of the First-borns," and wisely guards
that only copies of God's dear Son
shall be associates with Him in His
Kingdom and share its glories.
There Is No Bride Now.
Bible students should note carefully
that the Church during this Gospel
Age is not classed as the Bride of
Clirkst. Hear St. Paul: "I have espous
ed you to one Husband, that I miy
present you as a chaste virgin to
Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2.) Hear
what Jesus says to His Betrothed: "I
will come a t:iii n, and receive you unto
Myself." John 14:3.
iote the parabolic picture Jesus
gives of the end of this Age. (Mat
thew 2o:l-13.) In it He likens the faith
ful, betrothed ones to wise virgins.
wh will enter in with the Bridegroom
to the marriage. He informs us. that
then the door to that position of honor
will be shut The number of the Elect
will be complete. Note again that'
this marriage, or union, of the chas-te
virgin Church, the wise virgins, to tue
Helvenly Bridegroom, is declare! . to
be iu thy eed .of this Age. hen "His
Wife shall have made herself leady."
"ot e the- prophetic picture of the mar
riage of the Lamb, and the Introduc
tion of the Bride to the Heavenly Fa
ther, as presented in Psalm 43:10-lo.
Let us note that the river of the Wa
ter of Life will flow from the Throne,
and let us remember that the Throne
of Messiah has not yet been established
in the earth. Let us remember Jesus'
words to the effect that there is now
no river of the Water of Life, but that
each one of the Lord's faithful, begot
ten of the Holy Spirit, . has in his own
heart and experiences "a well of wa
ter, springing up within him unto ever
lasting life." These various considera
tions assure us that not to the pres
ent, but to the future, belongs this
prophecy of Free Grace.
After the Church shall have become
the Bride, after the Kingdom, sym
bolically represented by the ;.ew Jeru
salem, shall have come down unto
earth, then the AVater of Life shall
flow from it Then the Spirit and the
Bride shall say. Come; and for a thou
sand years "whosoever will may come
snd take of the Water of Life freely.'
This is but another way to tell of the
removal of the curse.
Prepared From of Old.
We are not to think that localise our
eyes were blinded by the Adversary's
dust for centuries that these things in
dicate a chauge in the Divine Program
Nav. He who sits upon the Throne of
the Universe has from the very first
had all the plans and arrangements
before Him perfectly, and has been
causing all things to work together ac
cording to the counsel of His own wl.l.
Even from the beginning, in His pur
pose He had arranged for "the Lamb
of God to take away the sin of the
world" by the sacrifice of Himself.
The sacrifice was made necessary to
demonstrate tho enormity of sin. and
the length, breadth, height and depth
of Divine Mercy and Love.
After four thousand years of sin and
death. God sent His Son to die, to be
come the Bedeemer of men, that He
might become their King and Deliv
erer. God might have waited to tho
full end of the thousand years before
sending His Son to redeem men. had
It not been for His purpose to gather
from all nations a number to be the
elect Spiritual Seed of Abraham, asso
ciates with His Son in His great King
dom work of human uplift. As it was,
everything was accurately timed. In
due tiipe He sent His Son to redeem
man. In due time, also. He will send
His Son to dispense the blessings se
cured by His sacrifice. Acts 3:19-21.
Meantime, the Election of the
Church the saintly Little Flock, all
tried, tested, proven in their loyalty to
God. even unto death has been almost
accomplished. We are already in the
Day of His Preparation. (N'ahum 2:3.)
He is pouring out blessings on the
minds of men and is quickening hu
man understanding. The result Is that
the world has taken on new beauty,
fresh energy.
Crossing Into Millennial Age.
A spring time of Divine favor and
refreshment is here, as foretold. But
the blossoming deserts, answering to
the irrigation streams and to the arte
sian springs; the railroads and the tel
egraphs, bringing together the ends of
the earth; the printing presses, caus
ing knowledge, to increase and awak
ening the w hole world all these things
are blessings so great as to astound
us. One week of life now has almost
as much possibility in it as a year had
a century ago.
Evidently we are just crossing from
the Gospel Age to the Millennial Age.
With the death and translation of the
last member of the Church, the Gospel
Age will have fully ended, aud the
Millennial Age will have been fully in
augurated. Oh. how immense is the
thought that we are living In the most
wonderful epoch of the world's history
that stupendous changes are at hand!
The Prince of Darkness is about to
be completely dethroned, and bound
for a thousand years. The Prince of
Light, our Redeemer, is about to take
His great power aud reign. Blessings
already beginning to be poured out,
will go on increasing until "the earth
shall be filled with the knowledge of
the glory of God, as the waters cover
the great deep," and "every knee shall
bow and every tongue confess, to the
glory of God."
As the curse came first uion the earth
itself, so it is first rolling away from
the earth. Already the wilderness Is
blossoming as a rose. Already new
types of grain, vegetables and fruits
are being brought to perfection, and
are yielding phenomenally. Shortly
the lifting of the curse will extend to
humanity. With the knowledge of
God will come a knowledge of the
blessed opportunities which Messiah's
Kingdom will afford to all who desire
to return to the Father's House. A lore
and more the willing and obedient will
be blessed. Not only will the shackles
drop from their minds, but also from
their various powers.
By the close of the Millennium the
groaning creation will have been freed
from the bondage to sin and death.
All the former things of sin and death
shall have passed away. The final
penalty of the Second Death will be
executed upon all not found worthy of
everlasting life under that most favor
able opiHUtunity.
What a glorious triumph that will
be, when every creature iu Heaven and
earth aud under the earth shall be
heard saying. Praise, glory,' honor, do
minion and might be unto Him th;it
.sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the
Lamb, forever! (ltevelatlon 5:13).
What a glorious condition will then ob
tain w hen there shall be no more cry
ing, ii mote sighing, no more dyinu'.
for all the former things of sin and
death shall have passed away! Ah!
He that sitteth upon the Throne snith.
"Behold. I make all things new !" Glad
v. e Hie that out groat Messiah is about
to overthrow sin and evil, about to es
tablish righteousness on a permanent
and everlasting foundation!
Local News
B'roro Saturday's Dally.
W 11. Moil of Hip vicinity of
Odar i Creek was a visitor in this
city-today.
AJ H. Foi nolT or Cedar Creek
was in the city today looking af
ter some mailers of business.
II. C. IJailey, the Maple drove
blacksmith, was in the city today
looking- alter matters of busi
ness. Charles dradoiIle of llaveluck
came in last evening" on No. 2 to
visit here with his parents over
Sunday.
Henry Horn of Cedar Creek
came in this morning to spend
the-day looking after business
mailers. . ,
L. A. Mei.-inger, wife and little
on departed tin's afternoon for
Benson, where they will visit over
Sunday with relatives.
A. '. Nickels and wife came in
this afternoon from Omaha,
where I hey have, been visiting- for
a short lime.
Adam llild, of. near Mynard.
came iu this morning to spend a
few hours here looking' after
some business mailers.
Mrs. Luke - Wiles was a pas
senger this morning for Omaha,
where she will visit for the day
and look after business matters.
John dauer of near Cedar ('reek
was iu the "city yesterday for a
few hours . attending to som
trading with (he. merchants.
.John Kraeger of near Murray
was in the city today for a few
hours attendimr to mailers of
business with the merchants.
J. llennings, wife and
daughter drove in this morning
from their home at Cedar Creek
and will visit here for a few
hours.
Frank Sleppalt and wife and
babe were passengers this morn
ing for lllair, Nebraska, where
they will visit with relative over
Sunday.
V. II. lleil of Cedar Creek, ac
companied bv his wife and
daughter, were in he r if y Ibis af
lernoon attending to some lead
ing.
Mrs. II. 11. Tarlsch came iu last
'veiling from her home at Sioux
City to visit for a few days at
the home of her parenls, Mr. and
Mrs. William lUllance.
Frank Svoboda came oor yes
terday from 'Malvern, Iowa, ami
visited here for life afternoon
Willi' his relatives and friends, re
turning home on No. 2.
.Mrs. J. H. Archer and daughter,
Mrs. V. Jl. Bishel, .departed this
morning for drelua . Nebraska,
where they were eailed by Ihe ill
ness of a sister of Mrs. Archer.
doorge V. Shrader of near
Murray, and daughter. Mrs.
deorgia Creamer, were in the city
today for a few hours looking af
ter some trailing and calling on
friends.
William I'ulssi'.. drove up this
moiuiug from his home near
Murray o jspend the day here
visiting with his old friends and
attending to some business mat
ters. Noel H. Hauls and wife and lit
tle daughter, who have been here
for a short visit at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Bawls. Ihe par
enls of Mr. Haw Is. departed this
afternoon for their home at Uoise,
Idaho.
Captain Isaac Wiles and Major
Hall and wife returned this morn
ing on No. 0 from Minalare, Ne
braska, .where they have been
visiting for the past I wo weeks
with relatives and friends.
deorge W. Snvder drove iu
Ibis morning from his farm and
was a passenger on the early Hur-
linglon train for Omaha, where
he will spend the day looking af
ter matters of business.
Mrs. Allan d. Wilson departed
this morning for Omaha, from
where she will depart for Clay
Center, Kansas to visit (here for
a time with her parenls. Itev
Wilson accompanied her as far as
Omaha.
Mrs. I. M. Davis and daughters
of near Murray came up this
morning from their home and
boarded the early llurlingtou
train here for Omaha, where they
will spend the day.
I 11. Horn of near Mynard was
iu the eily today, bring the young
man who was so eriously injured
at his farm bv being kicked by a
lorse, with him to call upon the
loclor who has been attending
liin.
C. Wilcks and wife of
Spokane, Washington, who has
been here for several weeks visit
ing al Ihe home of Iheir daughter,
Mrs. J doos and family, departed
this morning for their home.
eaviiig on the early IJurlingfon
train.. ...
Mrs. William Long and son, A.
5. Long, of the vicinity of Murray,
drove, to this city-today to attend
o the week-end shopping" and
other business matters. Mrs.
Long was a pleasant caller at this
office and renewed her subscrip
tion to this paper for another
year. ' . .
H. J. Meisinger returned this
morning on No. 0 from a visit at
Creighton, Nebraska, with his
daughter, Mrs. deorge Horn and
family. Mr. Meisinger greatly
enjoyed his visit there and re
ports that the crops in the
vicinity of Creighton were most
excellent this year and I hat a
heavy yield of corn was secured
by the farmers of that locality.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
CONVENTION AT
Large Attendance and Delegates
and Visitors Royally Enter
tained by Peoplo of Union.
From Ha tu relay's Dally.
The Cass County Sunday School
convention closed its sessions
yesterday afternoon al Union, and
in (he opinion of all who attend
ed it was the most successful one
held iu this county in several
years, both iu Hit' attendance and
in Ihe interest and enthusiasm
displayed by Ihe delegates. The
new officers elected for the ensuing-
ear at the closing hours
of the convention were:
President .1. D. Cross, Union.
Vice President 11. II. l'rans,
Union.
Secretary-Treasurer .Mrs. C. I'.
Noyes, Louisville.
I is( rict Superintendent s First
district. Jesse . ferry: second
district, to be supplied: ihiid dis
trict. Miss Nora I'.velaud. Mur
doek. Superintendent Klcmeuiary De
partment Ihnma Jordan, Alvo.
Superintendent I nl or mod jute
Department H. 11. Hiilchman,
Murray.
Superintendent Adult Depart
ment C. C. Wescoll, IMalts
mouth. Home and Visitation Will T.
Hie ha rd son. Mynard.
Teachers' Training H. W.
Myers, Ulmwood.
M i s s in n a ry ? Irs.
Murdock.
Temperance Itev
Avoca.
Literary Mrs. J.
Fred Zink,
ashford,
IJ. Huugate.
Weeping Wafer.
The visiting delegates were de
lighted with the manner iu which
I hey were received and entertain
ed by the residents of Union and
Ihe magiiilicent dinners and sup
pers served to the visitors by the
Union ladies iu Ihe Presbyterian
church certainly were all thai any
person could ask for. and those
who were present to enjoy the
treat say that there was enough
good Ihings lo eat on hand to sup
ply a convention twice as large
as the one which met in that
place. The homes of the Union
people were thrown open to the
visitors and there will always be
a very pleasant recollection in the
minds of all who attended of the
delightful lime and the splendid
program given at the convention
iu I hat city.
3fi
10
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ipLOTHES that bring out
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figure that's what young men want
snappy style, all-wool fabrics, fine tailoring, cor
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Brand Clothes.
Just received a shipment of ad
vance styles in Stetson Hats high
crown, narrow brim style, in ivy green, navy blue
and tobacco brown, made with the new sash bands
a very smart style to w$ar turn down brim fashion.
Manhattan jzfMlf.
JUDGE SULLIVAN PROP
ERTY SOLD TO A. G.
COLE OF PLftlNVIEW
Another very important sale
in property has beei: consumaled
by the Windham Investment com
pany of Ibis city in the sale of
residence properly on youth
hl.-venth sheet, formerly owned
by Judge A. X. Sullivan, to .Air. A.
J. Uole of l'laiuvievv Nebraska.
The residence is one of the finest,
in the city and will make a most
beautiful home for Mr. and Mrs.
Cole. Mrs. Uole was formerly
Miss Helen Travis, daughter of
Judge ami Mrs. II. L. Travis, and
the many friends of this charm
ing lady and her worthy husband
will be delighted to learn that
they are to locate here perman
ently. Mr. Cole is an at lorney-at-law
and will make a splendid ad
dition to the Cass county bar, as
he is a very able young man.
Beautiful Shetland Ponies
for sale at all limes, for the next
iOO years, unless I dio in the
meantime. I have now an extra
fine stallion, the best in the state,
for sale. Well broke for both
harness and saddle.
Win. Gilmour,
Plattsmouth, Neb.
It. F. D. No. 1.
Try the Journal Want Ads.
THE PECULIAR
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Special Scenery and Effects
Sea! Sale al Veyrieh & liadraba's Tuesday
OCTOBER 28!h .
' Balcony 35c and 50c. Dress Circle 75c.
Parquet 50c. .
Alfred Decker & Cohft
Stetson
Ha is
ROYAL NEIGHBORS EN
JOY A MOST DELIGHT
FUL SOCIAL DANCE
On Thursday evening the Royal
Neighbors of America, at tho
close of their lodge meeting-, en
joyed a most delightful social
dance for a period of several
hours, and I lie event proved a
most enjoyable one for all who
took advantage of the occasion
to attend. The Svoboda orchestra
was present and furnished the
music for the dance in Iheir usual
pleasing- manner, and everyone
fell that the dance was one of the,
most enjoyable I bey had attend
ed. The Royal Neighbors has
I u it o a large membership and
these social meeting's serve to
bring them all together for a nice
social time and gives everyone u
chance to get acquainted.
Residence About Completed.
The new residence of Judge J.
K. Douglass on High School Hill
is almost ready to occupy now,
the force of painters under I'rank
(obelman having just wound up
their work in the painting and
decorating of the house and the
residence will make a very hand
some home for Ihe Douglass
family ami is situated in one of
the finest places in Ihe city.
Subscribe for the Journal.
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