(191-195) Edenic condition, the preparation of the garden for man’s use would have been unnecessary; neither would it have been in harmony with divine economy to have first brought the earth to perfection, and then to have blasted and blighted it; rather, by the method adopted, God is showing his foreknowledge of whatsoever has come to pass. The curse is lifting from the earth, in proportion as man 18 gaining victories, intellectual and chemical and mechanical, over it, by which he is subduing it. These are under divine guidance, and undoubtedly will greatly increase throughout the Millennial age, and as they increase the curse will to that extent disappear, until by the close of the Millennial age, with human perfection, there will also be earth-perfection. THE JUDGMENT OF ‘‘THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD’’ Question.—To whom or what do you understand our Lord’s words in John 12-31; 14:30, to refer? Is not the Duaglott foot-note on this verse a misconception? -lnswer—We understand the “prince of this world” here mentioned to be the same elsewhere denominated, “the prince of the power of the air who now worketh in the hearts of the children of disobedience ” From this you will see that we would not at all agree with Wakefield's suggestion, as given in the Diaglott foot-note, In reference to John 12:30, 31, our thought is that the “prince” there referred to is Satan also. Satan and his rulership of disorder and sin had received no particular sentence or rebuke from the Lord up to this time; indeed, the appearanees were that cither God’s law or God’s creatures were imperfect, and hence that sin was unavoidable. But when our Lord Jesus, by his obedience and sacrifice, upheld the law, and made it honorable, and proved that it was within the range of a perfect man’s ability to keep it, he thereby “condemned gin in the flesh,” and, incidentally, condemned Satan’s entire rule, And not only so, but by the purchase of the world of mankind with his own life, he secured the legal con ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, Pa. trol of the world, or the right to bring it from under subjection to sin and Satan, back into harmony with God. In this sense of the word “this world,” or the order of things then in vogue, and still in vogue with the world, was condemned, sentenced to overthrow, from the time that our Lord Jesus was lifted up, finished his work of redemption, and was accepted of the Father as the purchaser and King of the earth, the Second Adam. “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out:” The casting out of Satan followed the redemptive work by Christ. He is cast out so far as the Church is concerned; for we are not to allow Satan or sm to bear rule in our mortal bodies, but are to esteem ourselves free from his yoke, that we may serve the Lord. Moreover, the influence of the truth is more and more liberating in the world of mankind, breaking the shackles of superstition. But the great overthrow of Satan, and the great liberation of mankind has been delayed, waiting for the gathering out of the elect, the full lifting up of the whole body of Christ. As soon ag this is accomplished the sentence upon Satan and his government, passed eighteen hundred years ago, will go into effect thoroughly. Satan’s house and household will be spoiled, wrecked, end a new Prince and his associates will take the kingdom and possess it forever, SHE SHALL BE SAVED Question.—Do you understand 1 Tim 2°15 to be literal? Answer.—Yes, we understand that the Christian mother may reasonably expect to be saved (preserved) from much of the anguish incident to motherhood ;—to this end her mind should rest fully upon the Lord, his love, his care—dread should be dismissed, and thus some of the chief factors of anguish would be removed. Feeling intensifies nearly all the difficulties and trials of life; and with the Christian perfect love for God and the complete realization of the Lord’s love for him, should cast out all fear, and produce, instead, the peace of God which passeth all understanding, not only in our hearts, but also in large measure in our flesh. Vout. XXIII ALLEGHENY, PA., JULY 1, 1902 No. 13 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER NOT MERELY A REWORDING, BUT A NEW CREED As many Presbyterian ministers will, undoubtedly, claim that their new creed is precisely the old one except that it is worded in more modern language,—that they never did believe in “non-elect infants” and never professed to so believe, etc., etc., it is well that we now record the utterances of some of these brethren who having so long felt uneasy about professing untruths and vowing to teach them to others, are now overjoyed by the relief of the new confession We give extracts below from Rev. Donehoo’s first sermon after the adoption of the new creed (evidently the gentleman’s own report) from the “Pittsburg Post,” May 26. REJOICES OVER THE CREED REVISION The pastor of the West End Presbyterian Church yesterday morning dehvered a sermon on the following teat: TL Thess. 1:8. “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth’ “The time was when it was regarded as the very essence of orthodoxy to believe that religious discovery had reached its utmost limit with the deliverances of the Westminster divines, and that further investigation into the realms of truth exposed the audacious investigator to the charge of disloyalty to the standards, and made a man unworthy of the confidence or even fellowship of his more orthodox brethren. This is not ancient history, but sober facts occurring within a score of years and closing on last Thursday with the practically unanimous adoption of the committee report on creed revision in our General Assembly in New York citv. The highest court of our chireh, composed of men who argued and voted against such a thing. gulped down revision with a relish which seemed to indieite that it was not such an unpleasant dose. after all. “Tt as in no spirit of triumph over a prostrate foe that I allude to these things, but simply because I cannot repress my joy that the mists have cleared away, and that a brighter day has dawned upon the,chureh. It is to me an especial cause for rejoicing that I can siand up in the pulpit and offer salvation without any mental reservation, and without any stipulation that the one to whom the offer is extended must first of all be one of that select number who had been chosen from all eternity to be the object of God’s sovereign compassion simply for ‘His mere good pleasure.’ . .. “T am glad besides that the ambiguous declaration about ‘elect infants dying in infancy’ being saved—(as though it was possible for any other than infants to die in infancy) — while a very painful silence is allowed to hang around the fate of other babes that breathe and gasp, and die ere they had made acquaintance with joy or sorrow, sin or goodness—is now to be explained as teaching, what a formidable party in the Westminster Assembly opposed with such persistence that they forced the Assembly to place this ambiguous statement in the Confession (that they believed in the damnation of un-elect infants) that God’s election embraces all that die in infancy in His purposes of grace. I am glad of that... . “Henceforth may we not hope that men will preach God, not as He would be if they could have had their way about it, and not acting as they would have done if they had been in His place, but. as He has revealed Himself in his Word and providence, a God of infinite mercy and love, who is not willing that any should perish, but who would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth?’ Rev. L. P. Crawford, of Pasadena, Cal., says in the California press:— “When I was ordained there were three things that I would not subscribe to. To these three points I said ‘No. The first. was this, in Chapter III: ““By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death!’ “T said: ‘Ll can’t go it—I’N have to be made over’ “Dr. Adams asked me: ‘Is there anything else, young man” “Yes, sir, there is.’ I said. ‘If where it speaks of elect infants, it is to be implied that there are infants that are not elect, then I don’t believe it? “‘Anything else, young brother” asked Dr. Adams, and I remember it as well as if it was yesterday. “Yes.” YT said. ‘If it is meant that I am to be held responsihle for Adam’s sins, in the sense that I can be punishable for them, then I don’t believe it.’ “Well, my dear brother.” said Dr. Adams, ‘There are a good many of us in the same fix;’ and they licensed me. “Now, these three points that I refused to subseribe to are the principal ones taken up in the revision,” We are glad that the General Assembly hag given these brave men their Jibertv at last: tho we confess we would have admired them still more if they had been courageous enough to have promptly and vigorously obeyed the voices of their consciences;—if they had refused to lend one mite of [3032]
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