RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 164, 11 July 1914, Page 14

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

THE FXBST RESURRECTION; SEVERAL CLASSES. OR DIVISIONS, IX THE RE3URRECTIOX OF lEHB DEAD. April 12th. —Pastor Russell addresses to-day. We report the one from ithe text: "There shall be'a, >resuTTi'ction <nf the dead, tboth.-of the just and unjust" aQAets xxiv. Jo). The IPastor -remarfred that there has, perhaps, never been a trm© "when the •professed, followers of Jesus 'have !believed less in the resurrection, of the dead than at present. This shows a great falling luvay from - " the faith once delivered -to fihe saints." Tlhe 'Resurrection is the preat thope which the Bible sots before mankind. Various Scriptures were cited by the Pastor toiprove that death is the penalty of em—the corse ivltich came upon all the race-because of Adam's disobedience to God "hi Eden. He showed that God'e ipromise <to Toll away the <-irrs<?, and to give 'blessing instead, includes every member of, the huma.ll 'family. He reasoned <u»d adduced Bible proofs in its ejrpport, that the blessing of all the fajniliee of the earth will, therefore, mean tie resurrection of the dead —the xc-euxTCction; ot Adam and every member of hie race. The-earKest intimation that God wouJd do anything 'for imane recovery ifrom death was <;iven -when our first parents were expelled from 'Eden. There God declaimed fhait at some futuTe time the peed of the •woman would bruise the ee.rpcnt'-sJhead. There was merely a Tay of hope in this, with no intimation of (how it would (be accomplished.

God's* firet definite statement erf what !he purposed to do for Adam and his race wafwnadesto Abraham two thousand yean* ufter sin 'had entered the world. To Albrabam-Godmade known <HU future pood intentions towards lAdam and all ■hi* posterity. He said: J propose to tless ail <the-"families of the earth. Walk ibefore Mc-and be thou faabhful; and 'the blessing eihall come through thee and thy posterity. After Abraham had endured tests, God confirmed Hie previous assurances- and gave Hie oath to fix the certainty of "the whole imaitter. The •words iwere: " In tliv seol shall aTI the families of .the earth >be blessed." Abraham saw into the future rvrith the eye of >£aitih. 'He sow the Christ <*f frlory and the Ueign of •Risrhlteousnee?, and under it the recovery of the human .-fanrilv from dwrradation. t»in. imperfoctioTi. "deatih. He discerned t'lrat there would be •» resurrection of the dead: not merely an awakenine to the con-diion. in which 'they fell asleep, -bofr--*- rnf-Ona , up to the full perifeetion <A God's imape an,l Irkenwu. from n\hi<*r"the whole race fell through LVdaim's <Ssol>edience.

a-KE XLiWCOVTEN'ANT THE SHADOV?. God knew when he made the promise to Abraham that hits Seed —the. Chnst — would not appear even in the flesh for more than 2,000 years. He knew also It hat it would he nearly -2.000 yeare after that before £his Spiritual Seed would be piven the power and authority to bind fcsatan, and to release 'the slaves of sin lind death from the great prisonhouse «>f the tarribv-os well jus from mhe shackles of igirorance, superstition and ■weakness. was not necessary that all tarie should h&told to Abraham. 'It -was sufficient tbat-itihe Ericnd ■of God should know of a. strrety «ha,t a. Weseing rwas. coming; and taut in cone -way life seed, hid posterity, -smald -be identified -with that hleseing. God dicf, indeed, give a typical lesson respecting the ifact that there would be two seeds oi Abraham: on e Heavenly, and tho other earthly. Without explain'iug the matter to Abraham, God etated TtTeo -that * would 'be written aforetime for the iafornration of those to whom it woirid he "meat in dire sesison." viz.. to the Household of "Faith of this Gospel Age. He eaid: "Thr eeed shall he a« the etaxs -of hearen, and as the sand of the sea'sfcore."

St. 'Paul assure* U3 that the promise of God) made in 'A>braba.m appertaine to ibffth the HeanFenly. Spiritual class, or freed, and: *he earthly. bu.mair-natnre t-lass, or seed. His word* are: ifo-re,.it Sβ-of faith, that it might be of grace; to the endi that the Promise might fee* «ure> to aU the sped , ; not to that orfy ■β-hich w of tlw Law, but to i& df the faith of AibrahaTrr*'(Rom. , iv. <10). God alTow&ii posterity, through; tJiacdb, to go down- into' Egypt, a-nd there to become 'bondsmen. Later, He brought them to GVloumt Sinai, when ,Be made the .Law Covenant with them, Moses-eerving as its 'Mediator. In. that Cove-nan t God! promised , 'that if the ■Israelites .wouW) keep His law perfectly, He TccmAdi bless them ajid ump them ac His holy nation for rtoe Wearing of all nations/However, God' knpw that larael coirid jwrfc Icctip thai Cov-ena/nt. Ooi had! a dotrble purpose in mxking the Lsew Covenant with 'Israel: (1) It eezved to show them tliat they were ftinoen?. :wh'r> could not keep the Law and w.ho> cotrid) not Ik> bleseed by anything that they nooki din; and that ■hence they raraid not expect to 'be used of God' itt-SJess'mg efkor peoples. A'ddi-

tronsHy, it tangiht a. eiimiliir lesson to all otlrare who would erabse)queirUy know about the- arracngFmPDt. The <m« great lesson .was !&aX GodTs Tja-ar ie perfect, and obedie-nte to it) requiTee perfection, and *hu-t no man is perfect. Thus no man is entitled u> eternal life. eternal life only -to the perfect. (-2} iAiro*h'er'«ibjf« v t. an important mac it-hat the In,T Covenant was typical, pornijmy iomrard' to glonkms , antitypes, aTid tibese antitypes 'will .bring in. the real ibleEeimga "which 'lerael couldi not •flbta-in under fhe- .Law Covenant. THE -AIOTTSffIES FAR SUPERTOR. The 'Law Covenanfc -its-elf typi-fiedi the ■New Jja-wCoveitanit of tlie future, .which wiH !be in, operation -for all - the families o£ the-eeiffch during the , thouea-nd years of Omsf»T<rigTi, The ilediai»r t>f that Nffw Oovenoiifc "wiW 'ba i'be aratitypo of Thd Christ—Jc6>is the Head. an-i the Church Iris Body, enthroned in power and groat glory-ea the aniatyf kd 'Melchizodok* —a Priest uipon- liis Throne. Aα the Covenant vrae irnauguratedi by the- «i£rifice oif 'iralls-*and goats, co the nntkypical Covenant, the New La«-(oven-anb rwdli iba dnaaiguTated l upon tho haeia of *'Jl>efctor sacrifices" than those. 'Aβ ther"typical covenant had its Day nf A-toommeob ifor the sins of th« people, co th» SLBbTbyipical Covema.nt will linve a much greajbe.r (Atonement Day. The offering of the ibetter isaiTifices takes iplacc> during fcho«arly part of the jintitypicaL Altomcsatont Day, Ibegun l.sno ycaTH Jlgo, and li-ot yot The great mac that «f Jesus, finished, at Calvary; bnt his secondary offeringe, ao<mr great Eiph Prieet, 'have onntiauc* ever emco; end; <iuring .this period! 3i«-ibne iheemi lofferimg'iiip a Chnroh ■ —fch« meunbeae of ■Hβ Bwrliy, justified through hie <preci(wi& mw.rtfice. T-lrcee,

cffpfcaible Kaerifteee; ibecanse - offered! Ibv their great IRedeenrer and Advocate, Jesus Clrrio-t the Righteous. Soote the antiijipieal sacrifices will all 'be elain. iSoon all the members will be glorified with their Head!, their Lord Jesus, beyond the veil. Thie tb the First ■Resurrection. (The change of Jesus to the Heavenly condition at hie reeurreetiora was the 'beginning of this Chief Resurrection; anil the glorious change of the last memiber of the , Body of Christ, the Church, Trill be the coneiimimation, or-ifrnishing, of that Chief ResurTection. Only those accepted by the ■Lord as members of the Royal Priesthood!, "by presenting , their ibodjes living 65EexHie"» ami .faithful unto death, will be identified with their Master an the great taaneaetion< which will constitute the Ibaeis for their exaltation, to ibe made partakere of <tho Divine nature.

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES. Sixty years ago the Dutch started the first Christian mission at New Guinea. It was not until twenty-three years ago that the Anglican Church started operations in that island continent. The Auckland branch of the Flying Angel, Missions to Seamen, conducted by the Church of England, is now the chief station in New Zealand, as the missioner has received advice to that effect from the London committee. The Wellington Mission is no longer in existence. The Missions to Seamen in Auckland have thp use of the Sailors' Home Hall, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and each alternate Sunday. Subscriptions, games, reading matter, etc., are always welcome, and may be addressed to o/o Diocesan Church Office. Shortlaud Street.

It i≤ estimated that Rev. S. F. Collier, president of the British Weeleyan Methodist Conference, together with Gipsy Smith, ha-s addressed more than 250,000 people since January last. These two have been holding great and stirring meetings. Both toelieve that the best days of Methodism are yet to be, arjl their enthusiasm is •contagious.

Speaking in the South on church problems, Dr. J. D. Jones, Commissioner from the Congregational Union of England and Wales to Uew Zealand and Australia, ea-id the material prosperity oj the country was obvious, but he did not know about its religious prosperity. It seemed to him that indifference had to tie faced here just as elsewhere. He had seen Sunday picnickers even more co in proportion than at Home, and laxity even among Christian folk was allowed which people at Home would look askance at. He wondered ■whether tho Labour party in Xew Zealand was as Christian as that in England. The Labour leaders at Home were all Christian men. Another point that had impressed him was the love of pleasure among; ail elasrsee.

The Rev. A. Newman, near of Pt. Andrew's. Whittlesea, who astonished some clergymen and even laymen by liia ideal of amusements for country parishes at a Cambridgeshire Church Conference, in an interview with a "Chronicle" representative, eaid:—"l maintain there is no objection to any games on Sunday. If it i<3 not wrong on one day it is not wrong on another."

The Rev. Br. J. D. Jones, jr.A., 8.D.. of Bournemouth, who recently visited Auckland as a commissioner from the Congregational Union of England and Wales, intends spending about three and a-half months in Australia, prior to returning to the Old Country. The iXew Zealand Methodisi Home Mission executive have cabled Jfome to ■England for six imen trained at Cliff College. These young men are presumably on their way to New Zealand at the present moment, and, on arrival, will bo sent, to some of tihe vacant iHarue Mission, stations throughout the Dominion.

Pope Leo XIII., in (his famous encyclical on the condition of the working classes, proclaimed the right of all worken» to a.living wage; and- formulate;! a charter of liberty end progress, so broad and generoie in its democratic spirit-t'ltn t the most advanced democrats of all nations hailed it as the greatest pronouncement in modern 'history. This k-d immediately to a tremendous activity of Ohristia.il democratic work throughout Europe, and. to-day one of the"outstanding feSStarlßl'of.'Cithollri.sMianifee the (formation of societies and unions, clubs and reading guilds for the study of industrial problems. Referring to the sign* of religious revivaj in Franco, in an article in the " Nineteenth Century," Mr. IA. F. Whyte, -M.P., t-tates, "Tjhe growth of sywdical'iam and of anti-militarism, the open diesemination of doctrines fatal alike to tb-e State, to*private property, and to the family, the constant recurrence of formidable strikes, the increasing audacity «'f the criminal classes, fche impunity with which some of their most daringtfeats have been performed, tlie spread of financial and political corruption, fche decrease in the. turrth rate ami tihe rise in tile divorce rate, the frcneral relaxation af the old m-orul etamL.ir<jN in *nrivate life as in public, and the decay of the-sanc-tions -which pnarded them, liave undoubtedly .)ed many good citizens of all classes to reflect whether negation can constitute tihe Pure and stably foundation for tin* life of a great people." Tlie proposed American church which is to hp erected in Kingsway a* part of tlie centenary of peace celebrations will be an interesting addition to the already long list of national churches in London. Amongst othcT countries thus represented are Franco. (Germany. Holland, Greece. Switzerland. Norway, Poland. Finland, Italy, and Denmark.

Bishop C'reighton interviewed a London vicar at St. Paul's Cathedral, and requested that he would abandon the use of incense, to which the vicar attached most vital importance "You see, my lord. I have the cure, of ten thousand souls to minister to.' , "Quite «i." rejoined thf bishop, '-.but you don't wish to cure them with smoke like so many kipper?.' , Mi?s Helen Coulthard. aged 20, preached at th P Stratford Tabernacle rcc<Titly. This lady is known all over England, Scotland, and Wales as the jrirl preacher from Rolton. She preached her first sermon at the age of nine years, n:and is stated to apeak entirely exter-

It is something strange for a missionary of the gospel of peace to be arrested on the charge of having fomented war, yet this is what happened to the Rev. .1. S. Bouskill, Baptist missionary in Portugese C'onsio. Writing regarding the matter Mr. Bouskill stares that a sergeant called nt the mission statioii and asked him to net a= a witness. On arriving nt the fort, however, he was told that lie Wai- accused of having fomented the war and assisted the insurgent*. Mi. Dou&kill was subsequently released upon purolo, then the Governor told him lie was free to go anywhere h> liked, as the charges were held up for lack of witnesses. The British Government promptly r-abled the consul to attend to the matter, and Mr. Bouskill in his letter expresses The hope that the Governor will be forced to investigat§. the cis<^