Show f W W WOMEN M DESIRE m ONE HUSBAND T- T li Symbolical Bible Picture of Day Present Present Present- Day Reli ReH ious ions t Conditions v V Woman r an a a. Symbol of the Church Church Jew Jew Jew- 1 sj t ish ih Marriage Typical of f the Union of Christ Christ and the Church Church- The Church The True Church a Betrothed Virgin Virgin The The c Marriage of the Lamb The Lamb The Spirit t and the the Bride Say Come Who Come Who Are AreS S the he Seven Women Who Women Who Is the theMan Why Man Man a Why 1 Why He Turns From Them Rochester N. N Y April 18 Pastor R Russell u II spoke twice here today Ve We report his discourse discourse dis- dis I course on the text b Seven w women o 0 m men e n x shall take tape hold of ot otone Ai one Man in that Day saying haying We will eat cat our own bread and wear our own apparel PASTOR RUSSELL only olly let us be call ed cd cd by Thy name to take away our reproach h Isaiah 41 He f said aid in part Many of the Old Testament prophecies cies ties are highly Illy figurative Doubtless they had some urne measure of application at nt at the time they were written but we have Apostolic authority for concluding concluding con can that they wore were intended for tor Spiritual Israel Ismel 1 Peter Our Lord Loul and the Apostles quoted contino contin contin- o from the prophecies and f bly bIJ applied the lesson son to the Gospel ARC Age Hence we me are abundantly justified justi Just fled tied fied in assuming that our text test is ap ap- ta ter the present Its peculiar bay is usual usuaL expression in m that Day throughout Scripture in referring to I Ithe the lose close of this Gospel Age with wita its tro trouble 1 le and confusion Incident to the of the tile Millennium Throughout the Scriptures a woman r 1 is Js a u symbol of the Cum a Church ch a pure woman woman woman wo wo- man of a pure Church Chuich a corrupt woman wom worn an of a false Church Our Lord compared com com- pared the true tine Church Chuich In the end of ot y this Age to a 1 company of virgins virgins part part F wise and und part pait foolish and foolish and likens Himself Himself Him Him- self to the tha Bridegroom who had come x at the end of the Age to receive His 55 espoused Church Chuich to Himself In glory John the thi B pictured the them matter after the barne Imme figure figuie saying baying He that hath bath the Bride is the Bridegroom and St. St Paul amplifies the thought declaring declaring de de- de- de claring daring I have espoused you the con con- consecrated Church Chuich as a chaste Virgin 4 unto one husband which Is Christ ChristJohn John 29 2 2 Corinthians Here as as in m the parable of the Ten Virgins the Jewish marriage is set sot forth foith as the type of the union between Christ and aud 4 the Church Church-a a very different figure from lUO modern modem CIU marriage customs 4 With the Jews in in olden time when a betrothal took place legal and binding bind bind- S. S lug ing documents were signed by or for fOt forthe the contracting parties but no actual t marriage occurred for loi about a year During that period It was required that the espoused be as faithful to her espousal as is now expected of any true wife We see the harmony between between between be be- tween the Jewish marriage custom and the Lords Lord's dealings with the Church Chuich No one Is espoused to our Lord who has not entered into a formal and definite deft deft- definite nite rite contract with Him On our Lords Lord's part the conti contract act is the great and precious precious pre pre- cious promises of Scripture assuring the espoused that if faithful she shall be joint joint heir heir with her Lord Loid in His mi Kingdom On the Churchs Church's part the contract is our covenant of c consecration faithfulness to our Re Re- deemer even unto death 5 The i interim between our personal acceptance acceptance acceptance ac ac- of the Lords Lord's gracious promIses promises promises prom prom- and our death corresponds in a measure to the betrothal period of ot the Jewish maiden but the more exact I fulfilment of the figure is found round in the history of the Church Chuich as a whole Our fords Cords virgin Church Chuich was espoused to Him film at Pentecost and has been awaiting awaiting await await- ing the coming of the Bridegroom and her resurrection change to glory honor and immortality the immortality the marriage the union union for for nearly nineteen centuries The Bride In Kingdom Glory I In lift fK last Message to the Church recorded in the Revelation our Lord continues to picture the Church as a n betrothed virgin unmarried but under ft strictest obligations to purity and faithfulness faith 4 41 down to the end of this Gospel Age where she is represented seated as makk mak I k lag Ing herself ready for the Bri Bridegrooms Bridegroom's I coming and for the marriage To be ready she must have on the wedding I i. i garment and it must be without spot spott t r or wrinkle or arty any such thing Ephesians Ephe Ephe- elan That robe represents the Imputed righteousness of Christ w which ich t covers her lier every unintentional blemish and imperfection and any spot or wrinkle upon this tins robe would be a cause of such grief to the betrothed one that the stain would be removed and the wrinkle pressed out bt the e i r i Y i i t gracious arrangement made by uy the Heavenly Bri Bridegroom e room for fot lie lIc presented the rube robe and gave directions direction by bJ which it might be Kept unspotted from the tho world The Revelation shows that with her resurrection change In the end of this A Age e the espoused virgin in Church will willlie lie Ill no nu more She will have passed into the more exalted state of the Bride Bride- pin JUU or united to ncr her Lord and Bridegroom Bt Note the symbolical pic pie picture picture ture u by which she is the New Jerusalem coming down from GoO God out of Heaven Baven Revelation 21 2 9 10 10 That is the Heavenly King King- d dm dem m. m the new of the world Is then pictured as the Bride The grand work of the Church in glory is also pictured as the work of the Bride Bride- The Spirit and the Bride say Come And whosoever will let him take of ot Water thc of Life freely ReV Rev 2217 At the present time not only is the Church not the Bride but she is not privileged t to say Come to whosoever will for with the calling caging of this Age there Is a measure of ot election Our Lord declared No man can come unto i Me except the Father which sent Me draw him John Moreover there is no River of the Water of Life now That bountiful provision is forthe for forthe forthe the future future for for the world during durin the Millennial 1 Age Now as our Lord explained ex ex- explained those thos who become His Ills consecrated consecrated consecrated conse conse- crated followers are arc granted to have In themselves a well of ot water springing springing springing spring spring- ing up into everlasting John life life John 4 14 Many Churches of Christ The heathen and children in hi Christian Christian Chris Chrls- tian lands when the they begin egin to study the u. u Wh f ch h Bible are perplexed and anci inquire v H u mc-u Is the Church of ot Christ They see ace churches of various names claiming to be branches of the Church and they ask Which did Jesus establish The answer confusion and reproach All 11 claim genuineness and originality but none can show any existence of its present organization tion earlier than the Third Century When we contrast their elaborate and formal services s with the simplicity of the early Church a as described in hi the New Testament we are sure that they cannot be the same When we compare their doctrines doctrines doctrines doc doc- trines with those of Christ and the Apostles as set forth In the New ew T Testament Testa sta ment meat their claims fall falI to the ground for lack of ot support To illustrate The Scriptures teach that there is but one God the Father and one Lord Loid Jesus Christ 1 Corinth lans laus 8 86 6 that the Father who is above all sent His Son to be our our Redeemer that when the Son had faithfully lY IKS nc that work the Father a 1 rais ras raised 8 ed Him Hun from the dead and exalted Him to His own right hand or place of ot fa favor next favor next to Himself Our Lord Himself Himself Him Him- self said My M Father Fath r is gi greater eater than 1428 But the various I I. I John churches each claiming ea each h claiming to be the original inal inel unite in telling us that there ther are ure three Gods equa equal In power and glory Some explain that the three Gods op op- operate operate erate crate as one others teach that these are but three different manifestations of or the one God What confusion confusion- All this has tended to undermine the faith of ot the more rational members of these various churches So disgusted ha have ve people in ln general gene become with their inability to harmonize with common cornmon com corn mon man sense the creeds formulated In Inthe inthe the Dark Ages that many of at the brightest bright bright- est minds have abandoned them and sought to frame fiame new and more rational ration ration- al conceptions But alas the great Adversary as the Apostle forewarned has manifested himself as an nn angel of light and aud leader into all truth and has captured their college and seminary professors an and their most prominent ministers With w wonderful unanimity they have become Higher Critics and Evolutionists In In Inthe Inthe Inthe the name of at all that Is holy and good they are persuading the leading minds in the various sects that the Bible is not the Word Nord of God that it is not reliable reliable re re- liable that while Jesus and the Apos Apes Apostles Apostles ties were honest enough they were not brilliant scholars and therefore could not detect the falsities of the theOld theOld theOld Old Testament upon which all of their teachings are based i Denying the Lord That Bought Them These rhese wise men meu of ot our time assure us that the story of Adam and E Eve e is at very most an allegory which twenty twenty twenty ty men might interpret in twenty different different dif dif- ferent w ways ys that there never was a II Garden of Eden that there never was wasa a sentence upon Adam Mum because of his Ins disobedience in perfection and that therefore the Scriptures delude us when they declare that by reason leason of ot Adams Adam's disobedience sin and death entered entered en en- the world Since they deny mans man's fall they perforce deny the need of a Savior They deny our Lords Lord's words that He came to seek and to save that which was lost Luke lost Luke 1910 1010 Denying that there was any sin they deny that Christ died for our sins and androse androse androse rose again for our justification 1 Corinthians 15 3 Romans no mans 4 42 1 24 25 23 They ignore the Apostles Apostle's statement that by one mans man's disobedience sin fIn entered en en- into the world and death as a aI result of sin and that thus death passed passed passed pass pass- I ed upon all men because all are sin sin- ners Romans Thus do they make mako void the Word of God and setup setup set setup up instead human theories theories the the golden gold gold- en Image to which all are required to bow down and worship if they would be called caned res respectable intelligent t. t Confusion Babylon Confusion Babylon All this while the true Church has been in 1 the be wilderness as the hEl Serl- Serl I i 6 t f. f i I turea tun explain i levs e lation 1214 1 fn Cn other words SUP she I as been een In disfavor Ignored null and unknown to the worldly wise Some of her members have been ll throughout the various denominations denominations de de- nominations and some Rome have been outside outside out out- side of all these The popular institutions known as churches are arc worldly th their ir alms ambitions and 1 methods are worldly Idly Hence there then ran cnn be very little lit tie tic religious sympathy fellowship and operation cooperation between the majority in in- these systems cold and the minority who me are true to the Lord filI and 1 His ilis Word Nord Our Lords Lord's parable of the Wheat and the Tares pictures the situation exactly He and Ills Apostles sowed the good seed Reed Subsequently the Adversary Ad Ad- vers IY sowed error errors and brought into nominal Christendom many who were Christians Chileans in name merely and wb win professed morality for tor personal profit profit- either to escape eternal torment or to gain present ad Look where we may over o the field of Christen Christendom om we see comparatively few true disciples disciples disciples ples of Christ willingly and amI gladly walking in His IlIs footsteps In the narrow way of self sacrifice and service We Wesee We tee see ce the vast majority Ignorant of the Truth and und of the grace of the Lord- Lord not knowing Jesus as their personal Savior Sa not knowing urn ft-urn what they were redeemed not knowing to what I they have been called and not knowing I Ithe the trials and difficulties of this present present present pres pres- ent time for all aU the faithful ones W We ire see that the fruits fruits' of ot the Spirit- Spirit meekness gentleness patience longsuffering longsuffering long- long suffering Buffering love possessed love possessed by the wheat class are not esteemed by the tares The rhe tare class is full of earthly ambitions ambitions ambi ambi- schemes and l' l pans pians ns in every sense heuse of the word they give evidence that they are of the e earth rth earthy Some of these tares are aie fine noble peo peo- people peOple peO- peO pie in many respects but they have never ne consecrated their lives to the Lords Lord's service even unto death they have nave never entered the narrow way which alone leads to glory and honor Having in mind t the numerous brands of and their various con flitting doc doctrines rines we cannot wonder that the Scriptures use the word Babylon Baby Baby- lon confusion as confusion as a name for these s systems stems as a whole One can put his finger with some degree of d definiteness upon the teachings of Confucius and his followers know what they believe tl the e same with those of Buddhists etc but n t so with Christians Christians Christians Chris Chris- for their doctrines are aie legion The confusion of doctrines amongst the various branches of has has' brought reproach upon them all The heathen are inquIring how it comes cornea that there are aie so many kinds of Christians Christians Christians Chris Chris- and how bow it is that they all get their conflicting theories out of the same Book This reproach is keenly felt by by the leading minds of all denom denom- Consequently their creeds are very ery generally ignored lout but ut the organizations organIzations organizations organ organ- b built upon those creeds are held to most m st firmly firm y The systems systems- are worshiped and the cre creeds ds- ds repudiated Seven Women In That Day We have seen that in Scriptural usage women symbolize the ch churches that the true Church is represented by a virgin and the false sj stems systems by harlots harlots harlots har har- lots unfaithful to their espousals espo and associating with the world w world orld Revelation Revelation tion n Throughout Scripture the number seven is well recognized as the symbol of completeness Accordingly Accord Accord- we assume that in ha our text it signifies all the churches of ot this world but does not include the true Church which Is not of this world a and d does not hot follow its course cours We have come to the time when these seven women women all all the various arious sects and are denominations are with one heart feelIng feeling feel feel- ing the reproach of their situation And what is their conclusion as to the proper prop prop- er course to be pursued We answer that it is prophetically voiced in our oui text The one Man represents our Lord Loid the |