Show consumption AND THE GOSPEL religion and the white while plague sins relationship to sickness and Death The wages of sin Is death mans battle against the curse a losing one in god Is thy help the result will be glorious new yoi b december 7 pastor russell speaking dug from the platform of the new city temple to a crowded house bouse announced his text from leviticus 1 I will even appoint over you terror consumption and the burning SEL plague that shall consume before tile the eyes and cause sorrow of heart beart itis ills topic was chosen in harmony the movement against consumption the white plague which he declared Is annually sweeping more millions into the grave than are all the worlds wars while the rasters commission Is to preach the gp aspel ps pel nevertheless since f it Is the divine arrangement tor for recovery from sin and death he be considered it eminently proper to call attention to the ravages of tile the white plague as part of sins sina penalty ue he would not be understood as meaning that all con sump tives are especially sinners for some of gods most saintly people have died of consumption and other ailments if the redeemer himself died of a ruptured heart a disease not unknown to medical practice the speaker declared that much contusion fusion prevails amongst christians respecting spec ting sickness and health true we have the bible instruction that sickness Is a part of the death penalty inherited from our first parents on account of their disobedience yet it seems natural to think that after we have turned from sin and have consecrated our lives to god ne lie would re store us fully to everlasting life and happy conditions when we find that some of gods best people including the savior the apostles and the prophets have suffered even unto death and that none are immune from this penalty a perplexity arises that only the bible sets straight the old covenant and the new the raster pastor then discussed gods covenants with israel god first announced to abraham ills his ultimate purpose of blessing mankind releasing them from the curse of sin and death god did not explain how this would be done except that it would be through abrahams Apra abrahams hams posterity or seed four fola r hundred hund r e d years later god proposed to t 0 the israelites that if 1 they wished to inherit the promise made to abraham the door was open for them god entered into a covenant with them at ML sinai through moses closes in this covenant israel agreed to keep the divine law perfectly and god agreed that it they would do so ile he would bless them with everlasting life and empower them to save the world to help mankind out from under tinder the death deat curse israel tailed failed to keep the law perfectly as god foreknew foreknow fore knew later god promised to send Ales messiah slab who would prepare a seed which would with him constitute the kingdom of god and bless mankind our text test Is a part of gods message to israel in which ue he assures them that it if they would keep the law they would receive blessings but that it if they were disobedient various sicknesses would come upon them As for other nations they were not in covenant relationship with god but were subject to the mutations of their dying condition all mankind are under the death sentence all dying justly whether by hunger accident white plague black plague or other aliment ailment the pastor then demonstrated that christs abrl ats followers are not exempt from the these thesa sa ailments they have entered a 8 covenant of sacrifice exchanging all earthly hopes for heavenly ones only those who die with him to the earthly nature will live with him on the heavenly plane few seem to have noticed that jesus healed neither himself nor ills his apostles miracles of healing were performed on outsiders with a view to evidencing the redeemers teachings and as st paul declared even these miracles ceased after the tha church had bad been established the gospel respecting the plague the gospel Bles message sage to those smitten w with ith any of the hundreds bund reds of forms of death said tho the pastor Ls Is that the present life Is only a vestibule to a more glorious life an anteroom of preparation and instruction before entering the life provided for a all I 1 w who 0 are w willing I 1 to accept it on gods terms through the merit of christs sacrifice thus as st raul paul declares the lords message ge speaks pence peace to troubled humanity through jesus christ the broad gospel message while it has only one offer in the present time assures us of a future opportunity tor for all thoo now accepting gods grace are privileged to become members of the he church of glory others are assured that there will be a resurrection rn an opportunity of rising out of sin and death conditi conditions qs to human perfection this will not mean an escape from the penalty of wilful sin in the present life for the divine law Is 1 that whoever sins shall suffer the those se who have known the masters will w and d failed to do it will receive more severe stripes than will others |