Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-13
MANKIND NEVER HAS
UNDERSTOOD GOSPEL
REV. c. C. PIERCE TALKS ON
BROTHERHOOD
Wonders If the Savior Would Not Die
of a Broken Heart If He Were
to Return to Earth
Today

Yesterday morning Rev. G. c. Pierce,
pastor of the Memorial Baptist church,
preached on 1.-THE Universal Brother
hood" taking for his text the words
of Christ: "And there shall be on fold
and one shepherd" He said in the
course of his sermon:
i"It often seems to me that Jesus
was the most misunderstood being that
ever walked this earth. While we
know, or at least profess to believe,
that the things for which he stood and
which he taught were vital and funda-
mental and true, and that they are
thus destined finally to become tncor-
porated in human life, still so much of
error has been mingled with the pure
stream of his truth that we sometimes
wonder whether, if Jesus should come
back to this earth and see what has
been done in his name he would not
die again of a broken heart, and this
time without the necessity of spear or
thrust Of cross.
with a soul as clear as crystal and
vision absolutely undimmed. he be-
gan his work to set men right who
had wandered far from the pathway of
peace and along the desert highways
of traditionalism and cruel Journalism,
He would break away from all the
forms which men had misnamed reli-
gion under the erroneous conception
that they were thus pleasing God. He
pointed out God as the loving, sweet,
kindly. beneficent heavenly Father,
with nothing in his heart for human
ity but pity for it's errors, forgiveness
for its wanderings and sins and SYM
pathy and love for its needs.
"He pointed out that all men were
brothers, children of common heaven
| ly Father. He taught that service and
| love for our fellow men in this broth
erhood were the supreme ends of life
l can imagine that the way looked sc
clear and simple, so transparently plain
to him taht he might have wondered
why it was that all men did not at
once espouse a course which was Sc
sure to bring that for which men had
been feverishly seeking all the CEN
turtles.
HE comes to earth today and he
finds that what he had established as
universal brotherhood of service has
been broken up into hundred sects,
each claiming to be the only and orig
inaL' and every one far more intent
on perpetuating itself and making con-
verts to its peculiar views than upon
doing the one thing which was SUI
premely commanded, the accomplish
ment of real service to man.
"And yet this is not all that he would
see. There is no doubt a great service
is being performed to humanity by the
various departments of his church
today as there has been in the days
gone. There are certain fundamental
principles to which all adhere with
more or less fidelity, which in a way
do bind all the followers of Christ into
one great whole.
"What is needed today is the sense
that the various branches of the church
are not divided, but that we are all CO.
operating toward one great end. The
sense of brotherhood must become more
real. The old prejudices which led our
fathers and our grandfathers to look
askance upon those of a so-called diff
ferent faith mustN be thrown to the
winds. and we must seek in every way
to cooperate with all who would make
the world better Differences must be
minimized and correspondence must
he emphasized, and in all things we
should seek to cultivate the spirit
which at least ought to bind all the
followers of the Great Master into one
united body.
"These are the days of union and CO.
operation. Why should the one in
stitution which fundamentally claims
to be seeking to do the same things
on earth longer be broken up into d.
visions having little or no knowledge
of each other? Why should we not make
the circumference of our religious life
SO broad that there will ever be suffi-
cient room for individual peculiarities
and still maintain that essential unity
which will make us all one? II we
know these things, happy are we II we
actually live AMI practice them.
"Success will come to the cause for
which Christ lived and died, when we
actually establish on the earth one
great loving, serving, united universal
brotherhood"