Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-11-06
PEOPLES
sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.


Dart:--
Tomorrow will be observed by oul
friends of the Catholic. Lutheran and
Episcopal churches as "All Saints
Day" At an early date after the death
ef the apostles. probably in the third
century, the custom erept into the
Church Of invoking the blessing of the
saints. Some held In remembrance a
patron saint. whose influence and
memory were OF merely local char
aster, and certain day in the year
was set apart as memorial and for
Invoking his influence in the heavenly
eOurts. When subsequently papacy
was organized, gradually the majority
sf the Christian congregations acceded
20 papacy's claims that its bishop is
2he special vicar Of Christ. ref0niH0 IN
RiS stead and exercising his authority.
Many submitted themselves to this
rule and thus were absorbed into that
great system which still holds sway
IA the world. 1t was papacy tnat es-
tablished "All Saints Day" as a holy
day for the invocation of all saints not
stherwise particularly provided for by
separate days of invocation.
Although saints admittedly are rare
few IN comparison to professed
ans-nevertheless it seems there
were enough so considered in the time
Of Gregory Nv. to appropriate nearly
all the days Of the year. In other
words, there were about 365 recognized
IN Gregory's time-after Christianity
had been in operation for 800 years.
Hence tomorrow will be the day for
Invoking the blessing Of all the saints
Of the past one thousand years. But
just how many or how few they are,
according to the records cf the cele-
brating churches. we do not surely
know. If the records Of the first eight
centuries were correct. in the same
proportion we should not expect that
1he total number of saints recognized
would be above one thousand One
sad thought connected with the cele-
bration tomorrow must present itself
~ All knlHklllE illlllub llHOlEol AuG ECiG-
brants; that Is, that only the sanity
do they acknowledge as of holy char
Rcter, ft for heaven. because the un-
sanity. the unholy. would certainly be
unfit. The teaching OF papacy is that
since only the sanity can be ushered
irto heaven at the time of their death,
ali. the insanity, the undeveloped,
ahvy hold. must first experience awful
eortures in Purgatory-to purify them,
70 make them ready for heaven.
Protestants on the contrary have dis
carded Purgatory, claiming that 1t is
an unscrlptum doctrine, They do not
however. claim that any but the saint
~ are prepared for heaven at death
NOR that God has promised heaven to
the untaught or undeveloped in Chris
tian character. Hence in some respects
the Protestant theory is still more
grievous, more terrible more awful
for the bereaved than the Catholic
view, in that Il offers no hope for all
eternity to any insanity. Prayers TO
tne saints, we believe to be unscrip-
'ural and unreasonable, Nowhere In
he Bible are we authorized TO pray to
le dead.-oither saints or sinners, Oa
De contrary the Scriptures set forth
Heavenly Father MS the supreme
iIect Of worship, though they do in
nate the propriety Of praying 10 our
Eord Jesus also. As we rcnd "All men
should honor The sou even as they hon
or the Father" tlohn v. PAL But pray
ers 90 the dead are unreasonable, ac-
eOrdlug 10 the Bible. which teaches
that "the dead know not anything
(seclesiastes Is, ag that their sons
come 20 honor nnd they know II MOTTO
dlshonor and they perceive Il not OF
them" dob sly. 2il; and that there is
no work. nor device, nor knowledge,
nor wisdom. in the grave, whittier
thou goesi" tEceieslasies lX, i0l
,The Scriptures do recogui2e the diff
ference between he saints. the Lords
holy ones. ana the remainder OF man,
Kind And Il IS assuredy true that the
great masses of humanity are totally
unit for the glorles ana perlectlons of
the heavenly state, u Is true that the
Church IS called upon TO develop the
suits and graces OF the holy spirit
IA IS assured, as Sc, Peter declares,
Z ye Go these things. We shall never
%. for So an entrance shall he mlp-
cred unto you abundantly into the
ipglasiing Kingdom OF our Lord ana
alvlor Jesus Chris" an Peter l. ih.
ilut we hold that Il Is not only un-
s,plp.ural. hut irrational 90 believe
that m mankind except the sanity de
serve centuries OF torment IA purga'
tory an an eternity of torture IN a
woise and hopeless place. Let as take
the ScrlptnMl proposition. the only
eunslsnnt one tho one which agrees
win ui.r nye senses and with the Bi
b. fhut the dead aye dead, aud that
reAurr,v ton from death d what they
need nud what our Lords death Will
secure for every member OF our race
lei AZ Il cept thls statement Of the ~
.4tl.I .nI laIV a. Nn that hath