The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-09-06
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Brooklyn, Sept. 4.--Pastor Russell
preached today in the Academy of Mu-
sic, our largest Auditorium, the Tab
ernacle" being of insufficient capacity.
There were many Hebrews in the
large audience. He said in part
Coming events cast their shadows
before" Startling shadows are all
about us. A great change in the af.
fairs of men is indicated and acknowl-
edged by all thOughtfuL intelligent
people. The worlds pace during the
past fifty years astonishes everybody.
New conditions meet us on every hand
The majority of books written half
century ago along scientific lines are
considered rubbish today. Rules and
customs and theories of the past, sup
posed TO be immovable and absolute,
are abandoned as wCrthlcss-in chem.
istry, in manufactures, in art, in
finance and commerce. All these
changes necessitate a new view of so
cial conditions and re examination of
the relationship of religion and the
Bible to man and his conditions, as
seen from the present viewpoint. The
business and social world have been
compelled TO keep pace with the steps
of progress, some of them gladly and
some of them reluctantly But reli-
gionists have been placed in a most
awkward position. Religion and NOR
nj sense constitute the backbone and
fiber of the best progress in civiliza.
ton. The pcrplcxity of religious
thought, and its manifest inability to
adjust itself to the changed conditions,
Is working u serious disadvantage Ia
all disposed 10 look TO the Almighty
{ for guidance in life's affairs.
The increase in worldly wisdom, the
improved human conditions. the adj.
vancement along scientific lines In ma.
terial prosperity have turned many OF
the worlds brightest intellects away
from God and from the Bible. Many
of these. still processing Christianity |
in an outward. formal manner have
really abandoned il in favor of theo- |
ry Of civilization" They have wan
dcred from the Divine Revelation, the |
Bible, into paths OF speculation -thei~ |
own and other mems. They have cogi
tated that the reverse of the Bible
I Statements Is the Truth-that Instead
Of man falling from the image of God
into sin and death lie is rising from
brute or monkey plaue upward. grad
ually. TO Divine heights. Instead Of
looking for u great Deliverer. Messiah, |
Savior. Life-Glver they are hoping to |
be let alone by any outside influence,
that certain fancied laws of Evolution |
might help them upward and onward |
TO glory, honor and Immortality.
The result is that religious thought |
today everywhere and in all denomina- |
tlons is chaotic. The whole OF Chris |
tendon has practically become AgnOs- |
tic-admitting that they do not know
the Truth nor how to adjust their rea-
sonlng faculties 10 present COnsecra'
tion. They are in an expectant atti-
tude-seeking light. Nevertheless many
fear the light lest II shall make mani
fest cherished errors or selfish hopes
ed But they are still pretending to
know many things which we and they
know that they do not know. But
daily the strain becomes more intense.
Gradually everybody Is recognizing
that there Is a great crisis along every
line-that the people are awakening
and thinking and will no longer re.
cciVe their errors
Converting the World to God.
Fifty years ago Christian people. full
of faith in the Bible which they seri.
ously misunderstood and read With
sectarian spectacles Of various colors,
were fully agreed that God had given
his Church the commission to convert
the whole world and to establish Mes
siahs Kingdom, when the nations
would learn war no more. but beat
their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks. Jealous
Christian people urged that the hea-
then were going down to hell of
eternal torment at the rate OF ninety
thousand every twenty.four hours.
And noble men and women sacrificed
their earthly interests for the assist,
ance of the heathen-tO prevent that
awful catastrophe to help thwart the
very program OF God which some
other Christian people of an earlier
day had declared was predestinated
and foreordained as unalterable. Good
was certainly attempted. We trust
that some good WAS accomplished. We
know that some harm was done. IN
that fallacious conceptions of the char,
acter and plan OF the Creator were
promulgated amongst the heathen,
which have hardened aud embittered
some of them.
But by aud Ly practical people
sought for statistics. and now know
that there are twice as many beathens
IN the world as there We're century
ago. or course, there are unthmking
and uDststisiicsl l,eople who refuse
knowledge AMI -,iIo are today claim
ing with commeDdable zeal. but
reprehensible ignorance that large con
tributions OF money would enable
them 10 capture the whole world for
Nnd Na<arthaIaea fha mnaaas M