The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-01-20
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Brooklyn. N. Y, January 16.-Today
began a series of Christian Mass Meet
ings, which are to continue during
four successive Sunday afternoons in
the largest Auditorium of Brooklyn
the Academy of Music, under the aus.
pices of Peoples Pulpit Association"
The topic for the day was:--
What CongregationaiistS, Presbyteri-
ians and Methodists must surrender in
the interests of Church Federation"
Pastor Q. T. Russell of Brooklyn
Tabernacle delivered the address. The
spacious and elegant Auditorium was
crowded so that an overflow meeting
with another speaker was deemed ad.
visable. On the platform behind the
speaker were several hundred men, in
Guiding number of ministers. The
audience as a whole was q very in.
telligent one. The Honorable j. f..
Rutherford. Attorney-at-Law. intro.
duced Pastor Russell, who said:-
take for my text the Word of the
Lord through the Prophet, Say We
not, A Confederacy, to all them to
whom this people shall say, A Con-
federacy; neither fear We their fear,
nor be afraid" isaiah viii, ~.
The disturbances of oneness in the
Church of Christ is beyond dispute.
The improperly of sectarianism or di.
vision is now generally conceded, al
though twenty years ago many de-
Tended the divided condition of the
Church as being helpful. They point
ed to our Lords words, l am the Vine
and We are the branches; every branch
in me that beareth not fruit my Fa-
Their, the Husbandman, taketh away.
And every branch that beareth fruit
he pruneth, that it may bring forth
more fruit John XIV, 1-5). They claim
ed that the denominations were the
branches. The evident teaching Of
the Master here is that his people are
related to him in an individual sense
and not as parties, sects or denomina-
tons, and that they are dealt with
from the individual standpoint as one
Church and not many.
st. Paul enunciated the same great
truth q Corinthians xii, 49,, declaring
that the Lord Jesus is the Head of the
Church, which is his Body, and that
as the human body has many men,
bers under the full control of the head,
except when diseased. so the Church.
as members in particular Of the Body
of Christ, are all to be subject to the
Lord as their Head. They are all to
be so connected with their Head, and
thus with each other, that when one
suffers, all suffer with it, and when
one rejoices. all rejoice with it, be-
cause they all have fellowship in the
one spirit Of the Head Hence the
eye cannot say to the hand, nor the
hand to the foot. have no need of
you, for every member is necessary to
the prosperity of the Body as whole
And as the joint supports and strength
ems the limb and is Joined thereto
by sinews. etc. so individually Gods
people are united to each other in
the bonds Of grace and truth and love.
1t must be conceded that Church
Federation or Confederacy is in many
respects quite a different thing from
the Church's oneness illustrated by our
Lords parable of the vine. and the
Apostles illustration of the human
body. Nevertheless since Federation
is proposed as the nearest possible APP
proach to the spiritual enjoined Union.
it is proper that we and all Christians
everywhere should enquire carefully
the cost and the gain implied in the
Federation movement. AS the pro-
gram shows, this series of meetings
will consider impartially the cost of
Federation to the creeds of the most
prominent denominations. First in the
list today we consider the sacrifices
Of Congregationalism, Presbyterian ism
and Methodism.
~ AS to church government very
slight concessions will be required Of
any Of the federating denominations.
Denominational liberties as respects
forms of worship and methods of gov
eminent and discipline are to be permit
ted very loose rein. The Federation pro-
poses chiefly the regulation of home
watch-care over the interests of the
federated systems along the lines of
political influence. The expectation is
that the political power of the Fedora
ton will have considerable to do with
moulding of legislation favorable to the
Federation, and later on. unfavorabl BILE
to the smaller denominations not asso-
ciated in the Federation.
(2) 1t is along doctrinal lines that the
sacrificing in the interest of Federation
will be chiefly demanded.
Doctrinally Congregationalists and
Presbyterians are one; hence we may
consider their sacrifices Of doctrine In
the interests of Federation as the
same. They both accept the West
minister Confession of Faith with its
Calvinistic foundation-that God. be-
fore the foundation of the world, fore
ordained whatsoever comes to pass
that he predestinated an elect, sanity
few to heavenly glory, and equally
foreordained that the remainder Of
thousands of millions of non-elect
should be maintained in eternal life
to all eternity. in order that they might
suffer excruciating pains, both mental
and physical. never-ending, as part
OF the supposed penalty of the "Origi-
nal Sin" committed by our first par.
ents in Eden.