The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-10
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

His discourse on Inferno" was deliv-
cred in Brooklyn's largest Auditorium
the Academy of Music, which was
overcrowded. 1t was estimated in ad-
vance that this subject would draw a
larger crowd than the Tabernacle
would accommodate. The other meet
ings of the day were held in the Taber-
nacle. We report Pastor Russells dis
course from the text foregoing, as fol
lows
1t is difficult to please everybody.
The duty of Christian minister is to
seek chiefly to please the Lord. LET
the words of my mouth and the medi-
tations of my heart be acceptable in
thy sight, o Lord, my strength and my
Redeemer" psalm xix, 1A. Our min
isterial friends seem to be annoyed be-
cause we preach the "doctrineS" of
Christ. In substance. their sentiment
is: Brother Russell, Do you not know
that in the fashionable topics of our
day doctrines are tabooed by the great
ministers of all denominations? In
stead, as you perceive from the news
paper announcements, it is now quite
the thing to discuss political, scientific
and sociological doctrines. You should
give the public lectures on subjects
like these: Social Democracy; Rapid
Transit in Brooklyn, from the text,
"Many shall run to and fro" Female
Suffrage; The Boys Brigade The Best
Novel of the Year; The Narrow Way
Of the Bicycle Rider; Will the Comet
Sweep the Earth With It's Tail; Can
Football Survive, ETC.; or occasionally,
for effect, gently rake the rich on bet
ter housing for the poor, or belabor the
Trusts for soaring prices of food. Such
topics as these, Brother Russell, inter
est the Christian public in our day.
And the public constitute our principal
congregations when we lift our largest
collections. The only people who will
be interested in the doctrines you are
preaching are the old fogy. out-of-date
folk, and you will find the majority of
them poor in this worlds riches. For
PHYS sake stop teaching the doctrines
of Christ" Doctrines were good
enough in the days of Jesus and Paul
and Calvin and Luther and Wesley, but
! the people are not accustomed to them
nowadays.
l have no fault to find with my
Christian brethren in the ministry Of
the various denominations. 1t is not
to me, but to the Lord, that they must
give an account of their stewardship
of their grand opportunities for declar
ing the Gospel of Christ. To their
own Master they must stand or fall.
1t is not for me to forbid them because
they follow not with us. 1t is for
each one who stands as an ambassa-
dor of Christ and of God to follow his
own convictions faithfully. Besides.
l am assured that many of them are
loyal to the core.
1t is my understanding that, as a
minister of the Gospel l should take
for my guide in this matter the in
structions of my ordination. Like st.
Paul my ordination to preach the Cos
pei was from the Lord. ] must preach
the message which l believe he has
given me q Timothy ii, y. AS his
| ambassador l must preach the Word,
! following the example of the Lord and
! the Apostles. AS they avoided poll
| tics so must /. AS they avoided vain
| philosophy and "science falsely so
called" so must l. AS they preached
the doctrines of Christ, so must l.
whether men hear or forbear to hear
| remember the words of st. Paul to
! Timothy: preach the Word, &.
with all long-suffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine; but after
) their own preferences they shall gath
err teachers to themselves; having itch
ing ears they shall turn away their
ears from the Truth and shall be turn
ed unto fables" QI Timothy iv, 2-4).
tnSTG 10 tSdoOUs
, There must be a reason why Chris
tan preachers and their hearers have
abandoned the study of the "Doctrires
Of Christ" set forth by the Apostles
, and Prophets. Is it not because they
no longer believe those doctrines! Is
| 1t not true that the College and Semi
| nary Professors have led the majority
: of the ministry afar into unbelief in
| the Bible, and that these ministers are
| gradually leading their confiding fiocks
into other pastures green" than those
which the Great Shepherd and his ap-
pointed mouthpieces, the Apostles, ap-
| proved? Is not the Higher Criticism
! .nfidelity of the colleges gradually pen
! etrating even into the Sunday School
! Lessons and even into the High Schools
Of our misunderstanding all faith in
| Gods Book? But what led to this de-
! parture from the Word of God-lnto
Higher-Criticism infdellty and into
J the Evolution theory. which makes
/ void the Word of God; and into Chris
tian Science which Duts n Drpmium on