The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1910-03-12
Sermon BY
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL
Pastor Brooklyn
tabernacle.

o%vercrowded. 1t was estimated in adj
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 Russelrs dis
course from the text foregoing. as fol
lows
1t is difficult to please everybody.
The duty Of a 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, Ia. Our min
isterial friends seem to be annoyed be-
cause we preach the doctrines" of
ChIit. 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; win the Comet
Sweep the Earth With Its 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 Il day.
And the public constitute u principal
congregations when we lift u largest
collections. The only people who will
be interested in the doctrines you are
preaching are the old fogy. o~ut-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
W 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,
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. u. AS hi,
ambassador | must preach the Word
following the example Of the Lord and
the Apostles. AS they avoided poll
tics, so must l.. As they avoided vair
philosophy and science falsely Sc
called" so must l. AS they preached
the doctrines Of Christ, so must /
whether men hear or forbear to hear
remember the words Of st. Paul t,
Timothy: Preach the Word,
with all long-sufferlng and doctrine
For the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine; but afteI
their own preferences they shall gath
er teachers to themselves; having itch
ing ears they shall turn away theil
ears from the Truth and shall be turn
ed unto fables" Oh Timothy iv, pa.
There Is a Reason.
There must be a reason why Chris
tan preachers and their hearers hay
abandoned the study Of the Doctrine
Of Christ set forth by the Apostle
and Prophets. Is 1t not because the
no longer believe those doctrnesP
1t not true that the College and Sem
nary Professors have led the majorit
Of the ministry afar into unbelief
the Bible, and that these ministers ar
gradually leading their confding hock
into other pastures green" than thos
which the Great Shepherd and his al
pointed mouthpieces, the Apostles, al
proved2 Is not the Higher-C riticisi
in6delity Of tie colleges gradually pei
etratlng even into the Sunday schoi
Lessons and even into the High schoo
Of our misunderstanding all faith
Gods Book7 But what led to this d
parture from the Word OF God-inl