The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-03-04
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

York, preached twice here today IN
our largest auditorium. He is well
known here and had fine audiences.
We report his discourse from the
above text as follows
Today this prophecy is fulfilled in
our midst, Notwithstanding the fact
that during the past century Bibles
have been printed and circulated
among the people by the million, and
Notwithstanding the fact that educa-
ton has become general so that rich
and poor, old and young, have the
ability to read Gods Word, neverthe-
less we are in the midst of the very
famine specified by the Prophet. 1t
seems almost incredible that we should
be furnishing now with Bibles in our
homes, when our sanity forefathers
did not famish, though education was
limited. The secret lies in the fact
that increasing intelligence on every
hand has awakened our reasoning fac
ulties along religious lines, and the
result Is the gnawing of hunger in our
hearts. Our hearts and our flesh cry
out for living and a true Coda
God greater than ourselves-more just,
more powerful, more loving. Feeling
our own impotency, we more than
ever feel our need of the Friend above
all others with love that sticketh
closer than brothers.
find fhn
rest and refreshment and comfort
from the Scriptures which our fore
fathers derived. Consequently the
young men and the purest of heart in
the world are repealed by the religion
of the past as represented in the
are hungry for the Truth. They are
thirsty for the refreshment which they
need. Intellectually many are look
ing, wandering, from sea to sea de-
string the bread of life and the water
Of life. Scanning the creeds Of all de-
nominations they find them practically
alike as respects theories Of eternal
reprobation and damnation for all ex-
cept the elect, the saints. They are
faint for lack of spiritual food and
drink. They even look to the heather
and examine the Theosophy Of India,
the Buddhism Of Japan and the Confu-
cianism of China, seeking for some sat
isfying portion of Truth. These are in
some respects like the prodigal son-far
from home. They perceive the swim
ish content with the husks of bust
ness, money, pleasure and politics. but
their spiritual longings cannot be sat
isfled with the husks which the swine
eat. They are thought peculiar be-
00use Of their interest in spiritual
things. They are misunderstood by
their best earthly friends. They must
learn that in their wanderings along
the highways of science and world
religion they will never get satisfac-
ton. There is famine in every de-
nomination, in every part of the world.
No one thinks of looking to the Bible
for refreshment and strength. The
Higher Critics of all denominations
have branded it unreliable The Pro-
fessors in all the great Colleges are
reprobating the Bible and openly
laugh at the thought of finding there
either bread for the hungry or water
for the thirsty.
This is the very picture given in our
context. 'They shall wander from sea
to sea, from the North even to the
East; they shall run to and fro to seek
the Word of the Lord and shall not
nd Tn, hot CHI h. 60;
gins and the young men faint for
thirst amos viii, II, 49,.
Tho Bread of Life and Water of Life.
These hungry hearts must learn that
there is only the one satisfying portion
under the Sun-the living and true
God, and Jesus Christ whom he has
sent to be the Bread of Life for the
world, and the message of grace from
his lips to be the Water of Life. 1t is
ours to call the attention of this Truth
hungry class to the Great Teacher who
declared, MY flesh is food indeed and
my blood is drink indeed; except We
eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in
YOU" Oohn vi, 30. so. But scarcely
will the intelligent Of our day hearken
to these words. so prejudced are their
minds by the fallacies which becloud
their understanding. They see not,
neither do they understand the good
ness of God.
Why is this? Why are these Bibles
in millions of homes, Catholic and
Protestant, neglected? Because the
people know not that the bread of life
and the water of life which they seek
are hidden therein. Why is this? We
answer that conditions were very
much the same in Israel at the time
of our Lords First Advent. The ex-
planation he then gave is applicable
now. He said. "Ye do make void the
Law Of God through your traditions
'the traditions of the ancients" Mark
vii, 49,, / Peter /. 49,. Sc COW, the
traditions handed down from our fore
fathers really make void meaningless,
ungraciouS, the message Of Gods Wis
dom and Love sent to us through the
Lord, the apostles and the prophets.
Those who still hold tenaciously to the
creeds of the past are thoroughly
blinded now to the true teachings Of
Gods Word, while, alas, the majority
Of the independent thinkers. in reject
ing the dogmas OF the past, have re-