The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-09-06
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

preached today In the Academy of Mu-
sic, our largest Auditorium, the Tab
crnacle" being of insufficient capacity.
He had a very attentive hearing.
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 aud 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 jmmovabie and absolute,
are abandoned as worthless-in chem
istry, in manufactures. in art in
finance and commerce. All these
changes nccessitatc "A new view of So
cial conditions and "A 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 rei-
giOnists have been placed in Il most
awkward position. Religion ana NOR
al sense constitute the backbone and
fiber Of the best progress in civilian
tion. The pcrplexity of religious
thought, and its manifest inability to
adjust itself to the changed conditions,
Is working serious disadvantage to
all disposed to look to the Almighty
for guidance in life's affairs.
The increase in worldly wisdom, the
improved human conditions, the ad
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-
~ VI Wv AhtJ huNt Nuu-
dered from the Divine Revelation, the
Bible, into paths Of speculation their
own and other mems They have cogi
tated that the reverse of the Bible
statements Is the Truth--that instead
OF man falling from the image OF God
into sin and death. he Is rising from II
brute or monkey plane upward, grad
ralIu N Divina haiul,Iu InataaH nf
looking for great Delverer, Messiah,
Savior, Life-Giver, they are hoping to
be let alone by any outside influence,
that certain fanclcd 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 denomiha-
tlons is chaotic The whole OF Chris
tendon has practically become Agnos-
tic-admltting that they do not know
the Truth nor how to adjust their rea-
sonlng faculties TO present consccra-
tiOn. They are ia an cXpcctnnt atti-
tude-seek light Nevertheless many
fear the light lest II shall make mani
f,xA cherished errors or selfish hopes
ed. But they are still pretending TO
know many things which we aud they
know that they do not know. But
daily the strain becomes more intense.
Gradually everybody Is recognizing
that there Is great crisis along every
tine that the people are awakening
and thinking aud win no longer re-
ceive their errors
Converting tho World to God,
Fifty years ago Christian people, full
Of faith IN the bible which they scri-
ously misunderstood aud read with
were fully agreed that God had given
his Church the commission to convert
the whole world ana 20 establish Mes
Blah's Kingdom. when the nations
would learn war no more, but beat
their swords into plDwshnres and thcil
spears into pruning hooks Jealous
Christian people urged that the hea
then were going down to II hell OF
eternal torment Ut the rate of ninety
thousand every twcnty-four hours
their earthly interests for the assist
nnce OF the hepthcn 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 predeslnatet
and foreordalned ~ unalterable. GoOd
was certainly attempted We trus
that some good was accomplished. W.
know that some harm was done, il
that falacious conceptions of the char
acter and plan Of the Creator wer,
promulgated amongst the heothcn
which have hardened and cmbittcreC
5Ome OF them
But by aud by practical peopl,
sought for statistics. and now know
that there are twice MS many heathen
in the world as there were centur!
ago. OF course there are unthnkn,
and unstatlstical people who refus
knowledge and who are today claim