The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-09-08
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

preached today in the Academy Of Mu-
sic, our largest Auditorium, the Tab
ernacle" being of insufficient capacity.
He had very attentive hearing
There were many Hebrews in tie
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 and 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 immovable and absolute.
are abandoned as wortbless-in chem
istry, in manufactures, In art, in
finance and commerce. All these
changes necessitate 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 reli-
gionists have been placed in a most
awkward position. Religion and NOR
al sense constitute the backbone and
fiber of the best progress in civiliza.
ton. The perplexity Of religious
thought. and its manifest inability to
Is working a 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 protesting Christianity
in an outward. formal manner have
really abandoned it in favor of theo-
ry Of ''civiliZation." They have wan
dered from the Divine Revelation, the
Bible. into paths Of Experimentation
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 a
brute or monkey plane upward. grad
ually, to Divine heights. Instead of
looking for a great Deliverer, Messiah
Savior, Life-Giver, they are hoping to
be let alone by any outside influence,
that certain fancied 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 denomina-
lions is chaotic The whole Of Chris.
tendon has practically become Agnos.
tic-admitting that they do not know
the Truth nor how to adjust their rea.
soning faculties to present consecra-
ton. They are in an eXpectant atti.
understanding light. Nevertheless many
fear the light lest it shall make mani
fest cherished errors or selfish hopes
and ambitions which must be abandon
ed. But they are still pretending to
know many things which we and they
know that they do not know. But
daily the strain becomes more intense
Gradually everybody is recognizing
| that there is a great crisis along every
| line-that the people are awakening
and thinking and will no longer re-
| ceive their errors
Converting the World to God.
Fifty years ago Christian people, full
of faith in the Bible which they seri
ously misunderstood and read will
sectarian spectacles Of various colors
| were fully agreed that God had giver
| his Church the commission to convert
| the whole world and to establish Mes
| siah's Kingdom. when the nations
| would learn war no more. but bea
their swords into plowshares and theil
spears into pruning hooks. Jealous
| Christian people urged that the hea
then were going down to a hell OF
eternal torment at the rate of ninety
/
And noble men and women sacrificed
their earthly interests for the assist
/ ance of the heathen-to prevent thai
awful catastrophe, TO help thwart the
very program of God which some
other Christian people of an earlier
day had declared was predestinatet
and foreordained as unalterable. Gooi
was certainly attempted. We trus
that some good was accomplished. W.
know that some harm was done. II
that fallaciouS conceptions of the char
acter and plan of the Creator were
| promulgated amongst the heather
which have hardened and embitteret
some of then
But by ana by practical people
sought for statistics. and now know
that there are twice as many heathens
In the world MS there were century
| ago. OF course. there are unthinkinl
and unstatistical people who refus,
knowledge and who are today claim
ing with cOmmendable zeal. bur /,
reprehensible ignorance. that large con
tributlons OF money would enable
them TO capture the whole world fol
God Nevertheless. the masses u,
longer see the matter as they did. anC
-----------------------.------ ---.--.-----