The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-03-01
PEOPLES
Sermon by
CHARLES /.
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 rs 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
be famishing now with Bibles IN our
homes, when our sanity forefathers
did not famish, though education was
knitted. 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 q 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 q love that sticketh
closer than a brothers.
Consequently we cannot find the
I, nj fn
from the Scriptures which our fore
fathers derived. Consequently the
young men and the purest Of heart in
the world are repelled by the religion
Of the past as represented In the
creeds of all denominations. They
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 damnatlOn for all ex-
cept the elect. the saints. They are
faint for lack of spiritual food and
drink They even look to the heathen
and examine the Theosophy of India,
the Buddhism of Japan and the Confu-
oianism 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 busl1s Of busi-
ness, money, pleasure and politics. but
their spiritual longings cannot be sat
isfed with the husks which the swine
cat. They are thought peculiar be-
cause 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 1t 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
find it. III that day shall the fair viz
gins and the young men faint for
thirst (Amos viii, IL, 13).
The 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 ye
eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in
you" John vi, 55, 53). But scarcely
will the intelligent of our day hearken
to these words, so prejudlced 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, Satholh 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-
PLANTATION 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, IS; / Peter /, 1S). So now, the
traditions handed down from our fore
fathers really make void. meaningless,
ungracious, the message Of Gods Wis
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