The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-09-08
Sermon by
CHARLES 7.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle

sic. our largest Auditorium. the Tab
ernacle'' being OF insufficient capacity
He had very attentive hearing
There were many Hebrews In tie
large audience. lie said In part
Coming events cast their shadows
before" Startling shadows are all
about US A great change In the at
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 a
century ago along scientific lines are
considered rubbish today. Rules and
customs and theories OF the past. sup
posed to be immOvabIe and absolute.
are abandoned as worthless-in chem
;stry. In manufactures. In art, In
dnance 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 reI-
gionists have been placed In a most
awkward position. Religion and NOR
al sense constitute the backbone and
nber Of the best progress In civiliza-
ton. The perpiexity Of religious
thought, and Its manifest inability to
adjust itself to the changed conditions,
<fs working serious disadvantage to
EaD disposed to look to the Almighty
Tor guidance IL life's affairs.
The increase In worldly wisdom, the
Improved human conditions, the ad-
~yancement along scientific lines in ma
Tterial prosperity have turned many of
S&he worlds brightest intellects away
from God and from the Bible. Many
of these, still protesting Christianity
an an outward, formal manner have
really abandoned 1t In favor Of a theo-
~ Of ''civilization." They have wan
'dered from the Divine Revelation, the
bible, into paths of speculation-their
own and other mems. They have cogi-
1ated that the reverse Of the Bible
statements Is the Truth-that instead
OF man falling from the image of God
onto sin and death. he Is rising from
brute or monkey plane upward, grad
'ually, to Divine heights. Instead of
looking for a great Deliverer, Messiah,
Savior, Life-Giyer 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
l the Truth nor how to adjust their rea
ssoning faculties to present consecra-
Sion. They are in an expectant atti-
tude-seeking 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
fknow many things which we and they
KNOW that they do not know. But
daily the strain becomes more intense.
NGradually everybody is recognizing
Ghst there is great crisis along every
afne-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
IF faith in the Bible which they seri-
sousiy misunderstood and read with
-sectarian spectacles of various colors.
Fswere fully agreed that God had given
El1is Church the commission to convert
the whole world and to establish Mes
slabs Kingdom. when the nations
would learn war no more. but beat
their swords into plOwShares aud their
spears into pruning hooks. Jealous
Christian people urged that the hea
then were going down to hell OF
eternal torment at the rate of ninety
thousand every twenty -four hours
And noble men and women sacrificed
their earthly interests for the assist
lance Of the heathen-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 predestinatet
and fOreordained as unalterable. Coco
was certainly attempted. We trust
that some good was accomplished. We
know that some harm was done. il
that fallacious conceptions of the char
acter and plan of the Creator were
promulgated amongst the heather
which have hardened and embitteret
some of them.
But by and by practical peopl.
sought for statistics. and now know
: that there are twice as many heathen
: in the world as there were centur.
ago. OF course. there are unthinkin:
and unstatistical people who refus
knowledge and who are today claim
ling with commendable zeal. but
geprehensible ignorance, that large con
Sributions of money would enabl
them to capture the whole world TO
Cd $Nnvopf fh1