The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1911-11-09
Fterp }ett IS a
Mptb, Soaps
Dastor Russell


published the following from re-
markable sermon by Charles Taze
Russell, better known as Pastor |
RUSSELL one of the most remark
able preachers of the present age. |
Hereafter" was the title under
which Pastor Russell Of the Lon
don and Brooklyn tabernacles I'M
folded his new scheme of the future
life to an audience which filled
Dreamand rink yesterday after
noon and whom he cheered, pre-
sumably, by assuring them that
there is no hell, at least of the old
fashioned birthstone type.
He can quote the Bible, Old Tes-
lament and New, for his purposes,
and for two hours he spoke with
never a moment Of hesitation or
faltering. Imaginary conversation
between himself and various char
acters, fictitious or real, of one age
or another, he carried on at great
length, dealing with all subjects
with coloquial freedom.
Events of ancient days, sacred,
historic or social, he brought up
to date and applied his arguments
with clever and sometimes witty
ease.
Guesscs Not Satisfying.
Guesses as to the future state
satisfied no one, he said, but he
could show from the bible that the
accepted theories are wrong, both
the Roman Catholic and the Protes-
tant.
From the bible he could show
facts, he said, that would prove
satisfying to the head and the heart.
This question is the one which is
now causing most Of the infidelity
Of the world, and infldelity, he de-
clared, is increasing, not the bla-
tant infldelity of Paine and others,
but the refined, critical infidelity of
the colleges. With the latter type
he has some sympathy, he says, as
he passed through that phase of
criticism himself, but with the cast
ing aside of the faith of the Presby-
terian fathers he cast aside the
bible. Later he discovered his mis-
take, took up his bible and has read
and studied, freed from the spec
tacles of his fathers, through
which he had formerly gained a
distorted vision.
He analysed the belief in heaven,
hell and purgatory of the Roman
Catholics, which were never dis
lowered in the bible, he says. Then
he took Martin Luther and the
Reformation, described the aboli-
ton Of purgatory and the decision
of the dissenters that everyone
must go to hell who had formerly
been in purgatory. Later he in
troduced John Calvin and the doc
trine of predestination, contrasted
his character with that Of John
| Wesley and showed his mistaken
sanctity of both and expounded
their misconception of the nature
of God.
If God were indeed a just God,
| he said, and a merciful and loving
God, as we believe, it is inconceiv-
able that He should condemn hu-
manity to eternal suffering.
No Justice i'm Torture.
There is no justice in torturing
you forever for the crimes you have
done here" he declared.
Purgatory was made, he says, by
our forefathers with a bump of
Imagination, and that and hell of
the eternal torture type were never
mentioned in the bible.
Hold on to the bible he urged,
it is the only book that has ra-
tional, sensible conclusion on the
subject. God is all wise, all just,
|all loving and all powerful, and He
is able to make things work out ac-
eording to His wisdom"
His theory is that the dead are
sleeping until the resurrection day;
that they will then rise and then
will be instituted two schemes of
salvation. One an earthly blessing
and the other heavenly and both
everlasting The salvation of the
church comes first; it is an ELECT"
special class, whose glorious re-
ward will be on the spiritual plane
as joint heirs with the Redeemer.
Not until the church's salvation
shall be completed in the first res
direction will the worlds salvation
be due to begin.
The blessing of mankind will be
La restitution-a restoring to hui
man perfecton-to the image of
God in the flesh.
This restoration to the perfect
man, as was Adam before his fall,
will bring to pass, according to
Pastor Russell, one of the most
wonderful colonization schemes
that the mind can conceive. All of
the dead, who are not Of the elect,
will remain on earth living the
perfect life for 1000 years, during
which the willfully wicked will be
destroyed in the second death,
from which there is no resurrec-
ton.
He said that this would be pos
sible, for although there have been
scientific statements that the in
habltants would more than fill the
earth if they came back, he had
calculated that over 50,000000,000
could be buried in the state OF Tex
las alone, which proved that the
"a M 900