The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-04-12


been in progress
for some months;
and Pastor Rus.
% sell has been
(@SI0R 9IsSEIg) brought here; evl.
IDENTIFY for climac.
terte, results. His two topics were,
"BfYOND TIE GRAVE" and
SCARLET SINS" We report the lat.
ter from the text. Come now. and
let us reason together. saith the Lord:
though your sins be-as scarlet they
shall be as white as snOw."-Isa. l:lS
Although thoroughly loyal TO the Ri.
bic aud very reverential. the Pastor
has evidently cut loose from the creeds
Of Ill the churches. He admitted that
they all contain kernels OF Truth. hut
declared that the truths are buried IN
q mass Of chaff, and worse. are hidden
IN Goddishonoring theOlogieS so VIC.
Iently unreasonable that their best
friends and supporters are ashamed OF
them and prefer never to think Of them.
The Pastor claimed that the repnl'
siveness Of the creeda rubbish heaps
binders people from looking for the
grains Of Truth which they contain.
And this is well. be said. Why should
we trouble and disgust ourselves To
search for the grains which the vari.
Gus crccdS contain. while we have III
the Bible Il whole garner full OF Truth,
clean and pure? He urged all Chris
tlan people to abandon their creeds and
to come together as Bible students. In
tent only on knowing the testimony Of
Gods Word and obtaining the guild
ance of His Holy Spirit In the under
stanims of it. So doing. he declared,
all true Christians would soon lie so
united IN heart AMI spirit that outward
forms Of federation would he useless
and as absolutely ignored as In the
days Of Jesus and the Apostles.
Jesus held up 10 ridlcule and ScOrn
the Inconsistencies Of His day II lie
were here today. He would similarly
show us many Inconsistencies In nnr
estimation Of sin and righteousness,
Tic. Pastor believed. Jesus ridiculed
thefeIigiOuS leaders Of His time when
He pointed out their cnrefulnPSS to
give 1.-THE OF their increase, even to tue
Smallest Of seeds. and their shOwy IT,
lIgIous performances TO lm seen Ut mrn'
Our Lord declared that while so do.
Ing. they practiSed the greatest out
RACES against the very spirit Of Gods
LAW Of righteousness: that IN mean
ways thes took the bread from the
poor. the orphan, the widow. and to
divert attention from their course. they
bypocriticalIy Icnethened their pray
erS. 1t was not that praying was
wrong. or that tithing was objection.
able, but that their recognition Of
these showed them to he all the more
responsible in their gross violations,
In "devouring widows houses" aud
other sharp practices whereby they
took advantage Of those within their
power through adversely or otherwise.
This principle still operates. SAID
Pastor Russell. The sAme sins lie at
the door Of many protesting goodness
aud holding church membership. I"
div, as In our Masters time. there Is Il
way OF keeping within the limits Of
the law, a way OF keeping out OF THE
YenItentiary, while at the same tInIr
the spirit OF the law is outraged and
trampled In the dust Of avariclOuS
rnOney.getting. Aud now. as then.
these noney-lovers often pose as phi
lanthropIsts. and hold high places of
honor and churchianity. The Pastor
spared not this class He declared re-
lIglous hypOrrItes the worst of sinners
in the sight Of Heaven. or all sins
theirs were the most scarlet In Gods
sight. he believed.
Greater and Lesser Sins.
Today wealth covers a multitude Of
sing 10 b. financially unsuccessful ~
n crime. on account Of which many will
consider that wife Is justified In
breaking the obligation uf her marriage
vow and seeking alvOrce-a crime on
account If which some churches would
feel justified in rejecting the culprlt rs
undesirable ana striking his name,
from the list of members. What mat:
tiers L that Jesus addressed some OF
His most comforting words to tlm
weary aud heavy-Iaden and unsuccesS.
fnI? (AIatthew 1l:2S.3Ol What mat
trrs It that the Scriptures declare that
not many rich. wise. great or learned
has God called to the Heavenly inher'
t&uce-but chiefly the poor Of this
world rich in faith?-1 Cor. Ice 90
1t is the same amongst Catholics MS
amongst Protestanto. So long as the
sinner remains member OF the
church. almost every crime can be alb
80, ~. IaoI: aRIn,, ,,o,, xIyhnn