Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-27
Pastor RusselPs Sermon

and rendering the very name OF Christ
odious. Yet even this could not stamp
out their spirit Of liberty.
Liberty EnIishtening the World.
Alas. change came, as the persecu-
tons gradually relaxed, and millions
espOused the name of Christ without
having received the true Gospel Mes
sage to make them free. SO for cen
turtles there followed Il period Of dark
ness, Ignorance, superstition. Yet God
was not without His witnesses. A
few retained the spirit of the Truth,
and were esteemed fNnatical, peculiar.
and had trying experiences "mongst
their brethren. The cause o. ,niS gen,
eral lapse into darkness was that the
Word of God was no longer the Torch.
Instead, the word of bishops became
the standard, and later the DEGREES of
councils.
BY and by, in Gods Providence, the
Torch Of liberty again was lighted.
Huss In Germany and Tyndale in
Great Britain, became leaders in a
movement to bring forward the Word
of God. The darkness hated the light
and almost extingulshed It. Those
who lifted the Torch perlshed as mar
tyrs and Tyndale's Bibles were burn
ed at st. Paul's Place, London.
For n time 1t seemed as If the Torch
had been quenched, but later 1t blazed
forth again. Luther and his associates
held 1t up. The bishops who had burn
ed Tyndale's Bibles we're themselves
forced ultimately to produce a transla-
ton. Two Catholic versions Of the BIZ
bic and our common English version,
and Luther's version followed.
The Torch llNred up and the whole
world began to be influenced by it.
Tho British, the Germans, Scandina-
yilns and Dutch, became potent inhu-
ences Of civilization and enlightenment
throughout the world Today these ma
tons are still In the forefront, Ameri-
ca with them, while the nations which
neglected the Bible, have until now
made little progress. Now all nations
are being influenced by this wonderful
Book, although they know it not The
doctrines which the Bible inculcates
have given to the civilized world its
high conception of human liberties, hu-
man rights, human equaIitles.
Danger Now, as to the Jews,
What we point out respecting the
Jews and the influence Of their Law
upon them, we must now point out
with respect to Christendom and the
influence Of Gods Message today. To
the sanity Jews, the liberty granted
helped them to appreciate the privilege
Of laying down their lives in Gods
service, But to the remainder Of the
nation the liberty led on to greater dis
content ana strife,
So it is today, The sanity Of Chris
tendon, blessed by the great promises
Of God and inspired by the Truth re-
spcCtlng the redemption from sin and
death, are most courageous. But these
having become the servants of God,
manifest their courage by their faith
rulness and loyalty to the principles Of
righteousness, laying down their lives
in the interest Of Gods Truth.
Here also we find, as with the Jews,
that others having the same knowl-
edge, but not being sanctlhed by the
Truth, are made the more discOntented.
In other words independence and lib.
erty not under the restraints Of suncti-
licatlon to God and His service, are
dangerous to the peace Of the world
Thus we see that the most dangerous
elements Of society are those people
who have had more or less contact
with the Gospel and its liberty-lnspir-
ing Message. Not having received the
Truth into consecrated hearts, they are
disposed to use their liberty according
TO their own judgment merely, ignor-
ing the Divine arrangement outlined
in Gods Word,
Thus we see around us today strife.
Strife in business, and along social
lines, and in n general masslng of in
tcIests amongst the lower classes, a
m0ssing Of wealth among the upper
classes and general preparation to de-
stroy one another in sanguinary
struggle for supremacy. The Truth
has begotten spirit Of liberty; but the
Divine Word having been neglected,
liberty Is In danger Of becoming H.
cense, leading to anarchy and the
wreck Of our present civilization.
Became christ's Bond Slave.
st. Paul gives the true conception Of
liberty 1t Is trCcdOm to do right. II
all could so use liberty, what n bless
ing 1t would be! St. Paul voiced the
sentiments Of Gods truly consecrated
people from his day until now. lie ex.
planned that through accepting Christ
he became dead to other masters and
free from the authority Of sin, Satan
and death. But this release was
granted to him on condition that he
would fully give up his own will and
accept, instead, the viii Of Christ He
accepted the proposition and declares
that thus he became Christ's bond
slOve-i Corinthians 7;22.
We perceive his thought. The will
is the lever which governs and con.
trolls the mind. Having given up his
will to Christ, st. Paul was thus more
fully bound to Christ than any earthly