Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-11
Pastor Russell's Sermon

LOuuy muny eAlOl lne ltOIu anu lho
Apostles, and denounce their persecu-
tors, while they similarly prosecute.
The climax Of st. Paul's perils, the
severest Of them all, was from false
brethren. How strange that seems,
One would think that however much
the heather or the Jews might have
prosecuted him, at least all professed
followers Of Jesus would have thanked
God for his example and ministry, and
have esteemed him. But this was not
so; and as we look back to the Master
before him, we see the same to be
true. As He declared, "a mans foes
shall be they Of his own household"
The Master was a Jew. The Jews
we're His brethren according to the
flesh; and 1t was they that hated Him
without a cause--they that prosecuted
Him-they that said, "He hath devil
and Is mad"-they that took up stones
to stone Him"-they that finally cruel
fed Him. He came unto His own,
and His own received Him not" except
few sanity, elect ones.
st. Paul also had persecution from
the Jews, who repeatedly sought his
life. He lived after the establishment
Of the Church He had also Christian
brethren, begotten Of the Holy Spirit
and fellow-members Of the Body Of
Christ. Jesus had none such. "Of the
people there we're none with Him."
The Holy Spirit was not given until
Pentecost; hence Jesus could not re-
ceive Christian persecution. The near
est approximation was the case Of
Judas. But If st. Paul enjoyed the
sweetness of Christian fellowship In
his study, labors and tolls, he also
knew the bitterness of opposition and
prosecutions from false brethren-the
climax Of his perlls. We may be sure
that such experiences were more diff
cult for him to bear than any others,
because they came closer home. They
came from brethren Of the closest i'm
aginable relationship-fellow
Of the Body of Christ.
The Cody suffer Persecution.
As we glance down through this Cos
pei Age, from st. Pauls day to the
present, we find that all followers Of
Jesus have had experiences such as He
foretold for them--persecuHons. We
find that these prosecutions have come
from every quarter, but none, appar-
emily, more severe, more cruel, more
perllous than those which have come
from Christian brethren. 1t is scarcely
necessary for us to refer to history to
demonstrate this fact. Disputes be-
tween Christians have been very bit
ter. Thousands have lost their lives at
each others hands. The word hereto
became more obnoxious than any other
term In the dictionary
Neither Catholic nor Protestant can
deny the terrible story Of the pages
of history. All true men are ashamed
of the record. All are ready to say,
1--WE would not so have done" Monu-
ments stand in various parts of the
world, marking places where sectarian
strife has manifested itself In atroclous,
barbarous acts. Our Catholic friends
blush at the story Of the Huguenots.
Our Church of England friends blush
at the story Of the COvenanters and
other non-conformists. Our Presby'
teran friends, in turn, blush for afro.
clous acts, injustice, etc, done in the
name of Calvlnism,
We might almost say that each de-
nomination in Its turn has been sub
ject of persecution from one and an
other. Baptists were publicly whip
ped-sometlmes driven from thelT
homes to exile. So were the Purltans
who afterwards became prosecutors
themselves. The Methodsts also suf
fered from sectarian spite and jeal
ousy, ignorance and superstition. In
deed, who will dispute that Christen
dom has good cause to be ashamed Of
her own record, no matter what hei
standpoint may be?
Thank God for the advancement
made along the line Of human sym
pathy! No longer can civilized peo
pie take pleasure In public executions
tortures, burning at the stake, MS II
former times. Whatever competition
may remain between Christian breth
rem, the peril Is not that Of open per
secuuon; for general sentiment has ad
vanced beyond the point where physi
cal torture could be tolerated,
We have come to the time whel
CalvinIsts erect monument to Serve
tus, expressing dissent from their grea
leaders mistake In causing Christian
. brother to be burned. We have com
to the place where the "perlls amongs
false brethren" are of different kind
Now whatever iealousles or I1valrle
there may be, either at home or In tn
mission fields, are recognized as I'm
proper and suppressed, so far as bretl
rem connected with popular and intluen
tlal bodies Of Christians are concerned
. But is II not true today that tn
Truth Is unpopular? Has this not a
ways been the fact? Is It not true tina
| In proportion as the denomination
have become popular they have escar
cd persecution? But woe he to thos
who, ns were Jesus and the Apostle:
+ are unpopular! II they indeed escNp
the cross, the guillotlne, the rack an
the fOgot, they are amenable TO othe
, means OF torture. Something cnn b
, trumpcd up against their personality
, nsinuntlons can be given by word an
, look, and shrug Of shoulder Nor
I,,,nv. ,,p hn nnonn,N1tshn1 la tht