Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-09-01
Pastor RusseIEs Sermon


s,entics VINO ike myself have lost
tbeir vov and svmpathy. too. for the
orant mass of mankind. who have
never known God,
porhons con onnreciote better than
come otbars NJ tho ord's neonle what
n means 10 no "vithout God and with
out hono IN tba rnrId"-bow lonesome
how solitary tho wov how aimless the
,vondoring how bitter the disappoint-
,oents that find no solace in hone of a
bet+or dovr am narsuaded that man.
,,ind mood r,ora to ha instructed and
oncorragod tbnn to ba brow.beaten
tbreotoned alarmed Az ony rate. the
decreasing church attendance, in spite
of oneratic music and sensational
tonics nrovas that tbe masses of the
people refuse longer to be scared into
the Heavenward road by threats Of
eternal torment.
And do not all Christian ministers to
some extent discern this? Is not this
the reason some of them give for dis
continuing to preach the creeds Of
darker time? Is not this the reason
that, in defiance of the creeds, and in
contradiction thereof, every funeral
service is a white washing affair to
make out that the deceased is saint
and gone to Heaven, even If his life
has been discreditable, and he has
never made even profession of Chris
tianity? Such hypocrisies-ho one
standard and preaching another-are
bringing Christianity into reproach.
Fraud is the word which in the con
ception of many fits their own for.
mallsm and that of others. They recog-
nize the Apostolic picture Of our times,
"Having form Of godliness, but de-
nying its power"-2 Timothy 3:5.
The ove of Our Text.
Tbo ontiro pib,a tolls ns Of Gods
oyo and syr,rotby OnIv faw tevte
tristod r,ist,.anslatod or. internoIated
dnrino tho Dorl, Agos avon saaminplv
oon+rodiot tbo oreo+ stotament that
cad disIovo- -tba vorv essence and em.
bod,mont of this grandest of olI ole
,,ont, 90 oh,rnotor Our +ox+ is ono ot
thosa 1ovin,, trihuto. IN tha Heavenly
Tothor,s n,nrcv and grace II ia one
tboroforo which asneciolIv anneols tc
tho ,-.nI H.. tho rnmindfrl Christian
and tbe rauentnnt sinner-"God so low
oil the varld that He gave His ONLY
Rerotten son that whosoeyer believetl
Tin Him shorld NOT perish but hay,
averlosting ufa"
vo+ soo how. u,o boro tr,ietod thi
oood yvord 90 COD to moI,e ont of I
somotb,nr owl, ya seIzad unon IN,
,,ord norj,b ,.rou,no, vol tbot it signi
&C., e., 5as4ror +o on,ihtloto 70 rordo
lIso,ns, soton norsuodod nc that sucl
nanaltv would NOT sufficiently terrify
md pot ronidlv enouch All the roll
Of church membership. He induce,
our forefatbers throurh the "doc
r,dnes of demons" 70 saw that peris
here maons tbe reverse Of what
means In ordinary conversntIon-.thn
means 70 60 TO endless woe. to be me
nv Are.nroof devils and he confne
to nil eternity in horrible sufferlngs
Well did Satan succeed in decelvin
us until we did not even think of queS
tlonlng his lies and absurdlties
II any one suggested that peris
means TO destroy. the Adversary woul
stir I'D persecution, and brand such
one a hereto. II the hereto aske
how any one could be tortured foreve
, in fire and not be consumed, he wa
| denounced as both fool and a knav
for not appreclating the fact that Go
could inject life into the poor suffert
! for the millions upon millions of yeal
Of eternity
How foolish we were! How stup'
, not to see the origin of such nonsen'
l not to perceive the simplicity
) Gods Word that the penalty upon si
t ners was to perlsh-not to see thI
, God sent His Son to redeem man fro
r his perlshlng condition, and TO open U
t for Adam and all his race way to III
Q everlasting life!
Quite true, this life can come on
y through the Life-glver, the Redeeme
Quite true, none can receive 1t in Ign
a rance, and comparatively few see wi
a the eyes Of their understanding or he
4 with the ears Of their underestimate
? the Message OF grace In the prese
/ time. But Gods provision throul
!. Christ is resurrection for the dead
!. not only the Just, who now by fai
/. are justified, but also the unjust, WI