The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-17

BOLD AND MIsr.EADfNo.
Mssersahssn ~ Age with LOWERING sof
spirftuzl Idcsis Gives Fsasc Teach.
ess Oppcrtanity u Cxccptng Iaco
Religious IAfe.


"RusSeilisrn" was exposed by Rev.
J. X. Joliffe at IAurei-Street Method
ist Church last night, In a sermon,
with Ephesians z:i4 az the text:
That we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and Gro with every
wind Of doctrine, by the sicight OF
men and cunning craftir ess. whereby
they lie in wait TO deceive" He said,
In part,
Ono OF the many evidences OF the
inspiration Of the Holy scriptures 10
found IN It's deep insight into human
nature. In ite preheDsion of both
the elements of human strength and
weakness. and In its far-reacf,ing and
sweeping provision OF the efforts
which would be made by the powers
Of darkness to use the frailties Of our
humanity to defect II from the path
way OF truth into the apparently rosy
ways Of error and sin.
That IL would be difficult for even
rood men. with right purposes. who
are real adherents Of the truth to keep
themselves even relatively free from
hte current errors OF their age seems
to be recognised In the text which we
have chosen above. That perfecting
OF their faith and strengthening OF
| their confidence in God which would
result In steAdyfng their Christian
characters and In eliminating their
tendencies to be swept about by every
wind Of doctrine. and to be deceived
/ by the sieight Of men. who by cum
ming and craftiness seek to deceive the
very elect thsmseives--couid only
come when IN unity OF faith and OF
the knowledge Of the Son of God they
1 g. k~&~ nAS hn
measure of the stature OF the fullness
I! OF Christ
Unfortunately for us, the passing
Of the years, and the clarifying of
Christian doctrine has not eliminated
the tendency Of the race to be swept
about by every wind Of doctrine
Indeed. fear II Is true. that there
10 in the unrest OF the times, and in
the unsettled state Of mems minds on
| many religious questions that which
makes us today more easily n,isled
and duped than in any generation sue
csedins the apostles.
'sThe msterialisn1 OF the age. with
the consequent lowering of its spiritual
ideals. has made ii easy for bold and
1 designin& men TO mislead many into
those false forms OF religion which,
| though paipable errors. have stupefled
an alarmed conscience. and in that
sense have brought ruietude TO the
soul--a quietude that in Itself Is
/ ominous---for II is the auietude Of
spiritual Death, aud one from which
the conscience OF the church and its
ministry at all cost must arouse the
!niperilied souls Of it, ,fellowmen iftit
would stand biameless before the
judgment seat Of God.
Widespread Interest.
at 10 Tor this reason that I come
tonight. my friends, to discuss with
you ons Of the most widely spread
hsreaies Of our modern religions world
.t--shs Heresy OF Russeliism--which il
In itaelf not 80 new as 10 be unheard
Of before. except as TO some OF III
features and as TO the methods of III
propagation.
''Of widespread cult. Or. Hoideinan
Ut the First Baptist Church. Of New
York city, las strongly said that Rus
ssiissm. or Miilenniai Downism. is on,
! Of the inost dangerous counterfieits o
the Christian religion. and one of thu
most preposterous yet skillfuily hid
den blasphemies against the truth
honor and dignity of our Lord Jesus
Christ evsr coined or circulated. I
comes in the name of Christ, and de
nies Christ. 1t breaches gospe
| which 10 not. n gospel but n syaten
that on fire one side contradicts. ami
on the other perssrts the scripture.
"It processes to defend the Bible al
r she i8faiIitie MeTd Of God, ard tbef
turns IL into a rose of wax to sui
les own occasions
1T denies the scriptural doctrine o
Tie Trinity aud declares IT unTeason
alba and unscriptural and thus places
itself by the side of Unitarianism.
1T denies the Holy Spirit 10 per
son. teaching that He IL nothing more
than an influence and thus sin'
against the Holy Ghost"
1 1T win be- seen from this quotation
from DIR. Hoiderman twhe has takeE
the pains TO thoroughly study the SO
called studies in scripture, by the self.
4 styled Pastor Rasselll, that in It's yer,
outstaTt the claim Of Russeilism to bs
called FORM Of the Christian religion
10 destroyed by its conflict with almos;
every basic and fundamental doctrine
4 OF the religion Of Jesus Christ
4 Had Pastor Russell been an accom-.
piish~d theoIogisn. which he la not. and
deliberately have sought to form o
scheme of doctrine, which at every
point would be ~ the variance with
the great truths OF the Bible, he could
I not have succeeded better than in thia
tbiasphemous creed which he brings TO
4 us under the name and guise of the
n Christian religion,
For convenience sake shall discuss
d this matter as 1T deals first with the
doctrines that relate TO the person and
life or our Lord Jesns Christ
4 Around the person and life of Christ
i is OF course centered the validity oil
the whole Chrsstian religion. IL Je'
sns Christ be not the Son Of God, as
4 we'll a. the Son Of Man, divine and
human. then the whole scheme OF re.
dsmpticn L. constructed upon q false
feunaasicn. And II he, in THE dual
/ nature. be not risen from the dead
tAen no less an authority than 81, Paul
speaking A. the mouthpiece of God
declares that our preaching IL vain
aaa your faith 10 in vain
Upon this great foundation of his
visgtn birth. his victorious death and
his resurrection from the dead In his
God head and humanity are construct
ed ali the great doctrines and postu.
iatss Of our Holy Religion.
Ages ago the church fathers gave
to the church and the world that sum-
mary ~ the teaching OF the Master
and the Insp;red- scripturss AZ to the
person ana once Of Jesus Christ that
has long stood ~ the challenged creed
OF ChristAndsm.
The Aposties' Greed.