Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 290, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1914 — CLERGY ORDINATION PROVED FRAUDULENT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CLERGY ORDINATION PROVED FRAUDULENT

No Divina Authority For Tholr Ecclesiastical Titles. : ' ' Christian People Humbuggad—Dignified False Pretense —Christ's King- ' idom Thereby injured—The Btart of the Error —Its Motive —Its Bad Effects—The Proper Remedy. ...•' *’s •*»

New York City, Dee. 6. Pastor Bussell, at New York City Temple, W. 63rd st and Bway., took for bis text today, “CRY ALOUD, space not; show My people their t ra n s g resslon.”— Isaiah 58:1. The address was prefaced with some remarks re-

spectlng the speaker’s unpleasant duty Implied in his text and his preference for speaking only pleasant things. The Pastor has the happy faculty of stating pungent truths kindly and sympathetically. He speaks from the heart and carries conviction..

He then demonstrated from Scripture that our Redeemer and His disciples knew nothing whatever about the distinction between clergy and laity. With great humility Jesus declared that His Message was of the Father. He taught His disciples to seek only that honor which cometh from Above. “One Is your Master, eVen Christ; and all ye are brethren,” was His way of forewarning us against the error which afterward divided the Lord’s people.

The Start pf the Error. The growth of this erroneous doctrine was then traced from Its beginning in the Fourth Century, when the bishops became dignitaries in the Church and sought to impress the rulers with their importance. Emperor Constantine endeavored to strengthen his political power by granting honor to ali Christians who acknowledged the Nicene Creed and especially to the Bishop of Rome. In the following century the power of the bishops was greatly increased by various false doctrines which gradually crept in. Amongst these was that of a fiery Hell of torture, followed by the theory that members of the true Church would never be sent there, but to Purgatory, where a second chance for Heaven would be furnished them.

The clergy gradually grasped more power and money for services now and hereafter. Marriages not performed by them would not be valid. Then followed the theory of infant damnation, classification of sins, fixing of penalties, arranging for masses, etc. All these bound the people to the clergy and separated them from the simplicity of the Gospel. As the Roman Empire went to pieces, the Bishop of Rome became, more prominent, and assumed the title Pontifex Maximus, previously held by the Caesars. Another doctrine thoroughly separated clergy and laity—that the former constitute the Church, the laity being children of the Church. This accounts for the Catholic custom of calling, ordained clfergy Father. The year 800 found the Church making higher claims than ever before; namely, that then the Church became the Kingdom of God. Catholics still hold that the Millennium began that year, and that the Popes are Christ’s Ylcegefent—reigning Ih His stead. The clergy, separated from the people by a great gulf, represented the Elect of God, holding the destinies of the laity In their control; the laity dependent upon them for baptism, marriage, etc.Protestants and Christ’s Kingdom.

The separation of Christ’s followers into clergy and laity was established for centuries before the Reformation. It was but natural for Protestants to copy practises and doctrines with which they had been familiar from childhood. Consequently we see everywhere forms of godliness without its power—lip reverence without much manifestation of Christ’s Spirit Protestants are much confused respecting Papacy’s claim that Christ’s Kingdom has been set up. They, of course, deny that the Popes are Christ’s Vicegerent Nevertheless, they hav£ followed Papacy’s leg,d hd.teUing earthly rulers that their kingdoms are part of Christ’s Kingdom—“ Christendom." They send chaplains with the armies and navies of these kingdoms, receive financial support and recognition from them, and call upon the civil power to suppress so-called heretics, refusing them license to preach, etc. They thus closely follow in their mother’s footsteps. Altogether, these false doctrines are surely responsible, not only for many past wars, but also for the present European war. We may assume that some of the clergy, Catholic and Protestant, are honestly doing what they believe to be God’s will in these matters. But we are bound™to believe that thousands are not deceived—that they know full well that the world is ruled, not by Christ and His teachings, but by self-seeking kings, princes, nobles, financiers, politicians, etc. But what have the ministers of “Christendom" done to open people’s eyep to the truth on this subject—to tell them that kingdoms are not' Christ's lh" any sense? ' Now, as the hour of their Judgment approaches, they deserve our sympathy.

PASTOR RUSSELL