Fritz Springmeier

Chapter 1.7God's "Annointed Seed"In 1852, the Joseph Lyttle Russell family had a baby who they gave the same name to as hisuncle had. This baby, named Charles Taze Russell had a brother Frank who was two years older,but Charles ended up the favorite of his father. Later Charles would get a sister Margaret M.Both Charles T. and his sister Margaret spoke on various occasions that his had been chosenbefore his birth for the work that he was to carry out. 1 Margaret referred to her brother as thegreatest man alive "a giant unmatched." She stated that he had been choosen for his religiouswork before his birth. Perhaps, Charles' Russell family, and his father Joseph L., (like JosephKennedy who had goals for his son to be president) had goals for Charles. If Charles had beenencouraged to meet such expectations and had gone forward, then that could account for hissister's great admiration for him. He had fulfilled her father's wishes.At the Put-In-Bay Convention his sister Margaret had outlined how God planned and choseher brother. First God had planted a seed with the early church. But the seed had laid dormantfor centuries. "In due time", she says, the seed of truth grew and was watered according to God'splan. During the Dark Ages the seed of truth was barely kept alive waiting for God's ChosenOne to bring it to fruition. When it was time, God "annointed the eyes" of her brother at age 17,and "God's smile of favor rested upon him." Margaret said her brother was the one, the faithfulone who God could depend upon, the "one despite the burden and heat of the day" would remainfaithful to God. 2NOTES1. C.T. Russell is noted to have privately admitted his belief that he was chosen for his greatwork before his birth. The Finished Mystery. The Watchtower Bible & Tract Soc. 1917, p. 53.A testimony speech given by his sister at the Put-In-Bay Convention where she said similarthings is commented on the The Laodicean Messenger, pp. 179-180.2. The Laodicean Messenger, pp. 179-180.