Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-01-17

lupibus, Kansas, I had the privilege of
listening to discourse by you in
which you urged the Christians pres
sent to do all they could 9 to save i'm
mortal souls from a death that never
| dies" @ rv 81
| I lis the meaning you intended to con-
| vey by the use of the words | have
quoted, was to do what they could to
induce the wicked to " turn from all
his sins that he hath committed and
do that which is lawful and right"
Geek. 1921 then have no OBJ
lection to such an exhortation l can
heartily say, "Amen." 93
But did your words convey that
idea to the mind of an intelligent
nearer ? / think not. 1t seems to
me that your statement was In perfect
harmony with that contained in Gen.
SD" Ye shall not surely die"
You call sinners Immortal souls. "
IF they are immortal, than they need
no salvation, forthe very word conveys
the idea that they are g exempt from
DEATH" (See Webster.) How can !
and other Christians, WHO listened to
you upon that occasion, go out and
urge sinners to believe in our Savior
who "hath brought life and immor-
tally to the light through the gospel,
@ Tim l.; 10,) telling them that "by
patience continuance in we'll doing,
if they /" seek for glory, and honor,
and Immortality" their reward shall
be 'eternal life (Rom. 2: y, when
syou tell them from the sacred desk
| ~, that they are inherently immor-
tai :?
You cannot induce men to seek
for" that which they already possess.
The proposition carries upnn its face
its own absurdity. God nowhere in
his word commands such an unrea-
sonable thing.
The word Immortality is found but
FIVE times in the Bible and no sacred
writer uses it except Paul. | have al
ready quoted two passages. Now turn
to l Cor. 1858, and we find Paul say
ing, 'unto the church Of God which
is at Corinth,' ''this mortal must put
on Immortality. Paul is not address
ing sinners but them that are sancti-
fed in Christ Jesus & Cor. i; 2.
He says nothing about sinners being
immort or putting on immortality
On the contrary, he tells those who
are scalled saints" that "this mortal
must put OF" something-what is it !
-"immortalitJ.' @
Then if the "saints" are commanded
to ''seek for and "put on immortality,
they certainly are not new in posses
ion of that quality, Sand if the right
eous scarcely be saved, where shall
the ungodly and the sinner appear p
| Il Pet. 4:1S.) Yet you tell us we
are all immortal. saints and sinners
alike.
In the next verse Paul informs the
saints that "when this mortal shall
have put on Immortality" then shall
be brought to pass the saying that is
written in Is. rs 8 death is swall-
owed up in victory" Turning to the
writing or scripture referred to by Paul,
we read, he will swallow up death In
victory; and the Lord God will wipe
away tears from all faces" John
(Rev. 81 3, ~, tells us that he
''head a great voice out of heaven,
saying" "And God shall wipe away
all tears from the eyes and there
shall be no more death, neither sor-
row, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain" When will Sod do
this Paul says "when this mortal
shall have put on Immortality which is
vet iu the future. But Pauson teach
es different doctrine He says we
are immortal mow, and if that be true
then it is impossible for mortals to
''put on Immortality and hence the
saying Death is swallowed up in vic
tory, 'sshall,' never she brought to
pass as Paul said it would. Who is
right, Paul or Paulson? II am for
Paul, in this instance.
But thore is one more passage where
this word Immortality is found. Per-
haps it will throw some light upon this
question. Let us read | Tim. 6:l6.
where Paul, in speaking Of the liking
of kings" /" our Lord Jesus Christ,
says he is the One "who only hath i'm
mortality" If .'the man Christ Je-
sus'' is the only man "who hath i'm
mortality" certainly all other men
must be mortal. The word only is ex-
elusive and not inclusive. Men may
imagine themselves "equal with God"
but it avails them nothing. The ques-
ton is asked in Job. 4 !: II, :" Shall
mortal man be more just than God?'
And when God calls man mortal
man." I cannot think ministers of the
gospel ought to call sinners immortal
souls
Again, you want men saved from
the "death that never dies" What
kind of death is that Just no
death at all. Death is the opposite
of life. If it is proper to say, 1.-THE
death that never dies, it is equally so
to say, "the life that never lives.
ssThus saith the Lord, Behold, | set
before you the way of life, and the
way of DEATH" (Jer. Il 80, "choose
ye this day whom Ye will serve. Gosh.
"a: Is.
The Bible gives at least two grand
reasons for serving God: ID to gain
eternal iife,' and ca to escape 1.-THE
l Io.4L az tsa1orl ctIno puuish-