The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-04-16
The catas A;or.

The world, We are told, is advancing
leaving whatever is "tned and found
wanting" among the debris of the past.
and appropriating all that is new and val
liable to the amelioration of the harsh
conditions of humanity. Religion. which
more than all things else has occupied the
thoughts and interested the feelings of
man, Is not left out of the category. but is
subject to the searching operations and
hberallzing influences Of modern thought.
Though the word of God remains the
same, new interpretations of the text are
made under the new lights thrown uponit
by the passing years; and the general
tendency OF the changes is to simplify the
character Of the Benevolent Father of all,
and to make love 10 God and love to man
the great central sun that gives light and
warmth to the heart, cheers man amid the
conflicts OF life, and illumines the gloom
OF the grave itself The rigors Of old
theologlans are softening, and the desire
seems to be, without surrendering the old
organization, to make its creed In non
essentials as little Objectionable as posi-
bic to the prevailing sense of the aoe.-
Hebrews, Catholics, Episcopalians. Meth
odists and Others, are bowinq their heads
and lifting their hearts to the new ideas
that time is presenting as it pursues its
unceasing travel.
We had OCCASION some time since to re.
fer to some extraordinary scenes in the
weekly meetings Of Methodist preachers
held IN New York. We say extraordina-
~, for 1t was nothing less than that, for
Methodist ministers to rise in an assembly
OF their brother ministers and repudiate
the doctrine of endless punishment bv fire
for the ungodlY. The idea of a hell of
unending suffering by fire was too repul-
sive to be entertained along with the idea
of God of love; and the annihilation of
Of the wicked was presented as a sabsti-
tutute, as being more in accordance with
the teachings Of Jesus and OF Paul. And
now, We observe that Dr. Thomas, in one
Of the Methodist churches in Chicago, last
Sunday, took bold ground against the hell
| OF hre which orthodoxy has 30 long at
tributed to just and merciful God. Not
only that, but he insisted that the bodies
we possess On earth we shall possess here
| alter IN the life to come; that life after
death was to be this earth life. refined
through the transition; and that after ex-
istence here We shall meet and know one
another in another sphere, where we will
have the wants and enjoyments that this
present life taught us to make existence
blessed with natural eyes to see the
great beauties of worlds upon worlds;
feet with which to wander by the groves
and rivers of the lovely world In store for
US; voices with which to sing praise and
express our gladness of heart and all the
senses we here possess, 80 that we may
exist in eternity 10 move, act, and enjoy
the life everlasting. And the purer the
life here the higher will be the plane OF
existence hereafter. To do Justice, love
mercy and walk humbly bsfore God will
be the passport to unending happiness
when ife's ftful fever shall be over
while course of sin will consign the sin
ner 10 a lower plane according to his de-.
merits, from which he can only escape by
fruits meet for repentance.
DR.. Thomas may be no Methodist. OF
that We can not speak He is reported in
the Chicago Times as having preached at
the Methodist Church, corner of Clark
and Washington streets, in that city and
whether he be Methodist or no, the fact
that Methodist Church is open to the
proclamation from its pulpit of such lib
eral sentlments-or, should We rather say
unorthodol views-is one of the signs OF
the times. Or is it simply Chicago &C.
centricity ~ Cincinnati Enquirer.