, 1875-05-16


10 tie Etlitor o} rae Chtcaoo Tribune:
CHICAGO. May l4.--In Mondays Tarspx1 ap-
pesred sermon Dreached tho day before By taa
Rev. J. ~ Bain which shows how pettifo9RnZ
preacher can be whom an honest statement
does not serTo his purpose His subject ie the
doctrine OF future puniahment, and is An answe<
to LII. Brooke Herford's sermon On Common
Sense Chris tianity." 11r. Harford does not b.
ueve in the dognaa Of endless punishment. and
ventured tc say 40 in his sermon. This red rtg
ronsed lr. Bain, and he proceeded to gore Mr.
Herford- Here is one OF hia conundrums
"Mr. Brooke Herford says that for God to su:-
far the sinner to be esernaly miserable is un~
just. We ask, How do you know, Mr. Ho,fotde
Can Jon comprehend what is right for ths IN
inity, wise, holy, and just One to do?.
Gather any number Of criminals together,
and the greater the number the mora cou-
mon will be their aense that to punial
them adequately il unjust" Hero is an un-
ca!led-for insinuation that Nr. Herfo1d is
criminal. Wil Mr. B. please state znat crime
be has committed Or is he = criminal oniy in
Pick kRickian sense liz. HerfoEd said u, It
ia not possible for man, IN the bstey pexiod Of
three-esofe, ,and.ten years, TO ain sohclently to
Mr. Balm replies: '' We know that, according to
human law and tbs finite sense OF justice. man
in five minutes can commit sin enough *e forfeit
his liberty for Dinetynine years, CT to forfeit bis
do with what Mr. Herford sad Will Ar- Bain
please tell how much, - according to human
law and finite sense Of Justice" man would
have to ain in order to deserve the Punishment
Of having hot LEAD poured into his enzs contiuu-
could i've through ii II the greates: criminal
that ever lived we're to be sentenced to such =
punishment for ono 1eek. ca even ono hour,
believe that Mr, Balm himse1f could be peruuad-
ed to enter mild protest. But this would ha
what God (aocording to mr. b. has in store fo1
sinners when be gets them into The like Of fire.
Some people are ready to condemn cruelty and
torture when practiced by man but, whcn God
acts the hend, it is all right, and everything il
lovely.
liz. Balm thanks God that there are thousands
besides Mr. Spurgeon who believe this Fearful
creed" Well, have no wish to deprive Mr.
Balm Of the comfort this affords him, it he will
only refrain frGm making false statements az to
He claims that rejection Of It ''eafaetles tha
character in warp and woof tho texture il eoft
and loose as woolen threads, . = {. and mcn
are moro like empty mi!l-bags than pillars in
sociesy;" and that 81 A faithful preaching Of this
dread might save even the filthy debauehoe, the
some Cnita1;9ns, from making their ete1nal
abods there" Where does Mr. B. get
bis authority for these sweeping assertions?
Let us look up some Of those ''nil-bage-" We
Horace Greeley, Samuel J. May, etc.. as specl-
mens. When we consider how feable in warp
and woof the character Of these nai3l-bags wer1.
and what Pillar Of Hercules Mr. B. il, ne must
admit ''this fearful creed" il big thing:
Whether a preaching OF this "dresd truth"
sayos anybody from an eternal abode in hell o1
not, have no means OF knowing. Ehas I
would like to know Is, does it make men honast