The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-02-11

fall of the soul, and will consider upon
reply when you quote me correctly.
believe the soul to be eternal; that it al
ways existed; that it existed in the union
of the attributes that make God; that it
1t was impaired 10 the organized being of
mind and matter called man. To make
it plain believe the attributes of power,
wisdom and love, impaired to man, are
of the same character, that exist in the
Godhead, but in a less degree; that If
they existed in the same degree, man
would be equal to God We have an ex-
ample in Chrisr-these powers were fully
developed; therefore He was equal TO
God. Yea. He was God, to-wit; power
wisdom and love combined, and perfect
ed in organized mind and matter There
would be as much wisdom in the ques
ton who created God, as there is in the
question who created the soul
The silly twaddle about conscience and
remorse needs no reply. 1t is well under
stood that conscience is controlled by ed
ucation and circumstances. That an in
dividual may feel as keen remorse for
good act as bad one-for an imaginary
evil as we'll as a real wrong. Remorse is
not body or soul trouble, but mind trou-
ble and therefore has nothing to do with
the question.
If it is palpable fallacy that the soul
is not part of God why not enlighten
US, and tell US what it is? If the soul is
immortal, it must partake of the nature
of God 1t must in some way be con-
nected with divinity. If not, then it
must be mortal, and perish with all NOR
tality But l must proceed to enlighten
Brother Evans in regard to the eternal
punishment of the soul after death, and
see if to disbelieye in future punishment
of the soul makes man an enemy to his
God, country, and humanity. The mon
strous and ridiculous idea that it is nee
essary to believe in a future punishment
in order to prevent men from becoming
murderers, thieves, robbers and whole
sale violators of law, is so inconsistent
with all that is good, that none but they
who are blinded with heather blindness,
could for a moment tolerate, Our friend
Evans would have US believe that in Or
der to be law-abiding citizens, we must
believe in endless torment in the future.
That the only motive in obeying Gods
commands, and living an upright life, is
that we shall escape eternal damnation.
That the only incentives in this world to
worship God are the fears of future pun
ishment in the world to come. The doc
trine taught by those who disbelieve in
future punishment may in the mind Of
Brother Evans make them enemies to
God and their country. But it seems to
me tlat there are higher and holier mo-
! tives, and grander and greater incentives
to move the mind of man, to make him
obedient to the laws of God and country,
and incite HIM TO worship his Creator.
! The peace, comfort and happiness en-
joyed in an upright life the joy and salts
| faction in living in obedience to law, are
much stronger inducements. and better
calculated to make men good law abiding
citizens. The beauties of Christian life
in feeding the hung ngry, clothing the ma
| ked, and administering to the necessities
and wants of the distressed in every con-
dition OF life together with the beauties
of heaven, and the glory of redeemed
soul rejoicing over its deliverance from
mortality that hindered its free enjoy
ment.--
These beauties, seen and felt in this
life, and anticipated by faith i'll Christ in
the life to come are the only true inaeu.
tives that inspire the Christian philoso
pher to worship God. All other worship
is false worship and they who worship
like Brother Evans, for fear of eternal
damnation, are false worshipers, and
should be classed with the heather who
in their blindness bow dow to stalks
and stones and gods made with their own
hands.
: The orthodox theory tells us that as
basis to worship God, we must fear eter
nal punishment, and that without this
fear we are heathens and outlaws, and IN
the language of Evans, ener.ies to oul
God and our country. His theory furth
er teaches US that we may with impunity
violate the laws Of God, and disregard all
his commands throughout all our youth,
full days until our heads have grown gray
iniquity and our hearts hardened by the
committal of the basest of crimes. Turn
to God an hour before we die enter the
portals of glory and join in with the
heavenly host in singing the song that
we are redeemed with the blood of the
Lamb, and are now heirs and Joint heirs
with Christ.
The theory further teaches that all
men are born in sin, and that without re.
pentance and faith in God, eternal pun.
ishment is their doom.
And further, that after repent tance and
faith, a person may live and bear the
burthen of the heat of the day for many
years in the service of his Maker, and
yet day before he dies fall from grace,
lose all the credit obtained in a lifetime
of uprghtness, and his soul may be con
signed to eternal punishment the same
as though he had not kept the law l ar
que from the foregoing doctrines
First - That God never designed
man to worship Him for fear of punish
ment, because He has revealed to us
higher motives. All experience teaches
US that fear of punishment is not calcu-
lated to restrain vice and immortality. 1t
is rather a promoter of crime. And if it
restraints, it is from impure motives, and