Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-04-19
Correspondence.
Reply to Jasper Hazen.

Reply to Jasper Hazen.
FRIEND MCMAsTER Il saw in the AGE
of April 9th, an article from my friend
Jasper Hazen, in which he tries to dis.
prove the promises made to our fathers,
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and
confirmed by Christ and his apostles; and
the further promises made by Christ, !
would refer him to the Great Apostle in
reasoning with the unbelievers Of his day.
What if some do not believe, shall that
make the faith of God ofnone effect p
Christ said to one in his day, thou dost
greatly err not knowing the scriptures,
neither the power Of God. I would like
to have my brother tell me at what period
Gods mercy and fatherly care of the
creatures he hath made will cease, for He
says, My council shall stand, and l will
do all My pleasure, for the law Of the
Lord is perfect Converting the soul we
may suffer much, and surely shall, if we
do wrong, for the way Of the transgressor
is hard; but God hath said, though l
cause grief, yet will have compassion
according to the multitude of His mercies,
and though make my bed in hell, there
God is; and though l pass through the
valley and shadow of death, will fear
no evil, for His rod and His staff they
comfort me. 1t is useless for unbeievers
to tell us at this enlightened age Of the
world that the mission of Jesus Christ
will be failure, for his kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and 1t shall stand,
and He shall see of the travail of his SOUL
and be satisfied, for He must reign until
the last enemy shall be subdued, and ever
lasting righteousness be brought in, for
the Father loveth the Son, and hath
given all things into His hands. And
Christ says, and this Is the Fathers will
which hath sent me, that of all which He
hath given me, l should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last
day. There was II people or sect in the
days of Christ who did believe in partial
salvation; they set themselves up as
being righteous above other men, because
they observed the ordinances of the
Church, and made long prayers to be
heard Of men, and they justified them
selves before men; but God judgeth the
heart. Those are they which He called
unbelievers, for they had more faith in
their own righteousness than they did in
the righteousness Of God. O, ye of little
faith! Those are the ones who crucifled
our Lord and Saviour; those are they
whom He warns his followers to beware
Of their doctrine, for they teach for doc
trinc the commandments of men, those
are the ones who Christ tells his apostles,
'they will persccute you, and will think
they are doing Gods service in killing
you" And they did persecute and kill
all who believed in God as the Father of
all men, and in Jesus Christ as the Saviour
of the whole world. Now my dear read
ers l would warn you as a friend of hu-
manity to beware ofthat horrible doctrine
that teaches you that God will render evil
for evil, for He says lie will not cast off
forever; neither will He be always wroth,
for the spirits would fail before Him
which He hath made. So let us praise
the Lord for his goodness, and though the
| rod of chastisement may rest heavily up
on us, may we be able with one of old to
say, II know my Redeemer liveth," and
let our hearts affections 60 out in SYM
pathy toward those unbelievers who trust
in their own righteousness, and are all
their lifetime subject to bondage through
fear Ofdeath. My prayer to God is, that
they may have their understandings
opened, that they may see that glorious
vision which John saw on the isle of
Patmos and every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them, heard l saying-bless-
ing, and honor, and glory, and power be
unto Him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb tor ever and ever.
.- L. GILLINGHAM.
Woodstock, April 10, 1876.