, 1880-08-29

-heta that they would have been more lenient,
salvation for NIL But God has seen tit to do
Otherwise. and who are they to criticise God?
~, they will acquieSce, they will defer to the
Evidently how glad such ministers would be
mnde by revelation clearly from Goo that the
under restraint, they would say it was just the
way they always thought and felt, JUST the way
they always wanted to have 1t. And now, left
! curc thai God has been most shamefuty aud
outrascously mnltgned. Really He is kinder,
more or e. gracious t, and merctful more pore adorable.
take the gruunG thai. instead OF keeping sinners
in endless torments, God VIII let them quietly
ST etill wiser and divsner 1hing-to-1vi the
purgfng away Ut tho sinful elctntut IN pan. SO
that God .at last shall save the worRsof His
| ill, and rum, God evolves more magnificent
good: IT seems 80 good that the fire Is pre-
pared for the Pew and bis e nnd not
of God is not against men, M Gat
! nent} OF n.nu that doeth evil This discovery
OF the goodness Of God in thar He docs not end
| lesly torment any OF his creatures, didnscs JOY
whose whole lIfe has been darlsened by tbs Old
all would like 10 feel anu know that there is no
such thing us unceasiug tormeuts and misery in
Gods economy. Even the man who holds most
| thut be woufo like to think tn The contrary.
Now what docs all this show2 1t shows that in
the heart Of al! men-9ll chrtstian men-there @
brlugs the God that endiesiy torments to tudg-
ment, and condemns Him. In the consciousness
the men who sna {ho hd the "a
ts TINT accept s sse!e Il there @ '' ss''$s
| it Is pulley to mold to the God VINO is, and Who
| cnn punish Such is the secret feeling. Notnan
who can wish God to be different IRON what Ae
is or to do differently fron,. what He does. truly
believes IN Him. oues God must emDody y, h!s i
the highest, the nohiest. The purest, the sweet
cau conceive OF 4 being better than my Gol
! There is no other alternative. Does my God
Us the Larger Cntechism teachcs with most
| sricvuus turnents in soul and body without in
Permission. in hell~urc forever :Ques: ~, then,
being nv God, CANNOT ecen Wish it WHre other
wise. | must ndmire His doing and exult III II,
aud spread it abroad In praises Of its entire ex-
! celcllcy. 1t must meet and satisfy ny highest
| truly believe in Him, and mold Him us God.
It clearly follows that, if God be believed in,
| lie caulot be ashamed Of his God III any re-
spec1, nor fail to magnify every glory The
fact If it be faet, that God ttors tors
exceedingly to be delighted IN. And what be, ;,
lever could even bear to have it otherwise1 a.
this delcacy about speaking of hcll-hre, grlev-
o,,s t.r,nc1,ts" unl the like only shows luck of
phule~souled belief in such a God. Not 70 speak
Is something about Cod that Is better NOT mem
| tioned. But what sort Of u believing is that:
| 1hat sort Of belief is nothing ous g cloak OF
hypocrisy" put through fear or sclf-interes1'
Wide The heart is not iE it. There IS nothing be.
tween myself personally and the members o.
The nao msa k,adG mhsy TheS ny
| tAkcu each step toward disciptlne relnGlauty,
and few, if any. Of them take pleasure IN heresy.
hunting While stood before them was but
| the mere exponent Of a principle. ! conio not
! feel that even one accusation was ainlod ~ Any
individual against me ~ an Individual. Hnd
| they deposed me forthwith, it was not me put
I tie deuier of their :" "standnrds' thai their &C,
| ton was against Persons we're ruled out anu
there we're left opposed to eaen qtaed @ ony
! for conscience and for the right ana duty OK
private Judgment the other. Here are TWO
eecieslusticaI authority. Shall man believe
hecause he sees because God 1eachcs him; or
because men command him to believe?
| Why did NOT resign or Withdraw Nny snoula
II There IS 8 great question ut stnke which
t.nn never be decided until brought to test II
what Stand for is wrong TIE opportsan,ey 1Sa I6a
and ought to be fully improved The feelings
OF one man wso Is anMt1e tr;ai are 70 nnn to be- coz
| sidercd for one moment IN comparison.
suppose the Presbyterian Church were ras true
ms s, il not, to her standards She would never
Isl listen mi to any better or newer truth, and Growth
| in Knowledge would bo Impossible 1oined 70
her anis she might as weu os ie.n Gione: net
| now that she IS not true u nef etanoa4a'' t'~"
afF Fnrtv n miles from Buffalo. In the little City Of
| nun kirk there nre people who meet On sun
| Inrs in what Is called THE Presbyt
| Church to hear what Of truth they csa. fer-
they are Is n o5ie Thev he@t
I take what they can. and leave me resi- NJ
| forcing process is allowed. They think tho man
| the 1r,i1h ii God. They do not swear by him,
| but they consider that he speaks falr aSeraire
Of truth Some say hey nrs 9eed ntG be- Thar
~ It maT. they nre patient and do not com plat n
But at length this very simple MODE OF sunaas
ehs'I to sho pastor, ssop and q course, it neAnz
| s>stot :" 10 tho people e. well. ,, ,...
Now, tt this Is the voice Of God a ~ fxn nn ,yh'cn
virtuy claims authority to speak for God. Ine
| questions arise, Who are they! what authoe1ty
aye they in our to lhs yoee Meor
] IS summoned TO- tell what 1n1S s,u;. pnoy
| Of men has dono tor or the nanx'fS ,aiaa x
about this: That ii has never been s'tir counsel
ar Of truth, never fed and nourished us att these
years in any such practical way as TO make " rs
i,ladly dependent upon it. Il knows nothmK OF
our ree.Is and we know nothing of IT'S quallhca-
lions, It may he conceded that, tor the love o.
God and men: It startea 1 ;h;s Yr1a'y ravs him to
IA. We understand thut 1t exists for tho Rood
Of men rather 1han to BY served by tnen, ,t 70 n'a
would sar to US. ''Otte; God, not US
! But VIC really chose our own phs9oI, anu VIC
choose to have him speak: ano We chos'se ~
hear, We are satisfied. Nn nave recoxnla1eui
tho fact that our pastor Is somewhat ehonsotul
anI independent He appears 10 nave some
faith too III God Well. we ure somewhat IN
cfined to think fos ourselves also. aud trust VIC
have stne faith. We believe in spiritual pr',g-
rf.ss and in growth In knowledge, ano 10 tnt.
end there must he frcedt,1n. 40" Y
seems 10 us that ecclesiastlclsn, "
which Presby1ery appears 70 oe snow1ng
herself part, Is acting ~ SORT OF maen1e. ut
trap It Is set to keep down growth: ana nns lts
hair trIgrcrs out along the bord.rs o1 na1noFszeu
Thought II one ventures out o. Ina oeatcn
fracE Of dictated thinking. and sttrs win d ~
yfue sort Of freedom, he strikes SCI sFfin. a4
lol he IL cfcrcicd with tho bars aho stoppcu
short. II this is right and 1eEltin,ate, Wnat
,n:xes it so? The daysof the machine are num-
bercd. BECAUSE, In digging down. VIC ma tao
word Presbyterian" cn-Tafea on ouF cotsaet
stone it cannot That we, for all I1tne snal4
move iu sou,c prescribed channel ot thouEnt-
Ne have leurnod TINT where the Spirit OF 1oo Is,
iI must soon be discovered that this thought -
nv m, 1nrans confined exclusively fn Dunkl1h;
Enr some mcn to be permitted to mnrk out anu
measure of the direction and the distAnce 1or
tt,n thinking uf some other met, u 1nlng 81
tha nusr Least of all, will nleu permit the
rc,surnr to he done with All inda-ruoper tlpe-
~ vii, surely be required Of those who assume
10 teu others what to do. that they be ttst known
~ o 80 themselves; TO first tie themselves losal
and true to tho standard bcfuse attempting ~