St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-09
A Lively Discussion at the Pastors Meet
ing About Manifestations OF the
Wrath of God.
The Board of Trade Considers CONNER
cial Relations With Mexico-Dele-
gates Appointed.
status of the Permanent Exposition
IAN Early Demand for Space
--Rules Adopted.
County Commissioners Meeting
The FIorences at the Grand--
Police Pickings.
HERES A HOw-DE-Do.
Methodist VS.. Presbyterian III 'A'
Pastors MeetIng--PIain Words'

Methodist VS.. Presbyterian III @
Pastors meetIng--PIain Words'
Prof. O. NJ. Stoddard, formerly Oh
Wooster college, yesterday morning reao
paper before the city pastors upon inc
Science of the Bible. His general proposition
was that sin weaves fragile threads in the
wool of life and that wickedness skaters
tho strength. When the mind sins the body
suffers and when the body sins the mind
suffers so intimately are the two connected.
The laws of nature are simply Gods meth
ODDS: the rules of physiology are the doct-
rines of the Bible repeated. Sin in the
mind brutalizes the body and tends to
shorten life In support of this theory the
professor cited numerous quotations from
the Bible and gave some instances which
he claimed revealed the visitation of the
Judgment of God as rebukiDg sin on earth.
The coming of pestilences and cyclones is
punishment of Divine wrath. Remorse is
the hell in which the majority suffer for the
sins of mind and body.
The paper was an unusually lengthy one,
and its reading took up all the time usually
set apart for debate, with the exception Of
five minutes. The five minutes remaining,
however, sufficed for Rev. John L. Pitner,
pastor of the Hennepin Avenue M. E.
ecclesiastical camp. He said:
Il must object to portion of the paper
Just read upon the ground that l don't be-
lieve the God l worship is guilty of man
slaughter. Cyclones come in accordance
with certain atmospheric laws. When a
lot of
DIRTY HINDooS
come together with their filthy bedding and
flthier habits in the East cholera is started
upon its deadly mission around the earth
If God means pestilences for punishment
why do the good suffer with the bad? Why
do children, comparatively sinless, suffer
chiefly?"
How about the deluge-didn't children
die?" came In protest from one pastor who
had half risen from his seat to fire this shot
at the audacious Mr.. Pitner.
II don't think the brother should ask
such hard conundrums, especially on Mon
day morning." returned Mr.. Pit
ner, ''the deluge occurred quite a
while ago and l wasn't present at the time.
/ am only speaking in general way and
not discussing details. l don't desire to
seem belligerent, but / regard this teaching
that God commissions to Stay absolutely as
dangerous doctrine for the pulpit. 1t may
do for the lecture room or for some occasion
like this. l would hate TO think l wor-
SHIPPED a God who is guilty of murder. Ii
makes my blood curdle to think of il"
'.Do you know any one who does wor-
ship such God?' asked another pastor.
ANY one who believes that Divine wrath
shows itself in wars, cyclones and pesti-
Iences believes in such God" answered
Mr.. Pitner. "If the judgment of the
Almighty should come in the shape of
SHOWER OF MISSILES,
and if the bludgeons, stones and sticks were
to strike the sinners while the saints walked
by their sides in perfect safety, then l
should believe that God intended TO punish
the guilty for their sins. l do not how
ever, think he authorizes indiScriminate
slaughter. AS to remorse being a punish
ment-hOw is it that the stings of conscience
which would shoot arrows of pain through
the souls of good men only affect the minds
of some of the greatest and most persistent
sinners, as the stings of bees against the
walls OF grantee"
UNLESS some one else desires to exam
inc Mr.. Pitner upon his orthodoxy we will
listen to Prof Stoddart's reply to this criti-
cism of his paper" announced the chair
man.
The professor answered briefly that God
punished people as a whole and not as
Individuals: He deals with states and ma
tons as unit. The deluge is an example
and there are others. 1t was announced
the Rev. DR.. Marshall will read a paper al
next Mondays meeting upon ''Shall We
Have Daily Religious PaperS?"