St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-22
JOHN WARD, PREACHER
Books Are Discussed by the Rev
Nj, ID. Shutter.

Nj. ID. Shutter.
Rev. M arion D. Shutter preached to
the congregation of the Church of the
Redeemer. at the Grand opera house
yesterday morning. Ills subject was
e ecoa oy Margaret Deland, entitled
"John Ward. Preacher" Recently two
books have been published that have
created some sensation i'll the religious
world, Robert Elsmere" and John
Ward" Some time ago took occasion
to speak of the former of these books.
In Robert Elsmere" the great problems
of theology are approached from the
intellectual side. A critical spirit per-
vades it. The book, shall consider to-
day. is of different character. "Rob-
ert Elsmere" is a protest of the intellect;
John Ward" of the heart. The heart
has claim to be heard In theology.
Ones religion must satisfy the whole
man. The entire nature is from God.
Ii any distinction must be made, the
heart is diviner than the head, and its
claim to hearing more imperative.
Will the heart be satisfied as long as
Shadow of sin and suffering falls across
the throne of God? This book, "John
Ward" is passionate protest of the
heart against the theology that supports
the doctrine of amending woe. There
is no space here to give the story in de-
tail. Helen Jeffrey, whose simple
creed is that, ''lOve of good is
love of God,'- that "heaven means right
eOusness, and he'll absence from what is
best and truest," marrieS John Ward,
Calvinist OF the most rigid tpye, whose
whole system seems to center in the
doctrine of reprObation. hopeless and
endless. The village of Lockhaven,
where he is pastor, is one whose exist
ence depends upon great lumber mills.
The people do not think closely; do not
brought up under the rigorS of the Cal
vanistic creed, which they accept as the
final word of God. Helen soon finds her
self in the midst of community where
the doctrine of hopeless future is the
all-absorbing theme. In this doctrine
she does not, and cannot, believe. Her
own views are. of course, sooner OF later
found out, and among a narrow people
make trouble. John himself is divided
between his love for his wife and
fidelity to his doctrine. He makes HIM
self believe that his love for Helen de-
mandS his utmost efforts to bring her
to the same way of thinking, and after
argument, entreaty and prayer have
expended their force the only remain
ing agency is separation. He decides
that they must part until Helen can see
as he does. He believes that the pang
of this separation will be used by God
to drive into her heart the truth she has
rejected. But it ends sorely for John.
In the few weeks of his wife'S absence
his health, never strong, entirely gives
way, and although he had vowed before
heaven that she should not see his lace
until she believed his terrible creed,
upon his death-bed he sends for
her to come, believing that his
death will accomplish what his
life could not. But life and death alike,
fail to silence the protests of an honest
heart, against what she believes
mOnstrOus, cruel faith.
We may learn from this that doc
trine that so warps and hardens ma
ture essentionally noble as was John
Wards, must be wrong. A belief that
will drive man to such desperate ex-
tremities. that will turn lOve-the best
thing in this dark and sad world-intO
a source of bitterness and woe, can
have no foundation in the plan of God
or the nature of man. Indeed, the
tendency of such a belief is directly to-
wards atheism. To attach to God the
attributes ascribed to Him in John
Wards theology, would finally drive
the very belief in His existence from
the human mind. If it ever becomes
necessary to choose between absolute
atheism and the belief in God, who is
either so unjust as to permit sin and
suffering always to exist. or so helpless
that He cannot prevent or remedy it. no
right-minded person could hesitate to
choose the former alternative. His ell
+;,1 c,,e+ap, Inhn Ward nr0facSnS RI
have drawn from the Bible. But to
those who have studied the Bible from
a different standpoint, it does not seem
that the harsh interpretations placed
upon its language can be justified. The
reVisors have replaced much of the old
phraseology of the King James tranSla-
ton, by that which better represents
the spirit of the great book. But even
if the doctrine was in the Bible it could
not he believed even then.
1t would be the strongest argument
against the fact that the heart OF God
palpltates in its pages. The book we
are considering illustrates how COM
pletely the doctrine breaks down upon
the brink of the grave. Tom Davis, a
dissolute character, but man OF noble
impulses after all, rushes into a great
fire to save little child, and comes out
of it so completely exhausted, scorched
with fire and suffocated with smoke,
that he drops to the earth and expires
in a few moments. On the preachers
lips there is no word of hope, nothing
buL the stern message, The soul that
sinneth, it shall die" The woman,
with nothing but her narrow creed to
support her, says that she believes it
all, but that she can never love God
again.
You ask what /, or any one else with
my views, would have said in this case.
| would have said this: My good
woman, God is the same God in the next
world that He is in this; and in every
world, the name that is written on His
brow is love- l should have said, the
very nobility of heart, which prompted
your husband to rush into that fire to
save another life at the sacrifice of his
own, is the best proof in the world that
there was something better in him,
whose growth has here been checked by
his hard condition of life; but now. that
the hand of Death has broken the shack
les oil the flesh, the growth of that no
bier nature which was in him will be
unhindered, and in fairer cline,
under brighter sun, and with more
favorable surroundings, it will blossom
and bear fruit in the gardens of God"
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