Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-02

ward and result of study and toll and e
fort in spiritual and intellectual direction
There may be no place in heaven for il
vicious comparisons any more than, to
certain extent, we do not find them nov
T FOR though all the vessels may be full an
beautiful, yet some vessels may hay
greater capacity and possess NOR
loneliness than others. Again, it is evi
dent from the sure testimony of Hol,
scriptures that the punishment hereafte
viii not be equal in degree, but divers
and varied, according to the degrees O
culpability in this life. Christ saws: 1T,
whom much is given, much will be re
quired," and speaking to the cities which
had heard his own preaching and had seer
Ills miracles and yet not repented, He
says: " Woe unto thee, Chorazin Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida for it shall be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day Of
judgment than for you" And again
speaking of His own future coming, He
says: That servant which knew his
Lords will and prepared not himself
neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes but he that
knew not and did commit things worthy
of stripes, shall be beaten with few
stripes. "-St. Luke xii. Hence, at the day
of reckoning, it will be more tolerable for
some than for others that is, they will be
punished according to their various de-
grees of crimnality.
So, too, will Gods rewards be distributed
1t is stated in Holy Scripture that
Christ will reward every man according
to his own work. Every man." saws
st. Paul, "shall receive his own reward ac-
cording to his labor" We must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that
every one may receive the things done in
the body " according to that he hath done. y
And in the Book of Revelations our Lord
himself says, " Behold l come quickly and
my reward is with me to give everyone
according to his work" Therefore, as our
works-our liyes-difar here, so our re-
wards will differ hereafter. In exact pro-
portion as we improve the Lords gifts of
grace and opportunity here in this life. so
will be our fruition of joy and happiness
hereafter. And God will not Judge with
out an Infinite regard to the relative means,
capacities and opportunities of those to be
condemned or rewarded. And we must
not limit the word to outward acts, ire
spective of inward affections. The PRAYERS
and HASTINGS of the Pharasees failed of their
reward because they were done for mere
outward show or observance, and not from
an inward desire to glorify God in spirit
And by good works" we comprehend
all such fruits of faith and love, whether
IN doing or suffering, whether they be seen
IN loving ministrations for others, who
suffer IN poverty, sorrow and sickness or
whether they be seen in the quiet resigna-
ton and submission to the Divine will ::
whether they be works seen by the eve or
whether they be the silent unseen long
lngs and pleadings of broken and A con-
trite heart lifted to God for mercy. peace
pardon and salvation Yes, NV friends.
as we have used and profted by the means
and opportunities which God so freely
spreads about us now, so shall we attain
our rank and condition of glory and bless
edness hereafter. For this is the law of
our growth and progress now and it is GER
talnly the analogy of that which prevails
beyond this. And our blessed Lord uses
the same word when speaking of the dura-
ton of the punishment of wickedness.
(dion'os) as he does when he is describing
the reward of Righteousness.
EVIL, AS EVIL, Is AN ETERNAL ENTITY.
And will continue to be abhorred of God
and unfit for his presence as long as it
characterlzes nature or Il human spirit.
But the duration of punishment and the
duration of evil are vastly different mat
tiers from the question "Will a soul always
stay sintul-will it have no chance to re-
form hereafter" That problem only God
can dispose of. If the continuance of the
result of goodness is di0nios, everlasting.
so, too, the continuance of the result of
evil is everlasting.
50, too, as there are an infinite variety
of degrees of merit and demerit in this
world, so, too, there will be an infinite
variety of degrees of merit and demerit in
the life beyond this. Everyone will be
equitably dealt with. In our Lords
words it will be more tolerable for some
than for others. Some will be beaten
with few stripes, others with many.
And those who came at the eleventh
hour, who escaped the heat and
burden of the day, receive the same as
those who labored from the early dawn
light? Yes, they will get their penny a
day, like the others-that is, like the
others, they will get into Gods spiritual
kingdom they will get a start in Divine
directions. They will get in, like the
others, but it will certainly not be the
same with them after they get in. To
only have time to make the resolve to
learn and to get little start in education
is vastly different from having started
years before and gained the results of years
OF study and progress! Here is a sanity
character who has given his life and labor
to God from the early dawn of his child
hood, while another lives a goddess and
careleless life until the shadows of the
great shutdown are creeping upon him !;
but, by Gods grace, he is brought to re-
pentance, and dies in the faith
These may both get into the realm of
the blessed, but vast will be the difference
between them, for zone star difiereth from
another star in glory!" Something must
be made up somewhere!
THE DOCTRINE OF PURGAToRY.
The Church of Rome endeavored to
solve the difficulty by manufacturing a
purgatory. 1t was first opened to the
public by the council of Florence about
l439, and there, by suffering while, they
may be fitted to go on further when they
are purged from the earthly sins and
evils; and that purgatorial period may
also be shortened by the prayers and
masses of living friends and relatives /;
so much mass, making punishment here
after 4 matter OF how much money to spend
out of the estate left behind, or the fnan-
cial efforts of their loving relatives. Hard
on the poor ones who have nothing. How
such a theory could have survived the
dark ages of ignorance and superstition is
something remarkable. Where, then, is
the true solution of the various degrees of
culpability and time spent in serving and
doing works of goodness in this life? We
reply, Holy Scripture declares it, "The
Lord will render to every man according
to his works :" d" to whom much is given,
much will be required" to whom much is
given in conditions and circumstances, in
opportunities and advantages, in great
proportion as we improve Gods gifts of
grace here upon earth, so will we have
the portion of his glory in the life here
after. "This, l say, he which soweth
sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he
which soweth bountifully shall also reap
bountifully" BE not deceived: what
Al