Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-05-04

"J'''' HHi N"'nff VI ~ " lneN VI
reject the whole; Tue on- blsrk she. y
has infected all the the flock and all
the flock are slaip.
il ha also MI evil IF ct upon those
who teach IL, aud ih,s- who keep
quiet about il but accept f.; mske-
ia. m unconclou-ly false. Or all who
teach L., who believes IL? Only a few
Tine rest think they do, dut hey do
not. IL they did, II would ell m r
npon their lives. A living faitn enter.
ing into q mans life, influences the
whole life; The belief 10 eternal good
ness has tnat mighty lower but the
belief in eternal evil, Ior Of course et.r-
nal punishment means eternal evil,
has scarcely any power over tho daily
thoughts and acts Of men. What
p''w-r can II hav,? The greater cum
b-r OF the people they meet are
damned 10 eternal torture, TO tortur.
without any end; so that when count.
less ages have rolled away, 1t csunot
be said to have begun, aud into every
moment an eternity If pain il p-n,; /;
and, my friends. believing this OF
their friehds and ielstives aud fellow.
men, they can Eat and drluk peace
ably, have children for whom that
fate IL re.erved and move without in
finite horror among men. Nonsense [.
They do not believe IL nj all. DO you
inagin inc, my friend-, there are 100 per.
SOM in America who believe In etsr-
nal evil as they believe IN eternal
goodne.,? No. They do not beli.v
II. 1t hss u" Influence on their lives.
And here Is their reward. They sow
u lie. and they reap lying within.
They think that by asserting and re-
asserting To convince h world of their
faith. The world Smiles behind it,
sleeve while they spend half their
tim. IN trying TO hide away the fact
that they DO not believe what they
say iL'y d., t,ll all th. ir teaching be-
C nDe- unreal.
They reap their reward, I say. II is
n terrible business To have falsehooi
In tue same house with truths. Tor the
falsehood gets no good from the
truths, but the truths all get manned
by the ialsehood. These men talk OF
the Love of Good, and His mercy and
His pity, and His ju.tice and His
righteousness, and his Fatherh"oi and
the goodness of salvation. All, Low.
Of God, what of eternal torture
Righteousness of God. wins: Of ct. rnsl
evil? Good news! Salvation! Films
them TO the winds. And this, which
goes on often la their mindr, goes on
still more In The minds VI thuse who
listen until the trail Of = liz and II.
sickly smell defile their whole relig.
ious life. The evil belongs chiefly to
the Prot stant: Less to the Roman
Catholic. The latter ~ least is o.ttei
off. He has y chance, a more than q
chance Of escaping this eternal doom
This IL one set OF reasons why We
should d.nouuce the doctrine Of eter
nal punishment.
Now Il ose who strongly assert thi.
doctrin. put forward au ethical otjec.
ton TO the opposite doctrine of uni.
yersal redemption which Is at least
worth considering. They tell US that
the denial Of eternal punishment pro
duces the greatest OF evils csuse II
destroys the doctrine Of retribution
and weak.ns the fear OF doing wro, z
by iakiDg away the punishment OF
wrong doing. This 10 an ethical OBJ
lection, and has It's weight.
But, ask. 10 the first place, what
efficacy has fear either In bringing 4
man to God or driving him away from
sin? 1t IL not the terror of Christ, bul
the love Of Christ Jesus which cou-
straineth w 10 give up our guilt. The
weapon Of religious terror Is always q
devils weapon aud drives men 10 the
: devil. 1t confuses aud makes idiots
Of weak men AID hardens q strong
man into fierce rebellion. It drive,
SINE ~ despair; to unclsau living
Others to scorn Of God.
Aud rs TO its frusts, what are they
worth? The obedience wrung from q
child by the uplIfted lash; the rever'
ence given through fear; would that
please you. fathers and mothers In this
congregation tonight? What would
you thiLk II worth? II Is selfishnees
not obedience; and do you think that
God wishes that selfish cry, or that he
fancies its obedisuoe? NO! MOI II
10 not true. But when We deny eter-
nal punlshment do We - . fact de-
stroy the doctrine of rstribution ? No,
at all! We establish II, and We asstr n
10 oD clear and reasonable grounds
And mt, We can believe II. The
heart and the conscience alike refuss
to believe in everlasting torture. The
Imagination cannot conceive it
Reason denies ib justice. But the