Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-05-04

. wv" h""u' 'rlTlbuthh II tlis: That
God cannot rest until he has wrough
evil out ot all spirits, aud that tn's
work of His Is chi' fly done by causing
u to -uffrr the natural consequences
of -'n. The very rat. then. If our be.
l"f I'D the non-eterniry of punishment
Involves an awful idea Of punishment;
tor on this ground God will not cease
to he consuming fire 10 a man ill he
has destroyed all his evil Nor can he
CEASE: The imperative in his nature
binds him To root out evil, snf q M
d"es his duty by US An! Does this,
nv friends, destroy retribution? No,
No. We can all understand that, in
troduce evil into our live. and we in
troduce punishment. God must con-
-ume IL. If We sow to the fi-.h, we
will of the flesh reap corruption, we
will eat the fruits of our own devices
snn find in them he'll. And G ID will
take rare that We do II, for His love
knows well that Only hy knowing the
bitterness ana desih of sin can We be
brought To hatred VI II and repentance,
and cry ont in our psin Il will srise
and go 10 my Father"
Nor will G d -vare single psng IL
on y he can bring Us to his arms at
last. All. Yes, punishment here
and In the world to come 1. n, dream
but terrible r.ality. hut il 10 Justly
given and naturally comes to close.
One cry # longing repentan'r changes
II. quality, one bitter sorrow for
wrong, one quick conviction tina, God
is love aud wishes our reflection. But
to produce that repentance, and till IL
Is produced. Gnds painful work upon
our .vIl il do'e and will be done.
But that i pot the work of tyrsnt
lint M love. II is no wrsk love, such
rs have been often accused Of pre- ch-
ing. Ii il the mighty. all knowing
love thst looks t. the end and in mer-
Giles mercy Uses the means. Ii In
done according to law; the kind II
love which, when it has wrought its
saving w'rk We acknowledge the
justice. II is love which though IL
causes suffering does not injure the
heart. for The root Of II 10 not desire to
make us suffer, but desires to make us
pure and true. and like the eternal
love which mn-t be true to right, we
sIe redeemed through suffering.
But then some one msy say: What
chance hss man Of escaping In the
erd II he he bound 10 this wav under
law? No chance at ell. Things in
Gods world are not chance. No
chance, hut certainty Of escape &C.
cording to Law. When we cease to
s"w weeds We cease to reap weeds.
When he roots up the useless plans in
the soul and burns them, then the
soul receives the good seed, nouri.hes
it, and he brings forth good fruit.
Then he IL no longer in punishment,
reiribution has become reward. Bnt
il IL juet the same ihimr-uhsr We -ow
va reap. By Just III. same law weare
in pain or In pleasure; in hell or in
heaven according rs we U.s. tn Law.
Surely, my friends, this IL plan
enough ami sensitle enough.
Bnt some say: Oh. This change 10
not p ssible; mans charsc'-r Is fixed
at death; n the tree falls - u iies;
they that are filthy sre filthy srlll; the
result Of long life Of sin can never be
destroyed or altered; habits once root
e. have q tendency to continue. and
when the change OF death Gomez, va
enter into = state In which these evil
habits have unrest rictsd room to de-
velop themselves and they do 80.
First, that is nonsense. The analogy
Of nature Ia against It. A portion Of
the earth may have got into habit Of
earthquakes. but the upheaving force
exhsusts itself cpd then nature re-
p ,irs her wrongs and the desert Of lava
becomes fruitful fields.
Yes. the facts Of nature are against
this brutal theory. / have known
men, you have known people. yes. oil
of Us people who have been under the
power OF evil habits, overcome those
habits and become new men and
women. We have known men ard
women with characters crushed to the
very dust. rebuild theui afresh. II not
this true? II II was not % then I
would cease to believe In God at eli.
And II this happens once, then what
becomes Of that theory? II 10 simply
not true.
"But He does not work 20 hereaftsr,"
they say. ''in the world to come"
There is the real point then. and what
have We 70 ssy Of its This only: IL
asserts either that God 10 without
power TO redeem the guilty. or that ~
Is unwilling 10 do N. The hrst assss-
ton Ia treason to Him and the seese1
blasphemy. IfGod cannot save. what
becomes Of his omnipotsnoss If0cd