The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-14

r,o,, - IsflDlEs eJIpunfDv
inc w't ~ Vas preaching Christ but not follow
Pro. ma.n mem II there is fault of which the
n ros sans church IS guilty il is this Whether
he be p.aenes inside church or out whether
| bind .. preacher or not, whether he stands be-
SsIv.t we ritual OF high church or goes aoout
n-osa,., Army fashion, we are glad that he
b.o.uaigates the gospel. 1t is the very basis Of
Ilotestsntism that no man or set OF y1an sh.T
aossoe WIS privilege TO themselves The
70 mink, is not intoleraut there But il
~ proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ
atone Is Intolerance fear we must n cad er1tIty
- o , 1ns cna.ge And when we say that salvation
IL, ..AIoush Cnrist we mean that it is through
fa1,sP' Iis me knowledge OF LIS character; the
.een4e OF shame al the contrast betwaen Him
Ina ourselves; the power OF a new affection for
80 L,,1a 70 ex pei Dad elements OF character these
AnV" my correspondent regards as the rnfgbti
esl forces IN the world that make for righteous
nesA III there Is any other redeeming fore.
~ 70 itE is II not time that il appeared?
~ !yu tiis Worid must see vision o. Christ
"a az oruer 70 know the beauty of holiness and
- !. theFe . any other name, by all means sneak
s sid -. - not DE ost to the world. We own with
sIadness The power of good men in the world
Dut they are not enough without Him who had
10 sih, neither was gui found in His month
re was oeen the inspiration and the pattern OF
sIAts generations OF 3od men Without Him
to-day what should we be?
.o.t rath Is lnto!srant, and every man who feels
-rs"i oI tning Is into ersnt of what Is not
rue about H. II may be intolerant TO saw that
!oot y not ten inches or fourteen inches but
we trutn IL better than liberalism in such
Fxargy love is intolerant of hate, good or evil
ICY man VINO counts tor the truth is positive
Jesus Cnrlst was, judged by such a standard. the
most ihtoierant person possible He claimed to
disagreed with Him He regarded as in error He
Claimed the right OF eminent domain over a
man ana ali that he had. He clnirned that eyerv
man should follow the voice of God in his soul
In regard to every question OF life Love ia in
Tolerant. supreme affection rules ike a tyrant
o es an men who are successful. The highest
oesslng mat can come to q man Ia to be pos.
ssssed by an overmastering love of Jesus Chri,t
Inc lie OF such man will have unity and sym.
i n,'. ana grand accomplishment. A life with
OUT a masterful love is chaotic So il ia that we
present as a redeeming force in the world a su-
preme affection for Jesus Christ; as the remedy
Ior the cisslpation OF soul power that results
rom ulyided passions We present a passion
RIoiious in its origin and Elm, a passion that
cars forth and uses the best that is in man.
anu makes every subordinate passion useful for
pultdinR up noble and perfect man.
This is the only intolerance to which we plead
gullly. We know that injustice Is often done TO
tne poslt ous OF others. even from the pulpit II
ought not TO be. But we are glad to believe that
the EVIL IS passing away. To attribute wrong
motives ~ lamentable lack OF charity We as
enuLeh members are liable to lack in this re-
spect which we Clearly see by our letter is a re-
peiient force to drive men from the church
Fer us ever be known as believing all things,
hoping ali things.
The church, battle against ann sernent ia
SAID To be another repellent force. Granted
You never have and never will hear from the
pastor OF tnis church sermon against amuse-
iInehts' III is my impression also that the same
Is true OF other churches in this town. The rea-
son IS two-iold. ~ Many amusements are a
positive benefit to life they are innocent in
their nature and beneficial i'm their effects
they give tonic and tone to life which helps
TO success. | have little confidence in the
man who does not smile. Ii makes me- fear
that his inner life is not sweet f2) But
against amusements of an injurious nature we
90 not preach because we believe that is not the
best way OF winning people away from them
Take vicious amusements from man, and he
becomes like the man from whom a devil was
cast out. He becomes the abode of seven spirits
ha hrsf h. aur sIu,--
darkness Is to let in light Injurious gases are
got Tid OF not by sealing room Theoretically,
but by letting Gods air through il. Thus we
believe that the surest remedy for vicious
amusenents 10 the occupation of the mind by
the Redeemer. The thoroughly converted man
needs no sermons on amusements, and the
converted will not be saved by a denunciation
OF them.
Our correspondent lays down the law that all
things are good if rightly used. Well. some
things would require a microscope to perceive
IL. This law is strictly true in thery, but who
ever starts out TO follow ii will fall into mul-
titude of sins. For there are some things which
have little good in them and others q great
deal. Hence it is the part of every true man to
choose what has most good. For instance, /
suppose there there IL not work OF fiction so
lascivious that |: does not contain some good
thoughts. Perhaps the style OF 1t is elegant and
strong. But life is too short TO permit earn
est man TO wade through a sea OF mud for such
small returns, when there clear waters that
promise better. Tho position OF every right
minded church is to replace bad books with
noble. Hence also the spirit Of Jesus says to a
man, that while he may get good from anything,
he ought not to be feeding on husks.
s. Our correspondents object to the procla-
nation OF remission of sin, because he regards
that as impossible. He calls this a church
doctrine. But open my Bible at the last chap
ter of Luke, and read, even in the revised YER
sion, that Jesus said that repentance and remis-
sion of sins should be preached in His name
forgive sin? A father forgives penitsnt sons,
and suspends punishment. win God take 1t
up? How much more cruel Is this dictum of n
onesided science than Godl If we understand
that remission of sins can take away all their
effects, most certainly even God does not for
give sins. For every wrong done is the SUBJ
traction OF something from life which can never
be regained. II is lost opportunity, which
God cannot bring back. Nor can forgiveness of
sin take away regret for its commission. But
forgiveness or remission mean, as they do mean
in the Christian faith, this establishment of
harmony between man and man, and between
God and man, there is forgiveness for every
penItent. In other words, the wrong doing that
Is not repented OF suffers a vastly greater weight
of punishment than the wrong doing
followed by penitence Why IS II that you ex-
perience n great relief after asking forgiveness
of your brother? That is something too hard
for science, for il Is a very real remission OF sin
1t may seem that the proclamation of such
thing tends to make men careless of their ac-
tons. But we must not lose sight OF the fact
that, Just as there is good in everything II we
take it, there Ia evil in everything ii we make
Ii. Plentiful harvests make men extravaganza.
Therefore. God ought TO send famine Is that
the logic of the Almighty? He opens His
hand and offers remission OF sin. If bad
men make ali evil usa OF this offers
shall God refuse mercy to the penitent2 That
would be a sure means of hurting Him from
His throne, for 1t would prove Him unloying
God so loved the world that Ho revealed Him.
sci. in Christ so that we might not perish.
Love never falieth, even though II Be abused.
The church certainly gives little encouragement
20 wait till the eleventh hour one OF the
hluest preachers whom ever heard said that
he never knew n death bed repentance in which
he mad full confidence. The Gospel OF Christ
commands all men everywhere 10 repent today.
Christianity accepts the scienunc doctrine OF
the persistence Of type, according 20 which
every man Is acquiring every day moral
trend, the direction Of which cannot he
changed at the last except 10y more power
full impulses for good than thoroughly bal
man has. The promise OF salvation Is limited
10 the moment that dies. whether a man accept
the theology OF Paul or that ~ Christ.
6 We now enter GA the sweetor side OF this
subfect-what are the greatest needs OF the
churches To make them what they ought 10 be.
We cannot consent that the abolition OF creeds
would be helpful, for then there would be no
church visible and responsible, and no organ
lied means OF carving forward its WORK. The
outside world has no creed. Is IL tns better Tor
it7 am AFRAID OF q man without = creed.
cannot believe the man who believes nothing.
| cannot love the man as n companion VINO Ie-
lieves nothing good OF the object OF the world,
of God and Christ
But with ali my heart, and believe that
speak lor the great church universal, as Know
Ispeak for this church, let us make our creeds
as simple possible. Let them center IN Jesus
Christ. the same forever, aud let their tenn
porary setting adapt itself TO the time Lst The
idea OF the Young Meu's Christian Association
be enlarged till every church Is an inviting
place not only on sunday. bnt ali the week
Here already besins 10 be felt the happy Amos
phera oi love Here we often meet IN no stiitea
or prira intercourse aud spend g pleasant even
ing hour Here shall be, II mistake not, the
means OF recreation and eaiturc. But most OF