St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-10
SOMEWHAT UNORTHODoX.
Rev. William Wilkinson on the
Preaching of He'll

Last night in st. Andrews church
Rev. William Wilkinson spoke words
which are not often heard in pulpits
which are usually called orthodox.
Among other things the preacher said:
Every man who knows we'll the his
tory of theology does not need in this
day to oe told that against the Calvin
istic view of religion, both before and
since the reformer'S time, there have
been earnest and able protests. The
mental and moral darkness which
taught that all unbaptiZed persons
must be forever lost and forever suffer
in such a hell as has too often been de-
pcted and used as terror to sinners,
with all its lurid and outrageous real
ism, has not only never commanded
the faith of unbroken Chrlstendom, but
the lOftieSt souls and warmeSt hearts
the church has ever had have refused TO
give il credence. Nay, they have cast
it out as libel upon God and an insult
to the nobleSt instincts of men. NO
chapter in all the developments of
historic tradition or belief could
equal, in sad interest, an inquiry
into the origin and growth of the
teaching about hell. We must never
lose sight Of the fact that it is fearful
thing TO sin against God, or that sin Will
be punished. Otherwise there could be
no moral order. But all our views or
sin and its consequences, of pardon and
the life after death, must be read in the
light of what we know of God and law,
as seen in the light of Jesus Christ.
"FrOm the apostolic times till now
there have been choice spirits who have,
in the sunshine of these sweet truths,
delighted themselves and told with glad
refrain the gospel of love to the children
of men. In my library | have shelf
full Of books made by men of the high
est scholarship and position, whose
names are household words, insisting
upon the truth that 1.-The love of God is
broader than the measures of mans
mind; that the heart of the Eternal is
wonderfully kind" They cannot
be passed IN silence; they have
never been adequately answered.
Not only is this so in
the avowed teachers of religion, but all
our great modern poets have sent into
all the world sound which will never
die. Tennyson, Whittier, Longfellow,
all sing Of mighty love. And it IS the
peculiar charm of their song. with
how much pain Whittier has left the
old views, and with how much joy he
loves the new way the man sees who
reads Our Master For what Tenny-
son hopes, we may Judge when we
hear him declare Il hat not lite shall
be cast as rubbish to the void when
God hath made the pile complete All
these mems works and words are nota-
BILE signs of the times, and prove Il at,
whether we want it so or not, men are
looking at the problems of life in the
light of human reason and human
affection, as never till this day. There
has not been in ten years, in any of
the great magazines, an article
setting forth hell as l have, in
youth, heard it preached. We have be-
fore us the general results OF 800 years
preaching, since the Reformation. in the
most progressive countries on earth.
with all its appeals to fear and vivid
adornment of hell. With what salts
faction can they be looked upon? l love
to think that brighter view of God,
held up for man to look at, would have
been better: for it is a rule to which
there may be exceptions, but not many,
that men can and Will do best work
under conditions of love and trust. Men
are not elevated by being degraded.
Appeals to fear will never uplift the
masses of men. Do you want to bless
men? Set them noble examples. No
one knew the force of this principle as
well as Jesus
lis II even reasonably thinkable that
evil is going forever to defeat the will
of God? forever to enslave the world? Is
pain, sorrow, death, to triumph ever
more?" Is the atonement never to take
away the sins OF the world? Are the
works of the devil to abide to eternity
| in all their malignant increase? Is the
song of the worlds harmony to be for
| ever out of tune? Is there no maSterhand
TO set the clock OF morals right, and
make all conscious beings in this and in
| other worlds keep time to it? Is the
man an enthusiastic dreamer who hopes
and believe that the Lord is king in
Zion, that He can and will put down all
rule and authority. and that every en-
envy shall be destroyed? Is it vain,
charmed hope. fit only for an ideal
world, to think from sea to sea aud
| from shore to shore, as from world to
world, the joy shall ring OF evil
subdued and holiness exalted? Are
| the best hopes of men and that
which would bring highest honor
| to God never to be real, never
| to see full fruition? If this be so | am
profoundly sorry. But l trust and pray
| for better things. If they are not to
come to pass it does appear that the
| multitudes of men have never had a
fair chance. The heather. the men In
nominal Christian lands who have never
| heard the gospel as it is, the ignorant
| and outcaSt, are more Sinned against
| than words can speak"