The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-15
ELDER STONES SERMON
Teachings Of the AdV,nlists Ably De-
Scrib,d by Tho learned DlVina
THE VALUE OF HONOR
Services Held in the A. M. z. Church
Attract Large and Apprecia-
tive Audienoes-The Subject
to Be Continued.

BUTTE, April 12.-In a great many re-
spects the teachings of the Adventists are
at variance with the doctrines of other re-
ligious denominations, and as they are
new in this part of the country they are
of interest. They do not agree with the
older religions in regard to the final des-
tiny of man, the Immortality of the soul,
and burning hell. and E.der Stone de-
livered the first of series of sermons on
the subject of MANS Nature aud Des-
tiny" taking his text from Romans, sixth
chapter and 23l verse: "The Wages of
Sin Is Death; but the gift of God is eter-
nal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord"
Notwithstanding this text is SO plain"
said Elder Stone, "and seems to us easy
of understanding. yet il is interpreted by
many to mean just the opposite of what 1t
reads. There are scriptures which are
symbolic, that are to be interpreted by
Gods. own word, according to His own
ideas. No man has right to put an in
depreciation upon the word of God. Ii is
to be taken as it reads, unless the connec-
tons show il to be figurative. Then we
are to let other portions OF the Bible exc
plain the figures. Our text declares
plainly that the wages of sin is death, and
that eternal life is gift from God. Yet
we are told by teachers of the word that
the wages of SIN is eternal life, in hell
burning with fire and brimstone.' And
that eternal life is not the gift of God
through Christ, but that man, all men,
possess eternal life by nature. But we
feel perfectly free to deny this assertion,
for IL is only an assertion, plainly refuted
by the Bible in many places. The wages
of SIN is death. Death is a cessation of
life. And when man has received his
final punishment IT will be death. de
a. twFn L. asw.I.r s..I
in James 1:i4-l5: when lust hath con-
ceivei it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when
IL IL finished, brIngeth forth DEATH God
having fixed the penalty for sin. and His
love being so great for the man formed IN
His own image, He gave His only begot-
ten Son, that whatsoever believed in Him
might not perish, but have everlast ing
life.' John 3:16. Might not what? Go
into an eternal burning hell? No, no;
but should not perish. Perish, Web
ster says. means to go to destruc-
ton. to- come to nothing But
phase of the subject, as this will be con-
sidered in q sermon of Itself. The thought
that we desire especially TO examine to-
night Is that eternal life is n gift from
God; that IL is obtained through Christ
alone. and is not possessed by man natur-
ally"
The elder said that when God first made
man he was placed on probation in the
Garden of Eden, subject to Gods law or
commandments. That man was neither
mortal or immortal. He was on a plain
between the two, which we might call pro-
baton. Had he proved faithful TO God
and his law eternal life would have been
bestowed upon him, without Christ dying
TO give man eternal life But after man
had sinncd that law, which Paul says,
Rom. 7:l0, "was ordained to life, ] found
to be unto DEATH" Tho law after it was
transGressed could do nothing but con-
denim. But before il was transgressed il
cxoncrated man; IL Witnessed that his life
was righteous. Aud had man continued
in this condition God would have endowed
him with eternal lilo and Christ would
not have died. Instead of man being
loyal TO God and stepping up onto a higher
plane he chose TO dIsobey, and stepp cd
down, or became mortal. Then he was
subject to decay and DEATH" The speaker
here referred to u diagram on a black
board to illustrate the subject and impress
IL more forcibly upon the minds of the
congregation how completely man bad
separated himself from God, and fad
been driven from his + len ic home and
nothing but death stared him in the lace.
Gen. 3:22-24 was read, which the speaker
claimed was conclusive evidence that man
ut this time presented nothing of inn
mortal nature. "And the Lord said, be-
hold the man is become as one of us to
know good and evil; and now, lest he put
forth his hand, and take also of the tree
of life and eat and live forever" The
Lord said, "iest man eat of the tree of
life and 1.-Two forever" What would give
him immortality? Eating of the tree OF
life. God seeing this, and that man would
then DE an immortal sinner, prevented il
by sending him forth from the Garden OF
Eden. So he drove out tho man, and
placed angels with flaming swords to keep
the tree of life. Man was here left a
mortal sinner without ray OF hope.