Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-10-28

aehast The doctrine or tho atoncmen,. i
unallerabiy and toreyer an irfeconc hi,
which God has endowed man. Both rca
! son and moral sense revolt from its every
the pratjiing babe and the blackcned erin
tiou Of thc wrath OF God The word 4,
| doctrine says 10 rs. II makes God resppn'
siblc for ;he salvation OF an elected few
jorty and says the joy OF the saved and
! The despair 81 the lost VIII each and
forever. u makes God impotcn, IN His
/ own creation and leaves finn ballcd In
( ne 9nrAsppgemc task planned from the
! IL, imrntes sins and pmshment to .
I Sinless man. anu to The guilty and dis
/ Worse man a jGeslery OF words. I, is .
turgon of ideas. Ut tends to destroy man S
world Ty prctondjue TO intervene between
a~is aui their cpnscpuences. II IS tho
refuge of moral w.akline- anl an ofIense
/ go ths htghor and sturdicr morality II is
. lnhcH"NAbIe and uuhclerei Thousands
hamRnity and ,i Common ah,,iiy G,ii eopinei ,Srr
. Nn8Iiyr presumption that they are hon
.etN s,lt-decg.Npl u men believed that
'hrN NlI -Nroiy discovered that the most
yf DO" human beings that had ever lived
were now in torment auJ hope was dead.
were log nom"ntaty peril of rlunging into
th, abyss that There was no way OF es-
/ cure which they had found out. q way
gp,n io 4I who would enter 81 NOW. but to
b" g.osca forever tomorrow: i men be-
81 .9,tlt 's ,W3iih all ihat i VIII buy In the
n"AgNn IN tho chang" " he seasons or
u thn revolution of the planets on in
food or electricity. how would they act?
ih,N Woull put On saok'l9th and with
tears for their meat they would cease not
nae tom the with T5'U 10 como 4rol"I If ifhSSHH
had hearts within their breasts th,y would
IT,. nor smno Thc%E w6ni3 Weep w@u5' r,,S rii,2s
,'lss1Mdr', thunder like Jeremiah. or plead
tH,y giHrr people. Thoy engage in the or
-,h1'N PURSUITS or business ANA pleasure.
."rms, With m" world. while over friends,
th4IrcH. imnenis that hypothetical sword
9nG before them yawns that hypothetical
~ IS Just as II 4 man. having snucly
one elise could bF any possibility tisn, were
g go INTO homo that. bad taken fire in
the basement, assemble the family in an
upS laIrs room make a tew remarks about
rpuilagrations IN GencraIani, sitting down
WIN mem play progressive pedro till the
letting himself down and getting Cut 81
IN" way OF falling ciuders, minEle with the
.,'is, Ci,yis or IN" pef.-h,ns inmates his thanks
If human beings realized all which that
doctrine implies and believed it as they be-
hoNc other things they could not help be-
coming hard and uufeeling and strangers
20 compassion and love. That they7 do
not become hardened and cruel: thnt tbav
do 1--we noble pure and uuselfish lives 1,
nCoLtestHble evidence that they do not
realize what that doctrine maarT. that tHay
90 not believe II, and that, with all their
human tmperfectlons they are better than
th' r. creed and Infinitely better than the
IF there were no other Just and valid
objection in reason or morals against the
doctrine Of the atonement, it would BE- con-
deinntl ny thls fact alone, that notwith-
standing the sacrifice of God TO save the
world. Yet the great majority OF the world
is lost and in torment, tiotiveless mean
lugleSs torment forever There Is a grow
ing persuasion in this age that man as man
has certain natural rights; and that some
thing somewhere is out of Joint when a
small number of men own md control two-
thirds OF the wealth of the nation. There
preachihS christian socialism. But what
of a doctrine which deliberately creates
q monopoly Of happiness, and JOY and the
ihvor OF God for endless ages in the inter-
est of a few and dooms the uncounted
mH!lons TO place compared with which
poor house wore paradise and peni-
tentiarT palace Of delight. No, no BY
all III, sane ions of reason. no. By all the
nm yallabled perSnas ions Of the moral CON
sriousness, no! By all the sanctity of man
VINO brar>. though marred the Image OF
God. BY the pathos Of human struggle ana
eternal Justice Of the infinite Cod. no no
., God 90, Is treat. Shall man-made theories
Thus far shal thou 20 and no further
And here shall thy goodness and thy
power be stayed?
God is .Grent And infinite power i'm
plies nnnIte responsibility Theology can
damn nothing but itself. Thi, hrite is the
Strayint but not forgotten, and walking
amidst the flowers of joy or on broken laws
WIN lefl ,SSameJ with crimson scars,
nit an infinite sin 40 finite being can
merit infinite punishment Suffering is not
aud frail. Forgiveness is not what cod
htstoW', nor rs II what man needs The