Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14


 he never got near enough to us to permit our batteries to canonize him.
 It Is strange thing. indeed that man takes the life of his fellowman for trying to make free thought bear a free act and that death is not too much for him who commits treason to the state, and that he can commit treason to his creator with perfect immunity. in thought and in act. Such talk does not approximate the dignity of second class nonsense. He says.
 T don't tell the cashier of bank that It is wrong to steal. and then add that if ne steal every dollar in the vault he can repent and be forgiven as we'll in Canada as in the United States; neither do tell him that when he repents there wilL'be more joy in Heaven than over ninety and nine honest cashiers who never stole dollar. That doctrine Is immoral, but it is not mine. Neither do I tell people that they are accountable for the sins of couple of people who lived 5000 years ago. and that they can be justly punished for offenses they never committed. That would be immoral. Nor have I told peo- pie that they can get to Heaven by the virtues of another man, or that another man or God can be good and they get the credit for it. That, too. would be immoral" els
 As to the cashier, I would tell him it is wrong to steal, and that if he stole every cent in the bank that all the re- pentance he professed amounted to noth- Ing unless he made restitution, principal and interest, if it was possible for him to do so. 1 would not hesitate to tell him that If he was sorry for what he had done, restored the money and promised amendment of life in the future, that there was more joy In Heaven over his repentance than any number of corners who had not stole a dollar.
 Suppose MT. Ingersoll had five children and one of them became suddenly sick. would like to know if he would not take more Interest in that sick child than in all the other four in the enjoyment of good health. Suppose she grew worse day by day, would not his interest in and affection for her become enhanced in proportion to. her advancement toward the gates of death? Suppose she was given up to die, he could already see bet fore him the somber hearse and the black plumeS the coffin and the dismal grave. Suppose by some wonderful power she was restored to health and vigor. Don't we all know that the pa- rental heart would throb with sweeter ecstacy over her restoration than 1t would for four yea, ninety-nine children who hadn't been sick at all?
 God is our parent, we are his children. and those who are approaching eternal death, infectd by the malady of sin, are those who cause his solicitude and pa rental consideration.
 AS to the accountability for sin com mitted by two people 5000 years ago it Is very simple. When I was a boy in Geor- gia l used to fish for minnows in little streams, and l found water never went above It's source. I also discovered that trees bore fruit peculiar to themselves have also learned and believe that there was a great moral disturbance made in the origin of the human species by their treason to their Creator chang ing their original nature from good to bad. The fruit partakes of the nature of the tree, and as peach trees bear peaches, apple trees apples, plum trees plums, and so on, It Is not at all surprising to me that sinners should bear anything but sinners. Our parents could only give in the same kind of nature they had, and as they had only a corrupted nature they couldn't give us anything else, and every man that Is honest and will tell the truth knows that's the inheritance he has. The punishment for original sin which continues on through the current of human life Is death. and whether a man wants to or not he has to suffer it.
 Neither have l ever told people that they can get to heaven by the virtues of another man, and that another can be good and they get credit for 1t. This Person Himself says it cannot be done. Unless we keep His commandments we cannot enter into His kingdom, and as 'the body without the soul is dead, so Is faith without good works" So we agree.
 He says he has never told any one that God could make hundreds of mil lions to be- damned. Neither have l. And if believed that He made even one person for the purpose of damning him I would not worship Him. I believe that God made man absolutely free to do right or wrong as he pleased. If man does wrong, being forewarned by his Creator that he will be punished for ever for his evil deeds; if he does not forsake and renounce them, whose fault is 1t, If man persists after this solemn warning and is punished forever? If the state of Texas, through It's penal laws, notifies her citizens that if they commit murder they will be hanged who will blame the state for hanging this man for committing the murder? Does not the state inf1ict the greatest penalty it is possible to impose In talk ing away mans life for the violation of its laws? Does the state in It's pun ishment consider the laws of God or the laws of the state in taking human life? The laws of the state, of course.
 Must not God likewise vindicate His laws? Is the state higher and greater than God? And if it Is right for finite man to infiict the highest and greatest punishment on one of his fellow crea- lures for the viola ton of finite and hil- man law, why is it not right for an in- finite God to infiict the highest and greatest punishment for a violation of the divine law? But God knows that a man is going to do wrong before he does it. Well, of course He does Who would worship a God that don't know everything? I would not.
 If the fact of His knowledge that I was going to do wrong was the cause of my doing wrong then of course 1 | would have to do wrong. which, in that I event. would make God the author of sin. That is impossible. for God can not be the author of sin as it would de- stroy His sanctity. Now. man does not sin because God knows 1t. but God knows it because he is going to sin Gods knowledge is an effect from