The herald., 1895-07-29
At THE VARIOUS CHURCHES
]. S. Thomson on the Unpar-
donabIe Sin at Unity
AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCH
Its Cornerstone Was Laid Yesterday
Afternoon
Addresses at the First Baptist, the First
-rlethodist and Church Of the New
Era-Gospel Meeting


the pastor. J.S. Thomson, preached q SER
mon on The objectionable Sin Against
the Holy Spirit, taking for his text the
words, 'All sins shall be forgiven unto
the sons of men and blasphemies.
But he that shall 5laspheme against the
Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is
in danger of eternal condemnation; be-
cause they said He hath an unclean
spirit. MARK, iii. 2s-3o.
Christ cured the blind and dumb man.
lac, md no one could deny the wonderful
cufe but the theologians of jerusalem
fhe, scribes, priests and pharisees-s aid
that he had cast out the demon with the
aid of Satan. They appealed to the su-
psrstition of the people. Satan had
worked through Christ to deceive the
people. The exponents OF conventional
reli sion said this i'll order to make the
people suspect the genuineness OF Chrlsts
ductrine and claims. Christ declared
that they had committed the unpardona-
BILE sin against the Holy Ghost by attrib bu-
ting his work to Satan. he cured the
man "by the finger OF God, by the infiu-
epces of the spirit, and they, in their sec
tarlan spitefulness. called the spirits
work the work of Satan. Christ SAID that
this black sin. the worst OF all sins, IS
theological spitefulness. denomlnationa
insinuation against the goodness OF other
people: and this awful sin is never foI-
given in this world or the next There is
4 great difference between the forgiveness
OF sins and the suffering for sins. Ihe
factors of divine forgiveness are Gods
mercy. tender love, blessed inspiration
and fatherly encouragement while we are
sufferipg frum our own sins and working
ont our salvation. A creditor may tell
the debtor that the debt must be paid;
but he encourages the debtor, gives him
advice, shows his confidence in his hon
esty and helps him to see the way by
which he can toll and save and finally
pay the debt. He forgives him. but he
does not free him from his obligation.
A good and brave man that had fought Il
GOOD fight and succeeded in being of SER
vice to man and being servant OF God,
sat on his mothers grave when he was 80
years old, and the tears ran over his
cheeks because he then remembered that
be had as a boy brought grief to her
heart. He knew that God loved him;
that God had forgiven him. and that his
life had the benediction of heaven, be-
cause he had repented and striven to live
good life. The sorrow for the unduti-
full conduct remained and the mans con-
science punished him for that wrong sew
enty years after Its commission. If
man should get drunk and break his arm
10 that it would have to be amputated,
and If he should repent and lead sober
and govd life afterwards, would the arm
ever grow again? No; the punishment
would continue till the end of ihs life.
although he might enjoy the sense of
Gods love and forgiveness. In the case
Of the sin against the Holy Ghost, there is
no forgiveness. The man who commits
that sin must suffer and work out his sal
vation without the sense OF Gods gra-
cious forgiveness and Inspiration. He
hot
his eyes. and prevents him from seeing
Gods smiles and from hearing His APP
proving Whispers. The universe. in ev-
cry star, flower, beast and man. .manifests
GOODNESS, and that goodness comes from
the heart Of God; and he who denies that
goodness in another commits high trea-
son. is a practical atheist and the black
est criminal. Christ said it is the worst
sin. No man can do any good deed with
out the help of Gods spirit, and to deny
virtue in another life is to deny the
spirits work. Some theologians, when
they are worsted in an argument, refer
the power of their antagonists to Satanic
agency, like the preacher who said the
devil put fossils in the earth to deceive
biologists who said the world is many
thousands of years old. Virtue, no mat
ter who has it, saint or sinner, bears up
on its face the image and superscription
OF God. If bad man tolls for Il few dol
lars tnc grocer Will accept tHeH' lor IL >
GOODS. because they bear the image and
superscription of the realm. So God ac-
cepts and owns the good that bad people
do. The pulpits have committed this un
pardonable sin thousands of times. They
blaspheme the good in other religions.
Father Rippa said the devil had invented
Buddhism, because IN Buddhist temple
are found all the forms, rites, symbols
that are in Catholic church. We call
Mohammed a false prophet, and think VIC
are thereby pleasing Christ who saw
faith in the yro-Phoenican woman.
great faith in the Roman centurian and
tho golden rule In the good Samaritan.
Protastants call the Catholic church bad
names and revile the noble names in that
communion; and Catholics call Protest.
ants children of the devil This is the
very sin that Christ called the worst sin.
The orthodox and the liberal lpits call
one another bad names and deny good
ness in the characters of their opponents.
This is a dark crime in Ch ristendom.
Children should be taught to recognize
goodness wherever they see it, as the
Christ did.