Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-09-18
Why Are We Punished ?

WHY aEo VIC uulsuSus
There is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner that repenteth.-Luke,
XIV, TO-
What do we mean when we say that
God Furnishes men? The word "pun-
ishment" is in some respects the most
conspicuous in the theology of the past,
and it occupies very serious promi |
nence in the theology of the present.
When reading the sermons preached
in olden days punishment is SO much
more frequently met with than love
that we have inherited certain ideas of
God which make it rather difficult to
speak of Him as our Father. The ter
rors of the Lord, as interpreted by the
spiritual teachers of mankind, have IN
troduced an element of fear into relig-
ion which has almost become a con
trolling motive. and yet every one of us
knows that what we do through love is
exceedingly better than what we do
through fear. 1t is even safe to say
that religion of fear is very low sort
of religion, from which the uplifting
and unfolding influences which Christ
brought into the world are entirely
absent.
If we understand the Master, He
wished us to love God in much the way
in which child loves its mother, and
to have the same confidence in Him
that the child has in the protecting
presence of its father That is to say.
the relation between us and Him is al
ways paternal on His side and can new
er be otherwise, and should be fillal on
our side. No matter what your spir-
itual condition may be, whether you
are given to works of charity or deeds
of darkness, He is forever the same, for
in the one case He rejoices with you in
your goodness and in the other He
pities YOU in your badness. If, like the
prodigal, living on husks which the
swine do eat, you thoughtfully come to
the conclusion that your life is a mis-
take, and conclude to face the stars and
walk that way, you can be absolutely
sure that God has been sorry for you
during every hour of dissipation, and
will take You into the warm embrace
of His sympathy and love when you
feel the need of holier living. Men may
turn from you, but God never.
And yet punishment is a frightful
fact in every mans life. The world is
almost sinking under it's weight. Not
a soul lives that does not bear some
burden of that kind. There is more
wailing than laughter on the planet,
and regrets sharp as the sting of a
hornet abundantly prove that our way
is not Gods way, and that Gods SOW
ereignty is asserting itself. There is no
happiness except in obedience, not
even a scintilla, and just SO long as we
are willful and selfish so long we must
take the consequences.
But what purpose does this punish
ment subserve? Take familiar Illus
tration and perhaps we shall find en-
lightenment. You are a parent, but
your child has gone wrong. That child
is bone of your bone, made in your
image. You rocked its cradle and held
it to your bosom. But the little one
has developed evil tendencies. You
cannot approve of them; on the other
hand, you frown upon them. Your at
titude toward the child and your at
titude toward what he does are two
very different things. You may pun
ish, but not with wrath, for your eyes
are filled with tears. What is your OBJ
ject in the punishment Do you hate
the child and would you crush it be
cause it has fallen into bad ways? Il
it any pleasure to you to administer the
physical rebuke? No, your heart il
peculiarly tender toward that boy, AM
yet for his own sake you must teach
him that certain things must not be
done. You are severe, you are relent
less; Dub tuoTe ID AO Olucr way W save
him. He may think you a tyrant, anG
his eyes may flash with anger because
you oppose his self-will, but has YOU
love departed? Would you not make
great sacrifices for him? Does not
your mother heart yearn for the love
which he refuses to give? Yes, you
love while you punish, and though you
dare not remit any measure of the pun
ishment, the love seems to grow more
intense. Love and grief are inter
mingled. In word, you punish in or.
der to reform, and the punishment is
solely for the child's sake.
Is not this also true with regard to
our Heavenly Father? You do Him
the most grievous wrong when you
think of Him as being who can under
any circumstances hate you. If you
are the worst sinner in the world if
justice chases you from one hiding
place to another because of your crimes;
if your old friends all curse you; if your
children turn their backs on you and
shudder at the recollection of your in
famous deeds; if there is no spot on the
broad earth where you can find rest
ing place-still, as truly as the stars
shine above you at night and the sun
by day, and neither the one nor the
othel is paled by your guilt, so truly
does God Almighty pity you with a
pity that is fathomless and boundless,
and so truly do the angels band togeth-
er to draw you back into the paths of
personal purity and rectitude.
Doubt everything else, but never
doubt that you are being punished as
you know you deserve to be, and you
must reap the consequences of your
misdeeds, as you know you ought to;
but if you see that you have blunder-
ed, and if your punishment leads to
such serious thinking that you would
make your future different from your
past, you will find the everlasting arm
of God underneath you and you will
hear the voices of angels singing a wei
come back to your better self. Poor
fellow! You have been in hell, and
everybody in heaven has been sorry for
you. God has never for a moment
hated you, and your own hands made
the hell in which you lived. Your un
doing was your own doing. not His
Your soul has been dark, but your own
hands drew down the window curtains
and shut out the light. You have been
your own executioner.
If you see ali this at some critical
juncture in your experience, and if you
recognize the fact that you have made
a losing investment of yourself, and if
you determine even at the eleventh
hour to become man, there can be no
such rejoicing on earth as there will be
in heaven. GODS pity will he dissipat
ed and His approval will take its place.
The dear ones who have watched your
downward path will extend their hands
to help you climb, and there will colne
into your soul such peace and salts
faction as will dull the memory of the
r11 ond Hroorv 6auc tIn6 corro,re -
the sorrowing; He pities the errine; He
loves from eternity to eternity.-N Y.
Herald.
Chicago Woman-I tell you Janet is
woman of great ingenuity.
Friend-In what way especially does
she show it?
Chicago Woman-Why, this is her
seventh marriage, and the boxes for
her wedding cake are entirely differ
ent from anything she has had before.