The herald., 1896-01-27
Some Of the Many Sermons
That We're Delivered
THE GOSPEL IN HELL
Action Of Certain Ministers Regarding
Secret Societies Attacked
! Must Work While It Is Day, for the Night
coneth-Mahat or Mind is Creator-Y.
w. G. A. and Other rIeetingss


words. 1.-THE gospel was preached also to
them that are dead that they might be
judged according to men in the flesh, but
live according to God in the spirit. First
Peter 4:6.
Professionalism teaches that after death a
mans soul goes Immediately to hell, or to
heaven. Catholicism teaches that the lib
Grated soul goes straight to hell, if it were
wicked and without forgiveness for its
deadly sins, and that it goes into purga-
tory to wash out its venial sins and stains
from its forgiven mortal sins, before 1t can
be qualified to enter heaven. We learn
from the third and fourth chapter of First
Peter, from Second Peter, and from other
parts of scripture, that Noah was u preach
or of Righteousness before the flood, that he
urged the antediluvians to repent and
amend their lives, that they kept on sim
ming and refused to repent, that they were
drowned in the flood, that they lived in
hades about 24OO years, that Christ after
his death preached the gospel to them in
his spirit. and without physical body,
that he remained with them three days.
doing good. The apostles creed and the
apocryphal gospels declare he went to
hell after death. Dionusos, Apollo and
Mithras visited hell after death, like many
other gods of the sancients. Christ's own
definition of his mission on our planet
10 given in the fourth chapter of
Luke. He came to save the lost; and
actor and gospel to descend into the in
fernal regions to teach, inspire and save
his humanibrotners and sisters. Peter de-
clares that Christ did teach the gospel to
the imprisoned spirits. He saved these
wicked spirits by teaching the gospel to
them. II opened their eyes, gave them
hope. and inspired them to follow Him out
Of hell. according to accounts preserved in
the apocryphal gospels. Orpheus de-
scended to hell to save Eurydice; Theseus
attempted to rescue Proserpine from
Pluto's doninions; and Hercules delivered
Theseus from hell. Christ fulfilled these
spiritual dreams and prophecies of the
ancients. We learn that the antediluvians
suffered in hades for nearly 2400 years: {:
and Peter, in his speech, recorded in the
second chapter of Acts, says that David
10 not ascended into the heavens " David
had been dead more than 1000 years
when Peter made this declaration. David
was very sinful man, although great
man in many things, and the antedluvians
must have been abominable sinners, be-
cause they were utterly destroyed from
the face of the earth. A race must be
deeply sinful when it deserves such de-
struction; and this is no doubt the reason
that they are particularly mentioned in the
matter OF Christ's mission to the spirits in
prison.
We see, then. according 10 Scripture that
1t may require thousands OF years TO wash
out the stains of sin, and to work out the
reformation or a very wicked character.
David was not in heaven, because he had
not yet suffered enough. The Trinitarians.
who believe that the forgiveness of crimes
implies an escape from the consequences.
will be most bitterly disappointed in the
other world, where they will realize that
God requires the atonement of the sinner
himself in suffering for his sins. And the
Indifferent and thoughtless liberal will also
suffer much disappointment, when suffer-
ing will Danish forever his pet saying,
s'There is no hell" These Trinitarians
and Liberals will lift up their eyes in hell,
like Dives, after death. The awful results
of sin cannot be evaded by any theologi-
cal bankruptcy act, or any theory that the
murder OF Christ can arrest the workings
of the moral laws of Gods universe.
Both the Catholics and the Protestants
teach that there is no opportunity in an
other world for sinners to repent, reform
their characters and return to their Faith
er's house; but Peter says that Christ went
to the men and women who had sinued
most deeply in the days of Noah, and who
were in hell, and who had never received a
theological pardon, and that Christ preach
ed to them, gave them an opportunity to
hear the blessed Gospel, to rise out of their
conditions, and to lift their eyes to heaven
with hope. What glorious Christ we
have!
After His cruel death, after all His dis
appointments, He did not go to heaven for
rest and congratulation; but His love was
20 great for humanity that He spent three
days and three nights in the Internal
regions, saving the spirits. Think of it
He, a spirit, without q mortal body.
preached TO spirits who<e bodies had
mingled with the dust for twenty-four
centuries. Protestant theoiogians, because
they hate to pray for the dead, because
their theories have hardened their hearts
20 that they refuse to commune with their
dead friends IN spiritual communion, and
because they have seen some of the evils
which have grown out of praying the dead
out OF purgatory. have resorted to a II kinds
OF interpretations of these pa assages to de-
GtrOy their plain meaning and doctrine
and this proves the truth of Peters state
ment in his second epistle, where he SAYS 4:
SThe rnlearned and unstable wrest the
scriptures to their own destruction.n The
Catholic commentators give more reason
able explanation of the said passages; but
they do not see that the doctrine of an on
portunity after death is plainly taught
therein. While we learn that there will be
another opportunity in the unseen world to
reform character, it must be an awful
thing to die without having done Gods will
In this life, and to have to work our passage
through hells and purgatories to heaven.
Grace n.
Rev. Will A. Knighten, pastor of Grace
N. b. church, yesterday preached from st.
John 9:4, must work the works of him
that seat me while it is day; the night
cometh when no man can work. He said
substantially:
We all believe that Christ came into the
world Tor q mission. That ne was sent for
= divine purpose none of us can deny.
And furthermore we believe that God sent
him to redeem wicked, lost, ruined peo.
pie and by the shedding of his blood
on CaIvary's cruel cross wash away the
sins of the world. Christ said, must work.
We notice q peculiar use of the word must.
He did not consider it optional but said. |
must work while it is yet day. There is no
success without labor.
The man that expects to achieve great
things without work, without q laborio,ls
short will awaken to the fact that he has
s Jailed. Every way that he turns he will
hear that same clamorous noise ringing in
his ears-failure. There is no excellence
without labor. God sent Christ bearing
the torch OF eternal truth. How we'll he
bore it in the face Of all opposition and
carried its searching rays direct IN the
midst of his enemies is familiar with all
Sunday school scholars.
Christ did not expect to find throne
amidst that wicked people, embIazoped
with the immaculate light of God, and re.
Gp1endent with the presence of angels. He
Id not expect life of pleasure, ease and
0umforts . life of idleness and dissipation
~ did not expect to be received with regal
s l. l. a.. L