The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-24
is AN INTERMEDIATE STATE.
WHERE SPIRITS ARE WADE PER-
Feet AFTER DEATH.

bible Does Not Teach That This Lift.
Is the Only state of Probation.
Statement in the Creed Does Not
Mean That Christ Went to the
Place of Actual Punishment and
TOrment-ParRdise the Intermedi-
ate state Mentioned in the bible.
Rev. c. r.. strong Speaks of Inger-
sol, the Great AgmOstic.
Rev Charles II. Strong preached two in
teresting sermons at st. Johns church
yesterday, morning and evening. In his
morning sermon he devoted some attention
to Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, who lectures
here this week. Rev. Mr. Strong called him
the great agnostic, and criticised his views
of life and religion.
go and hear the great agnostic if you
will, he said, but hear him with mind
clear to look through his sophistries, and u
heart strong to retain those things which
you cherish and hold dearest to YOU
In the evening, Rev Mr. Strong preached
another of his sermons upon the subject
of the Apostles Greed. the words chosen
being HE descended into He'll" Upon this
he based a sermon with regard to an inter
mediate state between death and heaven
1t Is one of those statements, he said
which arouses sometimes the greatest COM
ment. and leaves the hearer in a state of
the greatest uncertainty. He referred to
the belief that Jesus Christ went actually
to a place of punishment and suffered
some of the torrents of the wicked to car
ry out the expiation, as a horrible dogma,
for which the Bible gives no basis. The
word "hell," he said comes from the Ger
man word "heller," meaning the unseen
place, the place of departed spirits. The
church, he said, permits the substitution
in the creed for the words referred to- Of
the expression, 1.-THE place of departed
spirits"
1t is necessary to stop ana prove, he
said, that there is an intermediate condi-
ton between death and the judgment The
Bible teaches that sin is removed by an
intermediate punishment. When truth
has been grouped with error the thing to
do Is to reject the error and retain the
truth. The existence of an intermediate
state is shown by several passages in the
Bible, one of them being referred to was
the instance of the dying thief on the
cross, to whom Christ said, This day
shalt thou be with Me in Paradi :"
Heaven is a place for the perfect. 1t was
necessary that the thief should pass
through that intermediate state. or Para
disc, before entering the kingdom of
heaven.
The position of the early church on this
subject and others was cited to show that
the idea then existed of an intermediate
state. Upon this and on other interpreta-
tons of the scripture the views of the early
church had been in many respects well
founded and correct The question of
baptism was cited. 1t being shown that in
the early church there was the belief in
other forms of baptism besides INNER
sion. Carrying the idea further 1t was
stated that the Bible speaks more often
of heaven than of paradise and why not
therefore, believe that heaven is given to
man at the hour of death. To preserve
the entirety of the Bible, it must be held
that such a conclusion is Incorrect. and
that the idea of the intermediate state of
paradise, must be accepted.
The idea of an intermediate state for the
reception of souls not ready for heaven
is unavoidable. The emphasis of saliva
ton must be put upon present life, in order
that our attention be not distracted from
the duties of the world. There cannot be
found anywhere in the Bible a passage
which says that this life is the only state
of probation. There are some sins which
the Lord says are forgiven IN this world
come. There. in the intermediate stage,
are stages of development and publication.
without such differences the Bible is in
complete. ii is impossible to imagine that
God destroys all bad i'm good men or all
good in bad men to prepare the one
for heaven and the other for he'll The
penitential thief on the cross. all through
his life had been a malefactor, but when
his penitent cry was heard he was told he
should be with the Lord in paradise that
day. The Lord himself went to that inter
mediate state. not to mock the grief of
departed spirits, nor to give them pain
but to take the good news of the gospel
and to take light instead of darkness
Rev MIR. Strong spoke OF a number OF
passages from the Bible in support of the
theory of an intermediate state There
were duties in paradise, he said, for de-
parted souls. There is much TO be learned
and there is much to be done in teaching
others Paradise is where departed souls
are brought to a state of perfection and
made ready for the kingdom which comes
afterward.