The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-06-12

things in the service. He entered into it
with the solemn feeling that it was his
last
And when the minister gave out the
text, "For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ. that ev-
cry man may receive the things done
in his body. whether they be good or
bad" he started and leaned forward
intently, feeling that the message of
the preacher was for him and him
alone and strangely appropriate for
his own peculiar condition. The first
statement of the sermon arrested his
attention and held him to the argu-
ment irresistibly to the end:
'The judgment seat of Christ will
not be dreadful place to a man whose
sins have been forgiven in this world,
but If he comes up to it scanned and
SCARED and stained with sins unre-
pented of and unforgiven because he
has not asked God to forgive him it
will be a place of awful fear to his
soul. There are men here in this au-
dience who are as ready to die now as
they ever will be. They have made
their peace with God. They have no
quarrel with their neighbors. Their
accounts are all square in business.
They are living in loving relations
with the home circle. They have no
great burdens of remorse or regret
weighing them down, and if God
should call them this minute to step up
to the judgment seat they would be
ready.
"But there are other men here who
are not at all ready for such tremen-
dous event. They may think they are,
but they are mistaken. How can they
stand before the greatest being in all
] the universe and have no fear when
they are unprepared to answer his ques-
tions: why did you not confess me be-
| fore men? Why did you not do as
commanded and bear the burdens of
| the work instead of pleasing yourself?
What will the man say then?
"It is true that Christ is all merciful,
all loving. But will it make no differ
ence with a soul whether it comes up
| to his Judgment seat out of a life of
selfish ease and indulgence or out of a
life of self sacrifice and restraint?
| When every possible offer of mercy is
held out to men on earth and they will
not accept it, will it be all the same as
| if they had when they come before the
| Judgment seat of Christ? Why, that
| would be to mock at the meaning of
| the incarnation and the atonement. 1t
| would be to cast scorn and contempt
on the agony in the garden and the
1
ry all the prayer and preaching. What
possible need is there that men preach
gospel of salvation unless there is
danger of the opposite?
"If we are all going to be saved any
way, no matter whether we accept
| Gods love in Christ or not, what use is
the church? And why should we be
anxious any more about our children
And what difference does it make
whether they go to the bad here in this
world if in the world to come they will
all be saved? For eternity will be sc
much grander and sweeter and endur-
ing than time that we might as well
take it easy here and not pay much at
tention to the message, God so loved
the world'-that is. if we are going tC
be saved anyway.
"Why. should we care very much II II
does say in the revelation Of Gods
word that the wicked shall go away
into everlasting punishment if We
don't believe it? Why, the wicked will
stand just as good chance of eterna
glory as the good If the judgment seal
Of Christ does not mean separation
Of the good from the bad. Let us close
our churches and go home. Let us ea
and drink and dance and be merry, fol
tomorrow we may die; and after deatf
the judgment, and after the judgmen
glory and joy and power and peace ant
life eternal in the presence of God.
ut is true we scorned him on earth
but that won't make any difference
he will receive US just the same. 1t i
true we refused to believe in his onl,
begotten Son after all he suffered o
shame and agony for us, but tina
makes no difference; he will say, 'Ente
into the joy Of thy Lord 1t is true w
made fun of Christians and Knocked a
prayer and sneered at faith, but that /
not much to be afraid of. 1t is true w
hated our neighbor and would not for
give an insult, but that is little thing
1t is true when the Holy Spirit pleade,
with us a year or six months ago t
confess Christ in public we told him t
leave US; we were ashamed to do it il
the presence of men. to confess hir
who spread out his arms on cross Q
bitterest agony for us. but for all tha
! we feel sure that when we march up t
the Judgment seat of Christ he wi
treat US just the same as he treats tn
disciples who have laid down thei
, | lives for the Master.
"Then let us tear out of the Bibl
! every line that speaks Of retribution o
e punishment or judgment-for we don
) like those passages; they hurt our fee
| ings-and let US leave only those word
/ that speak Of love and mercy and fol
/ giveness, for those words are the oni
ones that can be true, for those word
: don't make us feel uncomfortable.
Away with everything that hurt
r our feelings, that makes us anxious
A that sends us to our knees in prayer
|. | that makes us confess Christ and liv
: life of self denial and service, fc
$ when the Judgment seat is prepare
4 and Christ sits down there and we al
+ pear before him he will receive us q
o we come before him-the pure and th
impure, the selfish and the proud an
4 the humble and the believer and til
$ disbeliever and infdels and scoffel
|. and towards and despisers of God
Il love on the earth, all the class of me
Il who fell back on weak and imperfe,
Il Christians as an excuse for their ow
| ..-o.,l L lo Ii. II