The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-04-13

VI ACllIiSl QOeS uOt mean Il separation
of the good from the bad. Let us close
our churches and go home. Let us eat
and drink and dance and be merry, for
tomorrow we may die; and after death
the judgment. and after the judgment
glory and JOY and power and peace and
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 is
true we refused to believe in his only
bcgotten Son after all he suffered of
shame and agony for us. but that
makes no difference; he will say, Enter
into the joy of thy Lord 1t is true we
made fun of Christians and Knocked at
prayer and sneered at faith, but that is
not much to he afraid of. 1t is true we
hated our neighbor and would not for
give an insult, but that is a little thing.
1t is true whom the Holy Spirit pleaded
with us IL year or six months ago to
confess Christ In public we told him to
leave us; we We're ashamed to do it in
| the presence of men, to confess him
who spread out his arms on cross o.
| bitterest agony for us. but for all that
we feel sure that when we march up to
the judgment seat of Christ he will
| treat us just the same as he treats the
Disciples wi j, have laid down their
! - for the Master.
"Then let us tear out Of the Bible
every line that speaks of retribution or
punishment or judgment-for we don't
like those passages; they hurt CTR feel
ings-and let us leave only those words
that speak of love and mercy and for
| giveness. for those words are the only
ones eikat can be true, for those words
don't make us feel uncomfortable.
Away with everything that hurts
our feelings, that makes us anxious,
that sends us to our knees in prayer,
that makes us confess Christ and live
q life of self denial and SERVICE for
when the judgment seat is prepared
and Christ sits down there and we APP
pear before him he will receive us as
we come before him-the pure and the
impure, the selfish and the proud and
the humble and the believer and the
disbeliever and infidels and scoffers
and towards and despisers Of Gods
love on the earth, all the class Of men
who fell back on weak and imperfect
4 Christians as an excuse for their own
weak lives, and the drunkards and the
liars and the oppressors of the poor,
and everybody who heard a thousand
sermons full Of gospel and despised
them because of some imperfection in
the delivery or elocution, and all those
men who went through the earth be-
trayers Of the home, and the selfish
politicians who betrayed their country,
and all the men who read the Bible
and believe only the parts that didn't
hurt their sensitive feelings, and the
young men who lived fast lives and
sowed wild oats because wicked and
false public sentiment made them
think 1t was excusable and perhaps
necessary, and all the other men and
women who lived as they pleased, re-
| CARELESS of God and eternity. When
all these shall appear before the judg-
ment seat Of Christ. he will behold
them all as one soul and with smile
OF gracious pardon will reach out his
almighty arm and sweep them all
alike into heaven of eternal bliss.
there to reign with him in glory and
power. world without end!
but Is this what Christ taught the
world? Suppose what we have said is
true. 1t turns his whole life into a
splendid mockery. Foolishness and
absurdity could go no further than to
create life like his and to put into his
mouth such teachings as we have re-
ceived If at the Judgment seat all souls,
regardless of their acts in this world,
are received on an equal footing and all
received into eternal life. And where
is there any room in the teachings Of
Christ for purgatory? Do we believe
that? Is it not the plain teaching that
after the judgment the destiny of souls
is fixed forever?
"But what could man wish more?
viii he not have opportunity enough to
accept the mercy Of God before that
time? Does he not have opportunity?
II any soul appears at last and at the
Judgment complains that he did not
have fair chance, will that gracious
Judge condemn him If his complaint be
true! We know he will not But the
facts of the judgment are these: At
that time, whenever it is, the souls of
men will be passed for their acts in the
earthly life. verdict that will deter
mine their everlasting destiny, and
that verdict will be just and it will be
merciful Fo:' the crucified one could
not do otherwise. But the men who
have despised and neglected and disbe-
lieved and confessed shall be separated
from him forever, and the men who
have confessed and believed and tried
| to live like him shall be in his presence
continually. :.
"There will be division of souls. 1t
will not be ',asel on wealth or position
or birth or education or genius, but on
Chrisilikeness-on that divine and eter.
| nal thing we call character. Every
thing else shall go away into destruc-