The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-04-28
AMFULNESS OF SIN.
Sermon by Rev. Thomas B. Payne
in All Souls Universalist
Church Last Night.

Taking for his text, Fools Make Il
Mock of Sin," from the Proverbs Of
Solomon. the pastor of All Souls Uni
yersalist church, Rev. Thomas B.
Payne, gave, last night, the fifth SER
mon in the course on What UNIVERSAL
lists Believe" on 1.-The Awfulness of
SiE." He began by saying:
I am glad Of the opportunity offered Inc 10.
night 10 present to you, my friends. the Uniyer.
salist teaching concerning the awtulncss OF sin.
This is one Of the points Of Christian teaching
concerning which Cnivcrsalisis have been most
wiliully misreprcsentcd in days past. because
we teach that God is good enough, and wis,
enough and powerful enough to bring finally all
his children to love and serve lin, we have been
! accused of quitting premium on sim Univcr.
salisni, of course, does nothing Of the kind. 1.-The
premium on sim is advanced by those religion
lists who say that men can live Il life OF sin I'll
the days of their life here in this world, and, il
they repent their death bed. and accept Jesus
their Savior, all the punishment is escaped
and they 20 at once into ''glory."
No church in Christcndon teaches with such
force do we the certainty Of just re;ribut,n
for sin. Sin and punishment have cteinaly bce.,
linked together by God as cause and effect. The
moment sin is committed. the punishment he.
sins. Moreover Cod has provided for cunull.
tive punishment; for sin. Continued wrong doing
brings a scverer and severer punishment in its
wake Cnivcrsalists helicyc that punishment tor
sin begins l,crc and now the moment the sin is
committed, and will continue ii ncedfu beyond
the grave until its rcforInatory work is completed,
for that is the nature Of all Gods punishment.
Why is sin so awful? The popular creed have
said, because it jccparlzcs your eternal safety
hereafter: if unrcpentcl OF before death. it means
endless woc you lose forever the bliss OF heaven
and gan the suffering OF hell. The one great no.
tive presented to men by the popular crceds has
been the motive OF seltishness. The CalviniStc
and Armenian churches have said to men, Ere.
nouncc your sins, and accept the Savior that you
may win heaven and escape hell
Let us contrast this with the teaching OF Uni.
| vcrsalism. Univcrsalism says that the awfulncss
OF sin lies fist of all in the terrible fact that it
is wiiful and angry rebellion against God, our
best friend.
Sin is SO awful because it brings grief and sor.
rev and pain to the great heart of the Eternal.
.God so loved the world, that lie gave His only
| bcgotten son" to be its Savior.
Sin is so awful, because so long as it is fol-
lowed, il makes impossible the full development
oi the powers God has given us The co.opera.
ion OF these very powers God needs in his great
work.
Sin Is so awful, dear friends because while
dragging ,ri down, with Us it drags down mother,
father, wife, child, friend, yes, humanity.
Sin is awful, because il co'npels infinite love
and goodness 10 harsh and bitter remedies for
its curetlat we may be at las: saved "thoag,
as by fire.
And then last, but not least, dear ones, sin is
awful because theic must forever remain the bit
ter memory of the wrong done, the Father
sreved, the powers ,nsuscd and abused the loved
ones dragged down, down with us to lowest hells
of thought, deed and life l do not see how We
| can ever get away from that memory 1t appears
Ia me like ''scarlct letter. that we can never
ctiucc.
The most awful thing in this universe is sin.
The one thing men should shun most is sin.