The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-07-09
THE WRATH OF GOD,
BY Rev. j. r. Duryee

He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life, but he that obeyeth
not the Son shall not see life; but the
wrath of God abideth on him.-John
ill.,, SO.
These are precious, and, at the same
time, awful words. They come with
the sanction of divine authority and
echo the voices of the prophets. They
were spoken by John, the herald of
Jesus, the Messiah, who confirmed
them by his teaching; and their truth
is proven by human experience.
Note the term. Life means the
perfect possession of every power of
human nature. This includes the will
to use each power. To have a perfect
body would be glorious, but none pos
sesses it. When Socrates saw one that
seemed complete he cried, "Jove, how
beautiful"' We have his enthusiasm
More splendid is the life of the spirit
in man, and it is to this these words
refer. Each Of us knows some one
who possesses in rare degree this life;
such interpret to us the divine; we in
stinctively feel they are Of,GOd. ION
God and Godlike men we build our
trust" But even these have their
faults; only one has ever lived on earth
perfect in all things. lmperfection, I'M
less righted, tends to death. We can
not stand still; we fight against the
downward tendency, seeking help from
such as we think can help us grow bet
ter. So we tie ourselves to the physi-
clan, the tea cher, the friend. Is it not
true that the best wish of your best
moments is that you may become bet
ter? And we have all found that, be-
yond certain point. there is no help
in man. Once there came unto our
world perfect man, 1.-THE Son of God
with power" He gave himself to the
work of redeeming men from death to
life, and, through his spirit, he is a
constant savior. 'He that believeth in
the Son hath everlasti life
"Beleveth." 1t means more than
assent to the statement Of the gospel.
Faith is willing self-surrender to God
Only thus can his vitality impart itself
to us. This is possible for every one.
They are self-deceived who think other
wise. All about us are those as ignor-
ant, weak, and hard pressed as you
are who, because they open heart and
mind TO him, are growing better. Are
not they who refuse to do this fools
and blind?
The condition for every one Is obedi-
ence. 1t is so In all relationships. To
effect a cure the physician must be
Obeyed, the teacher must be followed,
the friend honored, and if the Redeem
er is to save from death to life our
part Is to honor, follow and obey.
Do the words, "the wrath Of Cod"
seem cruel words? Nevertheless, our
human relationships explain them. We
are more than inha bitants; we are citi-
zens Of New York, having certain in
herent rights and obligations. Its laws
are the measure of these. If l choose
to go contrary to these rules of con-
duct and commit a crime the wrath of
the city, the penalty Of infringement
Of law, Is incurred. The convicted
criminal is still part of New York.
The same conditions hold in the family
life. Does it seem strange that the
divine government is illustrated by
these analogies? Remember the laws
Of God are not arbitrary; they are es-
sential to life. Still the problem faces
us, how can the God of love ever be
wrathful toward his child? Well, I'M
doubleday the Bible prOclaims this, and
so does nature. She works by law, and
to the obedient Is beneficial. Electric
ity carries your message and moves
your cars, but disobey her and she
kills you. This is the meaning of ap-
piled science. And in the moral world
the same principle holds. 1t is thus
In friendship; refuse to love and honor
your friend and how her life rebukes
you. BY and by you hate the goodness
which you will not initiate. Judas was
cursed by the same friendship that en-
nobled John. A great teacher said:
Men are ruined by their best and dear
est friends, not by their indulgent
fondness. but by the noble example
that is never followed and the noble
invitation that is never answered" Ex-
perience has taught some Of us that
this is true.
| desire above all else to make
known Gods love. 1t is a reality, it
is the one power that can meet every
need of man, and can lift up stained,
broken lives into strength, and beauty,
and perfectness. have tried to do
this to-day. Only you must face the
facts of life and know the truth. God
does care for you. He has given you