The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-18
NOT THE WILL OF GOD THAT
CAUSED IROQUOIS HORROR
Rev. Joshua Stansheld Declares
Father Is Maligned in Utter
ance City Will Be Done"
NOT LORDS INFLICTION


in his sermon last Sunday morning. the
pastor considered the question, Does God
Send Suffering?'< Taking for his text, "Our
Father which art in heaven, the Father
of all mercies, the God of all comfort" he
said. i'm part:
1--WE again resume our consideration of the
question, Does God Send Suffering?" Last
Sunday morning we dwelt to some length
upon the painful disparity between doctrine
and life, and showed that while the Chris
tan religion Is supposed to give comfort
and cheer and hope and power in the severe
experiences through which we pass, there
are thousands of so-called Christian people
who seemingly know nothing OF such COM
fort and peace. This we found to be be-
cause of a mistaken conception as to the
character of God and His relation TO the
affairs of our life. In the name of religion,
and possibly with a view OF honoring Prov
idence, and from an intensely religious de-
sire to recognize God In everything, par
ticularly in those things which naturally
prompt us TO think of God ana appeal 10
Him, we have the sad spectacle of expo
nents of the Christian faith speaking of
God as the cause and author of LIES bit
terest and saddest experiences.
LAS against all of this we pointed out
that both reason and revelation clearly
showed that the sufferings of life are almost
invariably the result Of human violation of
the laws of nature, which are, of course,
the laws of God, and that God had shown
His love toward men not in changing the
benefcent laws OF their being, but in him
self entering our life I'm the person of His
Son. Jesus Christ: thus showing the forever
nearneSS Of God to our humanity. The doc
trine of the incarnation clearly sets forth
that God is with us and for US. and if God
be for us, who can be against us?
This morning l want US TO look at some
of those precious passages of Scripture and
the great doctrines they set forth which
have such a close bearing upon this ques-
ton of God and suffering. A person said
to me the other day: Why, Doctor, is 1T
not true that whom the Lord loveth, he
chasteneth. and are we not taught to re-
of God? | answered: True, but what do
you understand by Christening and chastise-
ments of God? Do you understand some
punishment or suffering that God is infiict-
ing upon His children, or do you understand
those terms to mean some process of moral
publication, Christening of spirit?'
BEAR THE SUFFERINGS.
''we shall perhaps get the root idea of the
word If we take our own word chaste, which
means pure, white, clean, and if you Will
look carefully into the Scriptures L have re-
ferred to, such Christening or chastisement
is purely and wholly of a spiritual charac-
ter. Unfortunately, the word, as we use
II to-day In the whole realm of penology,
carries the idea of inflicted punishment by
a wronged If not indeed, an incensed person
or people. But the scriptural meaning of
the word is wholly different and refers to
the sweetening and publication of life
Again, we repeat, that in religion, tenn
permanent tells tremendously, and If when
a great financial loss has come to q family,
or terrible shame has come to the home,
or the father and support of the household
is by disastrous fire suddenly taken away,
or the young man of our hopes is suddenly
taken from us by a ruftian's hand or by
the horrid work of war; If In any of these
cases, in the name of religion We come TO
speak TO those who suffer most, of the chas-
tening hand OF God, we shall find tempera-
ments physical and moral that VIII rebel
and revolt against any being VINO can smite
them thus. Surely the Sufferings or life
are hard enough to bear without adding the
torments of a supposed divine intiiction III
such awful hours.
not true, Mr.. Stansfield, that in all these
things there is a divine discipline? Yes,
if you will carefully hold 10 the meaning
of that term. There is. in all lifes expert
ences, for the believer in God, divine dis
cipline. But what do you mean by dis
cipline? Do you mean punishment, surfer
ing inflicted, or do you mean the training
of the mind, the heart, the life in GER
tain way? Literally, to discipline is TO
disciple, to enable one to learn; and 1t is
truly in the bitterest experiences OF life
may learn the spirit, the peace, the tri-
umph of our Lord Surely we can never
forget that Jesus himself was made per-
feet through sufferings, yet not by suffer
ings punitive in their character. but suffer
ings Incidental and essential to our human
life. We read OF Him that He learned ODE
dience by the things He suffered; and
again that He was made perfect through
suffering. Indeed, II is one of the glories
of our faith in God that 1t can transmute
the saddest and severest sufferings of life
into highest character. 1t is significant that
the crown of Jesus was a crown OF thornS.
NOT AUTHOR OF SUFFERING.
Beloved, what L want us to see clearly
c1nI ", a d.
ing comfort is that our Father in heaven,
the Father of all mercies, the God of all
grace and comfort, is not the author of our
sufferings, but rather the one who sympa-
thizes with us in them and stands by US
under them. His grace is sufficient for us,
and that we forever rule out of our think
ing and our religious belief the thought
that in the sufferings of our life, we are
enduring the will of God. L know of moth
ing more inhuman and less moral ana splr-
itual than the misstatement or important
scripture at this point-Scripture intensely
precious and yet frequently mlsapplled III
the most solemn experiences or life. When
the dread disease of diphtherla shall take
away In rapid succession four children OF a
family and the father then, in hours OF
most poignant sorrow, in the name OF re-
ligion an Old Testament scripture snail De
quoted without any regard TO It's original
setting and in most pious tones some one
will drawl. 1t is the Lord, let Him do what
seerneth Him good'-words of the aged Eli
as he realized that an inevitable issue OF
his goddess sons conduct mad come.
But the query arises with some, Does
not God have complete control of all the
affairs of life and are we not told TO be-
lieve that His will is being done in all the
experiences through which we may pass
And is il not the trueSt Christian spirit
even in the bitterest Things or lie to say
Not my will but Thine be done? Nay
verify ii is exactly at this point that there
is the most complete moral shock. To say
that because a thing is. ii is therefore the
will of God is a Christianized form of IA
taIism subVersive TO the noblest type OF
Christian character. When, through most
palpable carelessneSs and cupidlty, a half
thousand persons lost their lives in Chi
cago holocaust. bringing grief ineXpressible
TO thousands of homes, dare we think fol-
q moment that this was caused by the pre-
determined will of God? And will you Of
fer supposed religious consolation and com
fort to crushed hearts and palled homes
from the same Being who Is the cause OF
the sorrow? Indeed, / know of no point in
life where in the name Of religion. the
Infinite Father has been more malignec
than in the pious utterances under excru-
ciatng circumstances or this Scriptura
phrase: Thy will be done
Let us rather make a careful study oil
what the revealed Will OF God is as touch
ing His children, and / think we shall sOor
find that it is impossible 10 touch upon any
one scriptural statement that warrants the
ASSUMPTION that suffering and pain are the
expressed will of God. Take concordance
and your Bible and look up this matter spe-
officially and such phrases as these will
challenge your attention: This is the will
OF God even your sanctification.' and again
1t is not the will of your Father which is
in heaven that one of these little ones snail
perish and again, that We may prove what
is the perfect acceptable will of God
N n word beloved il will NOT no uoSSi