The San Francisco call., 1904-02-03
A HORROR SERMON.

IT. HE Iroquos Theater fire, which, under the
| awful circumstances, destroyed nearly six hundred
people, majority of them women and children, is
taken for by Rev. DIR. Parkhurst of New York If
anything could add the gloomy horror of the calamity
this has done it. He said: THE fire that burned
those six hundred people Gods FIRE. Fire is OF
the ways by which he works. God is love, but that
not all there is of him. H is loving father, but not
dotng old grandfather H is enough of God to have
respect for himself We much about Gods
love, much l that is said in a onesided way,
that to consider, by and by, that God moth
but mush of concession; that his fondness for peo
pie has melted of his character all respect for him
self. With such light thrown upon certain side of
Gods character is shown by disasters like the
have been contemplating, am all of us TAX
ing things easily The people who that the
ater taking things too easily The result shows
that"
Is there any wonder that people do go to church
il that is held be doctrine The falling off in church
attendance and the spirit of indifference to the pulpit
message began when the of traced the prn
cpes of justice they exist in the creation back the
Creator and took of the idea OF supreme being the
savagery which had inherited from idolary 1t dawned
upon that cruelty and which human
father would infict upon his children for any possible
transgression could not be visited upon by wise
Creator leaving out the element of affection.
II not strange that we read with horror of the
slaughter of their subjects by African rulers
their power, have and slain in their presence
until their campoody is shambleS But is the attribute
of the God Of the Christians given him by Dr. Park
hurst deserving of any respect than that of the
African ruler?
Supposed to have power over the human heart, why
instruct it against theater going, if that be wrong
and wait until hundreds crowded together and
then burn them, indicate the divine self-respect? If
human father manifested his serespect by burning
children, he would be called a monster and hanged
Does any preacher hope and sustain inter
est in the church by representing God to be monster
surprising any human criminal that brought to
bar?
In the eruption of Mount Pelee thousands of devout
people destroyed while humbly worshping in
church, for holy day. To what would Dr. Park
hurst ascribe their destruction? Was that also wilu
reminder of the divine elfrespect? Or was it for the
purpose of showing that the Creator "a mush of
concession? If he fire theater destroy those
who think he is "a doting old grandfather" could he
restrain the elements which kill his devotees in
church while Worship If not there appears another
divine attribute in the form of entire indifference to
those who obey him, associated with such intense hatred
of those who disobey that it be satisfied only by
burning them to death.
1t is ptiful that the church should destroy useful
ness and abdicate its high mission by such preaching
When people go church in crowds hear the preach
er exto the virtues of who tortures his children
death by fire, they will in crowds be told of
God who does the same thing