The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-01-06
Impressions Of God.

1t would be difficult to find better illus.
tration of the popular conception of what
religion ought to be than is afforded by a
brief story in the humorous department. Of
widely read magazine. According to one
Of its contributors the "godmother" of q
as birthday present Bible. And not
long after the donor found the child read.
ing "some passages in the Old Testament
which were full Of hell fire and the wrath
of God" We are next told how the little
girl gravely closed the book. and said she
believed she would not readpit any more,
because heretofore she "had;, had g very
favorable impression of God" The writer
does not attempt to add moral. He
seems to think the lesson is quite evident;
in, which opinion, says the Chicago Inter.
ior, we agree with him, but to US the story
tells something of which neither the writer
nor the editor had an inkling. Contributor
and editor impliediy agree that religion
than such ascertainable knowledge a.
might embrace painful fact. -.
This joke concocter-we will go no fur'
ther than that appellative in intimating
our subjective" doubt of the yeracity OF
his story-might be brought to book very
forcibly on his ignorance of Scripture. Had
he known the Bible thoroughly well him.
self he would not have attributed the doc
trine of "hell fire. to the Old Testament;
in truth, the sane, solemn warning to
which this coarse phrase Is applied belongs
distinctiyely to, the New Testament-to
the teachings Of Jesus. But for the pres.
ent we care only to discuss his apt hint at
the popular preference in religion. The rea.
SON why so many people shut up the Bible
and stop going to church is because they
would rather cherish dreamy impres.
sion" of God than to have the spiritual
nature so far walked to truth that it will
cry out for Ruler and Father who shall
correspond to their needs. The Bible has
u. disagreeable way Of forcing upon lts
readers c,ear-cut convictions OF night and
wrong, of duty and Gh, OF the nature, Of
freedom and the attributes OF deity, whlle
shall leave them free, to believe anything
that will not disturb their peace. If rehg'
ion comes to them it must come voiceless
and impersonal as the perfume of a rose
not as prophet with his intoierable
"Thus saith the Lord" Religion is vel
come if it be represented by q jeweled WIN
dow and '"Te Deun" of some great com
poser, but not if it mean decalogue gra'
ven on stone and "Miserere" OF contri'
ton and supphcation. So tens OF thou.
sands of immigrants crowd to our snores
who have "a very favorable impression"
that liberty means doing as you please un'
der the protection of a Star.Spangled BAN
ner, butt who rebel when 1T is found to
mean civil order backed up by a police:
mans club and militiaman's bayonet;. II
in both church and state we had more TACT
and less of vague impressions 1t Woulo
mean much for patriotism and piety, too.
A man to be of much value. to bus age
must not be afraid of shattering the I'M.
pressions of his fellows if they do not
aoreA with the truth. John Knox made
himself hated at the court OF Scotland, Dut
he saved his country from foreign DONNA
ton. If John the Baptist had bowed De.
fore the blast Ike bulrush he would nave
been just little more anNons 10 make q
favorable impression uDon ruler and priest
and rabble there would have been no cross
on Calvary. Men who expected to mo
Him plant found Him rigid. Men VINO
Thought to see Him complainant dlseoy'
cred Him inhexible, and those who nat
tered themselves that they were the pillars
upon which both state and church rested
were told that they were "vlpers, >ano
"whited sepulchres full Of dead mems
bones" He cared little for impressions
but He cared much for truth. r.,
It may as well be confessed Ina5 II tns
impenitent transgressor OF GOES ia"
wishes simply to retain pleasant l%IEgIs %?HIs
sion" Of God he had better smut s hls SIo,e sbomi
God and to learn how, having sinned, TO
find full and free and divine forgiveness,
there T is no other book which can take it,
Mace. and if he lose childish impression
Of God he will have obtained 2 glorious
knowledge of God-for which all dream'
and fancies form but poor substitute.