The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-01-25
PHONE MAIN 4.

not teach universalism. The Bible on
the other hand very plainly teaches
the sad and solemn truth of eternalism,
viz: That the state of man is eternally
fixed at his death. His period Of pro-
baton ends-eternity begins. If he
does not accept Christ and love God
now he would be unhappy in Gods
presence, and stranger to Christ
hereafter. "A mans character deter
mines his destiny. He goes to his own
place-the place for which he has fit
ted himself-the place adapted to his
real character. If he is impure and
a liar and a thief and murderer he
is out of place in heaven. God is holy
and heaven is a holy place, and moth
ing unclean can enter there. God Of
fers to make every man holy by the
blood of Jesus Christ If men refuse
this offer they remain forever unholy
and will be kept in an unholy place.
If they do not repent at the preaching
of the gospel of holiness here where
Gods spirit is at work to help them,
how could they repent and become holy
hereafter when the offer of salvation
is Withdrawn and when delivered over
to the unrestrained malice of the Evil
One and the torment of hell?
There is no place for repentance in
hell The conditions are wholly un-
favorable. While into the grave
whittier we go to await the final SEN
tence, there is no work, nor Device
nor knowledge. The Bible has shut
up all opportunities for repentance to
this present life, saying: Now is the
accepted time, now is the day of sal
walton. for it is appointed unto man
once to die, and after that the judg-
ment'"
Mr.. Atkinson then disposed of the
difficulty of how God can be God of
love and permit man to suffer eternal
ly in hell. He said: '1n the first place
God did not create hell for man. He'll
was originally designed as place of
torment for another order of created
beings called angels-not for all angels
but for Satan and that legion which
in company with him made war in
heaven and through pride rebelled
against the Almighty. There was no
place found for them when they were
cast out Of heaven and God therefore
prepared hell for the devil and his
angels. All this took place before man
was created. Man was then created
and salvation was offered to him that
in the ages to come God might show
to these very angels and principalitfes
and powers of the spiritual world the
marvellous richness of His grace and
love in His condescension to save sin
full man and set him when saved above
the archangels and give him dominion
and thrones in the heavenly world. 1t
is this glory and honor and immortal
ity which man rejects when he rejects
Jesus Christ-and as God has no other
place for such a man he is told to de-
part into the place prepared for the
devil and his angels. This place we
call hell. It is a place of torment-a
place of bitter anguish-a place of
weeping and gnashing of teeth-a
place of chagrin at the Incompatible
folly of having lost such a chance of
eternal happiness because we would
not take God at His word but made
the Almighty liar and exalted human
opinion in place of His word. Oh, the
anguish is unspeakable!"
Mr. Atkinson said he had heard
preachers when he was boy preach
on this subject and seem to take de-
light in it and almost appear to wish
that all his hearers might have to go
to this place. But he begged that no
one might think so Of him. He hoped
no one who heard him would leave UNI
decided such an awful question.
On Saturday night Mr.. Atkinson
has accepted an invitation to preach
at College Place, and it is expected
that a large crowd will fill the school
house to hear him.