The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-06
T0RREY REPLIES TO CRITICS.
Sharp Answers to Questions About
He'll, jonah and Other Points
The Efficacy OF Prayers-RefuScs TO
Debate With Evangelist FRANKIE
Who Sends an Open Letter TO Him
on the Subject.


method Of his attacks upon indifTer-
ence, ~infidelity and sin by accepting
the challenge OF several persons who
had sent written questions TO him up
on doctrinal points. which they dared
him TO answer publicly. The evangei-
list promptly took up the gauntlet a.
the mems noon-Gay meeting in the
Academy of Music.
"Oh, the conceit of these infidels,"
he remarked with some warmth as he
announced his purpose. With their
Z by 8 intellects they imagine they
can brighten the world into surrender
ing Christianity. Why should | no:
dare TO answer them when | have
Gods truth 10 put up against their
sophiStries? Here is one man
who says | do not dare to say
10 an American audience that
Abraham Lincoln is in hell be-
cause according 10 the writer, he did
not accept my doctrine of a vicarious
atonement and had attended the thea
ire which | denounced. | reply tina |
have no right to say hat Abraham
Lincoln or anyone else is in hell. | am
not the Judge. What | do say is that
there is no salvation except TO those
who accept Jesus Christ as their Saw
Jour. / have reason TO believe thai
Abraham Lincoln did this"
Evangelist Franke's challenge TO
publicly debate the question of hell
with DR.. Torrey was refused.
NO TIME FOR DEBATE ON HE'LL
Il speak at meetings attended by
hOt,-on1c' hn cold SopI hoya rnt
the time to debate with anyone. Con-
verts are made at these meetings, and
my work is too important to waste
any time in debates. If | did accept
any such challenge it would be from
someone who had given evidence Of
some brains. | can't stop to debate
with every dog that barks."
Most of the questions expressed I'M
belief in DR.. TOrrey's teachings about
hell. rs God the author Of hell?"
vas one. ITO a certain extent God
was the author of hell" was the reply.
He created nan for a certain pur-
pose and gave man absolute free will
When man fell God gave the gift OF
His own Son in atonement for mans
sin. He also made hell to punish those
who would refuse to accept this atone
ment. 1t is altogether right for God
to separate the righteous from the
wicked. He'll is a prison. Now, al
though we all would wish hat no
one need be locked up IN our pris-
OnS, yet which one of you would fav-
or opening the doors of your prisons
today to let out all the bad, dangerous
people now secured in the jails? Why,
a lot of people are now clamoring
against your mayor because he won't
put in jail men you believe have rob.
bed you"
viii people go to hell because they
do not believe in nell?" was asked.
NO" replied DR.. Torrey. Lots of
people do not believe in hell, yet they
have Deer saved. | did not always be-
lieve in hell myself, yet | would not
have lost my soul had | died. For a
few years | believed everyone would
be saved some time"
PRAYERS FOR GOOD GOVERN
MENT.
The public prayer-meetings held in
Philadelphia a few months before
Mayor Viewers break with the gang
were cited by DR.. Torrey in reply to
Ia woman's letter asking why God
permitted enemies to good govern
ment to win elections in Chicago, not
withstanding the prayers of 1900 wo-
men.
eff the men of Chicago are willing
to submit to bad government there is
no certainty that God will answer the
| prayers of the women there" was the
reply. But he does answer prayers.
was in England in February of last
year and news of the public prayer
meetings held in Philadelphia was dis
cussed. Many ridiculed the idea. In
| May | heard how soon your prayers
| for Mayor Weaver had been answered
by his upsetting the powers that had
ruled you.
Il challenge anyone in this city who
does not believe hat Jesus Christ
is the Son of God to come 10 me, and
if he will promise to lay down his
will to God to study the evidences OF
the Bible he will have TO accept Jesus
Christ"
| The incident of Jonah and the whale
| was submitted TO DR.. Torrey by some
one who wrote. How is it that the
whale got Jonah down when a whale
can't swallow a catfish?" Some
whales can not only swallow catfish,
but men as we'll" said the evangelist.
"In the Literary Digest. some time in
1896, I read of a man who had lived
about ten hours in the body Of a whale
and was finally rescued alive. | spoke
TO this man in Minneapolis. He had
been swallowed whole by the whale
and remained unconscious in the body
until his companions killed the whale
and cut its body open. This question
however. need not concern us, be
cause the word used in the original
text meant big fish. not whale"
do you believe the world was made
in six days OF "a hours each?" was
asked, and received this reply:
THE BIBLICAL STORY OF CREA-
TION.
IL do not. The Bible does o say
so. The sense of the word day, as US
ed in Genesis means periods. You will
notice that the first verse Of Genesis