The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-07-06
INSTANTANEOUS SALVATION.
Do Religious Revivals
Lead to Skepticism !?

| the testimony of reliable business
men. / will even go further and say,
that when preachers of the gospel
abuse one another, and substitute ar
rogance for argument, and epithet for
sweet reasonableness. skepticism is
bound to result. People who are not
Itheologians but have some horse
sense, are going to ask, what is the
use of being saved if it does not make
man humble, reasonable. just, hon
est, loving? After reading this state
ment, will DIR. Smith still say (wheth-
er he agrees with me or mott that my
view marks me as deficient in intelli-
gence as fairness?
sour Brother Jones'"
A word now on Brother Jones. We
all admire his exquisite humor and
keen wit and am willing to take my
dose along with the rest and enjoy
the fun. But Brother Jones, as an
authority on Scripture and on proph-
CtO, uOCO hOL nave IhO WCA6AI
with me that Brother Jones the hui
morist has. ''Touch not mine anointed
and do my prophets no harm" does
not give warrant to the sage of Car
tersville to say who is prophet and
who not; and | don't think any genu-
inc prophet has ever called honest
difference of opinion doing him harm.
That's baby talk. The New York Sun
used to refer to the Hon. Grover
Cleveland as a stuffed prophet"
do not sympathise with that, but it
suggests the important fact that there
are prophests and-prophets. Running
| through a large part of the Bible is
a distinction between true prophets
and false prophets. How are we ever
to find out who is true prophet and
who not? What protection have peo-
/ pie against the arrogance of any &C.
clesiastical fakir who might come
along dealing out what he calls the
gospel, if no one is to be allowed to
call in question anything that may be
said? do not mean that such case
has occurred. l am only stating what
might be. In the sermon on the
mount we are expressly warned
against false prophets who come to
US in sleeps clothing, who are ortho-
dox, crying Lord, Lord! and who do
many wonderful works in the name
of the Master even to casting out de-
mons, but who yet. inwardly are raw
ening wolves. | repeat, l am not ap-
plying these terms to anybody in par
ticular. | am standing for the right to
criticise. | am showing that we have
no protection against the kind of men
Jesus warned us against ION the plat
form laid down by the sage of Car
tersville). And | want to warn all per-
sons interested that when they fling
epithets against all who interpret the
gospel in anywise differently from
themselves, as servants of Satan, dogs
and the like, that there are people
in this city, persons of character and
intelligence, too, who might think
they discern sharp claws in places
where the wool has been displaced.
If they do not want to be misunder-
stood, they would do well to change
their tune.
Dawn of Better Day.
One thing more. There are people
in this town, and scattered through
out the world, who believe that a new
and better day has dawned on this
weary old earth, day of better in
depreciation of Christianity than the
dark ages were capable of, a day of
wider tolerance and of more kindly
feeling toward all men. These people
believe in Christ, but they do not be-
lieve in everything that is said in
His name. They believe in salvation
from sin and meanness, rather than
from birthstone. They believe more
in getting hell out of a man than in
getting man out of hell. And when
they are met by the charge that they
are enemies of the gospel, they are
excusable if they wonder whether the
only prophets exempt from criticism