Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-02-24

ton at the graye Let not sin again
say. Come, let us eat. drink and be
merry, for tomorrow we die" We
know, we mtuitiyely know, that we
shall never, never die.
A step further. Wien Satan cannot
lure us into dissipation by the doctrine
Of annihilatiOn at the grave the old
fiend takes another course. He comes
10 US and says: you are going to live.
Oh, yes; you are going to live ages up
On ages, millenniums upon millenni-
nms. That, Of course, means that there
Is a God and that this God has proyid-
ed a place for your eternal existence.
But this does not alter the fact that
Won can eat, drink and be merry and
do as you would Why? Because the
very name of God implies that he is
GOOD Deity. This good God will save US
all. Therefore if you have a little fun
here on earth that will not prevent you
from enjoying all the blessings Of heay-
en- hereafter. If you SOW few wild
oats here you will be like the younger
Doy in tbe parable Of the prodigal son.
You will 60 off into the far country.
You will laugh and dance and sing and
drink and make merry. And after you
have spent your all and had superilne
time on earth you can go back to your
fathers house. and he will put the ring
upon your finger and shoes on your feet
and the best robe on your back and Kill
for YOU the fatted calf. Don't you see,
Won have all the pleasure of the BAN
ouet hall Of a Circe's palace, with none
of the horrors of the swine trough into
which Ulysses followers were COM
PEELED to CO." Now, my friends this
second Satanic argument to me Isl far
more pernicious than the first 1t Is the
means. | believe, Of destroying more
immortal souls than does even the an
initiation theory, and it is Furthermore
the most illogical theory ever held by
man.
4 PerniciOus Idea.
We have, in the first place, common
ground for argument, and that is God.
Yes. we % further than that. We have
another common ground for arguments
sake. and that is God as heavenly, a
loving Father. who wants to save all
his children if he can. Now, if we
agree in reference to these two cardinal
promises | want to ask you a blunt
question: "Can you think Of a good IA
ther without being true father, fa-
ther who is looking after the best inter
est5 Of his children? Can you think Of
a good father without being a just IA
ther as well as a fOrglving fatherY'
Suppose one Of your sons should come
to you and say: "Fathcr, / intend to lie
and steal and get drunk and defy
every moral law. | intend to break my
mothers heart and defy your authorl-
ty and make your name byword and
ridicule through the community. Then
I expect you to honor me and do for
me Just as much as you would do for
the rest Of the children" What would
You do? What would you sayf All, II
you are a true, a just parent I can tell
you what you would say You would
look your boy in ths faee and answer
"AIy son, as long as you are true to me
and true to your mother and true to
your sisters and true to yourself you
shall be looked upon as a member OF
my family. All that | have then is
yours. But if you persist in being I'M
true to us and untrue to yourself you
must leave my house and leave me.
You have forfeited your rights Of SON
ship, and you cannot be looked upon
as one of my children" Has not God
eight TO do the same with US?
l will put this truth in even more
startling way. Let Us suppose you are
a Judge upon the bench Your own
son. your own flesh and blood, a moral
degenerate, is brought before you for
trial. In your own heart you feel that
he has done wrong and is not repent
ant Of his sins and VIII do wrong again
If he gets the chance. What would
you do as wise and just judges
Would you say "My son, thou art
free?' No. You would do just as the
late Recorder Smyth Of New York did
scores and hundreds Of times. Speak
ing to me one night in New York city
he said: "They say judges have nc
hearts. Ah, they have hearts! But
as just judges, what are they to do
have had several young men and
young women come before me for tria
and sentence who were sons and
daughters Of my intimate friends.
would have done anything that was
lust to save them. But what could
do? | knew they were guilty. | knew
they ought to go to Jail for their OWL
good as well as for the good Of theil
fellow men. / sentenced them ever
though to do it seemed to be tearing
my own heart out by the roots
Would not you have done as Recorder
Smyth did, even though the criminals
before you were your own children
Now, God as a loving Father has
made all possible provision for the
salvation Of his children by the blood
Of Jesus Christ. He has said: Come
repent Of your sins come in my Sons
name. and | will forgive all and take
NJ back into my family. and shal
be your Father. Buff you do not re
pent, If you do not give up your sins
then as a just Father and just Judge
l will say, Ye must ali likewise per
ish." Is the great cardinal condition
Of salvation through Christ by giving
up Of all sin an absurdity? All, my
brother. 10 longer cling to the fals'
belief that God has sent Saviour t
deliver us only from punishment
Christ came to save us from sin. III
will save the worst sinner who vii
renounce his sin. but he will not save
any who cling to their sins. He save
every prodigal who comes into the oil
homestead of heaven as one Of Godi