Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-02-22

time on earth You can 80 back to your
fathers house. and he will put the ring
uron 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,
You have all the pleasure of the ban
quot hall of q Circc's palace, with none
of the horrors of the swine trough into
which Ulysses followers were COM
peeled to GO Now my friends. this
second Satanic argument to me is far
more pernicious than the first. 1t is the
means, I 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 til" first place. common
ground for argument. and that is God.
Yes, we 60 further than that. We have
another common ground for arguments
sake. and that is God rs y heavenly, a
loving Father, who wants to save all
his children il he can. Now. If we
agree in reference to these two cardinal
premises | want to ask YOU a blunt
question: can You think OF a good IA
Their without being n true father, q IA
thcr who is looking after the best int""-
cStS of his children: Tan you think Of
, good father without being Just IA
tier as we'll as a fOrgiving father"
Suppose one of YOUR sons should come
TO YOU and say: Father, intend to lie
ami steal and get drunk and defy
every moral law. intend to break my
mothers heart and defy your author-
~ and make your name Il byword and
ridicule through the community. Then
expect You to honor me and do for
me just aI much as you would do for
the rest of the children What would
you do: What would You say: All, if
You are true, Il just parent, | can tel!
you what You would say. You would
look your boy in the face and answer:
My son. as long rs you are true to me
and true to your mother and true to
| your sisters and true to yourself you
shall be looked upon rs member of
my family All that ] have then is
yours. But if You persist in being I'M
, true 10 MS and untrue to yourself YOU
must leave my house ard leave mo.
You have forfeited your rights of son.
( ship. and You cannot be looked upon
as one Of my children" Has not God
Il right 10 do the same with us!
| ! will put this truth in even q more
startling way. Let us suppose you arc
a judge upon the bench. Your own
nd
! degenerate. is brought before fou for
trial. In your own heart you feel that
! he has done wrong and is not repent
ant Of his sins and will do wrong again
! If he gets the chance. What would
/ you do as Il wise and Just Judge:
Would You say, my SON, thon 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: "Thcy say judges have no
hearts. Al, they have hearts, But
as Just Judges, what are they to do:
l have had several young men and
young women come before me for trial
and sentence who were sons and
daughters of my intimate friends.
would have done anything that was
just to save them. But what could
I 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 1t 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 ms loving Father has
made all possible provision for tho
salvation of his children by the blood
OF Jesus Christ. He has said. "Come
repent of your Sins, come in my Son;
name, aud will forgive all and take
you back into my family, and ! shall