River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-12-30

| w. CREATURE VI u1du .
god-making capac-
| ty, as one of them asserts.
The editors of the Chicago Univer-
sity Magazine think that there are
things in the Bible which the con-
science of this enlightened century
cannot indorse, among which are the
following:
Jehovah commanded the extermi-
! nation of women and children"
One who believes in a God in whose
| hands as judge of the universe are the
Issues of life and death, who alone
has right to take life because he is
the only author of life, finds nothing
horrible in this, but, on the other
hand. can see evidences of Gods love
and mercy.
1t was more merciful to STAY the wo-
men and children than it would have
been to keep them alive under the
circumstances. God had right to
destroy the world with a flood, men,
women and children together, because
their exceeding wickedness, increasing
day by day, was sinking the world
lower and lower in degradation, and
it was -nerciful to them and to future
generations to cut them off rather
than to permit them to bring greater
damnation upon themselves and the
future by their laying up wrath
against the day of wrath"
God is mercifui."
This is true, even If the wicked go
to hell and suffer the consequences of
their sins, for they will have less con-
sequences to suffer if they are re.
moved from earth before they have
run their full course of iniquity. AS
to the Staying of women and children
when one uses the gray matter in his
brain and thinks, is that really any
worse than the Staying of the men?
Women are sometimes worse than
men and it would be merciful in God,
who alone has the right to do it, to
remove them from earth when they
are sinking lower every day and car
rying others down with them.
If there is a place in the universe
where their influence for evil can be
destroyed or limited, God does right
In removing them to that place. 1t Is
more difficult to explain why God lets
some men and women live than why
he destroys them. Their living means
their own deeper degradation and the
degradation of others. If God is kind.
why does he not exercise that kind.
ness in removing the people who de-
stroy themselves and others, while
as free agents they refuse to reform
their own lives?
AS to the little children who are de-
stroyed by sword or sickness, they
are to be congratulated, if death re-
moves them, as it does all irrespon-
sible children, to heaven, where in a
perfect environment they shall be de-
veloped into perfection of character.
The trouble with the university pro-
fessors, we fear, Is that they have
ceased to believe in God, Creator of
all things, and righteous ruler of the
universe, with power of life and death
In his hands.
Such a God has existence, of course,
only in their imaginations, and is in.
capable of doing right or wrong.
Therefore man must be his own god
and make his own ethical code.
The remedy for the university pro-
fessors' perplexities is vision of a
God greater than themselves, who is
sovereign rule- in all worlds and who
does not feel compelled to give &C.
count of himself to them, but who will
expect them to give account to him.
Some biblical heroes were polyg.
amists."
The professors, however, forget ia
| tell us that in the second chapter of
Genesis the Bible gives as the univer.
sal law the marriage of one man to
one woman and nowhere in the Bible
is this law repealed. 1t was violated
by eminent men and the Bible faith.
fully records their sins. The shallow
| thinker sees in this record an approx.
al of polygamy, but the studious.
| thoughtful reader of the Bible per.
ceives that polygamy everywhere had
the curse of God upon it and brought
a train of evils with it.
Christ turned water into wine, and
we cannot, therefore, defend total abb
stinence from the Bible"
But what kind of wine did Christ
make? If the university professors
will turn to Genesis 40, 2, they will
see that among the ancients the I'M
| fermented juice of the grape was the
beverage of kings. The Jews certainly
knew the art of making unfermented
wine, that would keep sweet for dec
AIDES and for table use it was the best
wine.
The "boozers" who think that the
good wine was kept for the last be-
cause it was intoxicating are mistak
en-. The good wine which Paul ad.
vised Timothy to take for his stom.
ach's sake was, believe, the fruit
of the vine," such as was used at the
Passover and the Lords supper, not a
trace of alcohol in it. Such wine Il