The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-08-15
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

here twice today to large and atten.
ti7e audiences. We report one OF his
discourscs from the above. He said In
part
MY text is one OF the strongest OF
those which once we enormously mis-
understood to teach the eternal tor.
ment of the non-elect. Coming to the
text with 'mr minds filed with the
wrong impressions respecting the
character of the Almighty Creator and
respecting his purposes toward hu.
manity Il is easy for us TO misundcr-
stand the words of St Jude. So deep
ly were the erroneous thoughts i'm
pressed upon our minds from child
hood that, irrational though they were.
we considered them fundamental the.
ology. In like manner we wrested to
our own confusion and injury many
Scriptures. reading into them what
they do not say and ignoring what
they do say. AS. for instance, the
messages of Holy Writ to the effect
that "all the wicked will God destroy;
that ''the wages of sin is death; tba
1.-The soul that sinneth, 1t shall die;
that there is no eternal life out of
Christ All these and others we warp.
ed and twisted away from their beau
tiful and simple teaching. and made
out of them doctrines of devils with |
which we alarmed ourselves and those |
committed to our instruction.
We thank God that gradually the
eyes of our understanding are open
ing to discern the great Truth that the
testing Of the Church in the present
Age and the testing of the world at
large in the coming Age will be as 10
worthiness for eternal life or WORTH
ness Of eternl death-everlasting de-
struction-the Second Death from
which there viii be no redemption. no |
resurrection, no recovery. AS ST. Peter |
declares. Those who enter into 1t will |
be. like brute beasts. made TO be taken |
and destroyed-apnihilated
sodons Guilt anG Punishment.
Sodom and surrounding cities were
profigate and licentious TO the extreme
and Divine Justice decrced that their
course must not continue. but that
they should be made an example Of
a lesson 10 others OF the Divine dis.
pleasure against all such licentous'
ness. Accordingly we read that fire
and birthstone were rained from |
heaven to the utter destruction OF those |
cities. the place Of which is now mark
ed by the Dead Sea. The Sodomltes
were obliterated and only their name
and history have come down to us.
Their utter destruction by eternal fire
or heavenly fire rained upon them was
a complete destruction. Their expert
ence pictures forth the utter desuuc-
tion Of all whom God will finally re-
ject as unworthy Of eternal life. Not
that fire and birthstone would be rain
cd upon all, but that utter destruction
will come upon all disapproved by the
Almighty. Who thinks that st. Jud"
meant that the fire that destroyed the
Sodomites was an eternal one? Who
ever thinks that 1t is still burning as a
literal blaze should take look at the
picture of the Dead Sea and note that
there are no fires there. The thought
is that the fire. which is a symbol OF
destruction. did its work thoroughly,
completely. leaving not vestige OF
these condemned TO destruction.
The Sodomites all went TO hell-to
the Bible helI-to the state OF death
But they did not go to the hell which
was manufactured by our forefathers
during the dark ages-a hell of eternal
torture We have Bible testimony on
the subject. which we will produce
They are unconscious now like the re-
tiainder of the dead, waiting for the
resurrection. And the resurrection op-
portunlty will come TO them. as well
as to all the remainder Of Adams
race; because they. as well as all 9th
ers. are redeemed by the precious blood
Of Christ-by the sacrifice which he
finished at Calvary. This is not spec.
ulatlve We have the words Of the
Master himself on the subject. Let us
take our information, our wisdom from
the proper quarter. Then our doubts
and fears will speedily fee away.
Not q Second Chance.
We will produce the Bible testimony
Aunh thS pOhbuliAtS WIZ Dt lS' |
leased and come forth during the me.
diatorial reign OF Messiah to enjoy a
share OF the blessings then to be pour
ed out upon Israel and the world; and
to have an opportunity Of coming into
harmony with God and gaining eternal
life. But we know that straightway
somebody will say, No, Pastor Russell.
that would be second chance, and
God has nowhere promised a second
chance TO any. Furthermore 1t would
be be-littleing to the Divine Govern.
hnent to suppose that God. after giving
one feir trial TO man and reaching a
decision would conclude to give him
another trial. as though Divine Justice
we're unable to determine the worth.
ness or .unworthiness Of the individual
for eternal life in one trial or testing.
We fully agree with this sentiment
but call attention TO the fact that the
sodonnites did not enjoy one rrial for
life. They and all mankind were
born in sin. shapen in iniquity; in sin
did their mothers conceive them"
They were born under the sentence.