The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-05-10

TO live-that our Creator graciously de-
signs that sinners shall not be immor-
tai. But, hearkenlng, we hear mes
sage assuring us that God has looked
down in compassion and "heard the
groanlngs of the prisoners" He fore
knew our helplessness under the reign
Of sin and death. and In his Plan made
provision for our case In advance-"be.
fore the foundation of the world"
After four thousand years Of this
reign of sin and death, exhibiting Di.
vine Justice without mercy, our Gre
ator revealed the wonderful features
Of his Program. He sent forth his
Son, that he. by the grace Of God,
might taste death for every man.
not for the Elect Church merely, but
for all the families Of the earth
Hence 1t is written that Jesus gave
himself ransom for alls' and again,
that "He is the Precipitation (satisfac-
tom for our sins (the Church's) and
not for ours only. but also for the sins
Of the whole world"
So. then, the death penalty pro
nounced against our race, which would
have reduced Adam and his posterlty to
the hopeless condition of beasts. as
respects eternal life. God had already
Intended to set aside through the sac
rifice Of Christ. Nevertheless, he al
lowed sin and death to reign from
Adam to Moses, and from Moses to
Christ, and from Calvary to the pres
ent. He has contented himself with
laying the foundation for the world
wide blessing, in the death Of the Re-
deemer. He intends ultimately. the
Bible assures us, to offer complete de-
and all of his children. The arrange
ment is that. ''since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrec-
ton of the dead For as all in Adam
die, even so all in Christ shall be
made alive. But every man In his
own order" q Corinthians XIV, 21-23).
Doctrines of Demons"
The truth about this matter is severe
enough; it shows forth Divine Justice,
intertwined with Divine Mercy and
Love. We admit our present un-
worthiness of life eternal and feel
grateful for proposed assistance
through Christ, but our great Adver-
sary, operating through ignorance, and
superstition and fear. seized the op-
portunity to deceive us and mlsrepre-
sent our Creator by bringing in what
st. Paul designated, doctrines of
demons" q Timothy lv, u. These have
been promulgated, not merely In heath
en- lands, but amongst the civilized.
These false doctrines have tended TO
ALLEVIATE the hearts and minds Of hu-
manity from God and his revelation;
they have put barrier between God
and his creatures.
These doctrines Of demons" are pre-
sented from various standpoints, but
they are alike in one respect; namely,
they all teach that God deceived our
first parents when he told them that
doctrines of demons" assert the con-
trary, that man cannot die, but must
live somewhere to all eternity. Thus
on the basis of mans fears, this doc
trine that God thrust Immortality upon
his creatures, the demons built up for
us a theory so horrible as to be nau-
seating aud terrifying to every sane
and healthy mind. These doctrines
Of demons" have been promulgated far
and near, and with various colorings,
but In essence they are all the same.
They have come down from the dark
ages" represented in all our creeds,
Catholic and Protestant.
Our Catholic friends have developed
this thought to n nicely. They tell us
that Of those who die, only a mere
handful are it for heaven and go
there Immediately. They tell us that
the most reprehensible class, heretical
rejectors Of Divine Truth, will be sent
to hell Of eternal torture where they
will never die. They assure us, how.
ever, that the number who will re-
WV thio tANiNhiN 10
In c1nparison with the race as a
whole. They tell us that the majority
Catholics and Protestants, civilized
and heather, are unfit for heaven al
death, and likewise not deserving OF
eternal torture, and that thus the great
mass Of mankind. nine out of every
ten, go at death to Purgatory, there to
suffer for centuries or for thousands
Of years in expiation Of sins, and fol
publication Of their souls, that they
may be eventually fit for Heaven and
its blessings. Our hearts rebel at such
view Of the hereafter" While Civ.
ing our Catholic friends, and our own
forefathers who were Catholics, credit
for being as sincere as ourselves, VIC
conclude that the light of our day, and
the light Of our intelligence, win no,
permit MS to believe and rejoice In
such a view of the thereafter as this
We say to ourselves, Surely the Great
God has something nobler than this In
reservation for his creatures.
Protestant Views Worse.
What ahaI Wa aau Of ~ 1sIIa.a