The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-05


lngs OF Gods Word, while, alas, the
majority of he independent thinkers,
IN rejecting the dogmas of the past,
nave rejected the Bible also, believing
That the teachings of the creeds truth
fully represen. Gods Word. These are
) wandering hfther and thither, hunger
ing and thirsting, looking for the bread
, of life and water of life, and finding it
nowhere because they seek not where
alone it is to be found.
"Ho, Every One That Thirsteth, Como
Ye."
Ho. Ye all that hunger for Truth,
Come We. There is an abundance for
us all in our Heavenly Fathers won
derful provision-in the Bible. Desert
Ing. all the creeds and traditions of
men, let u.s. gather at our Heavenly
Fathers Board his family, as his
children Let us prove the truthful
ness of his declaration that Like as a
father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that reverence him. Let
US seek and OBTAIN the satisfying por-
ton. Let US satisfy our longings at
i the table of Divine provision. Mark
truthful they are, BLESSED are they
that hunger and thirst after righteous
ness, for they .shalI be filed (Matthew
V, o. 1t is this Truth hungry class
heart longings, for we had the same.
| We know the satisfaction which they
crave, for we have received it and are
therefore douDly glad to hand forth
the bread of life and the water of life
to those who desire it. There are
plenty ready to serve the appetites of
| those who long for pleasure-ball
| games, society fetes, chess, travel, etc.
We have not a word to say against
these. It is not our thought that they
are going to eternal torment; hence
We do not frantically beset them, an
| noy them. Let them have their pleas
ure. Let them wait for the time to
| come when something may occur in
their experiences which will put them
and contrite CT spirit and cause them
| to feel after God, if happy they might
find him as satisfying portion. In
| harmony with the Masters direction,
/ it is our aim to "bind up the broken
hearted; to comfort those that MOURN"
to tell them of the oil of joy which the
| Lord is willing to bestow for their
| spirit of heaviness and sorrow for sin
| (Isaiah Xxi, 1-3). As the Master ex-
pressed no reproof of those engaged
| in any form of moral reform, even
| asceticism, so it is with US. We desire
| to oppose no one who is doing any
good work, whether he follow with us
| in every particular or not. There are
SO many engaged in doing evil works,
and so few engaged in doing good, that
not one of the latter class can be
spared from the ranks of the service of
Righteousness.
AS the Master did not give his time
to temperance reform. nor social re-
form, nor political reform, but did
give his time to the instruction of the
people in the doctrines of the Divine
Word so let us be intent to follow
his instructions in this matter, not
teaching for doctrines the precepts of
men, but the Word of God, which liv-
eth and abideth forever-expoundin
unto the people the scriptures and as
sisting them to see the length and
breadth of their meaning. NeVerthe-
less, as the religious teachers of the
Masters day hated Jesus and his dis
ciples for this cause, Because they
taught the people," and prosecuted
them because they did not walk in
the beaten paths of their day, so we
may expect also to be hated without
cause; so we may expect that the
scribes and Pharisees and doctors of
the law today will be grieved because
the people are taught, because the
light of the knowledge of the glory of
God shining in the face of Jesus Christ
is presented to the people as an in
centive to love and obedience, instead
of the doctrine of eternal torment. 1t
matters not that all the educated min
istry today well know, and would not
for moment deny, their disbelief in
the doctrine of eternal torment, if
cross questioned. Nevertheless many
of them hate us, and oppose us be-
cause we show the people the true
interpretations of Gods Word, and lift
before the eyes of their understand
ing a God of Love, Just, MercifuI,
Righteous altogether, and fully capa-
BILE both in wisdom and power to work
'purposed in himself before the foun-
dation of the world"
Cd They perceive that the teaching
of the doctrines of Purgatory and eter-
nal torment has not had a sanctify
ing influence upon mankind in all the
sixteen centuries in which it has been
preached. They fear that to deny
these doctrines now would make
the Gospel of the Love of God and of
the Bible-that it does not teach eter-
nal torment FOR any-were made gen.
orally known, the effect upon the
world would he to increase its wicked
ness, to make life and property less
secure than now and fill the world
still more than now with blasphemies. |
CD They fear also that certain
amount of discredit would come to
themselves because, knowing that the !
Bible does not teach eternal torment, !
according to the Hebrew and Greek !
original, they secreted the knowledge |
from the people. They fear that this |
would forever discredit them with |
their hearers. Hence they still out |
wardly lend their influence to the doc |
trines of eternal torture, which they !
do not believe and feel angry towards !
us because we teach the people the /
Truth upon ne subject, which they
know will bring to them hundreds of
questions difficult to answer or dodge. |
Gods Love Constraineth Us.
I ask you, dear readers. were you
constrained to become children of God
and to render to the Lord the homage
and the obedience of your lives
through fear or through love? I am
not asking you whether you never
have feared; but L am asking you
what brought you to the point of con-
secrating your life to God? Surely
that was not fear! am aware, of
course, that there is a proper, cody
fear, reverence. and that the scrip
lures declare 1.-THE fear (rever-
ence) of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom" psalm cxi, 100. But this is