The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-03-01

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and the 0Dediente OF Your lives
through fear or Through love? l am
not asking you whether you never
have feared; but | am asking you
what brought you to the point of con-
secratiug your life to God? Surely
that was not fear! am aware, of
course. that there is proper. godly
feo=, reverence, and that the Scrip
tues declare it--"'rhe fear rever-
encel cf the Lord is the beginning Of
wisdom" psalm cxi, 10I. But this is
not tho fear of eternal torment. which
tends to drive out love. How could
we love or esteem or truly worship a
God purposlng the eternal torment OF
his creatures from before their crea-
ton?
could give, you many proofs of the
power of love over the human heart.
In contrast with the ulgOdly fear of
the error God says to us in so many
words, Their fear toward me is not
of me. but Is taught by the precepts of
men" As an illustrations: At u Bible
Students Convention not long ago In
Ohio "A well-dressed gentleman In at
tendance told me of how his heart had
been touched with our presentations OF
| the
Love Divine, all love excelling."
He said. For years have been a
member of the Presbyterian Church
without being really Christian at all.
Occasionally went on sprees; some
| I laI ntn
Not until | received a knowledge of
the true character Of God as set forth
In your Scripture Studies did my
heart ever come to the proper attitude
of surrender to the Lord. Then l was
| glad TO give him my little all. and
wished II were more" The next day,
passing from the hotel to the audi
torium to a question meeting, this gen.
tleman put slip of paper into my
hand, which | supposed was Ques-
tlon, and | thrust into my coat pocket.
On the platform drew IL forth rs one
of the questions to be answered, and,
to my astonishment, found II was
check for $1,000 The man had not
been asked for one cent : but the Love
Of God had captivated his heart and
gotten control--not only of 1t, but of
his pocket-book and all. He wished to
show the Lord his appreciation of the
Love Divine, thelength and breadth
and height and depth. Of which he now
comprehended, as never before.
Another case: | met with q Conven-
tion Of Bible. Students In Chattanooga
some five years ago. A gentleman at
tended who introduced himself to me
saying that he was from Mississippi
and that he had become deeply inter-
ested In my presentations of the har-
mony of the Word of God. He said
IN substance: Brother Russell, will
not attempt to tell you how wicked a
man was before got your literature.
My dear wife here, an earnest Metho-
dist, said 10 me, John, John, you will
surely go to helle replied to her,
Mary, l know It! know It! And.
Mary. / am determined that will de.
serve all that | get. | am not going
to hell for nothing One of your tracts
came to my desk in my store. said
that this was different from anything
ever understood respecting the teach
ings of the Bible 1t seems more God
like and more rational, l sent to you
for various Bible Students Helps. The
result, dear Brother Russell. is that the
Love OF God has constrained me. has
conquered me- in way that the doc
trines OF devllsh torments could not
influence me. Now l see the true
teaching Of Gods Word. can honor
him and worship him and take pleas
ure ia laying down my life In his serv-
Ice. | have made full conservation
OF everything For time | sent you
$50 check every month: but. Brother
Russell, that was In the nature of con-
sclence-money, because the most prof
table feature Of my store trade was
the sale OF liquor to the Mississippi
negroes. Those checks stopped. be-
cause, as the grace of God more and
more filed aud oyerhowed my heart,
II brought me to see that must love
my neighbor as myself and do injury
to none. That Is all gone now. Brother
Russell. and my whole life Is devoted
to the service Of God and my fellow
men"
? Three murdererS confined In the Co.
? lumbus, Ohio, Peniteptiary had from
childhood been trained In the doe
trines OF eternal torment In different
churches and yet committed murder.
Those men. under Gods Drovidence