The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-08-16
5 Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

Russell of Brooklyn Tabernacle spoke
here twice today to large and atten-
tive audiences. We report one of his
discourses 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 our minds Oiled with the
wrong impressions respecting the
character of the Almighty Creator and
respecting his purposes toward hu-
manity 1t is easy for us to misunder-
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; that
"the soul that sinncth Il 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
s..rI .aIt tln
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 to
worthiness for eternal life or WORTH
ness of eternl dcath-everlnsting de-
structlon-the Second Death from
which there will 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-annlhiia
Sodorn's Guilt and Punishment.
Sodom and surrounding cities were
proHigate and Iicentious to the extreme
aud Divine Justice decreed that their
course must not continue. but that
they should be made au example Of
lesson TO others OF the Divine dis
pleasure against all such llcentious-
ness Accordingly we read that fire
and birthstone were ralned 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
complete destruction. Their expert
ence pictures forth the utter destruc-
ton of all whom God will finally re-
ject as unworthy OF eternal life. Not
that fire and brlmstone would be rain
ed upon all, but that utter destruction
will come upon oil disapproved by the
Almighty. Who thinks that st. Jude
meant that the fire that destroyed the
SodOmites was an eternal one? Who
ever thinks that It is still burning as u
literal blaze should take n look ut the
picture Of the Dead Sen and note that
there are no fires there. The thought
Is that the fire, which is n symbol of
destruction. did it8 work thoroughly,
completely, leaving not vestige or
these condemned to destruction.
The Sodomiles all went TO hell-to
the Bible to the state of death
But they did not go TO the hell which
was manufactured by our forcfnthers
during the dark nges-a hell Of eternal
torture. We have Bible testimony on
the subject. which we will produce.
They are unconscious now like the re-
mnlnder OF the dead. waiting for the
resurrection. And the resurrection op-
portunlty will cone 10 them. as well
az 10 all the remainder of Adams
race; because they. as well as all 9th
ers. are redamed by the precious blood
OF Chrl5t-by the sacrifice which he
finished Mt Calvary. THIS ls not spec
ulatlve. We have the words OF the
Master himself on the subject Let us
take our Inf .rmntl0n. our wisdom from
the proper quarter Then our doubts
and fears y, ill speedily dee away.
Not Second Chance,
We viii ,.roducc the Bible Testimony
showing that the Sodomltcs will he re
leased and come forth during the me
dintOrla reign of Messiah to enjoy d
share OF the blessings then TO he pour
ed out upon Israel aud the world; ant
to have an opportunity OF coming int
harmony with God and gaining eterna
life. But we know that straightwa!
somebody will say No, Pastor Russell
that would be second chance. ant
God has nowhere promised sccon'
chance 10 any Furthermore It woul,
be be-lltteing to the Divine Govern
ment to suppose that God. after givin
one fair trial to man and reuchlng
decision would conclude to give hir
another trial. as though Divine Justlc
were unable to determine the worth
ness or unworthincss OF the indy ldul
For NJ Ia nj ~