The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-08-23
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 filed with the
wrong impressions respecting the
character of the Almighty Creator and
respecting his purposes toward hu-
mainly it 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 sinneth. 1t shall die";
that there is no eternal life out of
Christ ALI 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 to
worthiness for eternal life or WORTH
ness of eternl death-everlasting de-
struction-the Second Death from
which there will be no redemption. no
resurrection, no recovery. As st. Peter
declares. Those who enter into it will
be, like brute beasts. made to be taken
and estroyed-annihilated
Sodom's Guilt and Punishment.
Sodom and surrounding cities were
profiigate and licentious to the extreme
and Divine Justice decreed that their
course must not continue, but that
they should be made an example Of
lesson to others of the Divine dis
pleasure against all such licendous-
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 Sodomites
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 destruc
ton of all whom God will finally re-
ject as unworthy of eternal life. Not
that fire and birthstone would be rain
ed upon all, but that utter destruction
will come upon all 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 1t Is still burning as
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 symbol OF
destruction, did its work thoroughly.
completely. leaving not a yestige of
these condemned to destruction.
The Sodomites all went to hell-to
the Bible hell-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-
mainder Of the dead. waiting for the
resurrection. And the resurrection op-
portunity 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
ulative. 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 a Second Chance.
We will produce the Bible testimony
showing that the Sodomites will be re-
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 a second chance. and
God has nowhere promised second
chance to any Furthermore 1t wonld
be be-littleing to the Divine Govern
ment to suppose that God. after giving
one fair trial TO a man and reaching a
decision would conclude to give him
another trial. as though Divine Justice
were 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
Sodomites did not enjoy one trial for
life. They and all mankind were
''born in sin. shapen in iniquity, in sin
did their mothers conceive them"
xuey were porn under the sentence,
dying thou shalt die" Neither they
nor anyone else. therefore. could be
placed upon trial for future life ever
lasting or death everlasting. until re-
leased from the original sentence OF
death under which all were born And
no release from that death sentence
was granted to anybody until the Re-
deemer came and died. 1.-The Just for
the unjust" that. las by man came
death. by man also might come the
resurrection OF the dead"
Only those. therefore. who have been
born since Jesus day could be released
from the original penalty. or could be
placed on trial for life or death eter-
nal Only the Church. therefore. &C.
cepts this proposition. To this agrees
the words of the Apostle. IF zoe sin
wilfully after that zoe have come to a
knowledge Of the Truth. there remain
eth no more sacrifice for sin (such hav-
ing enjoyed and misused their share
Of the original sacrifice)-nothing but
a fearful looking forward to of Judg-
ment (sentence) and fiery indignation
which will devour the adversaries Of
God-in the Second Death (Hebrews Z,
26). The Sodomites. therefore did not
enjoy any chance OF eternal life. They
knew not 1.-The only name given under
heaven or amongst men whereby we
must be saved" Not only SO. but the
majority of mankind since Jesus day
have never heard the Gospel in the