The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-17
admit that the Reformers were per-

admit that the Reformers were per-
feet, nor their work perfect.
The Reformers criticized the Catho-
lie teachings which they had formerly
believed. They examined their Bibles
and found nothing there to the effect
that we should pray to saints, nor that
we should use pictures or images in
our worship, nor that their sacrifice
of Christ in the mass was proper, nor
that there was a Purgatory anywhere.
The Reformers threw out these things
as unscriptural. They completely de-
molished Purgatory in their minds, de-
claring that it had never been any
thing more than imagin alton. Then
came another thought, viz: What must
we do with the thousands of millions
of mankind that we and our fathers
for centuries supposed were in Purga-
tory roasting, stewing, tortured, but
hoping for heaven. They looked at
one another in CONSERVATION. They had
hearts and sympathies and felt that
Purgatory. 1t must also devolve upon
them to relocate all those thousands
of millions whom they had on their
hands. They felt the weight of the re-
sponsibility. Could they demand of God
that they should be put into heaven
Surely notl Surely only the sanity
few are At for heaveni They. as well
as ALL recognized that fact. Then,
with blank CONSERVATION, they deter
mined that they must crowd the entire
and shut the gates upon them forever
and write upon the gates, "Who en-
tiers here abandons hope"
Brother Calvin to the Rescue.
Taking from practically all human
ity all future hope made the Reformers
for the time heartsick- 1t would be
awful to do that for one person, but
to thus do" all humanity seemed ter
rib1e. And then to be obliged to label
that gospel Good Tidings' must GER
tainly have been a trying experience
for the Reformers.
But Brother John Calvin helped
them amazingly and took from them
their burden. He told them that they
should not worry because it was all
Gods fault and not theirs. God had
ture long before he created man. Now
they should merely try to think Of
themselves as the "elect" and try to
forget everybody else. OF course, it
seemed horrible to charge all these
things against the God of all Justice,
the only solution which occurred to
them. John Calvin's theories were
afterwards embodied in the west
minister Confession of Faith" And
foundation. of nearly all Protestant
creeds. Brother John Wesley after
ward objected. but admitted that only
the sanity went to heaven and every
body else went to eternal torment.
His protest was that, instead of this
being by Divine Generalization and in
tention, 1t was, on the contrary, be-
cause of Divine unwisdom and incom-
potency.
"Good Tfdings OF Great JOY"
Surely no sane person can any long
er defend any of the above Gospels"
as the true one. of which st. Paul was
not ashamed Surely st. Paul never
preached any of those Gospels, nor did
any of the apostles except by the
turning and twisting of language, mis-
TRANSACTIONS of the original and nisin-
terpretations of some parallels. The
plain statements of the Scriptures are
all directly to the opposite
The Bible teaches that 1.-THE wages
of sin is DEATH" not Purgatory nor
eternal torment. 1.-THE soul that sin
meth, it shall die" Adam, the perfect,
was placed on trial for life eternal or
death eternal. He sinned and the SEN
tence against him was. Cursed is the
earth for thy sake; thorns and this
ties shall it bring forth unto thee. In