The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-15


Lynn, Mass. August I14.-Pastor
Russell Of Brooklyn Tabernacle spoke
here twice today to large and atten.
tive audiences. ,welreport one Of his
discourses from the above. He said in
part:-
My text Is ono 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.
manity 1t IS easy for US to misundcr-
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. It shall die:
that there Is no eternal life out OF
Christ. All these and others we warp
ed and twisted away from their beau
hful and simple teaching. and made
outiof 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 thm the
testing Of the Church In the present
Age and the testing OF the world at
large in the coming Age viii be rs to
Worthless for eternal life or worthi-
ness Of eternl Misunderstanding de-
struction-tbe Second Death from
which there viii 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--annihilated. go
Y soiom's Gulf and Punishment.
Sodom and surrounding cities were
proflgate and licentlous to the extremc
and Divine Justice decreed that their
course must not continue. but that
they should be made an example Of
a lesson to others Of the Divine. dis.
pleasure against all such licentIous'
ness. Accordingly we read that fire
and birthstone q were rained from
heaven to the utter destruction OF those
cities. the place Of which is now mark.
ed by the Dead Sea. The Sodomltes
were obliteratef 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. MOI
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 thu
Sodomltes was an eternal one? Who
ever thinks that It is still burning as
literal blaze should take look at ths
picture Of the Dead Sea and note tbat
there are no fires there. The thought
is that the fire, which is symbol o.
destruction. did Its work thoroughly
completely. leaving not a vestlge O.
these condemned to destruction.
The Sodomites all went to hell---tt
the Bible hell-to the state Of death
| But they DID not go to the he'll whicl
| was manufactured by our forefathef
| during the dark ages-a he'll OF etefna
torture. We have Bible testimony OF
the subject. which we will produce
| They are unconscious now like the re
mainder Of the dead, waiting for tb
resurrection. And the resurrection op
portunity will come to them. as wei
as to all the remainder OF Adam
race: because they, as well as oil otE
ers, are redeemed by the precious bloc,
Of Chrlst-by the sacrifice which b
finished at Calvary. This is not spec
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