Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-03-02

their hearers. douc0 they sui JUL
wardly lend their influence to the doc
trines Of eternal torture. which they
do not believe, and feel angry towards
US because we teach the people the
Truth upon the subject, which they
know will bring to them hundreds of
questions difficult to answer or dodge
Gods Love Constraineth Us.
l ask you. dear readers, Were you
constrained to become children of God
and to render to the Lord the homage
and the obedience 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-
secrating your life to God? Surely
that was not fear! am aware, of
course, that there is a proper, cody
fear, reverence, and that the Scrip
lures declare 1.-THE fear (rever-
ence) of the Lord is the beginning OF
wisdom psalm ext, 10). But this is
not the fear of eternal torment, which
tends to drive out love- How could
we love or. esteem or truly worship
God purposing the eternal torment of
his creatures from before their crea-
ton?
l could give you many proofs of the
power of love over the human heart,
in contrast with the ungodly 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 Illustration: At Bible
| Students Convention not long ago in
Ohio 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 l have been a
! member of the Presbyterian Church
without being really Christian at all.
| Occasionally l went on sprees; some
times l gambled and drank. etc, etc.
Not until 1 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 / was
| glad to give him my little all. and
wished 1t were more" The next day,
passing from the hotel to the audi
forum to a question meeting, this gen.
tleman put a slip of paper into my
hand, which | supposed was ques-
ton, and / thrust into my coat pocket.
On the platform drew it forth as one
of the questions to be answered, and,
to my establishment, found it 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 it, but Of
his pocket-book and all. He wished to
show the Lord his appreciation of the
Love Divine. the length and breadth
and height and depth. of which he now
comprehended, as never before.
Another case: l met with a COnven-
ton 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, 1 will
not attempt to tell you how wicked a
man | was before | got your literature.
, My dear wife here, an earnest Metho-
dist, said to me, John. John. you will
: surely go to hellp l replied to her,
Mary, know it! l know it! And.
Mary. l am determined that will de
e serve all that | get l am not going
: to hell for nothing One of your tracts
came to my desk in my store | said
e that this was different from anything
e | ever understood respecting the teach
Y ings of the Bible. 1t seems more God
t like and more rational | sent to yoU
f for various Bible Students Helps. The
: result, dear Brother Russell, is that the
g | Love of God has constrained me- has
j. conquered me, in way that the doc
d trines of devilish torments could no
: influence me. Now l see the true
e teaching of Gods Word l can honor
! him and worship him and take pleas
y ure in laying down my life in his serv
d ice, l have made a full conservation
n of everything For a time / sent yol
e a $50 check every month; but. Brothe
It Russell. that was in the nature of con
e science money, because the most prof
# liable feature of my store trade wa!
e the sale of liquor to the Mississippi
e negroes. Those checks stopped. be
# cause, as the grace Of God more ant
It more filed and overfiowed my heart
l. it brought me to see that l must love
d my neighbor as myself and do injury
t to none That is all gone now. Brother
l. Russell. and my whole life is devoted
t to the service of God and my fellow
n men,
f Three murderers confined in the Co
= lumbus. Ohio, Penitentiary had from
: childhood been trained in the doc
e trines of eternal torment in differen
t churches and yet committed murder
: Those men, under Gods providence
!, received some of our literature-"Sc