The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-08-02

The thought Of their responsibility
In connection with the thousands of
millions blanched their cheeks and
made their hearts quail They looked
at each other In terrified bewilder-
ment Their noble, generous hearts
led them to desire to put the whole
mass directly into heaven, but, as they
searched the Scriptures on the sub
ject, they found. as they had always
believed as Catholics, the Bible teach
ing that only the sanity, the footstep
followers of Jesus, the "overcomers"
of the world. are fit for the Kingdom
of Heaven. In despair they said to
each other. This leaves nothing for us
to do but enlarge hell many times
and stuff the entire mass therein,
writing over the doorway. who en-
tiers here sbandons hope" They did
1t, but il was sorrowful matter,
quite contrary to their generous
hearts.
Greatest TheoIoa isn-John Calvin.
1t was when the Reformers were
feeling very sad for what they felt
they had been obliged to do with the
heather and with their neighbors and
friends and the vast majority of their
own families, that Brother Calvin APP
peared. Cheer up" said Calvin. "Of
course we all are sorry, but it Is not
our fault The shame of such a con-
clusion Is not ours. | will show you
the way out of the dilemma: charge
the whole terrible business upon AL
mighty God, Say that He foreordain-
ed and predestinated things thus. and
that we cannot help IT,"
Pastor Russell said that these good
men hesitated for a time about charg
ing against God what they had been
ashamed to acknowledge as their own
plan and doing; but seeing no way out
Of the difficulty they finally agreed.
and then extolled John Calvin as the
greatest theologian the world had ever
known. Calvin arranged the entire
matter into 3 philosophy and his doc
trine became the basis of all creeds of
the Reformation period, including the
Westminster Confession of Faith.
Presbyterans. Baptists, etc. Thus,
said Pastor Russell, we Protestants got
our diabolical theory respecting the
dead We must confess that 1t Is
much worse than the theory Of our
Catholic friends If we could not &C
cept theirs because it was unloving.
unmerciful. unjust and ungodly, surely
we cannot accept any longer our own.
Brother WesIey's Gospel Of Love.
The blessings of the Reformation
were considerably overshadowed and
handicapped by the great Calvinistic
error Of an all-powerful God. desti-
tute Of love, viDdictive and devilish
to degree never appropriated by
any human degenerate. Centuries
later that good man. John Wesley, ap-
peared. His soul cried out against
the injustice and loveessness Of Cal
vinism; and his claim that God is lore
has permeated hristendom to such an
extent that even those denominations
which profess the Westminster Con
fession Of Faith and Calvinistic theo-
TIES 10 upJ really UctieNC IT. wv ihuSt
love Brother Wesley for his largeness
Of heart even though we must con
TESS that he had less logical head
than had Brother Calvin.
Brother Wesley and the ma tority of
his followers failed to see the incon-
sistency Of his claim that God is love,
and yet that nine hundred and ninety
nine out of every thousand are to be
eternally tormentad- the mass
of them had never heard of 1.-The only
name whereby we must be saved and
because others who had heard did not
live contrary to their tendencies; did
not live sanity lives
Pastor Russell declared that Wesley
and Calvin put exactly the same saint
ly few into heaven, and put all the re
mainder into eternal torment Hence
It was mere question between these
two men as To tnhy this was so, and
not as to the fact. Calvin said 1T is
Gods will and He foreordained it
thus" Wesley said. NO, God is love.
and love would never do thus II was
the result of Divine lack Of wisdom In
their crea ton. and lack Of power to
help after their creation. Hence the
fate of the masses"
Brethren, We Do Not So Believe!
Pastor Russell said. There is a great
mistake None of these theories salts
fy your heads and hearts, nor mine.
The difficulty Is that we have been try
ing to accept the errors of the Dark
Ages instead of going clear back and
making our theology afresh from the
words of Jesus, the Apostles and
prophets. Let us do this now and find
the beauty OF the Divine Plan In the
Bible, and glorious Divine character
such as we know 1t should have-far
beyond human wisdom, justice, love
and power. So the Lord says: las the
heavens are higher than the earth. so
are My ways higher than your ways
and My plans higher than your plans"
Who're Are the Dsad2
The Bible confirms the ablest find
ings of science when It tells us that
the dead are dead and not alive at all,
anywhere. The Scriptures declare,
THE dead know not anything" their
tons come to honor and they know It
tot; they come to dishonor but they
-. ~ ~ - h.