The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-08-01

Tor cenIurI0" -rQdfIlNhl ri-I''N1f rtt
hoping some day 10 atiain On eternity
Of bliss
The thought OF Their responsibility
IN connection with The thousands oI
millions iianched their eheeks am
made tleIr hearts quail! They looked
at eaeh other IN ter3aed bewHders
menk Their noble, geherons hearts
led them to desire to put the whole
mass directly into heayen Bui pesthey
searched the Scriptures on the sub
iect, they found. as they had saiyslys
believed as Catholics, The 3 ble teach =
ing that only the sanity the footstep
followers OF Jesus. the iiofercorieES
q tie world, are ct for The singdotn
Of Heaven. In despair ties said 81
each, other, This leaves nothing for US
to do but enlarge hell many times
and stuf the entire mass therein,
writing over the doorway. Who en-
tiers here abandons hope" They did
IT. but It was sorrowful matter,
quite contrary to their generous
hearts ..@.,
ersatsst Theolosian-Jehn Calvin.
It was when the Betormers were
feeling very sad for what they felt
they bad been obliged to do with the
heather and With their reighbors and
friends and the vast majority Of their
own families, that Brother Calvin ap-
peared. dCheer up" said Calvin "of
course we all are sorry, but it is not
our fault, The shame Of such con-
clusion Is not ours. 1wtll show you
the way out Of the dilemma: charge
the whole terrible business upon Al
mighty Cod Say that He foreordain-
ed and predestinated things thus, and
that we cannot help itIe
Pastor Russell said that these good.
men hesltated for a time about charg-
ing against God what they had been
ashamed to acknowledge as their own
plan and, doing; hut 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 philosophy and his doc
trine became the basis Of all creeds OF
the Reformation period, including the
Westminster Confession Of Faith.
which Is generally acknowledged by
Presbyterians, Baptsts, etc. Thus,
said Pastor Russell, we Protestants got
our diabohcal theory respecting the
dead. We 'tmust confess that it is
much worse than the theory Of our
Catholic friends. If we could not &C
cent theirs because it was unioying.
unmerciful, unjust and ungodly, surely
we cannot accept any longer our own.
Brother Weslsy's Gospel Of Love.
The blessings of the Reformation
were considerably overshadowed and
handicapped by the great Calvinistic
error Of an all-powerful God, desH-
tute Of love, yindlctive and devilish
to a degree never Appropriated by
any human degenerate. Centuries
later that good man, John Wesley, ap-
peared. his soul cried out against
the injustice and loyelessness OF Cal
yinisni: and his claim that God Is lose
has permeated christendom to such an
extent that even those denominations
which profess the Westminster Con
fession q Faith and Galvlnistic theo-
ries do not really belieyelt We must
love Brother Wesley for bis largeness
Of heart even though We must con-
fess that he had less logical head
than had Brother Calvin,
Brother Wesley and the majority OF
his followers failed to see the incon-
sistency Of his claim that God is love,
and vet that nine hundred and ninety
nine out Of every Thousand are to be
eternally toFhented-becapSe the mass
Of them had never heard Of "the only
name whereby we must be saved" aud
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 ttesame saint
IL few into heaven, and put all the re.
mainder into eternal torment Hence
It was a mere question between these
two men as to tchv this was so, and
not MS to the fact. Calvin said. ut is
Gods will and he foreordained it
thus" Wesley said, "No, God. is love,
and love would never do thus. 1t was
the result Of Divine lack Of wisdom in
their creation, and lack Of power to
help after their creation Hence the
fate Of the masses"
Brethren, We % Not 50 Believed
Pastor Russell said, Tnere is a great
mistake. None of these theories salts
~ 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 MS 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: "As the
heavens are higher than the earth, so