The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-08-08

for nearly two hours, but so deeply in
terested were the audiences that they
seemed not to note the fight OF time.
He said:-
No other question could be of deeper
interest to thinking people than the one
now before us-"Where Are the DeadY'
Our ancestors. our neighbors, our
friends. are dead or dying. and our
selves with them. What will be our
condition when the spark of life flick
ers out? have no new revelation on
this subject. have merely for my
guide what Is recognized by all Chris
tians as the Divine revelation on this
subject-the Bible. hold that there
is no other source OF information COM
parable to it.
Before presenting his own findings
on the subject, In the Bible, Pastor
Russell reviewed the findings Of 9TH
ers-Christian in general The agnos-
tic view, that there is no life beyond
the tomb, he could not entertain. he
believed that mans organism, so much
higher than that of the brute, implies
not only an all-wise Creator, but His
benevolent intention for mans future
He examined the Catholic view, and,
while according full liberty to every
Catholic to believe what to him seems
reasonable respecting the dead, Pastor
Russell could not agree with Roman
Catholic teachings. He summarized
their view to be that a very sanity
few were fit for heaven and that they
went thither. He complimented the
justice of their intentions. that com
paratively small number of humanity
were worth. of eternal torture.
For his own part. he could not mag
inc any human being, on account Of
any human weakness or depravity, as
meriting endless torture. The Catho-
lie view, that all heather and prac-
tically all Protestants and Catholics
go In death to purgatory. he could not
agree with for two reasons First, he
finds no Scriptural authority for such
a view. and secondly, his mind cannot
accept the thought that an all-wise,
ADJUST, ALLOWING and powerful Gre
ator will torture His creatures for CEN
turtles In any such manner as Catholics
generally believe, and as Dante's great
poem. Inferno" so graphically de-
picts.
Our Protestant View Is Worse.
Pastor Russell declared that he was
Protestant. in large measure be-
cause his parents were such. But he
declared that while he sees many
truths both in Protestant and in Cath
Ole teachings be considers that the
Protestant view respecting the here
after OF the dead the most diabolical
conception TO be found on the face
Of the earth, the grossest blasphemy
against the Divine character and pro-
vision for humanity. Had he nothing
better to offer he would not be address,
ing his audience on the subject
PerpIexed and disconnected by his
early teachings. he had. when a youth,
discarded all human creeds, and the
Bible as well-beIieving that the latter
was the basis for the former. 1t was
happy day for. him when be learned
that this was mistake-when he
learned that the creeds Of the Dark
Ages are Numerically opposed to the
teachings Of Gods Word Now his
Bible has become to him new book
the most wonderful book in the
world Its teachings he now sees to
be, beyond all comparison, the most
logical-the only rational presentation,
and a most glorious one respecting
man-explaining his past present and
future as prearranged by wise. gra-
cious and aIl-powerful Creator.
Two Protestant Views.
Protestant views respecting the here
after are various. but two in pan ticular
represent Protestant thought in gen
eral: a. The Calvinistic theory; ~
the Arlninian theory.
Five centuries ago there were mol
Protestants all were Catholics and be
lieved in three places for the dead
heaven for the sanity few: Purgatory
for the general mass of mankind; and
hell everlasting torture. for the incor
rigible Luther and coadjutors got toI
studying the Bible. and. finding moth
ing there respecting purgatory andl
mass for the dead they threw these
out. Figuratively. they smashed com
pietely the idea of Purgatory. A littlel
later they We're pcrplexed and said toI
each other. We have smashed Purga
tory. but now what shall we do With
all these thousands of millions who
have been there In our Imagination
far oonfrr{or uooe<t,o ctr,I4~r SO
hoping some day to attain an eternity
of bliss.
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-
ters here abandons hope" They did
1t. but it was q sorrowful matter,
quite contrary to their generous
hearts,
Greatest Theologian-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 1t is not
our fault. The shame of such q con-
clusion Is not ours. l viii show you
the way out of the dilemma: charge
the whole terrible business upon Al
mighty Godi Say that He foreordain-
ed and predestinated things thus. and
that we cannot help itT'
Pastor Russell said that these good
men hesitated for time about charg-
ing against God what they had been
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 d 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. Baptists, etc. Thus,
said Pastor Russell, we Protestants got
our diabolical theory respecting the