Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-08-05

for embarrassing sizzling, and
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
mgde their hearts quail. They looked
NJ each other IN terrified bewilder-
mrnt. Their noble. generous hearts
lcl them TO desire to put the whole
mass directly into heaven. but. ms they
searched the Scriptures on the sub
irgi. they found. MS they had always
believed as Catholics. the Bible teach
ing that only the sanity. the fooistcp
followers Of Jesus. the "ovcrcomers
81 the world. are III for the Kingdom
Of Heaven. In despair they said to
each other. This leaves nothing for us
tu do but enlarge hell many times
and stun the entire mass therein.
writing over the doorway. who en-
tcrs here abandons hope" They did
II, but II was sorrowful matter.
quite contrary to their generous
hearts
Greatest TheoIogian--John Calvin,
II 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
pcarcd. Cheer up" said Calvin. "of
course we nil are sorry. but II Is not
our fault The shame OF such n 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. ana
that we cannot help IT,"
Pastor Russell said that these good
men hcsitated for 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 a 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
Prcsbyterians. 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 or our
Catholic friends. II we could not ac-
ccpt theirs because II was unloving.
unmerciful. unjust and ungodly. surely
we cannot accept any longer our own.
Brother Wesley'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-
tutc of love, vindlctive and devilish
to degree never Appropriated by
any human degenerate. Centuries
later that good man. John Wesley. APP
pcared. His soul cried out against
the injustice and lovelessness Of Cat
vinism: and his claim that God Is lore
has pcrmeated Christendom to such an
extent that even those denominations
which profess the Westminster Con-
fession of Faith and Calyinistic theo-
ries do not really believe II. We must
love Brother Wesley for his largeness
Of heart even though we must con-
fcss that he had less logical head
than had Brother Calvin
Brother Wesley and the majority of
his followers failed to see the incon-
sisiency of his claim that God is love.
and yet that nine hundred and ninety
nine out of every thousand are to be
eternally tormented because the mass
of them had never heard OF 1.-THE only
name whereby we must be saved: ana
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
~ few into heaven. and put all the re-
mainder into eternal torment. Hence
Il was a mere question between these
two men MS to irhy this was so, and
not ms 10 the fact. Calvin said. 1T Is
Gods will and He foreordained 1t
thus" Wesley said. "No. God Is love.
and love would never do thus. 1t was
tho 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 DO Not So Believe!
Pastor Russell said. There Is a great
mistake None OF these theories salts
IS your heads aud 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 afrcsh 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. aud glorious Divine character
such as we know II should have-far
tavnuH human tx.ic1an fuSffaa 1--we