The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-03-01

ITOlu
@SASTnRf Is5ELL3 the text, II prav
not for the ,1Orld,
but for those iUhom Thou hast giren me-
John xvii, 81. He said
When. years ago, believed that an
eternity Of torture awaited all who do
not accept Gods "calf' of the present
time, had great difficulty with this
text. asked. Is it possible that our
Redeemer was selectively unjust in his
dealings with our race? Can 1t be
true that the Heavenly Father merely
calls and draws predestinated few
to himself and to everlasting bliss
Can 1t be true. as our catechisms re-
cite, that God and Jesus passed by"
the great mass of mankind without
drawing them. without calling them,
without giving them the hearing ear,
without opening the eyes Of their un-
Outstanding? Can it be that all these
blind and deaf. unsought. undra wn.
uncalled and unprayed for by the
Savior are going down to eternal tor
ment? My heart answered, No! But
my brain was confused by the errors.
the neutrality-suspicious. of the Bible,
which ! had received
John Wesley's Free Grace"
Trained in the Doctrine of Election
and Predestna ton |, like hosts Of 9th
ers. felt somehow that Brother Yves
lov,c fnunhin,r Of Ernn
noble, more GOd-like. than Brother
Calvin's teaching respecting Election
and Predestinati ton.
Nevertheless. when l reasoned on
the subject l said. Can | think of the
omniscient God preparing a great place
Of sufficient size to hold the entire hui
man family and QUILTED with every
devilish appliance for their torture,
and yet being ignorant of the cOndi
lions under which they would be born +?
Can / think that he did not know that
we would be born in sin and shapen
In iniquity? Can | think that he did
not know of the present reign of Sa
tan. Sin and Death and that it would
last for six thousand years and inju-
KlOuSly uutCl OuI cullIt EdCt!
Brother Wesley's theory of Gods
Love and good intentions-of his en-
deavor to save everybody-seems in
consistent when cOntrasted with his
teaching that only sanity few reach
eternal bliss and that the thousands
Of millions must spend eternity in tor
ture. Thus l was once confused. as
vSnfy L.,
respect to the Divine Character as ex-
emplifled in the Divine plan of the
ages. So far as | can see. Brother
Calvin had wise and powerful God
such as | could admire and reverence,
If he had only been kind and loving
instead Of diabolcal. And Brother
Wesley had kind and loving God
such as ] could admire and worship,
If he had only had the wisdom and
power of Calvin's theory.
So long as we have such confusion
In our minds faith and hope and love
and trust shake upon the foundations
of our reason. We recognize that we
know nothing of the future of our
selves: that we are wholly dependent
upOH lJlNlle IkeNe luIIOu Out we cun-
not expect that our Creator would
give us Revelation which to sancti-
fed minds would appear Satanic in
stead of Divine. We must remember
that our Creator invites us to reason
saying. Come. let us reason together
though your sins be as scarlet. they
shall be white rs snow" Surely
4 81 II
elation. the Bible. should he reason
able one to sanctified mind
Hearken to the Word of the Lord
Their fear toward me is not of me.
but is taught by the prerepts of men,
isaiah xxx. 49,
Hearken again: LAS the heavens are
higher than the earth. so are my meth.
DDS higher than your methods and my
plans higher than your plans" lsaiah
". o. And so we find. my dear
friends Gods Word is true. His
Character is glorious Only the mist
and smoke of the dark ages" have
confused things for us and mystified
matters and darkened the eyes of our
understanding
Predestination of the Bible.
Now as the six thousand years have
passed and we have entered upon the
Sabbatic Seventh Thousand we are
beginning to realize that 1t marks a
New Dispensation-tha the night is
passed; that the dawn is upon us The
wonderful inventions of our day along
earthly lines are in full harmony with
Che clear light now shining upon Gods
Word, making its dark places bright
and its rough places smooth and ena
bling us to remove the stumbling
stones from the pathway of the Just
which shineth more and more unto the
perfect day"
Now we can see why Jesus did not
pray for the world II was because
The world was not in any danger of II
fiery he'll More than that. if was be
cause Gods time for dealing with the
world had not vet come. The world
however. is to he dealt with by the
great Redeemo" tftor He shall hive