The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-07-18

RASI9R RQSSEll(J onism In Prophe
cy." Another was
specially to Bible Students and 1t we
report His text was, Where their
worm dieth not and the fire Is not
1uenched" Mark tx. Az. The speaker
said
There are other and much more beau
tiful topics than the one have chosen
FOR this occasion. Nevertheless "Hand-
some is that handsome does" This
text has stood In the way Of Gods
people for centuries. and still continues
In the way OF many Of them. To such
it proves the Almighty Creator to be a
most unkind one, a most un-Fatherly
one, view the matter as we will. Some
say, lovelessly and illogicaily, that God
provided from before the foundation
of the world a great Dchcnna OF fire.
torture, suffering, and that all man
Kind were doomed on account of father
Adams transgression. but that through
Jesus death arrangement was made
by which the small number who walk
in His footsteps In Che marrow way"
may escape this awful eternity.
Others say, not so; God is love, and
these nnquenchable fires and immortal
worms are matters of necessity which
His love cannot overcome, because, by
some slip of unwisdom In the begin
ming. or by some lack Of power since,
the Almighty is unable to do better
than to save the mere handful and to
allow the great mass of mankind to
suffer endless torture In the fire that
never shall be quenched, and where
the worm will never die.
The Great Teacher Misunderstood.
These words from the lips Of our
Master, the Great Teacher. have been
Rrievously misunderstood. The teach
ing of our Protestant childhood was
to the effect that only the sanity elect
would 20 TO heaven and that others
would not only lose heaven. but gain
an eternal life In torment. Thus our
text was understood to portray what
practically the, whole world Of man
kind would be compelled to endure.
This hell was pictured to our child
heated to a white heat. IL we ex-
pressed wonder or surprise that any
creature could endure such conditions
80 long the answer was that God
would exercise his omnipotent power
30 make MS fire proof aud paln-sensitive
Some theOlogians of the Thomas
&empis school of thought went 10 fal
sas to picture the poor creatures II
their suiferngs and 10 show that thu
D.. lsfn nd nf "a A Z
covering which would shield then
from measure. OF It's intensity. Blu
those deluded theologlans proceeded
Ito explain that these outer covering
would crack and shell off every llttl
while, leaving the poor victim freshl.
ltender that his suffering might be Tia
more intense
Wn WVErse, these theoi0gians OF tn
past bGtd their difficulty In dealin
with the worms They could imagin
devils who would oversee the tortur
as being made immune Go pain by tn
CHIEF turcnrer, ihe Almighty God. Bu
Just how 10 imagine the worms gel
ting along In 10 great heat and hoy
they would In any wise increase tn
torture OF the poor sufferers wns
mnny n perpeylty, But patlcn
thoughtfulness along these cruel On
sieyiilsh lines enabled some TO forml
Iaie ihc theory that the worms woul
oe siery ores. living IN lre. dcllghun
an hre-- worms that would bore throug
the incristations and add still fu
ther to the horrible sufrerings OF I'll
world of mankind
Was This Whst jesus Meant3
did the Great Teacher Intend thu
such conclusions should he draw
from His langunge2 Aud dld He ste
short OF the description from reason
OF sympathy or modesty or shame2
1his The general teaching OF God
WORD or has great and terrible mi
take been nader Aud have we mista
zen figure of speech and treated II
Steral7 We erred. We mlsundcrstoo
The Great Teacher who rebuked II
disciples, James and John, when Tho
,iesirod 10 call fire from heaven up'
ithe City OF Samarin. because the pc
lple thereof refused 10 sell them fo'
for The Master--the sympathetic Ol
who snid 20 them, "Yc know not VIII
annnner OF spirit ye are Of; the Son
smnn came not 60 destroy mems live
tbut 10 save them" could that son
sman In any wise intend TO tell us th
s0ur great Heavenly Father had le
~ the spirit OF love aud rghteousne
uhan the two impetuous discipies2
1Did He mean 20 Intimate that VIII