The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-04-10

We may say. therefore. that any and
every man who, knowing this law.
sows evil seed, is responsible for his
| own harvest. We can say further that
every good seed will bring forth a
good harvest, and every evii seed an
| evil harvest. We are sure of this be
cause We know that the law is a fact
of life But i'm this life We do not al
ways see the harvest Many times
the results are very different from
this
We are led to say therefore, that II
the harvest is not according to laws
here in this world it will be so in the
life beyond this life. If God is a
thoroughly good God. there must be
another life or this life would be to
many not worth the living. This be-
ing the case sin will surely bring its
evil effects either in this life or IN
the next. There is no getting away
from this fact
We have seen from the beginning
that men are possessed with the ca
pocity for character. They are i'm
mortal beings. II is Gods desire that
ali His children, good and bad.
should grow into Christ-like charac-
ter. Now We cannot think that at
death character ceases to he in either
the good or the evil. There is no end
to character. good character is al
ways growing better, bad character
is growing worse. or they are devel-
oping from one into the other. We
are led to the conclusion, and there
is no way to avoid it, that after death
both good and bad men have char
acter still. If this is true, then they
have the power of choice as they
have had it in tbs life.
1t Will cost something of an effort
to remain in heaven. and il will mean
much more to be deprived of it, be-
cause ono then will know that God,
his Father. did not plan it so. hut no
himself now suffers ON account of
his own wrong.
II has been tho custom to speak of
the punishment of wicked men in the
future life as am everlasting torment.
The late Dean Farrar said:
what the popular notion of hell is.
YOU, my brethren, are all aware.
Many of us were scared with it. hor-
riied with it, perhaps almost mad
dened by il in our childhood. 1t Is
that the moment human being dies,
at whatever age under what ever
disadvantages. his fate is sealed hope
lessly and forever, and that fate IS
a never ending agony amid physical
fortunes the most frightful that can be
| imagined; so that, when we think Of
the future OF the human race, We
must conceive of n vast burning
prison. in which the lost souls of mil
lions and millions writhc and shrek
forever, tormented in flame that
never will be quenched.'
The famous Jonathan Edwards
once wrote THE damned shall he tor
mented in the presence of the holy
angels and i'm the presence Of the
Lamb. so will they he tormented also
in the presence of the glorticd saints.
Hereby the saints will he made more
sensible how great their salvation is.
The view of the misery of the damned
will double the ardour of the love and
gratitude of the saints in Heaven"
| (p. &c Eternal Hope" Farrar)
These revolving words are almost
too terrible to be written or spoken.
| but they are examples of the popular
notion of hell Of a former age, an
age through which some of us have
passed. want to ask YOU frankly
If you could ever be made to believe
| that the God whom Jesus revealed as
| a loving Father, could tind any sat
| sfaction. legal or otherwise, in be-
| holding the horrible agony of any hui
man soul that He has created? If
what we have been studying concern
! ing God and His plan for His Great
| ures is true, and there can be no
doubt as to that If the bible and hui
man experience can be relied upon,
then such an idea o fhell aud the flu
| ture punishment of men is trav-
esty on the character of God!
The purpose of punishment In
! these enlightened days, is not To meas
ure out so much pain for so much sin
| but to correct the evil lie and save
| the individual character. This is the
reason for Judge Lindseys Juvenile
| Court. and the indeterminatc sentence
at the Elmyra rcformatory
| So near as the scriptures inform us.
and our reasoning bears us out we
conclude that the punishment OF
mans sins is self-inncted. God
does not consign men to punishment,
but men consign themselves What
ever they have soWn in life, they pos
/ lively and surely reap here or some
where else We also believe that the
loss of communion with God, separa-
/ ton from all that is good, rcmcm-
hrance of evil deeds and consciousness
of opportunities thrown away Will