Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-05-04

We're any OF the
1900 who persisted sainfsi And assured
that very few Of them would have
claimed TO hc' saints. we would have
concluded that all the remainder plung-
ed down to Catholic purgatory Of
terror or worse. to n Protestant hell
of eternal torture
Even the tales of their great gal
lantry and heroism would not have
altered the decision which would have
hung over the question. Did they con.
fcss Jesus IN word and deed: we
would have asked Were they church
members This Is the same argu-
ment used respecting the 10000 heath
en- who die every day In the year,
going down into Christless grdreS."
the London Missionary Society truly
says. but means and Is understood 10
mean into thristlcss eternal torture.
Now. how different. Now we see
selected during this Age: that in the
next Age they with Jesus may assist.
bless. uplift all the non-elect 10 an
earthly salvation 10 human perfection.
IN the new Paradise Earth which
Mcssiah'S Kingdom will usher in
Thus. only the wiifaiIy wickcd will
ever he annihilatcd.
But our old errors die hard: because
we have twisted the Bible to fit them.
For instance. Let us consider st. Pc
ter's words
Christ also hath once suffered for
sins. the Just for the unjust. that He
might bring us TO God. being put to
death In the flesh. but luickcned in
the spirit. by which 1.-TWO experiences
death and resnrrectionl He preach
cd unto the spirits IN PRISON. Pc
ter Ill., Is. 10.
This text. said Pastor Russell. has
been made the basis for some peculiar
presentations. From It some have de-
duccd ma Intermediate state lasting
between death and the resurrection.
Others have claimed II AZ an authority
Tor the doctrine of purgatory. The
difficulty in every ease seems 10 be
the failure TO remember that the Bible
always and everywhere teaches that
the dead are really dead. that they
know nothing. and that. therefore. II
would be- impossible to do any preach
Ing 10 the dead humans. Undonbtcd
~ the theory that people are more
alive after they die than when they
We're alive H. responsible for nearly all
OF the foolish things which we have
all ~ some time profcssed to believe
Before dismissing the thought that
these spirits IN prison are human
spirits. let us note the fact that 10
say. human spirits" Is an abSur,llfy
Of itself. because human beings are
humans who maketh His angels
spirits" Is the Scriptural proposition
True. we do sometimes speak of hui
mans rs possessing a spirit of life. but
by this we merely mean that he pos
scsscs the power or energy of life. and
the same would bc equally true of the
lower orders of creation. beasts. fish,
fowl. etc.
Again. we sometimes speak of the
Church ms spirit bclngs-begotten OF
the Holy Spirit. Thus the Apostle
speaks Of the natural man In contrast
with the New Creature, a spirit being.
To appreciate this statement we must
remember that the Church class re-
ccives the begctting of the Holy Spirit
TO the end that. II faithful. they may
uee sst.frff fI
become spirit beings. like unto the an.
gels and like tn the Redecmer. But we
are not spirits yet. except by faith-hy
hope. However. the context shows
that the Apostle had no reference 10
the Church. either. we were not In
prison. we received the Message of sal.
walton through the Apostles.
Spirits Once Disobediens.
The spirits TO whom the messag,
was given had proven themselves dis.
obedicni. says 81. Peter lie even
tells Us the time of their disohcdiencc
namely. that II was "in the days Of
Noah. while the ark was preparing,
Surely. If noticing these particulars
mentioned IN the context. no one would
be cxcusablc for misunderstanding this
Scripture and considering II In any
way applicable 10 humanity of our day
or 10 humanity IN general. However.
II Is helpful 70 ~ 90 learn the full par
iicularS ~ the matter. What was their
disobedlcncc. aud when aud how were
they imprisoned;
Turning :" Genesis VI. -. We find
there the cause az the diSubcdienre Of