The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-14

OF. the masters
words had been so misunderstood as
has this text, and that few had pro-
duced SO terrible a fruitage Of sin.
Absurdity of the Proposition.
The influence of the text, the Pastor
declared, Is greatly increased by the
unscrlptural thought that the dying
sinner passes into everlasting torture.
Those under the spell Of that false doc
trine cannot be reproved for wishing
to escape from its terrifying influence.
As the drowning man grasps at a
straw, so those whose hopes for their
dead are being held up by this error,
grasp at the narrative Of the thief, and
hope that their departed experienced a
momentary repentance said "'Jesus,
forgive me" and straightway was car
ried to Paradise. The absurdity Of the
proposition is crowded out by the min
Cling Of the hope with their love, for
the deceased. IT,
Well do 1 remember conducting a
funeral service which was interrupted
by the walls of the widow. The hus-
band had been shot by an assassin's
bullet In a distant mining region. He
had died not being a member Of a
church, and by ne means a saint. The
poor widows walls, I afterward learn
ed, were caused by the thought that,
not having had a moments warning,
the murdered man had failed to say,
God forgive me-" and thus to gain
Paradise.
Who can blame the poor woman for
the absurdity Of her reasoning? Had
she not been taught so to think by all
| the great creeds Of C~hristendom2 Had
not her husband and herself been tax.
ing that very chance of having a mo-
ment'f for repentance before expiring?
1t is a shame that this wrong thought
has been so long allowed to keep peo-
pie back from making their peace with
God in earlier life.
Repentance Always Proper, Of Course.
Let me not be misunderstood. I
would not discourage a death-bed re-
pentance, or any other. I would, how
ever, have all to recognize that there
are fixed rules Of Divine Justice which
forbid us to think that there is a hell
full Of unfortunateS who died sudden%
ly, with no opportunity for repentance;
that there Is a Heaven full Of lucky
murderers, thieves and vagabonds,
who were carried to glory without any
real change Of heart, or character, but
merely al a reward for momentary
prayer. whatsoever q man soweth,
that shall he also reap" Whoever
sows a life of sin and self -indulgence
will not reap glory, honor and immor-
taity, but q more depraved disposition
than that with which he was born.
The D ring Thief's Prayer.
The supposition that the dying thief
asked to go to Heaven with Jesus as a
reward for a few kindly words is a
mistake. The supposition that Jesus
promised that he would go to Heaven
that same day is also a mistake. Jesus
did not go to Heaven that day. In
stead, He went to the Bible hell
ldades, Sheol, the tomb. He remained
dead, st. Peter tells us, until the third
day, when God raised Him from the
dead by Divine Power. It was after
His resurrection on the third day that
He appeared to Mary and said, az
have not yet assembled to MY Father
and your Father, to My God and your
God."-John 20:17.
The Bible tells that Paradise waG
lost through Adams sin, six Thousand
years ago; that 1t is to be restored az
a result Of Jesus death; and the time
or Its restoration will be during the
thousand years of Messiah's Kingdom.
Since there was no Paradise when Je-
81 died, He could not have meant that
the thief would be there with Him
that day. The claim made ~ :Jesua
was that He was to be a King. rha
thieves had heard Pilates Question.
ART Thou a King, them" They had
heard Jesus reply, that to this end was
he born. But He added, my King
dom Is not Of this Age
The thief caught the tho,rhs ~.
the grand, kingly character beside him
was probably the Messiah, the King
OF Israel. How to explain the or,
cumstances of that dark ho,,r "a
knew not, but he defended :Tes,,a
Inen with a measure Of hope he said.
LORD, Whe Thou CONTEST into INV
Kingdom, remember me-" In otbar
words, believe that you are a Kline
and that somehow von WIZ 80 A.---Sn