River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-03-04

the Laodicean Church. which the Bible
styles Babylon. and declares that God
spues out of His mouth. Revelation
3:16) Next Sunday the Pastor will
discuss the Second Coming Of Christ.
viewing that great event and Mes
siais Kingdom from a somewhat dill
ferent angle from Billy's.
The Pastor declared that it makes
his blood boil with righteous indigna-
ton to find Bnly's preaching a pract1-
cal Endorsement Of the God-dishonOr-
ing theory that the great mass OF hu-
manitv are to suffer eternal torment
because they were born in sin, mis-
shapen in iniquity psalm 51:5), and
then failed to live sanity lives. True,
Billy" does not explain He'll. Like
most preachers he probably hides his
true thought on this. subject, while
allowing the common people to think
that he believes in a He'll Of eternal
tortures. The Pastor could not be-
lieve that Mr.. Sunday or any other in
telligent man Of our day really be-
lieves this invention of the Dark Ages,
which antagonizes the Bible as well
as common sense.
Mr. Sunday and all other preachers
who realize the fallacy of this great
doctrine Of devils q Timothy 4 ~ owe
it to the people who trust them and
who make up their collections, to tell
them the truth. More than this, they
owe it to God that this foul stain upon
the Divine character be denounced.
They owe it to themselves as men to
stand for and speak out the truth and
to assist in opening the eyes Of the
poor, deluded world.
The Pastor hopes that Mr.. Sunday
will yet realize that no one can long
maintain q moral standard higher than
that which he attributes to his God.
The injustice and persecution Of cen
turtles is largely attributable to the
false doctrines which represent the
Creator as a demon who unjuStly and
knowingly created our race with the
knowledge and intention that nine
hundred and ninety-nine out Of every
thousand would endure an eternity Of
torture. Of this as a Gospel the Pastor
has been ashamed for forty-four years.
A better understanding Of the Bible
has led him since to preach
The Not Ashamed Gospel of Christ.
Beginning his discourse the Pastor
said, Everybody knows that the word
Gospel signifies Good Tidings, as in
the angels Message at the birth Of
Jesus behold, | bring you Good It'd
ings of great joy, which shall be unto
all people," Who is responsible for
the fact that this Message of JOY to
all people has been turned completely
around to mean bad tidings of great
misery to all peOple-eXcept to an elect
handful? The fact is that no person
deliberately plotted this turning of
Gods Word upside down. It is the
work of the Devil, who gradually fOist-
ed it upon the Church as well as upon
the heather world, with the view to
turning people away from God and the
Bible
St. Peter and ST. Paul both predicted
the falling away Of the Church and the
success of the doctrines of demons.
THE god of this world [Satanl hath
blinded the minds" of all unbelievers.
If it were not for these decisions of
Satan, the whole world might speedily
be brought to know, to admire, to love,
the true God. The Apostle continues,
telling us why Satan blinds men-"lest
the light Of the knowledge of the glory
of God should shine into their
hearts" Wherever the true knowledge
Of God shines into the human heart, it
presents the Almighty in such glorious
character as to demand the reverence
Of His creatures. Hence Satan's en-
deavor to blind mems minds through
false doctrines which misrepresent the
Almightys character and Plan.
But while we Scripturally hold that
Satan had chief responsibility in the
matter, it is not for US to say that the
clerics of the Dark Ages did not more
or less cOnnive at the error. trusting
that it would make the people sub
servient to the clergy, through whom
they might hope to escape future tor
lures. But leaving the past and its
responsibilities, we may surely say
that great and grave responsibility
rests upon the preachers of today for
their perpetuation of this great decep.
tion-this fraud upon the people, Sian
der upon the Almighty and opposition
to the Truth. Of the degree of this
wickedness only God is capable Of
judging correctly; but it is wicked to
keep the people in darkness on the
subject and it is slanderous bias
phemy against the Divine character.
There is no question that nearly all
ministers privately confess that they
do not believe these SANDERS, while
publicly they continue to speak words
which give the opposite thought The
time when such horrible assassination
of the Divine reputation can prosper
is surely short. Messiah's glorious
Reign will make an end of all such