Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-10-22

now h the accepted time, now Is the day
OF salvation"
We hear great deal OF talk nova
days shout chance after death. The
false hope Il held out OF a second chance.
Jesus said. Hath never forgiveness.
neither in this world nor the world to
come" The smoke OF their torment as
cendeth forever and ever"
IL IL time 10 put stop to this lying 10
the people. 10 this holding out OF a false
hope. ] want 20 present some arguments
today against the possibility OF a chance
after death.
/. We don't deserve r.
II you had invited a man to dinner at
your home and he had refused to come;
n you had repeated that invitation and
he had refused again: n you had made II
standing invitation and he had refused
for twenty, thirty forty OF even nifty
years, you would hardly feel he deserved
any further opportunity to be your guest
God said II have stretched out My
hand all day long and no man regarded
II seems 10 me that II takes a good deal
OF nerve to demand a second chance after
death n he has continued to refuse the
thousand and one invitations which have
been extended TO him.
II. Longevity does not insure repent
ance.
There IL not one thing in the experience
OF the world to indicate that the average
man would repent n given 10000 years.
The antediluvians lived to an age seven
to ten times the length Of the ordinary
life today. but long life. instead OF rats
Ing their morals. lowered them. and with
each succeeding year they got so vile
that finally the world had TO be drowned
In a flood. God soaked IL. scrubbed II
! and anchored II out OF sight for forty
days to make It a ut place to live in
Time IL often pictured with a scythe,
but mover with a medicine chest. Seven
eighths of the Christians In the world to-
day became Christians under the age of
Is. That means II you are not Christian
and over Is years, there Is but one chance
In eight.
The older we grow the less that chance
becomes.
Finds Punishment Degrades Men.
Ill Punishment does not cure.
There arc those who delude themselves
and others by thinking that a short term
OF punishment IN the world TO come will
| AtAAAt NhtIl bb kpih ~ INllutu DY Int
fire, and that out OF the soil OF punish
ment will spring fair flower OF peni-
tence and faith.
/ wish I could believe that; I wish =
were true. But I am compelled TO face
the fact that the overwhelming ma
jority OF prisoners in penitentiaries, jails
and warehouses have been imprisoned
from one to six times before. am COM
PEELED 10 face the fact that an attack
OF delirium tremens does not have a
curative effect on man who IL In the
grip OF drink am compelled TO face
the fact that punishment instead of up
lifting life. sweetening II and putting
hope into II, does the -everse--lt de-
grades. brushes and embitters It.
The whole movement for the reform
Of our penal institutions IL based on the
fast that. by our methods OF Furnishing
criminals. we have been turning them
out upon society at the end OF theil
terms worse than when they went In.
~. Your whole life tends 20 harden
as tho years 20 by and to make more
improbable any new decision or fresh
ventures
Biology. with It's laws Of the atrophy
OF unused organs. experience with It's
laws OF aecumulative force OF habit
plants no flag of hope over the grave
OF the sinner.
V. The assurance OF n chance after
death would remove one OF the greatest
moral restraints OF the human race.
II may DO that fear Is not the highest
motive for morality i am free TO ad.
nit II Is a finer thing to be decent and
honorable and a Christian because Il Is
| right and for love rather than fear but
l am not such a fool as to shut my
eyes TO the fact that II the specter OF
fear both temporal and eternal, were
removed II would mean the. looslng OF
a hoard OF follles and passions that ars
now held in leash by the fear OF punish
ment.
j You Haven't a Gamblers Chance.
i One time man said to Balou, one OF
the leaders OF Universalismi III be.
lieved as you do about the future
would feel free 10 do anything and
everything In this life that wanted to,
Bailou answered: II believe you would
you look H."
have tried 70 present Ave arguments
against chance TO repent after death
have based each argument not on uod's
nature. but yours II you could be sure
that the door OF Gods heart would stand
open forever, still n YOU die unrepentant
In the light OF experience and common
sense. you haven't even a Eamblina
chance that you would reverse the de
cision you have made in this life and
accept salvation.
l wish this: wish all people would
repent and make hell unnecessary so faI
as the human race Is concerned.
When Jesus came on earth He tool
our nature and shed His blood and PAID
M penalty 70 redeem the people Whose
nature lie took. He didn't take the ma.
ture OF angels. He took the nature OF
human beings. Jesus Christ came int
tho world to die 10 save us.
do not want TO believe and preach 3
lie. l would rather believe and preach I
truth. no matter how unpleasant Il Is
than TO believe and preach a pleasant lie
Must Teach the Truth.
The man who breaches the truth /,
your friend. have no desire TO be an,
more broad or liberal than Jesus, not l
whit. and NOBODY has any right. either
and claim 70 be a preacher.
Then am cruel because tell you Their
is a hell7 No. sir, The man that tell
. you there Is not a hell Il the cruel man
and the man that tells you there l. a hci
Il your friend. so it's a kindness I,
point out the danger. Gods minister