South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-24
WHY DON 7 COD
KILL THE DEVIL?
Dr.. Parker breaches Master.
full Sermon on Subject
Sunday Morning.

Why Don't God Kill the Devil?"
was the subject of Rev. DR.. B. E.
Parker's discourse Sunday morning
at the First Methodist church. This
was the first of a series of special
sermons
The seeming indifference OF God
in a world of suffering has tried the
faith of men of all ages. To justify
the ways of God to men is theme
with which the master minds Of the
ages have been concerned. Men
haze found the story of God told
By Jesus Christ as reasonable as II
Is beautiful when viewed alone, but
when considered over against the
suffering of the world the faith OF
many has been darkened. Why did
the kind of a God Jesus described
create our kind OF a world? Why
don'5 God kill the devil, and by ban
fishing sin and suffering make faith
easier for the world?
This question IS ever with us.
Il is being asked in countless shad-
owed hearts and homes. Never was
there so much death and suffering
in the world, and never was faith
more needed and harder pressed.
The Way TO Faith.
The way to faith is formed by
observing other facts as apparent
as the fact of universal suffering.
One of these facts is that often suf-
ferink is a consequence of sin. Some
men lCOk upon suffering us penal.
This is an old theory. 1; was the
current philcgophy in Jobs day. 1t
appeared I'm Jesus time. The phari-
sees asked concerning the blind
MAJ Who did sin, this man or his
parents?'
Just now we are witnessing a
recrudesC ence of this philosophy.
Men have said that God sent this
war 10 whip the world into submits
sion to His will. II is a divine pun
ishment for our selfshness. mate
rial aims, covetousness and greed.
This is a SANDER on God. II is not
good theology. The war is a judg-
merit on the world only in the sense
that II is a natural consequence, in
a world of law and order, for the
kind of life we have been living.
II men Will live as we have lived
they must suffer as We have suffer-
ed. Just as you must have a blister
II you put your hand on a hot iron.
God does not send the blister or
war. but he allows both if we meet
the conditions by which war and
blisters come We are free agents
in a world OF law and order, and
by our free action bring much Of
our suffering upon ourselves. This
is only a partial explanation. We
come nearer the truth when we look
upon suffering as disciplinary. This
is the New Testament view. Suf-
fering is a fire that burns the cross
out Of life. Rightly born ii gives
US new revelations of God and duty
-deepens our sympathies and de-
velops the virtues OF patience. ten
derness and humility in the soul.
The Best Saints.
The best saints are graduates
from the school OF suffering. Men
like Paul and Jesus breasted the
storms of life and by them were
brought 10 perfection. Sorrow col
ors life and the lesson of faith is
that we can choose the color.
God could not have made a
world where character was possible
and eliminated suffering. He saw
this but took the chance. Suffer
ing may destroy the faith OF some,
but if welcomed in the spirit of
Paul. who said: Rejoice in my
tribulations also, it will earn for US
all a crown Of glory"
British Officer Speaks.
Mai. School. a retired officer OF
the British army, spoke at the
evening service. Maj. school was
for years one Of the British mount
ed police in Africa, and told Of the
Christian missions from the stand
point of an observer.
Mai. School was a local preacher
in the Canadian Methodist Episco-
pal church in Alberta. Can. He has
been speaking in the public schools
and churches OF South Bend for the
past two weeks.