Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-06

I
can Illustrate God? Not at all.
What does it matter TO you
whether the fire in hell is literal OF
whether it is the fittest emblem
that God could employ to convey
to our minds the terrors of the
world to come? Fire is the limit
of our comprehension. God is talk
ing to US in language that we can
understand, and fire is the very
apex of our hatred, and when we
talk of il everybody shrinks to
think about it. What difference
does it make whether the IRE in
hell is literal or whether it is the
flttest emblem that God could en-
ploy to convey to our minds the
terrors of the future world? What
difference does it make to You
whether the streets of heaven is
f1guratiVely gold or really gold ?
Gold was the fittest emblem that
God could use to convey to your
minds the beauty OF heaven. Gold
is the very top notch of our com
prehension OF wealth and of bean
ty; hell fire is thatFofs terror and
punishment.
1t doesn't make any difference to
me whether the gold on the streets
or heaven is literally like that or
not, or whether it is the fittest en-
blem that God could employ totalk
to me in language that | could IN
derstRnd-I want to go to heaven
whether the fire in hell is literal
or not, or whether FIRE was the fit
test :. emblem that God could en-
ploy TO convey to my mind the
terror of hell. I don't want to go
to hell, and God doesn't want you
to go to hell. either. That's all
there is to it. What difference
does it make? 1t doesn't make a
bit of difference.
He'll must be an awful place if
God didn't want me to go there,
and if He gave Jesus Christ to
keep me out of there; and you are
a big fool if you want to live a life
of rebellion and go to he'll just to
find out If the fire is literal or not
What shall the end be OF them
that obey not the gospel of God ?"
Now. listen to me, / believe this
i believe no human virtue has
ever been able to propagate itself
from generation to generation, to
redeem society and the individual
from graVitating downward to NOR
al wreckage and to make righteous
ness and truth known everywhere,
that is not built on a belief in a
future life, no matter where you
come from.
What shall the end be of them
fhnt nhny tho onu-vnl nF f1aI -
What was the end of those that
didn't obey and didn't get place
in the ark? They found a watery
grave. What was the end of those
that didn't put out a scarlet line
like Rahab? They were all killed.
What was the end of those that
wouldn't look on the brazen ser
pent on the polee They all died.
What shall the end be of them
that obey not the gospel Of God?"
damnation.
There is Hell.
Now, then, you say you can't be. |
lieve there is a hell. You live a |
life in harmony with your unbe- |
Iief-very well. Then you die
very well-still believing there is
40 hell.
All right, 1 believe there is a |
hell, and l live a life in harmony |
with my belief, and l die, and l !
ind out you are right-there is no |
hell. But where have you got any |
hing on me? You say you don't /
believe it; you live a life for mon
~; you die; you find there is a /
hell. | die; l find there is a hell,
~ I hnun
you skinned, old scoundrel, any
way you look at it,
So, II there is no he'll. l haven't
ost anything by being decent and
living a Christian life while am
iere; and if there is, and L believe
here is, and you don't, when die
am saved, but when you die,
where do you get of? You are a
DOL any way you look at it.
What shall the end be of them
hat obey not the gospel of God?"
There are two ends to every
hing-the apparent and the real.
t is apparent that motion pro-
.uceS. heat and that heat produces
light. That is apparent; I know
hat And on and on and on it
.oes. I stand on the shore of
AXE or river, and l hurl a stone
ut in the middle, or to the edge.
he waves start. They will break
pom the farthest shore of that
AXE or river. That is apparent;
re know that when that stone hits
he water it stirs up vibrations and
hey make waves that travel to the
arthest shore.
What about the real end? You
erform an act. You think that is ]
ne end. Somebody saw you; they
ill take it up and do the same !
hing, another and another. When ]
on make some one q Christian, I
on will never know the effect of ]
until the judgment, then God ]
ill tell you how many were [
lessed by your act.
What shall the end be of them 7
lat obey not the gospel OF God?"
Oh, what is the use of Uncle {
am erecting lighthouses and hav- I
lg foghorns, my friends, to blow c
nd below. if the captains and the c
hips crews are going to sleep and
low the vessels to drift upon the &
,cks? +
Oh, men and women, II / am TO
: lost at last, if l am to be ship a
rocked at last, would rather go
1wn to destruction without the +
arning ringing in my ears than
would to drift to destruction to h
e knocking cadence of an alarm I q
ould not heed. but which if l had b
seded would have saved me.
To go down to hell with the =
emory of the admonition ringing is