The Nevada County picayune., 1922-03-23

a part of the economy of God that the human soul must have the worst consequences placed before it and then let them choose the best things and principles and walk in the way of intergrity. Had it not been possible for man 10 sink into an insufferable hell. then I do not believe that Christ would have made the great sacrifice by taking our nature and dying the shameful death of the cross, but knowing what was before the impenti- tent sinner, Christ gladly came and made the atonement for sin and now all who will believe on him, need not perish but have this greatest of all boons, eternal life. But person must exercise faith and heed the words of the Great Teacher or else the sacrifice will avail nothing Many think be- cause it says "whosoever' that that ends the matter and all will be saved, but that word "whosoeyer' is limit ing word and shuts the door in the face of all who will not believe It is both inclusive and exclusive in cludes the believers in Christ and ex cludes the unbelieyer in him. I do not recall a single unlimited invita- tion in all the Bible to sinners but it is to the thirsty" and to whatsoever hears and "whosoel Ter wills" but what of the number who are not thirsty and do not hear and are not willing to be saved?
 Some men say why did God make man and then make a hell for him to go to: God did not make man for hell nor a hell for man. but made hell for the Devil and his angels and man by his sin and rejection of Christ makes himself fit for hell. and as there k but one heaven, where all the redeemed go. so, there is but one hell where all the lost men and angels go. Man must say where he is going to, and he settles that question while here in this earth. It is matter of now and not of the future. To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, Several years ago some one wrote to Dr. Lyman Abbott of New York. and sad that as he had rejected so much of the teachings of orthodoxy, why did he not come out with his wonderful pen and write against the fact of hell and teach universal salvation and get this horrible idea out of the minds of the people. Dr. Abbott replied that he would be glad to think that there was no such horr
 ble place, but that if there were not and men were not in danger of going there, that it would destroy the real freedom of the will and that man would dwindle into a mere machine with no intelligent responsibility and consequently he wouldn't write that iIl' iC NdS iiO iiClii buI iiihl lIitit was one and that it was necessary to have one and that il was possible for men to go there and that they would have to turn to Christ to be saved and if they did not, then they must take the consequences and be ready to go to the horrible place of punishment
 Christ taught more about the exist ence of hell than all the prophets and apstoes put together. The word hell occurs % times in the New TeStta ment and II times it is used by Christ Then he frequently speaks of the worm that die the not and the fire that is not quenched. of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, of the furnace of fire and ever lasting punishment. He knew more about it than anyone who has ever spoken to man and knowing that it was the most dreadful place in all the universe and that it was possible for man to go there, he came to save them from it and then pictured it in all its lurid sufferings and it was the gentle, kind and loving who said that there was a great gulf that no one could pass either from it to heaven or from heaven to it.
 This is the most dreadful thought