Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1897)
t h e T „ » C„ OF .............. C hrist died because <»* ° “ r ,lnB' We m ust preach this, otherw ise we golden throne [ a romance by , p SAMUEL p . X. T B . pctsam 1 cannot arouse men, we cannot ad- - C hurch, we cannot m ake unacu of « ^ 7 ’, w ^ X T " for the carrying on of some practical terprises. He did s n I . • V o w »v it m ust l>e ad- good in his way, if Tjo m itted. , He oatHhlished estaonsne gym g.y na- • i houses h ih I help- ^ o Z m en to procure lions and spend th eir evenings X some s o n of profit: hut all and turn the error oi ni. w u . doe» t then from it. 11 , with him as a dis- we m ust deal . . . . win d pour upon him obedient cni I • >, thunders.d our , , — mn sk in flin t was greeted with gre appI. a8e, and his rem arks were ■ ^ E M F E . > , -------------- . Z U t h e s c e n e '—hive and m ercy and self-sacrifice. all over the house, a It is th a t which has conquered th e was both am using aI>d P ; 1' ^ w(,rld> an d ulade C h ristia n ity of B alderdash m ade value. T his .g , he 8oul 0, our speech and appeal: religion. I concerned myself with h“V‘'’ Sa,< our wand ring nothing more. The spirit of love feelings tow ard our w ande t g by Jesus> ha8 been brother. 1 7 “ * * 'X r t - t<> make the theme of m y discourses. In M ilkanw ater in his effort. believe th a t I have come as easy as possible his retu rn to he doing so l b d fold. We m ust be cartful, 1 ever, and not let the bars own " j as altogether. I adm it th a t we, mus p r e a c h in g has jield somewhat to the spirit the a d m it th a t my been acceptable, , ask , hat & I age, and m oderate in our dem and charact th a t he did was so satu rated with gUBtained by the »wo or upon the faith of the peop e Y decU re js *hi« dogma you will all declare is the line m ust he draw n, and there dogm a th a t it was utterly im followed him. abhorrent to our hum an feeling. T h e Rev. M ilkanw ater »hen m ade is a point beyond which we cannot possible for him to give a piece of We revolt against it. We believe bread w ithout giving a piece of ad his little speech, slightly differing go We m ust stand for revelation in it, because the Bible says so, an d I vice. In fact, he couldn’t tell a from Skinflint, and deprecating Hg opposed to hum an reason. iccause the C hurch is built upon consider it the most noble act of m an the rig h t street or num ber any severe action:— ,he Bible. You compel me to say Without cautioning him not to be, “ _ I agree ........ of course with B rother my life to bow down hum bly to the th at I cannot accept this doctrine. on the road to dam nation, lie was gki|)flint aH the necessity of Bible a m i accept its teaching, no 1 do not surrender my reason to a thorough busybody, and acted as I hillg ,1Pil-fire. It is a funda- m atter how much it contradicts the Bible.or to you. [There was a if the salvation of the whole world m ental parl oul. beautiful system w h a t my unaided intellect affirms. trem endous, unanim ous groan from was upon his shoulders. ,„ f doctrine. 1 alw ays devote one The Bible reveals a hell, an eternal the whole assem bly.] T his is a Of all things, he detested a S t|nday every year t" 'ts special hell. There is no doubt of th a t barbaric doct-ine. It cam e from heretic; an d to deny the existence enforcem ent, and I th in k it doe« We m ay soften this fact as much the brain of a savage. If one ac oi ___ alm ost the un my congregation good. ’» hey are as we please, h u t adm it it we must tually believed it, it would m ake of iicii-ii*- hell-fire was pardonable sin. The only one who & ntU e inore crtreful of th eir be- a t all hazards. Unless we do. the him insane. You do not believe it. If " e made any attem p t to oppose the re- havi()r for a week or two. 1 hev prop of our faith is gone. The people do not w ant it, and you doubtable Skinflint wart the Rev. have a realizing sense of what may have no hell, then we have no have not m anhood to tear it from heaven; and so w ithout hell we are your creed. You are the slaves of Ezekiel M ilkanw ater. He was not happen. [ am a stanch believer in lo s t. There is no hope for the quite so barbarous as th e rest of I helL j feel th at it gives me a lost. There is f worse even than a pope. I them. He had some elem ents of gtrength and joy for my work th at e,ect. ‘ w a" t0 U ^ >r° ' h" . t,\ , d t , u , v e t ’ h t the best p a rt of th a t J“ wQrgt t j Hhali civilization. He was not cruel and nothing else does. But I advise himself upon the side of hell. 1 d° | £ he was not bigoted. He read l)ar- regerve jn this m atter, and tender not ask him to preach it, thoug ........<>j unw orthy of our never teach. It is unw orthy of our win and slightly affected Spencer. | negg and brotherly kindness. Re- myself desire it. To me, it is a advancem ent. There is som ething It H e was very much in favor of the inember this is a doctrine th a t the very strengthening doctrine. beautiful in the old religion, and I m ythical theory of creation, and u n r,.gelierate soul is apt to rebel gives a force and solem nity to re have clung to it on th a t account. fell hack upon the C hristian fathers again8h aH seeming too harsh and ligion th at nothing can. >ion that n o t h in g e else ls e can , ha„ h( to draw forth its for support. He was an easy- c ru d ; ,m t we mU8t not set our “ I l J 8 f" r l ’" r ,,Wn sweetness, and make it spoken m an and hated q “ » rre ls ,' bbnd reagon agaj nst the great Je- fare th a t « e present t . 1 ^ ^ pervicPahle. If, however, you are and was in favor of “ sweetness and hovah We m ust not be at enm ity our creed. Only * t determ ined to ally the C hurch with lig h t.” He was of a poetic tu rn of witb (in d , for b jg ways are not as s,o,.d th a t O„r bro.her a ^ p U d ‘ pa8t, and m ind and revelled in Tennyson, Qur ways j sym pathize with a„d he may say as little a t wi|1 , accept hut h ad not one particle of intel- j B rother Demorest. He is too good- th ?:spüiV of C hristian ch arity . We | meforth lectual stam ina. His m ind was n a jm.pd , th a t’s all. He hasn t floating as a dream . He had no looked upon the darker side of don’t wish to fetter ht.n but we ten ........ destroys your C hurch. If you put of fixed ideas, no continuity oi Qod He sees only the lieauti- w ant he should stand for some vourselves with a dead b arb arian , thought. He was entirely back ful. We must persuade him . W e thing. I am sure he will acknow you, a rid then the - grave opens . before boneless, and, like a cham eleon, m u stn ’t insist upon too much at ledge |edge »he , he error oi ««j*’, -----i •. of his ways Y ou > I V* you ... - ----- an ----------- obedien( child ad m it the a, and reflected all the hues of every sen „„ce. A . for myself. 1 believe it, lik,. llhf mi will perish, even as these cruel dog- tim ent about him. He had a won an eternal hell [applause], and that existence of the worm th a t dieth inas will perish.” derful way ___ of saying nothing. He perhaps ninety-nine out of every not. On this tine basis, baets, we w, can c o shake ■ ■ ». ; ifu) & spp(,chi ..................j .. could not be accused of heresy, for hu n d red wiH go to it [renewed ap- hentle and he brothers, an, > unaninl()U8,y ex . he never m ade a definite proposi- plause j. |)Ut jt isn’t really necessary for the glory of Ood. 1 polled from the conference, although ♦ e n it came to the test, lie', t h e r to believe so m m a any ny tion. W W h hen lie f° r my p b r o o th Demorest arose to m ake his re three-fourths of the m inisters who could believe as m any horrible wiU p„righ. plv. He was greeted with a round condemned him felt the tru th of dogmas as S kinflint. W hv should will be sufficient for the pur- of cheers and “ aniens” and “ halle lie deny them , and thereby lose t h e councib if our young lujahs.” There was an evident every word he uttered. ‘‘G lad it’s over w ith,” said Dem least comfort in this world? He bn>ther w dj asgel,t to this doctrine purpose to move upon his good na- was not the m an to exchange a & certa in sense and to a certain lure, so d by a flood of ................ orest. “ I’m free now. I know my H enceforth, the universe theoretical hell for a practical om px(ent. for jt ¡8 „ll-iniportant to ■vm gvm pathv nim to i” say n»» v es. course. . ..................... pathy compel him T bv sacrificing a single luxury to his igerve tbe suUndlH.s« ,,f Our en ed, ft was a sore trial, and it requited ig mine. \\ h at shall 1 do. „11 the m anhood th a t D -tnorest f can ’t tell. For th e tim e I eat, conscience. or tb a t we do n*»t dishonor it b e fo re nossessed to m eet the point diM inet- only th in k and dream I he way Skinflint made the first address. world » of action is not clear. But changes “ It is im p o rtan t,” said he, that address was also greeted J ' ••Brethren,” said Demorest, “ I are immense and rapid. There is we settle the foundations of t n applause, for m inisters dearly this issue has come a great field latfore u s - v a s t oppor- Church. We are living in very COInpromise. Most of »hem „nt sorry th a th.s ■ ts^uet h o[ c h a i „ dangerous times. The work 1- wftntvd Demorest in their ranks, T “ ’l , does not strike me as it does B oston,of Milo in Chicago, of Adler full of error The word of Go< is Hn(, thev wen. ertger to make the V,’.u I cannot look upon the doc- in New \ ork, show th at th e deep being disregarded, and men wil M ilkanw ater was fo l- f ine of hell as fundam ental to one heart of th e world .s aw aki .g to a not subm it to divine au th o rity . Heveraj who advocated X i t h o u g h f adm it th a t the grander ideal. They _vn.ee th e new We m ust take our stand on the hig k n ie n t wav of dealing with the rock of ages. O ur God is a con- accuged. and WHs evident that Bible teaches it. fCries of “Gotal!” and golden ho,«:. 1 he) are the Go<>d!”l But it tenches somethii g prophets of t mt w u i i> o <> Burning fire. We need to he save« guagion wag to be used as well “ far mt e ] profoundly true; nam ely, fresh and beautiful from N ature from his w rath. We m ust pro- com puiaion | n order th a t the claim the atonem ent, th a t is our abeep” might »>e effectually hnnm oh v This is to me the deep- herself. I m ay be able to do some- c t m eaning of Jesus. This is what th in g myself. I cannot te ll, X a if th v r ri’”\ . . t >n ?!,' r t . X ' ' e “c ra llw l.” There were loud criee 1,.. really tau g h t, for which he died .w hether I do or not, th a t m ight) no selvation, unlees we are lost., o f ‘’Amen!” and “Glory to God!