Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903, September 16, 1897, Image 2

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    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!