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[ABVEETISEMENr.]

A MINISTER AND ENDLESS TORMENT.

(To the Editor of the Evening Stab.) QIR, —As there seems to be great interest O taken by many of the Thames people relating to a conversation which took place between mystlf and Mr Davies a fortnight, ago, I feel it. to be my duty for the truth's sake to put, that, conversation iv its true light before thu public; and.l hope you, sir, with your ucurl impartiality, will allow me to do so. I have hem Htked muny times over by many persons if if"- was true that Mr D. gave Hie the lio direct; in the public streets. My answer has been and is sbill that he did so, and ihat without any reserve or qualification. The circumstances were these s I was passing •long Pollen street on my way to business on last. Tuescb? week just, as the prayer meeting at Luish'py's had closed, when who should meer. mo but. Mr D and Mr Adameon. I ha-d no intention to converse wit.h either, but Mr D. stopped me and wanted to know why I did not attend the morning meetings. I informed him thufny prayers and theirs avou1«1 clash, (or T did not believe i , what they-prayed for, so could not B.ympathise. with them. Mr D. want'd to know in what, I disagreed with them. I then referred to their prayers for the world's conversion. "Don't, you see that tin* world is being converted ?" said Mr D. (by Mra Hsimpßon I suppose he meant). 1 said, "I could i of, see anything of the kind." I then informed liim Mint, I had no sympathy with their d'-gina of i ndlees torment, mid that when he preached it it was impossible he could believe it. Here he cub me short in my argument by retorting, "You're a Kur. Ido believe it." I was, however, in continu ation of my argument, going on to say, what, I have often paid to others, that if Mr D. believed iv endless torment he could not believe in the emphniio statement of holy writ. ' God is lovt ;" t.h«t lie could not reconcile his creed dogma of endless torment

mm mnii rwyuanv m.hj einsui, or vxoa a word. It would be simply impossible, for there is neither ]ovp or mercy in torturing mankind. Neither could torture possi-Jy serve any good purpose of the Deity, much less endless torture. God is not. only declared to be love, but also goodness and mercy to all His creatures, hi ti every day and hour of our Jives proves the fact. 'J his was my argument.. Now, I can pass by the insult of'Mr D. if I can only convince him that in believing and preaching an endlefs bell for two-thirds of humanity, if Dot more, he is believing and preaching one of the n oat damnable und God diebonouringheresies which were ever instille J into the humun mind. Will he sit down for the fourth of an hour, pencil in hand, and with paper before him, and write in one column " God ia love," and in the opposite column thus —

" God is Love."

"God endlessly torment*; in hell fire the mass o* the creati res he has made."

Let Mr D. fix his eyes on theae two etatements, and make an attempt, to reconcile them, and, my word for it, it will be such a puzzler as he never before had, or any one else with a far better developed brain than he possesses. Does not every right-minded man eondeoin the torturing of his fellow creatures, and eTen the torturing of the lower animals ? Has not many a mother flogged her child for pull'ng the legs off a fly, or for tormenting a cat? .And j«-t, shortly afterwards, perhaps, she h»8 indoctrinated that child with the fearful dogma of endless torment. Why ? simply because her n mister or her mother taught it to her, and she knew no better, not. having herself enquired into the truth of the dogma. Is the Deity worse in this respect than the oreatures he has formed? Does he love to torment ? Did Jesus Christ, the earth's Lord and King, ever torment a single individual ? Did he not relieve those who we^e tormented in both body and mind; did not His .A postles do the same? Fie, fie on you, Mr D.! Do you not know that the Apostate Church of Rome, from whom the damnable heresy his come down to us, bus ever been the most torturing of all the congregations ■■ bearing the name of Christ, yet, strange to say, it is not very long since that at a Paris conference Mgr. Chalandon, Archbishop of Aix, advised the clergy to avoid preaching on hell. " This question." said he, "will rather repell men's mind-* from the faith than win them to accept it." I should think so indeed. If the Roman Apostacy has found it out, is it not high time that her daughters with their ministers should have discovered the same fact. Her eldest daughter the English Church has, as long ago as 1592, discarded two of her former articles : the imm rtnlity of the soul, and the eternity <;f future suffering, and so late as 1846 the question was tried by the Judicial .Committee whether endless torment was a doctrine of the English Churoh, and the Lord Chancellor gave judgment that it was not so, and is said to affirm i hat it was would be reinstating the expelled article. Be all this as it may, I for one am positive that neither the soul's immortality nor endless torture are taught in the Bible. The teaching of endless torment has repelled tens of thousands, if not millions, from the fajt.h once delivered to Saints and ApostWs, and has driven them into scepticism, an I often into do weight Atheism. You misunderstand what is the waaeß of sin, and the punishment question altogether, M? D., and now that you hare had recently drafted to your care a lot of people who cluim to have been converted, ifc is high time that you seriously consider this question with a view to find the truth, or you will be likely to drive these people all away from you by your false preaching »nd teaching. Nothing but Atheism and Demon Spiritism can ultimately come out of upholding the two lies— natural or inJierent immortality and endless torment. Immortality through Uhriafc alone or aestcuction, is the doctrine of the Bible, and especially iv it the doctrine for these L>st days of •his «go' or dispensation, and the earnest preanhmg of this true doctrine is fast putting an extinguisher over qree(Jom and sectarianism. It is true that i<? this life there is tprment enough in body and mind, but it is almost wholly caused by man himself as regards his body by his covetousness, his licentiousness, his drunkeune s and his gluttony; and as regards his mind by the fearful lying dogmas which ministers of religion, with mothers and fathers, preach and teach as the truth of i (*od p c-£ urn, &« , WiLi/iAM "Wood.

p # g.—l have posfsd ££r &■ fclie two first numbers of Mr Brown's Bible Sia;;da?d ? and hope he will peruse them to advantage, and tbut they may do something towards bringing him to truth and a sune mind. i W. W:

MOLDEN'S 42s Silver Hunting If.atch Guaranteed 2 years.

I >EINTIN.'i fxecvted in any Color, and JL the beet designs, at the Stab Office, Albert strrei. Samples to he men on the premipop. EVBHY variety of Label for Soda-water Maaufacturers, in letter-press. Supeiior 1 48signpjn%ho^i>h, at the Evasiaa Stab TiiS ¥i&gara fulls is a sighf nerer L.o be iorgotten, Theresa mapy walterfallfi !>uton]y one MeGoWAET swilipg Be '!?«> ; Thj?difference betv'i?ea.aoenfc»ad&Q-£;|?tlfl mau .—The Gent turns up what be h*w lot a noae and suys, Oh, Ah. The Gf-entloiuan W^ke into McGowan's and says, Mac give me a pogjUQ £f j our Tea, and send for order eyery week

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THS18810228.2.20.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3797, 28 February 1881, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,330

Page 3 Advertisements Column 1 Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3797, 28 February 1881, Page 3

Page 3 Advertisements Column 1 Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3797, 28 February 1881, Page 3

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