Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 244, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1913 — ERRORS OF DEATH-BED REPENTANCE OF SIN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ERRORS OF DEATH-BED REPENTANCE OF SIN

Sins of i Lifetime Cannot Be Gotten Rid of by a Prayer. A Misunderstood Text —It Has Encouraged Sinners to Continue In Sin. It Is Folly to Think That the Murdered Sinner Goes to Eternal Torment, While the Murderer, Because of a Death-Bed Prayer, Is Called to Heavenly Glory—A Misplaced Comma Led to the Error In Conjunction With Other Errors.

Brooklyn, N. Y.„ October 12.—Pastor Russell delivered an address here today, taking for his text Jesus' words to the dying thief,. “Verily 1 say unto thee this day, thou shalt be with Me in Paradis e." (Luke 23:43.) He declared: Few of the Mas-

ter’s words have been so misunderstood as has this text. Its influence Is greatly increased by the unseriptural thought that the dying sinner passes to everlasting torture. Those under the spell of that false doctrine cannot be reproved for wishing to escape from its terrifying Influence. They girasp at the narrative of the thief, and hope that their departed had experienced a momentary repentance and said. “Jesus, forgive me,” and straightway was carried to Paradise. The absurdity of the proposition is crowded out by the mingling of hope with love for the deceased. The Pastor then described a funeral service which he once conducted. The deceased had been murdered in a distant mining region, and had died not [being a member of the church, and by no means a saint. His poor widow’s 'walls, which had Interrupted the service, were caused, the Pastor afterward learned, by the thought that her husIband had died without having had time to say, “God forgive me.” Who can blame the poor woman for thus reasoning? Had she not been so taught by all the great creeds of Christendom? Had not her husband and herself been taking-chances—of having a moment for repentance before expiring? asked the Pastor. It Is a shame that this wrong has been so long allowed to keep people from making peace with*God In earlier.life. Repentance Always Proper, of Course. Pastor Bussell did not wish tb be misunderstood as discouraging deathbed repentance or any other. He would, however, have all recognize that there are fixed rules of Divine Justice which forbid us to think that there Is a hell full of unfortunates who died suddenly, with no opportunity for repentance; that there Is a Heaven full of iucky vagabonds, carried to glory without change of heart or character, merely as a reward for a momentary prayer. Whoever sows a life of sin and self-indulgence will not reap glory, honor and immortality, but a more depraved disposition than that with which he was born. The Dying ThiePs Prayer. The Pastor declared that the supposition that the thief asked to go to Heaven with Jesus, or that Jesus promised that he would go to Heaven the same day, is a mistake. Jesus did not go to Heaven that day, but to the Bible hell—Hades, Sheol, the tomb. He remained dead, SL Peter says, until the third day, when God raised Him from the dead. After His resurrection He appeared to Mary and said, “I have not yet ascended to My Father.” i The Bible tells that Paradise was lost through Adam’s sin, six thousand [years ago; and that, as a result of Jesus' death, if will be restored during the Millennium. Since there was no Paradise when Jesus died, He could not have meant that the thief would be with Him there that day. , Evidently the thief had caught the thought that the grand, kingly character beside him was probably the Messiah. How to explain the circumstances he knew not, but he defended Jesus. Then with a measure of hope he said, “Lord, when Thou comest Into Thy Kingdom, remember me.” The Pastor then showed that In substance Jesus’ reply was, Poor thief, I appreciate your words; and when My Kingdom shall be established, I will reward your kindness. Notwithstanding this dark day, I am a King; and these experiences are necessary. Be It as you have asked- j -“ Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” The difficulty has been with the translators’ wrong thought and the misplacement of the comma. Punctuation Is a modern convenience. There Is none In the original Scriptures. the comma where We have done leaves the passage thoroughly in accord with all the Bible. That passage leaves not a shadow of Scriptural support to the thought that* prayer a moment before death changes the everlasting destiny of anybody. I The Pastor urged his hearers to get rack to the Bible and away from the foolishness of the creeds. The Bible kleclares that a dead man is dead. But bod’s Word stands pledged for a fuIture life .for humanity. In due time both thieves will rise from the dead, to receive the blessings purchased by the death.