HEREAFTER OF THE SIM

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11479, 30 August 1915, Page 4

HEREAFTER OF THE SIM

i "■ TEE EVAIXEJCAL VIEWPOINT. AH INTERESTING STATEMEKT. I At the Ma pi i si, Cburcli hi-.t night, the I !! o .1. .). Xoriii made a. .short stateitamt, i,,i ohc *.«riU-ovcrsy which luiS | [ ari—n thi'ougli the utterance of a young j Baptist ministor in Gisbomo, who bos ; '■ince rc'-ign-'d his Church, regarding : the hereaft'-r of the skin. ; Mr North said that the minister m ■ question had luaxie a. vci-y crude statement, of the position of the Evangelical j ( ]>-,iirobes, and liar! placed as a sub- ! -.mute a. bort of Protectant Purgatory. ] in übieh those who die without Christ i may Ik? prepai'ed for final blessedness'. ■ I '' llishoo Julius, whom we all rei speet," tiie preacher went on to say, . j "has publicly applauded tlio step, hn« ! described the man's earlier creed | narrow, and has declared that Catholic 1 churchmen are delivered from such difi lieu.ties. It seems to me that Catholic ; , j churchmen who refuse -to bury the uni 1.-aptifted. and who refuse to i , e<x)gmsi3 , I tite validity of other mfrretriss tJoan , j their own. are the last, peopln in the | world who should -speak of other poo--i. jilc's narrow creeds. But what relief ! have Catholics to offer to minds tor--1 uired about tbo liercafter of the slain?' I The Roman Catholics have a doctrine of j Purgatory which the Anglican Articles i HJeserbo as "a. fine thing vainly in- ! vented, and having no warranty of ' Scripture, but rather repugnant to the j M'ord of Clod." The E.G. Purgatory J has no open gates for those who dia out of that faith, or -who died with mortal sin unconfessed. For these tho Church has no expressed hope. " Anglican Catholics may have ideu-s j concerning a modified Purgatory, but ; ■ i'hesft have nover boon expressed ill i' their creeds, and are of the nature of , rejiginus speculations. They labour as speculations with the onormous difficulty that they have no scrap of Scrip- •/ t'ure qiiotal/lci in their favour. They , ! labour, further, with tho fact tliat thoy , ! slacken the iire.s of evangelism and tend . ' tmvard a, preaching emptied of the uri gent, call for repentance, which is the t i note of the New Testament. . j " The position of our Church, which ! the Bishop characterises as narrow, i : seems to me to have 'much more width. i ! and comfort, and force in it. We ' j tho position that to raako affirmations concerning the hereafter which go beyond the- express words or tendencies • of Scripture is unsafe. The words of Jesu.s carry authority. The words of the Apostles carry authority. Subsequent speculations carry none. Tliß 1 words of Jesus make it plain that for ' the outgoing soul faith implicit, or es- "' plicit, in Him is necessary. Scripture i makes this life to bo the supreme opportunity of the human soul. If there V are opportunities of repentance berej after, they are not revealed. We, " | therefore, have no right to assert them. " : AVe leave them in the reticence in '' j which Scripture leases them. I "We are taught with great einph*- ? j sis fh.at the Day of God' will be a- day " ' of the reversal of human judgment. ' " j when the first shall be last and the 3 j last first. We are forbidden to judgo * J each other. AA r e have no right to pronuunco hojjeless judgment on any. We * are assured by Christ's pitiful lips that • many who make no profession of Him, k who'are unconscious of Him as the oh- ' "Meet of faith, shall because of their " works hear Him sav * Come, yo blessed : j of my Father.' \v"e are aleo 1 j that the eon I of a man may find, tho I' Eternal J ferry at the very gates of " death, a.s did the thief on the cross. No ' man, be he bishop, or priest, or com- - moner. can say what passes between ,; the outgoing soul and the Saviour. AVe - can all of us hope, w« can all of us 1 waif, coniidant that the Judgment of " God will be full of pity and mercy and righteousness. In all this we find a width and a depth in whioh it is easy , to work, and' in which it is inspiring to [ work, in which also it is hard to despair. Our position has advantages which the .. varniG ideas of Catholic churchmen can- , not pretend to. We have beneath us the words of Christ, on which the weight of the. world can rest. Wo ar© not affirming when He is silent. We ' are waitinc, content that the Judgo of all the Earth will do right. Mean- ' while we try to keep the emphasis whom Scripture keeps it, in this life. - AAV urge men everywhere that they should repent. '*