| Show progressive OAL CAL tean THINKER on oil the oth of sept he rev dr thomas of ChiM chicago igo was sui suspended for heresy by an tin investigating committee of ins his methodist brethren tho the case is however not done with as it will be carried to the conference dr thomas is a man of advanced view I and far ahead in the line of religious thought of his religionist coreligionist co clergy iio ile is was isas as at ono one time called upon to the funeral sermon of a young married woman who had been shot dead by ft a jealous husband on that occasion occasion lie gave expression to the following view view which is a bitter pill to the orth orthodox methodists according to the popular conception and teaching there ia Is but little if any hope in the future for this murdered wife cut off without a moments warning or time of pre preparation ion forteath for death but the husband the murderer can go to jail and after six weeks die happy on the gallows and go straight to heaven there is something wrong in this teaching I dont believe it sudden burst of applause if there is a hell bell he must go to it for a while at least and it would seem that there must be some chance for this poor murdered child to do in the long iono future what she was cut off from the tle opportunity of doing here in consequence of having and find uttering such broad comprehensive az opinions I i ns tho the following was introduced c d as the 3rd ard specification in the charge preferred against him bim in teaching a probation after death for those who die in sin thereby antagonizing the standards of theale the methodist episcopal church in ht relation to the endless punishment of tho the wicked tin thi s is the sermon of oct 10 1880 and sundry other state statements menti so far as this specification is concerned air thomas may have been suspended for preaching sentiments not in accord with methodism but they certainly are with the bible on which that religion professes to be founded in reference to murderers john bays says 3rd ard and I no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him hm the theory of as a lassins who profess religion just before passing into the hands of the hangman jumping into eternal alory glory broken as soon ai aj their necks arc are the idea embodied in the thought about a hereafter probation opens up a broad theologian field it involves the preaching of the gospel of truth to the dead christ said verily verily I say unto you the hour is is comin coming anft and now is when the dead shall hear tho the voice of the son of god and they who hear shall live john v 25 some will contend that he lie spoke in a figura figurative tiTO sense of the dead in trespasses and sins this is an untenable position for why should lie speak ef of a purpose to do in in the future that which he lie was at tit the same moment engaged in being then in the act of addressing the unrepentant jews but the verse of the same chapter shows that he had reference to those whose bodies were at that time slee sleeping ing in the tomb A marvel larvel not at zis this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice this was spoken too in connection with an assertion that those who were obedient should come forth at the resurrection of the just in peter ill iii chapter and verses there is a definite nit e statement to the effect that after christ was put to death in the flesh ho he was quickened by the spirit by which also lie ile went and preached to the spirits in prison the object of his preaching to the departed spirits of men is plainly defined in the t c oth verse of the following chapter being that they bo be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to god in the spirit the object was the same as that of the declaration of the words of life to tho the living to bring the ungodly un adl to repentance a and nd newness of of icil life even the protestant reli religion ion does not entirely ignore the visit of the redeemer of the world to the shades of I he lie departed the 3rd ard and ath articles of religion state that christ died for us and mid was buri buried so also is it to be believed that lie went down into hell liell also that lie ile rose again from death took again I his its b body ly of flesh and bones wherewith he lie ascended into heaven it will be seen that the sphere which peter informs us is for the confinement of the spirits of depart eftin inanity manity is denominated in the articles of faith as hell but both point to a visit by christ to a place or condition differing essentially from heaven or earth the comprehensiveness of the gospel in its application to the departed e is also shown in the doctrine of baptism for the dead by proxy cor 16 15 chap else what shall they do which are baptized forthe for the dead if the dead rise not at all why they are they baptized for the dead mr air thomas view is also sustained by the scriptural information info mation that sins are fo forgiven en in the life to asli come as well as here rc jesus christ speaking of the sin in a against gain st the holy ghost said that all manner of sn sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men except excepting in this one of this unpardonable he eaid said it shall not be forgiven him no neither i in lyhs this world neither in the world to come matt xii 31 32 this announcement of the redeemer implies the application of a forgiveness or remission of sins in in the world to come why thus particularize r t it iu in reference to the za future t u re life unless it were au an exception to tho the rule the only sen bible sible inference to bo be drawn from the statement is that other eins sins are forgiven in the future life the plain meaning of the passage is that all other sins be forgiven either here or hereafter the mode of obtaining that forgiveness Qs or remission of evils committed is the same in the case ease of the dead as the living being through the application of the law of baptism received by proxy roxy by th the former and slid in person ey by the latter although condemned by liis his methodist brethren mr air thomas IS is evidently vi dently a progressive theological thinker |
