1855_Six Sermons on the Inquiry- Is There Immortality in Sin and Suffering (by George Storrs).pdf

George Storrs: 1796-1879.

SERMONS ON THE INQUIRY IS THERE IMMORTALITY

IN SIN AND SUFFERING?

p. 1, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

ALSO, A SERMON ON CHRIST THE LIFE-GIVER: OR, THE FAITH OF

THE GOSPEL. -- BY GEORGE STORRS.

p. 2, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

OFFICE OF THE BIBLE EXAMINER. 1855. p. 2, Para. 2,

[SERMONS].

CONTENTS. -- A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH; or, Brief Notice of

the author of the Six Sermons: his birth -- parentage --

religious teaching, p. 5; exercises of mind when young --

religious experience, 7; first marriage, 8; impression to

preach, 8; joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and

commenced preaching, 8; withdrew from that church, 9; first

awakening of his mind to doubt man's natural immortality,

9; his previous standing, 10; his Three Letters to a

Methodist Preacher, 11; origin of the original Six Sermons,

11; unexpectedly led to preach to multitudes which gave a

rapid spread to his views, 13; fifteen thousand of the Six

Sermons scattered in the winter of 1842-3; more laborers

come into the work, 15. p. 3, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

SERMON I. -- Introductory Remarks, 19. -- The Question at

Issue, 21. -- Examination of the arguments in proof of

man's immortality, 21. -- The belief of all nations, 22. --

Archbishop Whately's remarks on this point, 23-27. The

heathen Philosopher's belief amounts to Annihilation, 26. -

- The desire all men feel for immortality, 28. -- The soul

immaterial, &c., 29. -- What is immateriality? 29 -- The

soul indestructible, 31. -- The Philosophy of the question,

33. -- Is it the will of God men shall be immortal if

wicked? 32. -- What man lost by the Fall, 32-35. -- The

Tree of Life, 35. -- Watson's remarks thereon, 36. -- Facts

from God's word, 38. -- Eternal, Eternity, Eternal Life,

38,39. Principles of interpretation, 40. -- Meaning of the

term death, 41. -- The term immortal occurs but once in the

Bible, 41. -- Contradiction in poetry, 42. -- Immortality,

the phrase found but five times in the Bible, 43. -- Beauty

of Scripture on the theory advocated, 44. p. 3, Para. 2,

[SERMONS].

SERMON II. -- The old Serpent's discourse, and its

destroying nature, 45. -- The terms employed to denote the

punishment of the wicked, 47. -- Objections answered, "Worm

dieth not," 51. -- "Hell fire" Gehenna, 54. -- "These shall

go away into everlasting punishment, 56. -- Pain and

punishment not necessarily identical, 58. -- "Kolasin" of

this text, 59. -- Paul's commentary on the text, 59. --

Sodom and Gomorrah, 62. -- Concluding remarks, 63. p. 3,

Para. 3, [SERMONS].

SERMON III. -- Searching the Scriptures, 65. --

Examination of Rev. 14:9-11. Is this language spoken of all

wicked men? 68. -- Does it relate to any beyond this life?

70. -- It is fulfilled "on the earth?" 71. Rev. 20:10,

considered, 72. -- The devil to be destroyed, 73. Summing

up of the argument of the advocates of man's immortality,

74. -- Watson on immortality, 74. Other objections

considered, 74. -- The benevolence of God obliges Him to

inflict the greatest possible punishment, 75. -- Such a

punishment uncalled for and useless, 77. -- "Sin an

infinite evil," 79. -- "Destruction no punishment at all,"

79. -- Folly of such an objection, 79. -- Henry's notion of

"damnation," 80. -- Benson outstrips Henry, and finds it

impossible to obtain satisfaction to Divine justice, 80-82.

-- Concluding remarks, 82. -- Faith defined, 83. p. 3,

Para. 4, [SERMONS].

SERMON IV. -- Prove all things, 85. -- Province of reason,

85-87. -- Further objections. -- "The fathers believed in

the endless torments of the wicked, 87. -- Corruption of

Christianity by its defenders, Mosheim, 88. -- Attempt to

unite heathen philosophy with Christianity, Enfield, 88. --

Jews believed in endless torments, 89. -- Isa. 33,14,

considered, 89. -- Jews belief not proof, 90. -- Testimony

of New Testament, 91. -- John the Baptist, 91. -- Jesus

Christ, 91-94. -- Peter's testimony, 94. -- James', 95. --

John's, 96. -- Jude's, 96. -- Paul's, 97-104. -- Concluding

remarks, 105. p. 4, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

SERMON V. -- Further objections considered, 108. --

Destruction not so terrible as endless misery, 108. --

"Puts an end to the sinner's misery," 109. "Spiritual death

is the penalty," 110-115. The preposition "in," Gen. 2:17,

examined, 114. -- Destruction of sins or happiness, 115. --

Dan. 12:2, considered, 115. -- John 5:28,29 noticed, 116. -

- The Doctrine held by the Arians, &c., 117. -- "Gone half

way to Universalism," 118. -- "If this doctrine is true why

not found out before? 120. -- Benson on the misery of the

wicked in hell, 123. p. 4, Para. 2, [SERMONS].

SERMON VI. -- Isa. 57:16 considered, 129. -- Evil of

common theory of immortality, 131. -- Beauty of texts

destroyed, 132-137. -- Extravagant notions of Adam's

perfection considered, 138-150. -- God's works always

progressive, 138. -- The creation of man, 140. -- Adam's

intellectual nature, 141. -- Adam's ignorance, 141. --

Adam's holiness, 142. -- His temptation, 146. -- Character

cannot be known without trial, 147. -- Adam's failure, with

remarks on inherent depravity 149-152. -- Assembly's

Catechism, 150. -- Conclusion, 152. p. 4, Para. 3,

[SERMONS].

CHRIST THE LIFE-GIVER: OR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL. p. 4,

Para. 4, [SERMONS].

The Syriac version of the New Testament, 153 -- Its

translation by Prof. Murdock, 154. -- The true meaning of

the terms Saviour, save, and salvation, 154. -- An

examination of various texts where these terms occur, 155-

164. p. 4, Para. 5, [SERMONS].

A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH; OR, BRIEF NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR OF

THE SIX SERMONS. p. 4, Para. 6, [SERMONS].

GEORGE STORRS, the subject of the following remarks, was

born in Lebanon, N. H., December 13th, 1796. He was the

youngest of eight children. His father, Col. Constant

Storrs, was originally from Mansfield, Conn.; and was an

industrious mechanic, serving, for a time, in the American

Revolution as a wheelright. After the war of the Revolution

he was married to Lucinda Howe, who was half-sister to the

late Richard Salter Storrs, for many years minister of

Longmeadow, Mass. After their marriage they removed to New

Hampshire -- the country being then a wilderness -- and

located in Lebanon, on Connecticut River; and by industry

and economy became, what, in those days, was called a

wealthy farmer. To them were born seven sons and one

daughter. The mother of these children was ever watchful

over their religious instruction, while the father was most

studious to promote their temporal welfare. The mother

invariably gathered her children around her, particularly

on the Sabbath, to give them instruction in things

pertaining to God, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. She was

not disposed to leave their religious education to the

minister, or any other less interested in their welfare

than a Mother. p. 5, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

The Congregational and Calvinistic ministry was about the

only preaching in Lebanon for many years. Very few of any

other denomination ever preached there. The strong tendency

to fatalism, in the Calvinistic preaching of that period,

was a subject which the mother of these children did not

fail to endeavor to counteract in the minds of her

offspring, and to impress upon them unceasingly, that if

they would seek the Lord he would be found of them. Such

pious labor was not lost. p. 5, Para. 2, [SERMONS].

Though this family of children grew up to maturity, four

of them died before their father; and six had gone down to

the grave before their mother: two only survived her. p.

6, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

GEORGE'S mind was often deeply exercised on the things of

religion from a child. Many anxious desires filled his

heart that he might be a Christian. Early had his mother

taught him to acknowledge "Our Father, who art in Heaven,"

and point him to "Our Saviour, Jesus Christ." Experimental

religion, however, was a mystery to his mind, though one

that he often anxiously desired to solve. Secret prayer was

often resorted to, but he heard sometimes from the pulpit

that, the man who cursed and swore was as likely -- yea,

more likely, to be converted than he who went to his closet

to pray for the salvation of God. Such teaching made George

feel sadly, as he thought his case was more hopeless than

boys who he knew to be very profane, while he feared an

oath. This influence, however, was counteracted by the

vigilant instruction of his mother. Happy for him that he

had such a mother. But for her instruction he has often

thought and felt that he would never have been brought to a

saving knowledge of God and His Christ. The sweet and

heavenly strains of prayer, poured forth by that mother

when she took George to her closet, and sought the mercy of

God in Christ for him, made him forget or disregard the

false teaching of the mere Theologian. Such scenes told on

his heart not to be obliterated. p. 6, Para. 2, [SERMONS].

The preaching of the torments of hell never won his heart,

though it often filled him with a dread of God, which was

calculated more to drive him from God than to draw him to

such a being. From fifteen to seventeen years of age was

the most thoughtless period of his life. None of the

terrors of preaching had any tendency to win him to the

service of God; but at the close of the time last

mentioned, in meditation, alone, far removed from all

excitement, he became so affected with a sense of the

goodness of God to him, that he resolved henceforth to seek

the Lord till he should find Him. If he could pray for

nothing else, he determined to pray daily that God would

show him his need of a Saviour, which theoretically he

understood, but experimentally he had not realized. His

resolution being made, he pursued noiselessly and alone his

purpose; light gradually breaking upon his mind till he was

led to bow to Jesus, and come to God by him and found

mercy. Months had passed away and no mortal but himself

knew the exercises of his mind: he did not even communicate

to his mother the revolution going on in himself. He took

occasion, however, to listen to any persons who seemed

disposed to converse on spiritual subjects, and often felt

his heart encouraged by such conversation, though he took

no part in it, but was an interested listener, unknown to

them. This state of things continued for a year or more.

During this period his only sister died. After her death

his anxiety increased to be in a state of reconciliation

with God, yet all his exercises were kept within his own

bosom, except on one occasion to ask his mother -- who was

at the time confined by a fever -- some indirect questions

relating to God and Christ: after which he retired alone,

and was overwhelmed with a sense of the love of God. Still

he travelled on alone, sometimes believing and sometimes

doubting. After months had passed away in this manner, he

expressed to his mother, one day, that he much liked to

hear a man talk who always talked sweetly about Jesus. His

mother said to him -- "George, do you think you are a

Christian?" p. 6, Para. 3, [SERMONS].

This was said with an anxious look which made him feel

that a mother's heart was deeply interested. It was a

question so unexpected that he almost faltered in answering

it; but at length said, his mind was much interested on the

subject. His mother replied -- "I have long thought it

was." This was as unexpected as her question, as he had no

suspicion that any one thought him specially serious. p.

7, Para. 1, [SERMONS].

From that time himself and mother had frequent

conversations, and she often prayed with him and for him,

being a mother indeed, in more senses than one. He has

never ceased to bless God for that mother. p. 8, Para. 1,

[SERMONS].

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