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THE TRAGEDY OF SAMSON THE STRONG Judges 13:8-16, 24, 25— Jan. 31. Bamson Born a Nararite —His Birth Foretold—His Mission Foretold—The Value of a Mission —How He Judged i Israel Samson’s Weakness His Loyalty to God—Victory In Death. "Bewere, / pray thee, and drink not urine nor strong drink.” —Judges 13:4. HLL Israelites who took a cer tain vow were styled Naza- ■ rites. No one should confound_ these people with the resi dents of Nazareth Jesus was a resi dent of Nazareth, but not a Nazarite The Nazarite vow was that spiritous liquor in every form should be avoid ed, and that the hair should not be cut. Samson from birth was under tb‘ vow, which, by the direction of tne angel of the Lord, was adopted for him by his parents. In some sense the vow seems to have signified complete con secration to God and His service. Twice before Samson’s birth, the an gel of the Lord communicated with his parents to the in tent that the moth- ~ er’s mind, especial- V. \S. ly, should be im- ' —'' l u pressed with the cjjl (N importance of ab- #7 4 1 stemiousness; and that her child should be born under a favorable }f \ ~ [U ‘ endowment. Un- " L doubtedly his par ' ents realized to what extent par- oisappear ents may give ing in the flame. mental am. physi cal strength to their children, and would be on the alert to endow their offspring favorably. According to Divine promise, Sam son was to be one of Israel’s Judges— Deliverers. The need of deliverance is evident from the context The Philis tines resided to the southwest of Pal estine. They were a warlike people, and very intelligent as respects manu factures. Their cunning is shown in that they not only disarmed the Israel ites, but prohibited their making any iron implements or doing any kind of blacksmithing work, in this manner they held the Israelites in a species of peonage, exacting tribute of them. Samson's work for his people must not be measured by merely the amount of damage which he did to the Philis tines as a warrior and as a strategist setting fire to their wheat-fields by in geniously using foxes for the purpose, etc. Doubtless his chief work was one of reviving the spirit of his people, who had become thoroughly hopeless under the oppression of their enemies. The lesson of what one could do when he devoted his life to delivering his people from their enemies must have been a great stimulus to patriotism and an encouragement to return to the Lord. Points to Ba Remembered. We must not forget that the Jews were not Christians, and that the rules laid down by Jesus and the Apostles for Christians were not applicable to the Jews. According to the Scriptures Moses and the nation of Israel were a House of Servants (Hebrews 3:5, 6). They were promised Divine blessings in proportion as they served faithfully the Divine Law, which did not call upon them to be saints in the Chris tian sense of that word Another difference between the Jew and the Christian is that the former was promised temporal blessings as a reward for faithfulness, while the lat ter is promised spiritual blessings with temporal adversities and trials of faith, patience, love and loyalty. Dnless this distinction between the two Ages and the two Laws be borne in mind, we shall continually be in difficulty. According to the Law. Samson was rated as a very faithful servant of God. His faithfulness consisted in his loyalty to the Divine requirements and to Israel, God’s covenanted people. His faith was continually manifested in all he did: and his life was used in serving his people. He is rated as an Ancient Worthy.—Heb. 11:32, 39. 40. Samson was neither a Christian nor an example to Christians. In many respects he lived after the flesh, not withstanding his noble self-sacrifice in the Lord’s service. We should remem ber, however, that he was never be gotten of the Holy {.(]* (*' \ i Spirit. Only since 1 A / Pentecost have ' any been begotten of the Spirit as “New Creatures in Christ" True, we read that the Spirit of the Lord The Boy Samson. was upon Samson; but we are to bear in mind the wide distinction between spirit-begetting and the Spirit’s mechanical operation upon the Prophets and other Ancient Worthies to move them to accomplish the Divine purposes. But Christians are to receive the Spirit of Adoption. A woman was Samson's undoing. He confided in her, and she betrayed him. While he slept his deceitful friend cut off his hair, and then deliv ered him to his enemies. They gloated over him, put his eyes out and kept him as a slave, grinding at the mills. But at a great feast, they brought him forth as a trophy. He stood between two immense pillars, which support ed the roof of the great building: and with a prayer to God, tie grasped these —-hH"* pulled down’ the entire structure, doing more damage to the Philistines In the killing of their great men, and j more therefore for the' deliverance of his people, in that one act than in all the other experiences of his life. Directors Election. The Annual Meeting for election of Directors of the Eureka Life Insur ance Company, of Baltimore, Md., will be held at the home office of the company at Baltimore, Md., Tuesday, February 9th, t 915, at noon. J. P. Sansom, Advt. Secretary. NONE ARE TOO POOR to sub scribe for the home paper, when it costs but ?1.50 per year, a little less j than 3 cents per week. i TO HELL AND BACK i IN THE BIBLE WAY! ( Verily, Truth Is Stranger Than j Fiction. , i i The Hell of the Bible Not the Hell of I Theology—Bible Hell to Be Destroy- 1 ed—Jesus Went to the Bible Hell and * Returned —Everybody Going There. Christ Died Not to Prevent People ( From Going Into Hell —Millions Had , Gone to Hell For Four Thousand j Years Before Christ Came—Christ’s Mission Was to Rescue All From the Bible Hell, Sheol, Hades —Bible Tells , How and Approximately When the j Prison Doors of Hades Will Be Open- I ed —All Prisoners Shall Come Forth. 1 Baltimore, Janu- SSfe|j[,. Russell preached 1 ... <|S here today at The SpiipS!’affgfel Academy of Mu ”topic was 4L I el, the audience W%b. \ agreed that he was lllllßsl 118 strict| y uusensa kgogg&mji not leave My soul In Hell.”—Psalm 16:10: Acts 2:27. The Pastor declared that the Bible j Hell is a very reasonable one, but that j the theological Hell is a most unrea sonable one, as all must agree. The , theological Hell is a red-bot furnace, | manned with fire-proof devils, and con- ] tabling practically all of the human family who have ever lived —the ex ception being the comparatively small number of saintly followers of Jesus. This Hell is the common property of 1 Catholics and Protestants: and they are welcome to it. so far as the Pastor is concerned. He declares it an ab surdity, wholly contradictory to the ' Bible: and lie proved his points well ' in the estimation of nearly all present. Hells Galore—Modern Theology. The Pastor remarked upon how many different kinds of Hell there are, : according to theology. It seemed to him that each preacher felt that he had a right to make a hell for all non church members according to his own conception. None seemed to think it ’ necessary to go to the Bible. He re- 1 minded ns of the views of the saintly 1 Thomas A Kempis, in which he de- ' scribed the horrible smells and sights < of Hell so graphically as to make one 1 wonder if he had made a special visit i and returned to write its description. < He reminded us of the vivid picture this writer gives of a naked soul—lf < anybody knows what a naked soul is . —and how the fiery blasts finally as- - bestosized the outer skin, rendering : the suffering somewhat less. i But this decrease of suffering, ac cording to Thomas ft Kempis, was dis- i pleasing to God; and a description Is > given of how this torture was renew- i ed and intensified. The asbestos skin 1 split down the back like the shell of a ’ locust, and into that crack the flames 1 of Hell licked the I ,' way furiously I upon the raw flesn of the damned 1 souls. This process, the saint inform- < ed us. is to be kept up throughout all eternity for the joy of God and the 1 holy angels, for the satisfaction of i some kind of justice which the saint 1 had in mind, but which we of today, ’ thank God! are unable to comprehend. The Pastor declared that fire Is used in the New Testament as a symbol of j destruction, an illustration of how all , the wilfully wicked God will destroy , eventually. People do know something , about fiery trials, and about heaping coals of fire upon the heads of their t enemies figuratively. But whenever j the word fire occurs In any connection , where it can be twisted into signify ing eternal torment, those who love that kind of punishment for their ene- , mies are swift to take advantage of it , —eternal torment is the just, the lov- , ing thing to give to all the heathen who never heard of Christ, to all the , poor, ignorant and degraded who, born in sin, in weakness, find themselves . discouraged and overwhelmed by the ; Adversary-to all not church members. { This sort of thing has been going on so long, the Pastor said, that every- j body gradually came to believe it, and j remarkably few have inquired as to its , unscripturalness. Many sensible peo- , pie held aloof from religion entirely, , unwilling to confess themselves believ- , ers of such a doctrine or worshipers of such a God. But now we have variations to suit our more refined feelings. Ministers, without giving their authority, now tell . various tales about Hell. Some have | it with a slower fire, not so red-hot; others have it that it is; merely a place of mental; remorse—following in 'this, ; to some extent, the leading of Dante’s picture of Purgatory, where various i punishments are metecD out~for vari- ; ous sins. They do not. however, go so far as Dahte and call the place Purga- i tory. or admit that there will ever be any release from it. They content themselves by saying that there is 1 nothing in the Rilile about Purgatory, i and forget that there is nothing in the I Bible about their kind of Hell, the Bi- , ble Hell being a totally different one. 1 According to the Catholic doctrine. I all Catholics go to Purgatory to be i purified and fitted for Heaven; and I they rejoice in this lesser torture be- ’ Make Bunflower Useful. In some countries, notably in the Russian provinces north of the Cau- ; casus, the sunflower serves other pur poses besides ornamenting gardens with Its huge golden blossoms. The seeds are used to make oil, which Is employed both in the manufacture of soap and in cooking. The stems and leaves are burned and the ashes used to make potash. Last year the sun flower factories of the Caucasus pro duced 16,000 tone of potash. I cause it is less than the eternal tor ture reserved for others. From their viewpoint, happy is the man, the wo man, the child, that through baptism, holy water, holy candles, the mass and the Extreme Unction, gets inti Purgatory, for he may be helped oil! of it by further masses, etc. We are not complaiuing at this. We think it a great deal better than the Protestant theory; but we leave it, said the Pastor, for those who like it. We notice, however, that very few seem to like it for themselves; nearly all prefer these tortures for their op pouents. If any oue is happy in these beliefs, the Pastor does not wish to disturb his serenity. He was merely addressing the growing multitude who are looking for a better God and a bet ter future than is held out by the creeds of the Dark Ages. Others should not read his sermons, he said, nor come to bear him. The Rich Man In Hell, Etc. When once the human mind has be come settled upon certain convictions, no matter how foolish. It seems able to find support for its delusions, con tinued the speaker. Thus one of our Lord’s parables has been seized upon to prove that Hell is a place of torture, parched tongues, etc. We cannot here discuss this parable or the two figura tive statements in Revelation used to bolster the doctrine of eternal torment; we must confine ourselves to our text But we can offer free of charge a booklet which we have written with a view to making these figurative state ments clear. Whoever will address me—Pastor Russell. Brooklyn, N. Y.— requesting a copy of a pamphlet about Hell, will be promptly served free of charge. That pamphlet will settle all your questions, supplementing what I am saying to you today. I take pleas ure in giving it away free, because I kuow the joy. the blessing, the relief, it brings to many earnest, honest hearts. I know that many after read ing are enabled to iove, worship and serve the great God of Love heartily, intelligently, as never before. Where Is Hell? Who Are There? Our English word Hell comes to us from the German language— hoehle, signifying a hole. It is, therefore, a very good translation for the Hebrew word Sheol. which signifies a pit, a hole, a grave. The New Testament Greek gives us Hades us the exact equivalent of Sheol. Whenever Sheol is translated into the New Testament Greek the word Hades is used. Thus the Psalmist wrote, “Thou wilt not leave My soul in Sheol" (hell—the grave): and St. Peter translated this in the New Testament, rendering It. “Thou wilt not leave My soul in Hades" (hell—the grave). St. Peter tells us that these words were not true respecting the Prophet David, who used them; that he is still in Hell, in Sheol. ih Hades. He says. “His sepulchre is with us unto this day.’’ The Prophet David had not yet been resurrected out of Sheol, out of the state of death, out of the grave condition. St. Peter explains that the words were a prophecy relating to Christ’s resurrection—that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day —raised Him. therefore, from Hades, after He had been in Hades for parts of three days. There is not a shred of authority anywhere for the absurd statement, sometimes made by cornered clergy men. that “Paradise is on one side of the creek and Hades on the other.” The Bible tells of a Paradise, but it is future. It tells of Hades, the state of the dead: but it is present, and is to be destroyed in the future. The de struction of Hades, Sheol, the grave, will progress during the thousand years of Christ’s Reign. Every time an individual is resurrected from the dead, his grave will be destroyed—lt will be a grave no longer. Good, Bad, Rich, Poor, In Hall. At a time when the Bible was not in the hands of the people, and not considered necessary to them, because they had the creeds, various errors spread; and both Catholics and Pro testants helped to spread them, and no doubt many were deceived into be lieving all that they said. We are not charging them all with hypocrisy, but with error—with being out of harmo ny with the Bible. The Bible does not tell about any going to Heaven at death; but it does tell that all, both good and bad. rich and poor, go to Hell at death: that King David went to Hell, and is still there. Note the Apostle Peter’s words, "David is not ascended into the Heavens.” (Acts 2:34.) David is not one of the elect Church. He was never called to the Heavenly Calling. He was not a fol lower of Christ: for he lived centuries before that time. His blessing of res urrection will be to human nature, earthly nature; and his reward will be a share in that restored Paradise, which will eventually be world wide. We remind our readers that the Bible history of four thousand and more years has no reference to any other Hell than Sheol. We remind you that although (our Bible was translated by people who believed in a fiery Hell, they were unable to translate quite half of the occurrences of the word Sheol by our English word Hell. They were obliged to translate the majority as grave or pit. They should not have made any exception; in every case the word should have been rendered grave or pit; for this is what it means. was raised up out of Sheol. Hades, the tomb; for His death had been a sacrificial one. and there was no real cause of death in Him. But there was another person brought back,. Jonah, who the Lord declared was typ ical of Himself—Jonah’s three days in the belly of the fish corresponding to our Lord’s three days in Hell. Hades, the grave. The resurrection of Jesus was represented also in the experiences An Optimist. When you hand a lemon to an op tlmist.he will dig up a little sugar and a little somesthing else and a little hot water and make himself comfortable. —Cincinnati Enquirer. Applicatioi of Pain,t. Paint should be applied only to a clean and dry surface. Moisture un der a paint causes it to blister when exposed to the sun; also moisture be tween coats has the same effect i . ’ * THE FROSTBURG SPIRIT, FROSTBURG, MD. A TYPICAL SPACE GRAFTER. We can make some allowance for certain people who seek to work pub lishers of newspapers for free adver tising of their goods or of money making affairs when we know the at tempt is made by ignorant people who can’t distinguish the difference be tween news and advertising. But when people try to work the press for free advertising which they try to fool the publisher into thinking is purely news matter, it is not only amusing, but also astounding and provoking. Recently J. Broode Boyle, manager at Cumberland of the C. & P. Tele phone Co., sent a lengthy communica tion to The Spirit concerning stock that the American Telephone and Tel egraph Company has for sale, and full details were given as to Who could buy, and upon what terms. It was the strongest kind of advertising for a subsidary of the Bell Telephone Co., of which the C. & P. Co. is also a subsidary, but J. Broode called it a news article, and no doubt thought that the editor of The Spirit would be jay enough to consider it such and fall over himself in his eagerness to publish the desired advertising free, as news, all for the pure “love of Mike.” But “Uncle Pete” didn’t fall for it, and he wrote to Manager J. Broode Boyle that The Spiri dispenses all its charity through the American Red Cross Society and the Salvation Army, and told him if he could convice those organizations that the American Tel ephone and Telegraph Co. was a worthy object of charity, to apply to The Spirit through one or the other of those organizations. Let J. Broode Boyle brood over that a while and then boil such nonsense out of himself as to think he cau work this sheet for free advertising for a great and prosperous corporation. Ta! ta! J. Broode, this may be rude, but then b’gosh were not a dude. We speak our mind to all man kind, and you’re old ax we cannot grind. We tell you truly, tell you well, that space for “ads” is what we sell; and those who’d bum it go to— well, we cannot tell just where they go, but think it’s somewhere down below, in regions where there is no snow. WELCOME BACK. Greeting, Mr. Editor, And here is to your health ; For I’m a whole-souled creditor, Who envies not your wealth. I’m glad that your esophagus Is healed, and you’re again with us; And truly hope that you, “by heck,” Again won’t “get it in the neck.” For, though when you were on your back, Your lieutenants were never slack, And though they hustled well about And sent a “bloomin’ ” good sheet out, There was a “something” missing that Flows from beneath your office hat— A “something” that I can’t explain, And I am glad you’re back again. C. R. Ryan, Bogota, N. J. Edwin Jandorf In Town. Edwin Jandorf, formerly of this city, but now of the great city of New York, arrived here last Thursday night and departed on Friday night. He met many of his old friends here, who always warmly welcome him back to old Frostburg on the Pike, where he says many of his happiest days were spent. Mr. Jandorf is president of The Jandorf Oxberry Co., makers of the celebrated “Best-ov-al” barefoot san dals, play shoes and drawer leggings, and he always does a nice lot of busi ness for his firm when he comes to the old home town. In speaking to Mr. Jandorf on Thursday afternoon, that gentleman informed us that The Spirit is a most welcome visitor in his home, and that he considers it a very interesting and worthy paper, wishing it continued success, etc., all of which warmed the cockles of the heart of The Spirit man, who has an extremely friendly feeling for all good Frostburgers, no matter where they have roamed. And all good ones, like Mr. Jandorf, are loyal to the old home paper. State of Maryland STATE ROADS COMMISSION Notice to Contractors SEALED PROPOSALS for hauling out approx imately 1148 tons stone chips for oiling State Roads, as follows : ALLEGANY COUNTY. Contract No. —ll4B Tons, will be received by the State Roads Commission, at its offices, 601 Garrett Building, Baltimore, Maryland, until 12 M. on the 9th day of February, 1915, at which time and place they will be publicly open ed and read. Bids must be made upon the blank form con tained in the book of specifications. Specifica tions and plans will be furnished by the Com mission upon application. The successful bidder will be required tq give bond, and comply with the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, respecting contracts. , The Commission reserves the right to reject any and all bids. * BY ORDER of the State Roads Commission this 26th day of January, 1915. Wm/'C. O. E. Weller, **' Chairman. <ColKl>t. by HjeTUue BdvOlowtbft 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000^00000000000000 I Six tans Why Yon Should Join| | Our Christmas Club. | g 1. It provides funds for an occasion when funds are very g o desirable and reduces the effort to a minimum. o 02. It stimulates the resolve to save something and lessens 8 o the inclination to spend everything. o 03. It illustrates the importance of small savings, showing g g how rapidly they accumulate and aggregate a consid- g o erable amount. 8 8 4. It demonstrates that money saved has an earning pow- 8 o er as well as a purchasing power. o 05. It increases one’s capacity for greater demands, larger o 8 expectations and further possession. 8 86. It teaches economy, punctuality and perseverance — 8 8 three necessary requisites for success. o o Our Christmas Club is still open. Prepare for next 8 g Christmas by joining NOW. 8 §. = § g 50c a week will start you, SI.OO a week will start you. o g The 1, 2 and 5 cent classes will also provide you with g 8 a tidy sum at the time of year when you need it most. 8 Q o g o I Hie Citizens National Bank,! § FROSTBURG, MD. | § “The Bank That Helps You Save” | 8 8 oooooooooooooooooooooooooooocoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo THOMAS GATEHOUSE, Justice of the Peace, 4 MECHANIC STREET, FROSTBURG, MD. □ All business entrusted to me is attended to promptly and satisfactorily. Dr. J. C. Pfeiffer, THE DENTIST, 7E. Union St. Frostburg, Md. Notice of Application for Saloon License - WHEBEAS, The following named person ' has, in compliance with Chapter 140 of the 4 Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland for the year 1894, as amended by Chapter 415 of the Acts of 1903, being Article 1, and as I amended by the Acts of 1904, and of the Acts of 1908, and of the Acts of 1910, Public Local Laws of Allegany County, filed with the Clerk I of the Circuit Court for Allegany Counnty, his Application for License to sell Spirit uous and Fermented Liquors at his place 4 of business in Allegany County as below stated— NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That all re- 4 monstrances against the issuance of Licenses . to said Applicants must be filed with the undersigned WITHIN TWENTY DAYS after 4 the filing of the Applications. , LLOYD L. SHAFFER. Clerk. FILED THURSDAY, JAN. 7, 1915. EUGENE BRUNER Place of busi- * ness, about 200 yards west of post- 4 office, Eckhart Mines. Residence, Frostburg. Owner of premises, Mrs. Tillie Eogsdon. 4 FILED FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1915. 4 JAMES J. BARRY —Place of busi- 4 ness, about 200 yards west of post office* Railroad street, Eckhart * Residence, National Pike 4 leading from Cumberland to Frost bwrg, Eckhart Mines. Owner of { premises, Peter Scprelli. 4 ' i Notice to Stockholders.' 4 The the G. E, PeEjce < Drug Company will meet at the offices ( of the company in i-'rostburg, M,d;, at 8:00 p. m., February 4th, * 1915, for the y gjirpose of transacting * business usual, upon such occasions. ( G. E. Pearce, j 1-21 1-28 President. ? M A Lafte Acknowledgment. It’s a little late to acknowledge the following friendly message from John Hutchinson, one of our Pittsburgh subscribers, but The Spirit is none the - less grateful on that account. “We surely enjoyed reading your reply to the knocker on ttie Russell sermons. We think those sermons are the best we ever read, and we look forward to the weekly visits of your paper to our hoihei This week’s issue is surely artistic. Kindest wishes for the new year to yourself and familY.” , LIBRARY FURNITURE should be comfortable and convenient jAJ S* |!| @lll aS Well aS attract ’ ve and artistic in ra jPPU'/ ill Sm It! ifi atll -* comnlo dious, the bookcase easily 'fejfe— ;tsa !!|!Jij]|i we consider an ideal display of such M l|B I l'|j: >:: furniture. Come and see if your HHW f' tI'IJJS M iI i; judgment coincides with ours. J. lI^JU JACOB WAFER, Union Street, Frostburg, Md. tjj kAAA A A A AAA A A AAAAAAAAA A A At A J jjj 3 ELECTRIC POWER —_ FOR =_ t 1 EVERY PURPOSE j h 4j 24-Hour Service j, l < ► i t 4| CART AND TEEL US YOUR NEEDS f j AND LET US FIGURE WITH YOU. j* i WECANDO YOU MUCH GOOD IN THE l j MATTER OE LIGHT 1; AND POWER. \ Frostburg Illuminating X Mfg. Co. e I < OFFICE, 17 BROADWAY I* i- f t WWW V V V V V V V V W V vv vvvvv w THE MAIN OF JUDGMENT /'jpi Selects his shoes for comfort and style . dUr Our ne late modeled shoes have f" II v all the dash and style desired in con ' ;A\ -—jyS junction with perfect ease in wearing them. We are showing shoes in all ' leathers, have your style and can fit '-vY Ip——- , y° u - At the price we are asking they will move quickly, so select yours at (f. . {-% H Mrs. Annie Schneider / 07 E. Union St., - - Maryland.