New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-11-26
LOVE AND PENALTY.

thc birsihh o<Nety, AT winch place M cohBftss~~
IL meeting .; prssent gave a iectuD on the book d
Dr. J. z. Thompson, entitled Love and Penalty.
He sad that il WIZ m earnest wish Of fhe pious JOB
suffering under the insinnatons ard censurss OF his pre-
tended friends that his adversary had writer o
hook" He desired 10 acknowledge his obligations 70
DIR. Thompson in the Tabernacle for the servsc be hsr
done tereligous truth by presenting she doctrine q
Eternal Punishment in book, with all the Feasonl
which were TO be adduced IN favor OF 1t eXpreased IN
hack and white Fase ~ he believed its inte1rfa'
tion of Scripture and philosophy to be, he belle yed 1t
would do much good; for the excitement OF hougt on
tlis subject never had bat one tendency. Dr. Thorp-
son took upon himself the modest task OF showing l1St
| IL miseres of hell flowed directly from the Divine
bencyOlenee, and the fruits Of Infinite Lows,
that millions millions of race were created ny
GOd whose existence he foresaw would be IN endless
torture and that Infinite Goodness was the execuloner
81 these torurcs IL might seem waste OF time In
th enlightened age TO refte such propositions, but II
| was very old doctrine; it had been for more than
twelve centuries the doctrine OF the Church. by whom
| i was borrowed from previous beathendom Believe
or be damned the doctrine upon which the power
| Of the Roman Catholic Church was founded. Orr
Protestant Church received this darling doctrine from
| the Catholic The Pagans nsed 1t 10 govern women
and The gross body II the people, and TO keep them
| holy, piOus, and yrtuOus. BY the Church II was
thought 10 promote piety and virtue, suppress free
thought, and give the clergy more power. Few saw
liz determines felt itsteribleness. Even our author
gave no notion ofeyer having formed an idea oil end
les punishment. lie spoke OF il under pleasant Ell
pheuiisus and talked Of be might of mOonlit wa
eIfall and placid lake below Men nowadays
preached and believed about it, but never talked
about it. To realize It's terror and ferocity was enough
20 CondtuH il. The author Of this book wa highly
respected and popular clergyman the pastor OF very
prominent congregation and an editor OF perhaps the
most popular religious journal in the world The book
came With strong recommendation ana might ialriy he
taken as the best thing which could be said Tor this
dacirine The book was emiuenty worthy, therefore,
of the attention Of niversaists who not gener
ally very reyerential toward the doctrine, however
popular and usetul might be- The book seemed TO
have had in view some things which had appeared III
The Atlantic Monthly, some OF the views adj
vanced BY Chapin and BeecheT, and the
authors own misrepresentation OF Theodore Far
ker, Mr. rockingham, and Gerrit smith. lie had
scarcely mentioned entire scCt comprising more Than
200 congregations which bad grown up IN the midst
of earnest controversy since the beginning of the pres
century, wiich made it part OF It's duty to deny
and dsproye the doctrine OF endless punishment bat
10 maintain the contrary doctrine OF unNeI-dl saiNh-
tim. He seldom or never quoted from their writings
or opinions willie he proessedly devoted himself TO
the Tefutation OF people who had no existence, or
of opinions too ridiculous or too Little known 10
demand notice. But the book was not With
cut a sufficient reason, not without pressing
nccesity Indeed he thought IL purpose was rather
TO nvigoaie tie faith of Christians than 10 refue
" raiionalistic inhdelty." Its quiet manner, the
steady effort to tame the hord doctrine TIL il could
-eem cont0nant with the Divine character, showed
that wasintended 10 revive the faith OF has own de-
romiuationi il was designed for home consumption.
The task 10 which DR.. Thompson addressed himself
was 10 show that the doctrine OF the eternal punish
nent If the wicked was in entire harmony with the
parental Character Of God or, in palmer words God,
loving father, with perfect proprlety torment
without end his own sinful children Gun author gave
no definition of parental character no description
Of Hell. The old divines were fun Of such descrp-
tons. They called it world OF woe, and ascrbed TO
it all the forms of misery which could be conceived;
They took upthe subject IN order showed s the forms OF
H. end then endeayOred 20 give some idea OF eternity
"If" savs Drexeus all the severest and most
bari arous fortunes which were ever invented Dy
tyrants Of the earth, who, By anxious thoughts and
Relish couDtenance, improved and refined the art OF
cruelty and brought II to perfection; II these, say,
were to he beaped upon The head of one man. and be
was 20 endure them for hundred years, yet they
would not the pains OF the damned, even Tor
one day.' If DIR. Thompson proposition were true,
az al have snned il would be in entire harmony
with the parental character of God to condemn all
even endless punishment that Il to create universe
and condemn every living sOu in II TO eternal torment
DR.. SAWYER proceeded to give nla reasons ior deny
ing DIR. ThompsOn's proposition. The first was, that
God did not create our for this purpose. Even
the Assembly caechism contained this one truth, that
the chief end Of was TO gloriiy God, and ENJOY
Linn forever The second was, that the Bible taught
that God loved sinners desired that they should be
yir;uous and happy declared that lie had no pleasure
in the temporal death of any, and, fnaly That
He ia not willing thai any should perish but all nave
everlasting HE. w Nat Wa lluttI. ihc bh7fOl oui
an economy Of grace and love From His great love
He sent forth His Son to seek and 20 save that which
lost. Tie life purpose and teachings OF Jesus Of
Nazareth were entirely opposed 10 The doctrine OF emu
les torrents Dr. Sawyer concluded as follows;
But allow NE to remark in closing, no man can en-
terrain iust views Of the Divine projections, and yet
believe that there i 10 be any final evil m the Uni
verse Of God The Lord reigneth; let the Eartn re-
ioice Clouds and darkness may be round abon' hlIn
but righteousness and Judgment the habitaon OF
lis throne. God allows, 1hOrluck says, no uncon-
ditional evil" Sin and the punishment OF SIN, are
permitted in the development and education OF moral
powers. They are not necessary, but merely incl-
dental in the government of free beings Without the
possilitv of sin with such creatures - We holiness
it.elf would be impossible. And though the possible
tv Of -in must always remain, 10 make obedence IT.
self yrtnous aud praiseworthyi yet sun as Jact,
must ultimately come to an end. In the language Oh
prophecy sin shall be finished, and an end be maze
Of transression." In that greaest Of DIVINE WORKS
the formation process of free soul growing 10 Aho"-
edee and virtue lin incidentally appears; but, at lest,
it again falls away when the soul, through rich grace
and it, moral ciiOfts has gained the mastery OF At
sek and is brought into perfect and willing 9oehlehce
TO The law Of God. To say with our learned author,
that the endless punishment If the wicked Is m entire
harmony with tie paternal character OF God, > VIZ
tally TO say that God, In His spiritual pny anu l9Fe'
looks with complacency or at leas, without aonoI-
renee upon endless rim and misery. IL II 10 say tht
the Eternal Father has no affection Tor us cnue'
and Is Indifferent alike to His glory aud their good
! IL H. in word 10 say that the Creator IL no longer
even the friend of Ills creatures, but having changed
His nature, has become their imparabe foe. Bnt to
believe thin il at war both with the Bible and all that
we know Of the great and good Being, who made US
for his pleasure and who has both the VIII and the
meprs 10 saye Himself from dishonor and defeat. l
ran hardy conceive it possible for any one, not abso
mrey insane to set forth proposition more utterly
fake or faught with disastrous consequences
true than that which we have now been considering,
and which IL is the aim OF DIR. Thompson whole BOOK
to Iraintain Next Sunday evening / shall consider
zone of the proofs by which he attempts TO sustain A.