Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-11-15
3 EECHER ON HE'LL.
Imagination PIcturing the Future stnte-The
philosophy of straying from the Path
OF Virtue
LFram Tho New York World. october 81

LFrom the New York World, October 3ll
In Plymouth Church yesterday.
MIR. Beecher preached sermon, TAX
ing as his text the 25th chapter of
Matthew, the 56th verse "And these
shall 60 away into everlasting pun
ishment; but the righteous into life
eternal" lie said "On last Sun
day ! spoke to you Of Heaven show
ing the method OF the sacred Scrip
lures in regard to the spirit world
Far less agreeable, yet scarcely less
important, is the teaching on TIE
subject OF future punishment, and the
same method OF representation is
employed in depicting the future
punishment OF the wicked as in
painting the Joy Of the righteous.
Scientific accuracy IS impossible; our
present life has not terms to inter
pref truths which are supersensuous.
and of which this state has no actual
experience. All representations,
therefore, are approximate and emp
ty, and employ the imagination in
heir Interpretation, and the imagin-
e'ion is not merely a decorative
quality u, that faculty by which
tua ea. c'e 70 discern invisible
trItA No sock Of instruction in he
world ever made > larger use Of he
imagination than the Bible, aud IN
geiIigent commentators and preachers
recognize the majestic beauty OF the
pictures Of Heaven, but have taught
that these were not to be taken liter
ally. and in the delineation of punish
ment the same imaginative state Of
things exists All things are mar
shalled to create in the soul u power
ful conception of q penalty, and the
penalty is the thing, and the fro and
birthstone, lurid light, serried scor-
pions, gnawing worms, storms, thun-
der and lightning, etc. These figures
are not designed to be taken as
literal, but they point to the invisible
truths which will be to our souls
hereafter what these pictures are
now to the imagination. There will
not be fire, but there will be that
sense Of suffering to which fire is a
fair suggestion there will not be
scorpions or living worms, yet all
men know that there are feelings Of
remorse which knaw the soul more
than ever worms could the body.
But these teachings are spiritual and
not carnal or sensual. 1t is one
thing to read the passage which |
have read this morning, but it is
another TO read it in the face of q
dead child. The theologian may
read it sitting in his chair in his
study tut let him be called upon to
follow T. the grave a son who has
gone astray, and it will possess a
different significance. The educated
mind of Christian men for the last
hundred years has been changing
theories have been changing from
gross material representations, more
and more ia the direction of moral
representation. This subject is not
approached as it used to be in my
childhood. It's true that multitudes
of men have been confused IN their
minds by this representation, and
there has been profound change in
the opinion of Christendom on The
subject of future punishment as il
was handed down to them from me-
daval representatives. Representa-
tions that were made several hundred
years age, and which are still made
in the Catholic churches, are such
that no man can believe and retalr
his self-respect or his reason. These
monkish descriptions of hell might
be best learned by art Take Michae
Angeles representation OF the las
judgment and you will have a better
idea Of what the feeling was in re
gard to hell. Or take the picture o.
the last judgment, by Cornelius. l
is only necessary to say that having
lived IA more intelligent age. he
has made 8 picture more hideou
thaa taaf 8: Michael Angeles Tn
representations in Dante's books abt
Angeles pictures are a. outrageOu
AS 1t Is possible for All ufamed mag
} ination to produce. | do not wonde
, that men have reacted from il;
honor them for doing so. Tosuppos
that 10000, 600 of people were pour
: ing yearly over the precipice int
: everlasting punishment, and then t
, teach that God was q loving father
t was such an anomoly that peopl
, could never believe it. Vindictiv
: justice was once thought to be righf
f but 1t cannot DO defended in th
t court Of love, and the fatherhood {
: God is taking the place of the OrteI
1 tai monarch. 1t was once though