The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-23
GheGttslIiq
Religious servicesSt the Court House
Last Night..SefIhon by tho Rev.
MT. TOmIIna0n. of Ohio,


Last Elght-.Sefhon by tho Rev
Mr. TomlinSon, of Ohio.
In pursuance Of the announcement
made in our columns on Saturday les
tho Rev. D. G. ToMEINsoN, of Akron
Ohio, delivered 0 sermon before the Uni.
versalist Society Oliwhoeling al The Cour
House last night on the following subject
-vi2-"Endless punishment not a rCvcla
ton Of either the Old or New Tcstaments
but a doctrine Of Heather otlglp.n lie
took his tcxt nom tue t1th verse Of the
Sth chapterot Job, as fellows: "oan the
rush grow up without the mireG Can the
hIg grow without water ?" After
some brief Introductory remarks the Rev.
gentleman proceeded TO discuss the sub
jeCt announced. He remarked thasitthe
doctrine Of endless punishment tends 10
the keeping Of Gods law, and was the
penalty Tor sin committed In this lie,
would not God have revealed the fact NJ
the earliest period Of the worlds history
Have we any such reVelaiion Of this doc,
trintS We shall see.
When God created Adam and Eve and
placed them In the garden, with on ipiuuc.
ton not to eat Of the Itree OF knowledge
did he announce 10 them as the penalty Of
transgresslon endless punishment in the
world to Gomez Read the record In tho
I'd chapter Of Genesis, 10th and 18th yer.
SEQ. This Is the only account bearing
upon The subject and In It there ia no an
nouncement Of future punishment AZ
the penalty Of violated law. The lesson
contained in the history Of Adam and
Eve proves the certainty OF pre@nk
punishment, but is entirely silent upon
the question Of future punishment. The
warning 10 them was simply this I'm tho
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die"
THE FIRST MURDERER.
In the record of the first murder COM
mitted upon earth we would naturally
expect 10 find something said about end.
less punishment for such heinous sin, IL
the doctrine was to become tho common
understanding Of mankind, but strange
to say there is no such intimation in the
record. What do VIC read? "And the
Lord said unto Cain, the voice Of thy
brothers blood crieth unto me from the
ground. And now art thou cursed from
the earth, which hath opened her mouth
TO receive thy brothers blood from thy
hand. When thou tillest the ground il
shall not henceiorth yield unto thee her
strength. A fugitive and vagabond shalt
thou be in the earth" Why was not
something said TO Cain about endless
punishment in an other lie II he was
liable TO such penalty And II he was
not liable 10 It how should his posterity
become liableY Had he not incurred
such penalty as rightlully as the wicked
people who came after him? Was he
liable to 1t and yet left ignorant oil III Or
was 1t announced to him and yet omitted
from the record9 It is evident that no
such penalty was contemplated. II so,
why did the Almighty seek TO save his
lie from violence and warn those who
sought his death that vengeance should
be taken on them seven.lold?
THE CASH OF soDoM AND GoMoRRAu.
Again, there is no intimation in the his.
tory OF the most remarkable wickedness
Of carly days oil the doctrine of endless
punishment. I refer TO the case OF Sodom
and GOmorrah, the wicked cities Of the
plain. We are no where told that God
contemplated the consignment OF their
souls TO hell after the destruction OF their
bodies by fire. And SO in all the import.
ant events that transpired before the Law
was given unto Moses, we are unable 10
find the least evidence that endless punish.
ment was contemplated as o penalty for
sin. The Law itself, as well as the history
81 The jewish people, contains no such
revelation. We find in the 2Sth chapter
OF Deuteronomy list OF specified pun
ishments stated by Moses, and they arc Of
strictly temporal character. and only
such as could be inflicted while In the
body upon earth. In support OF this view
the reverend gentleman hero referred 10
the testimony oil eminent Biblical writer's,
and among them 10 Bishop Warburton,
who had said that "in the Jewish govern.
mcnt both rewards and punishments
promised were temporal only. In no one.
place In the Mosaic Institutes Is there the
least mention OF punishments In another
life."
THE MEANING OF THE WORD HELL.
1t is claimed that tho meaning Of the
word Hell as used in tho Old Testament
teaches the idea Of endless punishment.
The word Is derived from tho Hebrew
word &eOl. II occurs O. times and is
translated hell in our English Version SO
times, and 9rde 90 times and pt 8 times.
The writers who>used the term did not DO.
lteve in endless misery. Would Job have
wished TO hide himself IN hell il II was
place Of endless torment BE wished to
be delivered from his troubles and not 70
go 10 place where they would be re-
newed. Thereis,not writer Of any en-.
inenCe that pretenis the word SlItOl even
alludcs 10 the penalty Of endless misery as
punishment for sin. Here again the
speaker called the attention Of his hearers
to the testimony. OF, Biblical writer's upon
this subject Doctor Campbell SAYS
"Sheol signifies the state of the dead with.
out regard to happiness or misery" Doc.
tor Witty says: "Sheol throughout the
Old and New Testament signifies not o
place Of punishment, but the grave only,
or the place Of the dead.n These writers
claim what We believe, that the doctrine
o. endless punishment Is not revealed in
the Old Testament. The question arises,
now came It TO be omitted therein II It
was In force upon manklndG
A FAMILIAR ILLUSTRATION.
Let US consider the case. God makesa
law and the penalty for It's violation Is NOT
made known Tor 1000 years, During all |
this time torrent Of immortal souls con.
tinues to pour over the precipice oil sin |
into tho fiery flames Of hell. And throuoh
oil this period God keeps silent. What
kind Of a Law.giver Is thisg To illus.
trate mymeaning clearly, let US suppose
that the State Of West Virginia makes a
law prohibiting her citizens from walking
along tho track OF any railroad, Along