, 1874-10-20
ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
What II Congregational Minister and Rc'
ligious Editor Thinks of the
Doctrine.
Ho pronounces It 10 S1andg1
upon Cod"

And Asserts that 1T Is Rapidly Dying
Out Of tho Minds OF Men,
Tdr Rev, Gtorgt s. Merriam IN th6 Chrtst7th Union
fLenrp nnrd Bttchsr's taptr-1fr. lfets'iam btfng
das;sttsnt Eattpr1.
The history Of tho doctrine Of endlnss pnnHll-
mcnt III curly times laa been ofab boratolY dis.
c,sscd in tho Christian Union. y.Ie proscnt
nhaso OF its history may, thlnk, be summed up
in this: 1t ts
RAPIDLY DYING OUT or THE nj Eds OF 1tEN.
4 superficial Wow must givo III opposite im-
prosBon Tho doctrine still ssfr.la in tho oroods
OF almost tho o.ltire Clristlan Church. In ttH
country at Ieast tho avowed tKgBenters from 1t
arc m iusgt incant body. Brit the worry body
which to tho eye presents this solid front is
honoycombal With doubt nnd disbelief. The
Church today, only lnlf believes in tho cntlloas-
neeB Of future puuiBnuotI, Tho timo can hardly
DO distant whom it wfl wholly rojcct the
doctrine.
4 fow broad facts may be mentioned in snp-
port OF this conclusion. First, the alteration
Witch, within roco,t period. has taken place
III tho form Of tue DOCTRINE among Its avowcd
supporters, iH ilnMenao, mud ia tho augury Of q
still moro radical chango, It Is not long since
Loll Of litcral fro rms generally preached. Now
TINT idea ia rojccstd even among the most ortho-
dox. WEat las produced this change? Simply
tho rccoil Of the moral aeuso from thing too
horrible to bo .,&lo. 10 modern thought there is
10 moro olio1ls figure thnn tho oxecutionoE, uu"
der tho bas|.srouB lava Of the middle ages, tor
turing Ills victim with the rnrk and tho fro; and
tho concof,tion Of Tho Almighty as doing tho
-ay,,SA, l. tx.I f1r11 $F1rS
repulsiv;. for tho Christian mind to rotain. It
waB abandoned becauso enlightened Christian
feeling atclalel that
IT COULD NOT he TRUE;
and ulcn's into'lccts, following IL the wake Of
their 1nolnl sentiments, lea,neI to taiia III
tiguretiye texts which lial formerly been hold to
tcarh literal Iale OF lire.
III q ilienticAl sentiment which oyorthrew tho
idea Of entllcss physca! torment tend9 lrrcsist-
ki, to destroy the bolisf in ondless spiritual tor
niout. Tho former gAro way ilrst. simply bo-
pft1se It appeals moro strkinsly to the tlnAgiMa-
tim. Al incn con,e to feel TINT Bpiritla! s1tf-
f:r,ng. with hope forever banlsli0d and moral
corruption forever faa.oned to tue soul, III worho
than my laao Of hrc. tlloy will repol tho itlea
TINT God eau SLUT up His creatures III the Que
aus mole than IL the Uthcr
Another sign Of tho change Of belief III the
change in tic actual c;titnua of tho Church. l
thtnk tho limo 1R worry rccpnt when no QUO who
t}isbcliovod in cternal punishment could LOOK for
nd,I,ibBlon to nh Oitloaox Church. Tint i8
changing fast. Even tho rrosbs sto.ian Church,
tho peculiar champion OF orthodoxy, olton I'D
nlis to it's membership pcraoHs WHO adult ehelr
nuBou,ltlncBs on this point. What Tue rrcsbr-
tcrian Church docs to sonlo eStont. tho othor
orthodox churches do more freely. Partly the
alteration IL duo simply to an INCREASING upIrlt Of
to!uration; but it also Indicates l!ie
LUTuAL GROWTH OF NEW nELlEr
within tho religious community, 1ne pulpit as
yet IL guarded eaist tho hereHy, but even tllaro
tlle fiuo Of delonso il waver'ng., 10, again,
might point to tho development withn a contury
OF tho UniyerHalst and Unitarian churches, aud
relations butwaen that clement i'll those bodies
which stands for earlest religion aud the ole
ncnt in tho old clinrohes Which stands for wldo
Christian cathol:cIty. Going beyond our laa-
tile moro hopeful belief as to Tho future world il
strong among mon OF scholarship and eyanBel.
ical piety. LII England, TINT bollef llas q wide
foothold willin tho Established Church; mud
among the dlssontcss tue independent c!oray at
least, tend yely largely to restorationist anu-
liln:ionlst ylews. ..
IiIs alao ia to bo said: Tho most promising
types Of practical Christianity a. ths time carry
in themselves the riponing genius Of m uttor de-
| uial Of the dootriao of eternal petdition. With
in tho old linea aud under tho shadow Of tho old
crecds there llas sprung up phaSo OF ChrlBtian-
| ity whicl, weds with spiritual faith aud artent
practical activity, with now FORMS Of thought. It
Is QUO Of those renvenations which ore the mar
| Nov, Us i'll the days OF LutAor,
| connurrIoEs OF uEL1ER ALE BEING sLou0uED
OFF;
| tho spirit Of Christ IL clothing itself with new
aweeter disposition, aud moro useful llio. Tho
movement is not local. It can bo traced III oil
| churches all1 outade OF tho churcleH, And III
all lands. Its universal characteristic s . eprit
of practical beaevolence, and, corresponding to
| taB,a conception OF God which clothes Him moro
l u1fri1u61v {lu}I bhforIa fn tim thQrbfH i1f
md Expresses, with fnllncss nnd emphasis ln-
felt before, that In His utmost natre md Hla
whole administration Ho is Almighty Lovo. That
conception, aud tho now lie which 1t is Inspiring
iu tho world, carrta with it, al surely as the ris-
| ing sun brings tho ba1lislment OF darkuess, the
ultimato dunal of hopeless eternity Of misery
| and Hiu for any Of Gods creatures.
From such various considerations ae these. it
isl,mont IL periHhiug from tho living belief OF
mon. Tho carse ot its leoadenee is TINT tho
! MORAL sESsE or MANKIND uAs ouT6HowN II.
i il pcrishing Just MS tho hellef in witchcsatt
did; as tho belief IN the riEhtncss OF slavery did
as tue belief that God oleated men expressly
thu. thoy might Ia damned for Ills own glory Is
BY the divine spirit raised into nobler why's OF
thought and feeling, when immoral aud un-
worthy iacas are quietly lett bollind by tho bet
not historical proof, it H uot even exposition OF
tue letter Of Scripture, thut kills thom. They
perish because ttloy stand convicted bcforo en-
lightoned Christian feoling III unworthy to en-
| dure
| The doctrine that, at tho ond OF this life, God
| oEuts up oons nlen to IN etoruitr Of suffering
and Of an cannot maintain itaof before tho tri-
bnnal OF tho Christian mnd or heart. It III os-
aontially and utterly foreign to my worthy con-
ccption Of Qod. Nothing ia weaker than tue
cry Of ontinAontalism raised against such
Statements. It In not tho weak mud unworthy
aide OF human nature that protests against the
dogma. 1t ia tho highest senao OF Justice, the
deepest movement Of the mind toward appre.
handipg q perfect God, TINT Is ropelled and
hsocsed by the doctrine. 1t IL the hol'ost emo
tionB Of tho soul that reco|l most Intensely from
| tlia
GOSPEL or DESPAIR
The arguments which sco'I to justify It 70 the
reason antl conscience wi(hcf anu shrink III tho
light Of calm REASON. Thnin are tlouo who re-
fuse to consider God IN embodied Love, from .
fancy thot love IN Its Blblimcst aud divine dovol"
opuaont lacks gosnothing OF strength and must
DO supplemented by q iuatice which u not OF
! love. but II we view God AZ embodied justice,