The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-23

hls nlulnHy ne blhteu clearly Inc o1lecl
OF his adye1t, andyet there Is not anintl.
nation that he came 10 rescue The soul
OF men from the doom Of endless torment
In Hell. His language was: 1.-THE spirit
oil the Lord Is upon me, because he hath
anointed me TO preach the Gospel 10 The
poor; he hath sent me 10 heal the broken
hearted 10 preach deliyefanca'tothe can.
lives and recovering OIL aiRht 10 the Blind,
and set at liberty them dat are bound
and TO preach the acceptable year Of the
Lord" Would Christ have 90 accurately
stated tho object Of bis ministry and vet
neglected TO tell the world that be came TO
save the souls Of men from the penalty Of
Gods violated laws endless punishment 7
~ WHAT PETER TRLIs Us. ~ u
Peter informs US what was the office
and ministry Of Christ. BE says: "God
having raised up His Son, Jesus, sent Him
to bless you In turning away every one Of
you from his iniquiLies." And again, Il
was said Of Christ HThou shalt cali His
name Jesus, Tor he shall save His people
from their sins" The truth Is that
GhriSfs own life and character prove that
He came as o present beneiactor, teacher
and Saviour. When we accept Him as
such, we shall experience what was con-
templated by his Apostle, "In turning
away every one oil US from our iniquities."
WHAT Is THE NEW TESTAMENT DocTRINEi
Rev. Mr.. Tomlinson considered the
claims Of endless punishment az New
Testament doctrine. There are, he said,
three words In the original Greek Scrip
lures that are translated He'll in our YER
sion, VIZ: Hades, Tartarus, and Gehenna.
Phe first occurs eleven times In the New
Testament, and corresponds with the
Hebrew Sheo! in the Old Scriptures, and
signifies the same, viz-the state Of the
dead. A few passages were cited where
this word occurs, as 10 death where is
thy stingS o grave tHddea) where b thy
victory [" Also that passage reading
"Thou wilt not leave my soul IN Hell
(HddeQ, neither will thou suffer thine
holy one to see corruption" Who, said
the speaker, believes that the soul Of
Christ was in hell as place Of punish
mentI The term alludes simply 10 the
grave. The word Is used to Represent
state Of degradation, as where Il Is said,
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalt.
cd unto heaven, shall be brought down 10
he'll" know, said the speaker, Of no
prolessed Christian writer who claims
that the city Of CspernAum went into q
place OF endless punishment In the other
world. This word Is also used in the
parable Of the rich man and Lazarus. It
Is said Of the former that sin hell he lifted
up his eyes, being in torment" Jesus
used this parable TO illustrate the CON-
parative situation Of the Jews and Gen
tiles. No one thinks or believes that
Christ referred TO q literal fire, or to LaEs-
rus in a literal body laid in the literal
bosom OF Abraham.
THE WORDS TARTARUs AND aEuENNA.
Passing from the discussion Of the word
Hell, the speaker took up the word Tar
tarus for consideration, and remarked that
It occurred but once In the New Tesla
ment and was heather word. It was
not claimed as word that afforded the |
least evidence in support Of endless pun
ishment. The word sstenna occurs
twelve times In the New Testament and |
was originally Hebrew word, signifying |
tho Valley Of Hinnom. II was In this
valley that the ancient idolaters offered
their sacrifices, even their own children.
Alter the Jews came INTO full possession |
OF this place It was held in great abomina. |
ton, and finally they set It apart as a |
place wherein to cast all sorts of filth and
the unburied bodies oil criminals who had |
been executed. Continual fires were kept |
burning in order to destroy their bodies,
lest the putretaction should infect the air.
The place Gehenna was therefore used
by the Savior 10 denote the desolation Of |
Jerusalem. At the time 1t was besieged,
famine, disease, pestilence and the sword
wrought such change in her condition
that 1t might well be compared to
Gehenna. That term was used to show |
By figure the low estate Of Jerusalem,
The book Of the Acts contained record |
Of Apostolic ministry and history Of the |
church Tor thirty years, and many wicked
people were OF course preached 10. And
yet during that time not one OF the Apoa.
lies used the term gehenna or any other
word that suggests that they believed in
endless punishment. How are we to &C
count for such an important omission. l
am confident that they did not entertain
such doctrine. The doctrine, said the
speaker, Is OF heather origin and not Of
Divine revelation. he proceeded briefly
10 adduce evidence on this point. The
idea, lie said, was more consistent with
the Pagan than the Christian religion.
According to certain heather poets, hell
was located in the centre Of the earth and \
It's inhabitants were monsters Of cruelty.
In VirgiPs fourth Eueld we have a
striking delineation Of the miseries Of the
Pagan hell where he says, l7-a1s7s
here rolls the roaring, flaming tide OF hall.
and laundering rocks and derry torrents GEell;
And now wild shouts and WailfnHS dire,
And shfiehDg Infants swell the dreadful |.
ehoif.n |7E az - Z : =
TertulliSn was tho Ant to teach the
doctrine Of endless punishment as
Christian sentiment, and he was born q
heathen, and was q man Of fierce and
merry temper, and inclined to exult over
the endless torments Of his enemies. He
said, upon one occasion, show shall /
laugh, how rejoice, how exult, when I
behold kings, magistrates and philoso-
pliers, with their schools, all doomed toll
the raging fires of hell" The man who
felt thus may well have the credit of first
Introducing the doctrine into the Christian
church. The early Christian fathers OPP
posed Tertullian in establishing his school
for the inculcation OF this dogma. ORR
gen, one Of the most noted Of the fathers, 4
opposed him. Even in the time Of PauiIi
these heather traditions Were5 held by
some OF the converts 10 the Christian re-
ligIon. Read his instruction to Timothy,
warning him to beware Of vain philoso-
pny, fables, and the traditions Of men
winch are not alter Christ. And this
warning Of the Apostle may still DO ap-
PrOptlstely uttered, and applied 10 the
9oculne o. endless punishment, which, as
ssld az the outset, is not revelation ofl
a heather doctrine.