Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-04-10
a,exa. Gazette t. Virginia Advertiser
THE LIFE In HE'LL.

THE LIFE In HE'LL"
Rev. R. N. Sledd, pastor of the Market
street NJ. f. Church OF Petersburg, closed
series of special services ~ Sunday night with
:. discourse on the Life iu He'll. large
congregation was present to hear II. Inc re-
tersburp Iudex Appeal gives his text and an
abstract of the sermon ,.
lake xvi, % And m hell he lifted up has
eyes, being IN torments.
This Is not an abstract statement OF truth
it is passage in human history. lu the utter
ruin of this mau, behold the doom OF all those
who obey not the truth but have pleasure 10
unrghteousDr>s
|. The place of his SUFFERING his home.
sIn HE'LL be lifted up his eyes. The word
hell is used 10 different senses a. The grave.
b The place or state of the departed without
reference TO their moral character or condition
r The final abode of the lost. When this last
is intended, the word Gehenna is commonly,
though not always used 10 express 1t. This
word sigui6es the Valley of Hunom. This
valley was the great sewer OF Jerusalem.
fire was kept burning 10 1t to consume the Nth
of the city. A fit image of hell, the great sewer
.,f the moral universe, into which are cast all
things that otfend against purity, goodness aud
truth, and where burn fires that shall never be
auenched. With respect to the locality and
materiality of hell, it may be remarked that
much Of the language OF scripture Indicates
that it is no less a local habitatlOo than the
home Of the blest. The doctrine of the resur-
rection points to the same conclusion. Body
must have place--a dwelling 10 less material
than itself
All the descriptions we have of this place
are of the most dismal character. Mllton and
Dante have invoked the graDdest powers OF
their genius to deliDeate it. They have only
marred and diluted the simple but terrible
touches of inspiration. 1t is called "bottom-
less pit" a furnace of fire, "a lake that
burueth with fire and brmstone.' It's ,prls'
on" 1t is 'darkuess, "blackness OF dark,
ness" 'outer darkness" ''chaos Of darkness
These pictures are alarmlngly terrible. we leave
them as We 6nd them IN The Word OF God In
all their rugged awfuness.
The associations of hell are no less horrible
than the place itself. l. 1t is the b ONE of the
devil and his angels Their moral depravity
ia absolute-unrestraine by siugle vrtuous
influence or impulse. Under the law of pro.
pression it has been gathering strength and To-
tensity through all the ages OF their apostasy.
Whoc can conceive of their present hldeousness
and deformity.
g It is the home of all those who have died
in sin. Picture to yourself an innumerable COM
paoy composed ouly of the Impure and the
vicious, the hating and hateful, the envious,
the jealous, the reveDgeiul, the profane, the
implous, the obscene abstract from them
every element of goodness, every virtuous
emotion, every generous sympathy, every look
or word of tenderness; give them up to the
complete sway OF evil iu all its forms and you
NAV form some faint conception of the society
of hell
2 The nature of his suferiugs. "He lifted
up bis eyes, being 10 torments Il am tor
mevted IN this flame. -
This suffering is variously expressed: 1t is
called the Wrath of God wrath to come,
everlasting punishment, everlasting de-
struction, :" Everlasting fire, death, 'the
second DEATH" ''the worm that dieth not,
&c.
|. This suffering is nat,ual-such as has i'm
mediate COME ctio0 with SIN, proceeding from
it as effect from cause.
Natural evil invariably follows the Violate q
of natural law. The laws OF the moral world
have the same authority, iuhexlbll'ty, aud GER
taiuty of movement and issue. Moral suffer
log and disaster inevitably follow their infrinpe-
ment. This suffering will consist in--a S,F.
dlsapprobation aud condemnation. b. The
ever abiding sense of the disapprobation OF
God, and all the good. lutense mortihca-
tiou aud sel-reproach. d. Sorrow. e. he
morse, bitter, biting singing, endless. i. De-
spair black, rayess, hopeless. ;.
=. This sutfering is positiUe-such as is dl-
recty Inflicted by God, and necessarily COL
nected with sin in the relation OF cause aud
effect. Some hold theory OF lulure suffering
that excludes the idea of its positive character.
They maiulaip that the only suffering OF the
lost is thas arising from guilty conscience.
But, /. Man nstinetively LOOKS forward to
4 hos
paugs OF guilty conscience.
2. Men generally believe 10 positive rewards
equally reasonable to believe 10 positive sui
1erlngs. 49,
3. The testimony Of all ages and all nations
is in favor of positive suferiugs in the world to
come.
4. The fear of natural suffering is not sufi
cient to restrain men from sin. History is full uf
proofs of this fact. Whenever and wherever
men have cast of the idea of positive suferings
in bell, immortality, ,licentousaess in all its forms
has prevailed.
S. Ifthere is no positive sufferiog or punish
ment in hell, there is no moral Governor, no
moral Government, no accountability to God
Man is accountable only to his conscience
s. The word Of God speaks most plainly and
emphsticay on this point. The law,the gospel,
providence all unite 10 proclaming that God will
punish the transgressor, that there is more to DO
dreaded 10 the future than the mercy natural
consequences. of sin.
What will be the character of these positive
infctions we know not. But God cap be at no
loss. All power is His, and all wisdom too. And
10 ways that we canuot conceive OF de can make
the soul fsel the terror of his His indignat tion,
the weight of bis wrath.
But the full picture of the life and woes OF
lost soul, what imagination can portray ii ? We
can only sketch its outlines the completed ira.
Gerry and ooloriug must be left to the light and
experience of feterDity. Looking through glass
darkly, we discover something ofthe horrows;of
Its home, the hideousness of its associations its