, 1875-12-13

tten il 1itile loo frc! knl Incomplete to b6 sat.
| iHtactpry TO thhso who Acasso to study the sub
i joct. Wc tavr, however brought INTO WOW al
! those passages which In muictn dlscussN,n !
find rnp-t relied upon in defense Of thu escrulsJ
Of punishment.
iu, lit mo add hero what Inns hem already
n hols fire." bath never fo5sisnness," - 'izc
tst shall novo: 1p 1.;etcleh,' r,r., either ntc
10 !,o taken lrcEaiis OF they ara MT.
70 SUI, thc rrad:,rs or IT., neaef,n1'a con
venlenco, t,ev should not hn ,ntnrpTstpa either
rsv, at Aa discretion. II tlicaa words arc to ha
literally accepted. ther teach heli Of actunI
,lso for tho wicked. t,itr1at Of n1st1rhcricA! IL
the fBsnc; o,n or tbs other ~ tho student
chooaes hui not both at the samo time. Yh,a
consiti ratiun Is especially commended tn tIlt
attention of those Preachers Who reject The
liberal uHaEa OF phrahcs anil tsxts hku thoec
specified, bus who yutt a. they ray, do helovc II,
endless punishment. II would 10 very Interest.
Ing to some OF us 10 know where, in that case
they iInt tho proof for tint opluson.
lint it tho words Of Chtlst do not clearly trnc}
this tetr.ia doom fur mankind, II tho r,o.t tia.
eau porhihly 10 said Is that certain oapretHiona
Of Ills at0 ambiguous, arc wc not rcgulre ju ali
fairness. and may We not n0a In all humanity. u
give 10 HIS Language that constrnrtmu which
nIost completely hnrmonizes His tesch,nsS wst!A
cnch othur. mil with what No hnow of the ctsa.-
actor OF God aid OF Ills afIocllon for huMalt
souls.
Thla doctrine Of the rtermty at punishment
llaa 10 necessary relation t"nny other Chrlstlat'
Hcnsiment. It stantls afone. 10 80 BPeak. out
sdo, a. II It had hoen n.ade' - tho Christian
ryatcn.. Tllia no fny. even for tho ns0n,ont con
celng the tr1ltltnlness Of the Evangelical 6ys.
tom. ILrre 10 no pro1, 30 fhf al we csn seq,
that God rl!oIlli PUNISH hin with onslleau death,
In order to ylndlcaln the majority pl law, Or
show lis adherence Of sin. Il ~ vesS easy 10
comprehend ally certan religious toness nga,nbt
wuCh teaeon rev0lts arc still held by the
church, Logical cut,ss.oncy demands II. rbey
RI of a Sfnfr It,tn ~ of
EyaEeetal s1s:sn1 docs not require that lle sim
,.er ehoUA tc doened to mlscrY AtatninabIr.
on,D other fnte wo1hI do III we'll. EYuu auni-
llatIun would De noiD humane,
1:llt this IN not thu worst OF tile caso. Endless
rctributpn for thu sins uf lhis lIfo can ueynr te
htruoulzed With tic gnoduthn vi tieti. With
tho worla al Christ thus interpreted, oRo pur-
lion Of His dv'o message tu r1lahA1ud cortAdicta
another por;lun Ut II. Tnls contradiction in
terms and spirit greatly wcakens tic authority
Of rayca}ed religion. Dnt why Interpret the
words OF Christ as 10 sot 0,,u portion Uf fIIs
teacl,,t.g against tho other 2 Tho difficulty
which no stale IL wholly EratNitoWs and nnuec-
sesary. II. instoad Of tintilng entlesh PUNISH
,ueut 10 tho words ok JesuA you find only future
pInishulcns, tho shadows al once iiee nwas, anil
Tho light OF conalatotcy shines through tho en-
tire u1iu,atry OF Christ. In tl,at case ron vt,ldl
cato tho Justice of God, bnt you du not do 10 nj
It's proper prominence In tho Chr,ntinn Bystom !;
then therb s opportunity 10 adjust the ssie1nAli-
ticn OF this lilp. giving 10 all souls mike fair
c4anco thou the conscientious bolicver IL re-
loved OF tho awkward explanation concerning
infants and tho heathaus .ilon GoI ID trsl1y Bov-
ercign, Christ tt1,iy saylur. uea,en truly home
tlen yoa put meaning into tko boEH Of "G!ad
I,liuga which the anHals kAug at ti,o hIttl1 uf
Christ, n.canihg tuto tho tears OF Gath4eulAnc,
moaning into ,ho Heath Of Chfist. and moaninr.
hscatbel oIt rpon a w,ckcd world. Why not,
then, adopt this exnlsnation2 Why not at
oacn and forever throw as'tle oEery phrase III
every creed that implies any hucn doom, for the
wicked, mil accept this moro conassent AMI
probable view Of the tcaehings Of tho wordA Of
this Afastar2
Tho fact capnot 10 daguised tllas tho whola
CHRISTIAN Churcll IL IN rebellion against thi. i'll
sorprotatlon. Books that sepullato tho aboul
ina1!e conception cpn.e shiealT from tho pfess.
and from, noarly all scots altko, and Berrnona
tllat hnrI logic aud fact againnt it nra scattered
all oyoe tho land. IlloGo pulpits that foar 20 let
1t Co. aua do not wish equaro's to preach It, wilt
eoon havn to inyont neW vocabulary 10 eapross,
Or conceal, their meaning.
Endlesa pinlAlmeut III seldom taught noH' In
luading Protestant pulpit in tae Northern
s;satss In those cases whore professional fldoli-
" sooma to require tho administration OF the
genuine doctrine, tho dlstasteful remedy In IN.
llcouHly compounded Witii "boothinE-sirun p"
OF aoms kind. Or given IN tho form OF eusar-
coated }ll. Even 10 fearless worker an Brother
Moody speaks Of future, tnhtcad OF cndleHB.
TtJrthhmont il In frfnrH tn tHn RhRtlnHy eida ri
tho Div,nn m nYorn,nent Mt all vhicIt. / nm hsnnv
70 add. hn sojdom dons. Why. than. I rcne.t1
detnv n ttn .nh.tjtntiou of y t1octr;nn thst il
real rational, Ecrpturnl. for opo tbat is yirlunl
iy rejected by The ylo!e CArirtiau world
The issuo il no tfffinc matter, Il il too rrayo
70 be- troat.d with indIfforcncp. Groat wpnM So
the pntn cou,h NO but substitute in. ChrlxtAn
teschinr, rctrib,,tiou csrsain but limited for
endless p11nishmeut, There n,e those nh,
mouru oyor thie awful doom. in view Of t,Ieir
nwn unril End the fste of thoeo they tpye. with
thrir syn,nathcs Nte.aIiy Issl,e:l tnto nsin. Il
ma ncnt Thousand, tn thn n,ad-hnnso. and
tormente1 ths uyes OF m,i{junn. Ana IT, nj
thcse results. tbcra a1o lcsn visible now. X ia
hccause tie bllghtIug concept,on is leso firmly
hold Than formerly.
There III another cllas Of persons who w,Ah to
accept tho teaching ot Christ ~ true, but this
teartu! doom fur SIN unsetties their faith iM its
authority. Tho nominal bcl,nf IN one uaT, tho
intelligent reason Ia tAe other. And III thi4
confused stats tbev n.o fant drifting into nu.
belief and religions indifference.
And what shall SAY Of that, alan largo num-
bor OF porAp1s In every po,tirn OF the Christian,
land, VIM are alseadY nt sen in their theology -
At aca without knowing what port thoy would
make, or where to ilud tho haven thoy ought to
reach2 No t'onbt many causcs haso conaptutl
to prolucs this condition OF things, but pfout-
uGht among tbetu iB tho 1nrnaeonabfDnesH Of tho
popular conception Of hell, aud tho character
and acts nscribod TO God, In what Is enormously
and n,pst tunatny assumed tn hn tho tnAr-