The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-12-31

They are traceable to two sources. First, |
the change of meaning which certain
words have undergone. The frequent
recurrence in the blasphemous language
used by wicked men in cursing OF such
words rs hell, damn and dsmnatlon mas
given to them in the popular mind
sense they do not have in the Scriptures,
Thus damn" Is only contraction OF
condemn, and means = judgment founded
upon facts and issuing IN righteous
sentence: the hatred and vindicllveness
ALWAYS suggested to Hs by It's use DO not
belong to It. So "hell" is simply the
plsce where the righteous sentence Is
executed. Half the time IN the New
Testament it is translation oil Woru
thst means the unseen world,
and nowhere does it necessarily mean
place of torment, for however uadeslra-
BILE the VAllcs Ct HiGnom might nave
been as u place OF residence, 1t was not
place of punishment, but place where
carcasses we're burned. Yet the word Is
never used in our hearing without con-
turing up most dreadful pictures OF tor
ment. There is, indeed, torment In hell,
but il does not belong to the place, as
cold does 10 the Polar regions, so that all
who are there suffer from it equally.
Secondly. These misconceptions are
largely due to the poets and painters
and to authors and speakers who have
given loose rein to their imagination the
more powerfully to urge men to repent
ance. The end has been most laudaole,
but many have pressed the means to
the extent of unwarrsnted expansions OF
the figures used by Christ and even
of additions TO them. The result has
been that even some who repented STUN
bled at what seemed to them state OF
things inconsistent with both the justice
( and goodness Of God.
If al classes would contine their study
of the future of the impenitent to the
Bible and not seek TO be wise above that
which Is written, they would arrive at
conception of hell freed from all the OBJ
iectionable features mentioned above,
and which they would find 1t difficult not
to accept MS truth. We are indebted
for our knowledge almost wholly to the
personal teaching OF Christ, and this Is
the substance of mis- instruction.
l. That every one shall be judged ac-
cording to his works and his light, some
receiving many, but some few stripes, IL
being more tolerable for some in the DAY
of Judgment than for others. The whole
Bible teaches that God will give to every
one neither more nor less than ms
actual deserts, and warrants our
believing there will be as great variety
IN the condition of the lost, as this life
exhibits.
2. There will be "torments," and. all
will experience more or less OF them
there-a declaration that may be made
with equal truthfulness OF earth. But Of
what they shall consist we are not dell
nitely told. Christ's language Is evil
IDENTIFY fgurative, Sire" and "outer dark
ness" and tho "undyIng worm being
designed to warn US, rs one has SAID, us
the red lignl or red flag warns the engl-
neer of danger ahead, without disclosing
its nature The figures are strong and
undoubtedly represent terrible realities,
but they hardly justify many OF the PIC
lures prawn by the fancy OF man.
Where the Bible gives US only faint
glimpses, we have no right to supple
ment it by our speculations.
8. The Bible encourages the belize: that
the number of the lost will bear only a
small proportion to the number OF the
saved. When we consider that more
than halt the human race die IN infancy
and childhood, and that vast
mutltudes before and since the coming
of Christ have been saved, and that still
greater number are TO be redeemed IN the
coming time when Christianity shall be
the prevailing and then the only relig-
ion. there is good reason TO accept the
conjecture that the lost shall bear no
greater proportion to the saved than the
criminals IN any country do TO the other
citizens.
4. The eternal punishment of souls
does not result from passion or hate IN
the mind OF God, but from His holiness
and Justice. The principle underlying
the whole doctrine of hell is this: God
will deal with dis creatures strictly ac-
cordng to their deserts. We can make
no other claim upon God, and aside from
the Gospel we should not have the slight
est reason to expect aught from HIM but
that He treat us Justly. He'll cannot be
denied but by denying the justice OF
God, and wo TO the world If 1t be under
the control OF being destitute OF justice
g. The punishment Is urendIng.
Christ use; the same word in describing |
the duration OF the happiness OF the saved |
and the misery OF tae lost, and that |
word is the strongest Afforded by the !
Greek language But this does not mean !
that eternal punishment Is visited upon |
single sin. There Is reason 10 believe the |
SHINING OF the lost never ceases and !
there Is simply eternal punishment tor
eternal sin. There is not the slightest |
probability that one, who has spent MS
whole life here in SHINING snd refusing 10 |
repent in the face Of gospel light and In
Auence, Will repent there where these in /
hucuCcs are wanting.
There is no repentance in the grave. |
Even Dives n hell did not ask ADMISSION
10 heaven. but only that his friends on |
earth 5e warned TO avoid mis- fate, AS |
many q drun6ard warns the young but !
cIngs to his cups Let there be but |
i withdrawal OF Gods grace from the /
earth and it would at once be turned .
into hell of sin and misery continuing .
forever.
lie. this brief summary suffice to ex-
hibit the difference between the Biblical f..
and the popular conception OF this sub
iect. Does not the former commend |
Itself to our acceptance rather than the
latter? Would not any one be more
likely to accept the doctrine of the eter-
nal punishment of the wicked, il he de-
rived MS conceptions directly from the |
Bible 10y proper study, thsn by accepting
second or tuird hand representations?
And. to make the application more
general, is any one justified IN stumbling
~ any orthodox doctrine at ieSst until he
aas carefully aud sincerely examined the
scrip:ural presentations OF the same doc
trine2
ST. JOHNS GERMAN PROTESTANT CHURCH.
Rev. +. Vo,s, pastor, preached from
PS. l43, ., Phil. 3. IS. Ne stand on the
boundary OF two years; but one day aud
few hours and the ob,uSe sound of the