The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-21
The Question of He'll.

l. Hell n bugbcar. and is the devil scare
crow! II l. startling Ia find 50 many preach
crs now trying to lead people to- believe that
they are 50 preachers who have always
been considered sound i'm their Prot stantism
aud solid in their orthodoxy Few people
will pay much heed 10 BEEcHER's hocus-
pOcuS about hell last Sunday, though some
of his rustic hearers were doubtless amazed
at the way he fell foul of il. But we find
that the Rev. DR.. BURTON. and the Roy. Dr.
BLAuvrfT, and the Rev. Mr.. MERRIAM, who
were but latclv among the pillars Of ortho-
doxv. have turned against the ancient creed
Of dannation; those two great lights Of
Congregational theology. the Rev. DR.. PoR-
FER, President Of Yale College, and
the Rev. DR. HorKtvs, cx.Prcsidcnt
Of Williams College. have just given
it to Ice understood hat they do not consider
hell an essential feature of their faith. for
they have Just sustained the Installation
of the Rev Mr.. MuNaER. who l. hrtcruduX
ON the subject, the Investigations recently
made by religious paper show that mo-
tions heretofore considered hcretical respect
ing otrrnaltormcnt are tolerated among the
clergy Of Che Congicgn tional denomination;
while over in London. that distinguished
Episcopal divine, Canon GARRAR, has Just
preached II couple Of extraordinary sermons
in Westminster Abbey, taking the ground
that even the words hell and damnation
should be stricken from the Scriptures.
1t is highly important not only To church
members and the religious public. but 10 all
ChistcndOm and heaihcndom. that the
clergy of the churches of these times should
clearly announce the position they propose
To maintain i'm respect to the articl" Of faith
that la- thus become an object OF assault or
of doubt. The question is u tremendous one.
II il related e. the mind and the life and
the welfare Of the human race. by the
common consent Of orthodox thrologians. it
has been held that the doctrine reaches To
the very foundations OF religion. and that
without il the Christian Church must tottcr
to ruin.
The fact that 50 many learned divlncs
have begun TO throw doubt upon the doc
trinc. is sure to lead multtudcs of people
hastily to discard it altogether There are
not few men and women who are anxious
e. find reasons for di-cardmg hell, and who
like to iSld them. The prospect of damna-
tton for the wicked and urightcous l. an
alarming one, and they clutch AT any straw
that gives thcma prospect or promises them
an assurance of escape from il.
In thi~ view of tine ease. and under exist
ius circum~ anccs, is il not the imperative
and Immediate duty of tine clergy OF the or
thodoX Protestant denominations Il this
city TO take up the doctrine In question and
deliver their views upon il with all the en-
crgy aud reason that they po-so-- They
are not relieved from This duty by I'll"
fact that some oi them have discarded
that pant 81 the ancient cr"Hd IA which
il appears II L. proper that these who have
discarded it should boldly announce that
they hay" done so: II is proper that those
who doubt II should give the ground Of their
doubts; and it is proper that those who -iill
adhere To it should enforce it upon their
audiences. Next Sunday would be- good
day for them to take il up. We call upon
those OF them who consider the doctrine TO
bee on" oi supreme importance in the Chris
tan system To meet lhe attacks upon II at
once.