The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-01-24
Future Punish ment.
For the VALLEY VI

For the VALLEY VIRGINIAN.
MIR. EDIToR-Last week we were treat
ed by you with Canon Farrar's views of ''fu-
ture punishment and this week we have
the platitudes and inanities of DR.. Swing,
OF Chicago, OH the same subject; and next
week you promise to publish something
"more in accordance with the Bible
Permit an humble reader OF your paper, who
is keenly alive to its many excel lencies, and
not blind to its few faults, to saga few words
through your columns, not to discuss the.
Ihelsm OF the bible, nor yet the nature and
duration OF future punishment, but the tone
and tendency OF such egotism and seif-as-
sertion as find expression in the utteranccs
OF the learned Canon Farrar and the verbo:e
DR.. Swing. Why do they not ignore future
reward, as we'll as punishment The terms
are correlative, and citicism, whether verbal,
philosophical, OF theological, which legiti
mately can be arrayed against the punish
ments OF vice-apply with equal weight
against the REGARDS of virtue. If there be
no Hell, there can be no Heaven-Godis with
out government and man without law. But
it is not heaven these men are concerned
about, 1t is that other place. They are not
unlike the dying Lrishman, who had been
very wicked, and was very uneasy; and
when the minister urged. as his only ground
OF hope, the compassion of the Savior. re-
piled, 20 Doctor it is not the Savior | am
'unasy about. it is that OTHER chap" 1t
might be we'll to be uneasy about both his
satanic majesty, and future punishment, but
it would hardly be wise or safe to prove
either myth
But, Mr.. Editor, take Our people as whole,
and from the man of culture and thought.
to the rude inmates of the log-cabin, and
you find a type OF thought and sentiment,
which haye singularly and providentially
exempted them from those notions, which
antagonize revelation, and its distinctive
teachings and Institutions and which do OBJ
tain, both in Europe, and other parts of
America. Whatever else may blight us,
those ''seed thoughts ofinfldelity, which so
readily take root, and grow so luxurantly,
overshadowing with ''noxious upas blight
even the sacredness Of Gods sabbath and
sanctuary. and the no less sacred claims OF
the domestic affairs and relations. But from
these dark and destructive elements so COM
mon and destructive elsewhere our sun
lit Southern homes are singularly and gra-
ciously exempt. The Bible is our unchal-
lenged Text Book, sacred alike to all, from
the curriculum of the university to the rude
home-altar in our mountain Businesses.
Thought and sentiment are graduated and
developed under its holy auspices. 1t as
serts its sway among all classes, even the
ungodly. Its supremacy is unquestoned III
the courts. the camp, the forum, the Sen.
ate and the editorial sanctum. (?) Especial
ly are the home, the marriage bond, the
whole civil ard social structure, sacredly
held in the simplicity and integrity OF the
bible as ordinances Of GoG.
These facts are unquestioned and historic
and under God, are to us an investure OF
priceless value. An inheritance indeed,
without which we are more than bankrupt,
but with which, We are truly rich in all the
resources designed by our gracious Lord,
beneficently to dignity, and develop and
realize IN as true christianhood, which is the
highest style and degree of truly refined
and cultivated manhood.
URIC.
Characteristic Ion 1Tth 1879