The New York herald., 1878-02-10


earthly Daturc and died the death rendered necessary
bv The mortal aud corruptble element III that nature
by and through Him shall be made partakers OF tho
heavenly nature, it Is not easy TO imagine Ia Whist
particular part OF that ''house OF many mansions"
thore VIII be any disposition TO Introduce the sins
and sufferings oil the earth life.
IxroRTAscE or RATIONAL VIEWS OF HELL
"Philo" thinks II cannot be denied that upon a
rational understanding Of this subject hel aud the
future le) ana others more or less intimately con-
neced with II depends much OF the worlds tut ure'
advancement-intelec,u ,ually morally and socially.
Tho present tendency Is to reject the doctrine OF
permanent hell, because or It's presumed incon-
sisiency with the character ana attributes OF tho
DIVINE Being. But "Phiio' thinks there Is a strange
minglng oil truth and error In this view OF the sub
JecL The Two things which constitute map, IN his
opinion, are the will and the iutcectthe ability to
know the true and the false ana the power to choose
between them. And tnis freedom OF choice and
action has been given TO man that he might not only
atain.the highest degree OF happiness In the Lille TO
come, put DO eapao. also OF truly approaching such
u condiuon IL Is those attributes and faculties In
man that raise him above the level of the brute
creation. And IN this view the idea of condemnng
God must be relinQuished. For the ability to choose
the good or tho eyi being possessed by man
We hnd some that select the one and
tue other. Aud they be happy
only In the conditions which they have chosen Tor
themselves Nor can any change or reversal OF those
conditions tuke place except by fheir own voluntary
consent and action. When enters into the other
lie his Character must necessarily be there what II
was here and his individuality be rs strict" main
taned there here, and the good ana evil VIII ar
range themselves into distinct classes aud societies
just they mere. Tho good. obeying those prin-
congregate into society called heaven. the central
sun OF winch Is the Lord. The evil, from opposite
principles and motives, congregate into societies
called hell And thus that the Divine Being
condemns no man 10 nell nor sends him 10 heaven;
but every man goes voluntarily TO either Place IN ac-
cordancc with the principles which govern hrs life.
The Creator however, IS not rdl'erentto mans cond
tion lie hus done Is doing all that possible short
of compelling men to escape hell ana enter heaven.
lie cannot compel them unless He destroys that free.
dom Of the human Will which is like himself the dis
tinguishing aracieristc of man. From tnese
sid u
permanent. 1t cannot DO otherwise Man has created
1t himself and voluntarily enters It, devil In
heavcn would suffer unuIerablc torments, which
would be ubuted only when he was allowed to indulge
tnoso forms OF evii in which be TOOK delight Cod,
therefore, IN innnitc mercy permits men TO place
themselves IN those conditions where they can enjoy
themselves best. And He cannot bring Them INTO u
power, which would be to destroy the man. Mans
conversion cannot be accomplished either here or
hereafter by compulson. 1t must be mis- own deiib-
crate rational act Any other CONVERSION Is spurious.
WHEN SIN WILL END, The GREAT QUESTION.
"Sanctus' think II strange that 50 much impor-
should bo attached to hell and punishment and
little TO the offences Tor which punish ment is imposed
The world must repent OF ITS SINS before II can possibly
be redeemed; ana tnat It rs not redeemed an evi.
that It not repened For the Bible aud
sound philosophy agree that repentance in this
must necessarily carry redemption with It, But the
day OF redemption, this correspondent thinks, must
be preceded py DAY OF wrath that shall burn an
oven, after WHICH, however, the Kingdoms of this
his Christ THIS redemption he believes docs not
volvo material resurrection, but such resurrection
does involve tho mutabiity OF that law, which Is an
expression Of the lawgiver. ''Sanctus' therefore
believe that the law which consgus tho wicked
eternal punishment should DO changeable and that
which places the good IN conditions OF everlasting
bliss should not be.
MODIFIED ANxIHLAr.oy A vIRGiSIANs rANAcEA.
Tho foregoing are local correspondents, but IRON
Winchester Va, the Rov. Allan b. Magruder writes
in answer 10 a seros OF questions supposed to have
been put TO him. First, he believes In noii because
the Bible says there suen place or state. He gives
citations Second ne believes that the hades or nell
OF the Bible is the eravo, because II occurs eleven
times in the New Testament and IN every place should
be translated us 1t evidently means, the grave. And
the Heprew word Sheol from which the Greek hddes
is Translation, occurs sixty times in tho Od Tests
ment and In every place means .the dominion OF
DEATH hidden, concealed tho grave" More citations.
Hadcs or hell is that state and place OF conceament.
silence aud darkness where the wicked cease from
troubling and the weary are at rest-wnere tho dead
know not anything but sleep in the land OF orgetiul.
ness. In death there Is no remembrance OF God IN
the grave, who shall give thanks unto HimY MT Ma.
gruder concudes then that the state OF the dead
complete and utter nonexistencean absence OF all
vitatywhere they lie awaiting the resurrection, both
OF the Just of the unjust. HIS third answer Is
all classes ol the dead to this place OF silence
cause they belong to Adams ana born under
the sentence Of DEATH But once in can thoy get
| outy Our correspondent thinks they can, but only
throuth Christ who Is the resurrection aud the life
So that II thero be no through Him the
will be future life for mau, and death closes ths
scene hero ana finishes tho drama OF humanity IL
relation to of the punishment inflicted
ON the soul Mr. Msgruder thinks Is simply return
to Sle original dust OF earth, oi which ne conceive!
the SOUL well as the body, to bo formed. The sou
| Ii the lie OF the man. as u ID OF all breathipi
animals, and when the lifo ceases the soul ceases
| md that which not cannot be punished. But
there will be resurrection OF the dead, both OF the
lust and OF the unjust ana the latter will fall ribu
laon and anguish, indsn snatlon and wrath ending IN
| cording TO Mr. Magruder. The Bible punish hment he
thinks that Of the body solely, as tho Bbte reward
Is also OF IN the body endowed with all the attr
butes OF eternal life THIS is the Chrisadephian doc
| ,rine when rs simply modified theory OF anDihila
tion and cannot be supported except by stranng the
| min
''eterna damnatiOn" Is taught in the Bible but not
| In tho popular sense 1t means, IN the Bible, judg
meut or condemnation. So that while eternal pun
ishnont Is threatened to the wickeG everlasting tor
mont misery Is not threatened to any, even tho
viiest OF Gods creatures. Aud yet this reverend
correspondent thinks a belief In hell Is an
essential part of the Christian religion: but a
belief in the pagan doctrine OF the Immortality o.
the soul Is not Ho says. Tho Biplo Is profoundly
silent to the immortality OF tho soul, but II DIS
tiucty declares that ''God only hath Immortality "
'srhe Bible hell Is the grave II rs state, not place
But the grave Is cmphatcally ''placc" and
estate" Mr.. Magruier Is unfortunate IN quoting the
OF Jonah crying from the belly OF hell as an Illus
trstion Of hell being state and not place. Tor Jonah
was In a place not toe grave aLd was Ia CONSCIOUS
existence in that place also. The cartb he believes
is to DC the na aud eternal abode OF the righteous
and on the foregoing premises laid down by MN no
man scendcth to heavan" David Is not asccnded &c
HIS ASCENSION, "Whither 20 ye canhot Gomez 1t is
therefore, paganisn, hethnks. to teach that the good
60 TO heaven when they die and ihe wicked to
flaming, ncry hell, To endure endless tormenta
PUNISHMENT ETERNAL, hut THE WICKED ANNiHIt ATED.
or similar import Is Tho communication Of ar" son
| 10 US in print Ho denies emphatcay, with tho EN-.
phass of small capitals that there Is 'any such thing
AS eternal suffering, any such place as ah eternal he
or any soul" The principle OF cxegesis on
winch "I." interprets tho scriptures Is ths:-"l
texts Chat arc believed TO teach Tho Immortality
OF the soul and eternal punshment) can be under
stood in any other sense, then they cannot DC taken
MS proving eternal suffering" Tnc readers OF the
HERALD can readily Imagine how this principle II ap
Piled other writings besides the Bible would Oper-
to the confusion, If not to the destruction, Of any
Just conception OF IA writer's meaning. The true priu
clple OF Interpretation Of course Is 10 hnd out what
the writer really moant or intended 10 say IN the
neclion IN which no uses certain words or phrases.
In every language certain words are used 70 convey
different ideas, sometimes opposite IDEAS and
the sense must be learned BY tho IN.
ncxiop OF sound or accent. "T." takes
ground that eternal death (oi the body IS eternal
punishment, AMI gives this illustration IN pr ooi -
''Ii u man Is hanged Tor crimes committed, Is u d
punisbnentr Ii 1t be purisnmcnt, when does II
endy Certainly not until he IS brought back to the
same position ha stood In before tie was hanged As
this impossible, his punishment is an everlasting
one" ''if deprivation OF Tito and all that
fe contains OF interest to min part of tho pun