The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-01-08
THAT HOT PLACE.
PROFESSOR SWING On HELL
He Belle YES I'm worshipping God m
a Friend and Not as q Monster.

Fr1eD0 anu MOI as u "onsseH'
CHICAGO, January 6.-Professor Davic
Swing, of the Central, preached notable
sermon to-day to his congregation in Nc
Vicker's Theater, on the subject of
merciful God and endless punishment
In the course of his remarks he SAID:
The Philadelphia clergy are said t.
have convened last week, and 10 have
passed unanimously resolution OF en-
| tire confidence in the endlessness OF III
ture pupishments; but their meeting sno
their action show that they confess to
powerful distur bsnce Of the theoloslcs
air, and feel that the time tas come iol
the champions of the old idea to marct
| around town in full armor and uniform
that temerty may check itself, or Know
at least, what to expect. All this sensi
bllity of the older school OF theologlsai
shows that the mountain on whose SIDE:
we have lived peacefully so long is al
last moved within, and may not on the
morrow be such an emblem OF repose
To let the definition of God and Hell
stand untouched, is as absurd as to leave
untouched the old definition Of plow, OF
ring. or beauty. The word OF God does
not signify now what 1t sgnltied when
David prayed for curses upon his enemies,
or when Caesar mentioRed that name IN
his war journals ID his bloody career. As
the beautiful in civilized lands Is not
modelled after the beautiful OF Africa or
Feiee. but sfter their own deeper and
purer ideals, so the theological forms OF
the new ages may not be lavish patrons
OF old outlines, but must be the forms OF
the isst and best reflection.
The new and bold words spoken in the
past year by many Scotch ?resbyter'
ians, and re echoed st last by Mr.. Beecher
and by sn English clergyman OF eminent
learning and piety, are part Of those
inevitable words which must come when
society is cropping along toward better
protrsitures of God, and Heaven, and
nell a former ;era was SO unfortunate
As 10 picture its heavenly Father as beng
4 person VINO owned bottomless lake o.!
fire, and as being person for whose own
good pleasure, regardless OF sin alore seen,
toreordsined millions 10 spend endless
wears in that lake OF fire. 1t IS not
so much wonder that the
Scotch CalSinisLs aud all Calvsnists are
rising up against such an idea o: God rs
that. The idea never could have lived
for week, or ior moment, IN the hu.
man heart. Born out OF the public cruel
*, the definition of God must needs so)n
enjoy the modifying influences of 8
deeper public education and ofgrowlng
Justice and kindness. ArminIanism,
Unitarisnism, Qlakerism, Universallsm
and Methodism were some OF the forms
assumed by the soItened thought and
feeling Of the seventeenth century, while
III the Roman Catholic Church the school
of Fenelon came along, showing par
sllel mitigation of the nature OF hell and
OF the hitherto measureleSs malice OF God.
The recent uttersnces ofseversl Scotch
Presbyterisns, o. Canon Fsrrar and OF
Mr.. Beecher are the latest snd boldest
words in dissent, which has been NUT
tering thunder for half u hundred years.
Those last years are only The sharp
thunder, showing that the storm has
come that II is overhead, that our houses
ard fields will soon receive the good or
i'll OF the enraged elements. "What OF
the night watchman?' No exact words
ever come to US from the future; but
from all appearances it seems thst the
storm will not be a. all terrific,
and that the old definition
of the Hesvenly Father will
soon be fully dead, and we shall see ali
Christians join in the regret that they
should have cherished SO long picture
so empty of divine features. The old
theology is dying peacefully, and will
evidently soon cesse TO exist and, as
" ben King dies. they combine the
shouts, The King is dead! Long live the
kingp 80 IN the desth-chamber OF old
theology the Christian world will min
gle memory and hope in one sentence:
The creed is dead Long live the
crcedp' A new faith will have distin-
guished itself from the old, and gran
der religion will sit down upon athrone
which has been gathering domain and
subjects Tor eighteen centuries.
The objection one might make to the
violent Ian gusge, even the solemn oaths
of Mr.. Beecher, Is, that why did, or how
could he become so aroused over al idea
Of God which is already 60 hupelessly
empty Of practical power2 Sucn Intense
D. OF ma hour hnn
the liberty of State or Of race were
in peril Perhaps, on the other hand,
there are Christians vet living who do
hold TO the old letter, and upon whose
heavy ears only the crashing and pound
ing ST the Plymouth desk could make
any impression. II such worshlpers o. n
revengeiul God still remain here and
there in the Church, then lie; the Ply
mouth eloquence and sEsthemss roll on,
for it IS high time tbst the kind Father
who msde man and who loves man
were worshipped, not IS monster. but
rs friend
Will this vverturning OF the old be-
lief regarding future iormeEts sfect bad
" tie future of Christianity or OF public
morals? Are we not lett 10 conjecture
tor reply? The nsjority Of Chr stisns
have rot Tor hslt century realized thst
there was any such hell as thst pictured
by the church. The words have been
repested as OF old. 70 some degree, but
with Catholic snd Protestant the old
significance has falleh awsy. snd left be-
hind only the general truth that @God
will punish sin and reward virtue.
From this debate, which new shskes s.l
doclrines, 10 harm Can come, Tor the
ideas which most influence the human
mind sre moving on without chsnge.
,~.~u..x, IN m. son ruarfou of