The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-28
THAT BAD PLACE.
Multiplying Opinions on The Question Of
Future Punishment.
THE DEVILS DEBUT.
DR.. Hepworth Resumes His Line
of Investigation.

Hepworlh preached yesterday his second sermon on
the subject OF retrbuton. He selected for his text
ST Paul's Epstle TO Timothy, K, 20 and 27-"For II
we sin wilfully after have received the knowledge
Of the truth there remaineth more sacrifice tor
sin, but certain fearful looking for OF judgment and
fiery Indignation, which shall devour tho adversary"
The more you study these words, said DR.. Hep
worth, the moro you are convinced that they state
a very formid judgment against wrongdoers In
deed, Que cannot read the New Testament with
without arriving at the conclusion that
its denunciation OF sin Is with all
the strength OF which language is capable. Some pas
sages both in the New and tho Old Testament
against the possibilities Of the future though they
cry OF horror Right out OF the very heart Of
things VIC shown within ourselves. and with the
iorco Of inspiration, that every SIN we commit, with
Its consequences will mako the soul recoil when IL
thinks OF 1t. Before have consciousness OF
good lite we become acquainted, as thoroughly
as possible, with ourselves. Law Is uncompromsIng
to It's consequences man cannot be- blessed ex-
capt he Is harmony with God You are blessed just
In the proportion IN which you are in harmony with
God We know OF no law ny which we can enjoy the
sunshine by standing IN the shade. The world
must be made all over again before an evll
mind and q good mind live together.
Now, you may criticise The Bible as much as you
please you may think That many OF The statements Of
Hansiations IN the Now Testament, but the bottom
remains intact that man cannot 60 astray who
Obcys It's spirit, ana that mau inevitably eDuS his
lie IN dscord and unrest who puts the teachings of
Bible out OF his lilo and regards the Bible as un-
necessary. Disobedence always has been and always
will DO the synoDyme OF unquieude unrest and dis.
satisfaction with ourselves. Tnls because the
Bible says is but is SO because 1t is IN the nature
oil things.
Allow me to put before you these propositions and
to ask Tor them your careful consideration. AS long
the soul sins IN the very nature OF things 1t must
be punished. IL the soul sins etarnally then, in The
very na,ure OF things, It's punishment Will be eter
nal. II, IN the order OF natural law, the time ever
comes when, from hablual preference for evil, the
and capacity tor good shall be rooted out hell
is a realized TACT Science has been trying tor the
last generation 10 account Tor the universe without
God 1t denies The immortality Oh tho soul and the
moral responsibility OF man. Now propose to draw
IRON science itself the material Tor all my argument
this morning. The tendencies that we are most
familiar win multiply themselves. Your tendency
and mino is TO cryslaiizo our habits. Now 1t is con-
ceivable TO my mind, and 1t IL 10 yours that man
may become holy that no shall abhor with
every pulse and throo OF mis- nature. Evil
shan become 10 him moral mpossiDiity. That Is a
two edged sword. The habit oil tho wr0Dgdoer may
become liked that all love oil right and desire to
wrong may become SO strong that all right feeling
within the heart may lose It's power OF resistance.
talking now OF deliberate sin--of SIN against light ;
in othcr words, of SIN which you and commit who
have been brought up under Christian influences and
Christian society. Ii were to speak OF those who
live in The slums OF life should be compelled to Use
another kind OF argument. Their lie IL overiad on
the side oil evil In your case and mine wrongdoing
Is always deliberate.
Now let me take the next STOP Can that dispace-
mcnt ever become permanentY This Is entering upon
the chamber oil horrors. should ike 10 closo the
door and bolt 1t ~ fast that 10 man can cross tho
threshold But II oxists even when We ignore 1t. II
It Is there let us throw the door wide open and enter
want TO apply Mr. Darwns law to the progress Of
tho human soul 1t is this:-rhat unused powers be-
come extinct and tnat as the result Of It a now
species Is formed tho ostrich, Tor instance, once
had wings could n.y. II Jailed 70 It's wings be-
cause II discovered IT could with sufficient speed
IRON present dagger 1he consequence is that Inc
lqpa lhp INV ~ han
the wings have gradually decreased their proportions
until, al tho present moment. these wings are almost
rudimentary and practically useless. Wearo told that
the giraffe u short necked animal. During
long ages Of severe drought ind when all the grass
the sandy PLAIN was consumed, the giraffe led on the
branches OF Tho compelled to obtain his
subsistence IN that way or not ~ ALL The forces IN
his physical organization adapted themselves to tho
Gil cumstunces under which he led, and so
he stretched higher and higher, anu nature thus con-
cenrated It's energies TO enable him TO reach until
the short nccKed animal became the long
necked giraffe. Mr. Darwin says, ''eive me
time enough and will produce new species; give
me limo enough and ! Will produce any species F"
Now, BRETHREN apply the law and do II rgidly When
tho soul loves the right and looks into tho lace oil God,
that SOUPS tendency toward wrong is permanently
dissatisfied and decreases In Us aptitude toward wrong
Give me time II shall he 0biIeraLed utterly. W.
shall nave nGw KIND OF being, very archangel,
utterly unable to commit sin. Is II not, my brethren
the other hand, ivaDlo that the soul may
the wrong and deliberately prefer until tho moral
appreciation decreases and loses It's moral influence
altogctherY
THE SPECTRE OF HE'LL MIR. o. D. FEoTHING-
HAM
Mr.. 0. b. rockingham invited his fashionable
and overlooking audience In Masonic Temple 10
once moro consider with him the subject OF future
punishment The dogma OF future punishment, he
said has for the last hundred years been undergoing
many notifications until now 1t is run out AT the
time when this dogma prevailed another doctrine was
started and school OF thinkers arose whose masters
taught that punishment was moral and not physical in
Its na,ure that conscience the invisible judge who
sits IN judgment within mems bosoms. The old APP
partition OF eternal torture taken away
and the literal fires Of hell were dampod
aud exlingusned. But In the place OF hcl's
fro another revolving appariton in the thing
OF conscience set up; thing which was TO be the
avcpger OF mems evil deeds. Mr.. rockingham called
this doctrine unreasonable and no less horrd than
the one which preceded IT, 1t was well known fac,
that the rich and powerful, who ought to have the
largest share OF conscience have the least Of 1t, and
that the poor and unfortunate those the
largest amount Of conscience. Surprising conscience
Is not a faculty OF the human mind, IT must be created
for the purpose OF torturing people into the DC.
lei IN luturc suncrings ii enters into the Chris
tan idea that Cod collects the dust VI humanity
IRON all corners OF the earth in order that II
may DO burned. 1t is Impossible Tor rational
mind to Imagine Deny who could create
such thing AZ eternal punishment According to the
reasonable doctrine OF the Sweden borg there
Is no agony, pam, sorrow or suffering hereafter dam
naton consists ia the unhappy state OF mind wherein
the man places himself by his action his punish
ment ~ That instead oil being man, in the iull sense
the word, he constitutes himself some lower animal
having less enjoyment OF pleasure than perfect man.
Hell rs therefore abolished, The pleasures OF Que IN
heaven intellectual ana moral, the pain OF hell be-
ing gross and animal But II man likes to enjoy
bmseIi in he'll, no one mas right TO interfere with
him." (5oDsation and nugh,er.)
WHERE HILL.
Here the preacher un,yzcd The word punishment
anu showed the Icxicographcrs meaning o. IT, I'LL II
lost IT'S Significance ana became identical with "com-
pensation, or mercantile method Of comp Z
Tor wrong done To another. IL made the ignorant
person ana the wrongdoer feel that he had done
something more than DJurc his neghDor and tnat tho
compensation should be something moro adequate
than counting down lew dollars in pay ment Tor a
bad deed IN tins idea originated the spectre Of he'll
The saxon laws were ci,cd 10 show that an injury
done 10 u noble, lord Or peasant could be ccmpcn-
sated ior by payment ia money. But
Iho loss OF member. IN being
othcrwisc MANNED the person injured suffered an liz
dignity which could not be conpe nsatcd for by the
fI,a