The Van Buren press., 1878-06-25
The Reality of He'll,

The punishment which God executes
on the sinner, is just what the Bible de-
scribes. 1t is nothing more, and it is no.
thing less. . 1t is the penalty of viola.
ted law. II is the second death. In that
death God does not in1lict unnecessary
pang. He only executes the penalty 0
his own righteous law. There arc no un.
necessary impediments cast into the sim
ners cup of woe. God has no vindict-
i've feeling to crafty.
The most fearful ingredients in the
world Of woes, are those the sinner has
brought upon himself, and on his COM
panions in that dolciul region. He'll was
prepared for the devil and his angels,
not man. Man is an intruder upon the
abode Of his grand adversary and his
angels. Whether hell be literally fire
and birthstone or tgurative language, we
will not, in this short article, discuss J;
but the sinner, who dies in bis sins, by
his voluntary act "takes up his abode"
where he suffers with demons and devils
forever and forever. God gives all men
time to make their peace, calling and
election sure Man, and man, himself, by
his own choosing, enters hell, to help
make hell what it is. Indeed, he helps
give hell the Fearful.
There seems to be an obvious neccssi-
ty for understanding the worm that di-
eth not" fguratively, 1t is generally
considered to be the guilty conscience ;
hence, one of our poets says:
Conscience, the never-dying worm.
This is fearful state. | have but lit
tie doubt but what the worm that dieth
not" will be incomparably worse than
the fire that is not quenched," as men,
tai agony is worse than physical. Each
sin feeds the worm that will gnaw the
spirit. Sad, remorseful deathbeds show
what mental agony is. Each sin will bite
again. That is the meaning of the word
remorse. 1t comes from re-again, NOR
dire--to bite-to bite again.
The truly fearful ingredient in hell
will be for all of mans sins to be
biting him again. Almost every
thing that is terrible and awful in hell.
n makes il so. What sin does, the sin
ner does, for he voluntarily and wilfully
sins. He sins, Notwithstanding all the
warnings Of God the Father, Son and
Holy Ghost, and of angels and men.
But is it not right, if men will sin--if
they will turn a deaf ear to all the war
nings of God-that lie should permit
them to have the consequences of their
sins Sin is the scorpion that will tor
ment the soul. Hell has long since been
established, and sinners will make fuel
for that fire that never will be qucnched
Their transgressions feed the worm that
will never, never die. Sceptcs may
scorn scotfers turn the deaf ear to the
entreatics OF men, and the facts so plain
ly" laid down" in the Bible, but there is
Il hell.
1t seems to me one unpardoned sin on
the conscience would be, Of itself, pun
ishment enough to be called hell. Tru.
ly the great salvation is to be saved
from sin and hell. Oh. hell is fearful
doom but its only sin that makes hell
to be dreaded. To be saved from sin is
salvation indeed. 1t is not probable, nor
is il possible, that after evil man has wal
lowed in the filthy pools of sin and deg
relation, that God will take him out, all
over polluted with sin and deflod by
transgression, clothe him in the habilli-
ments of righteousness, and condnct
him, by u covcy of angels, to heaven.
God is the Judge Of all the earth, and
will do right. lie lets the obstinate
Christ reectcr, salvation-despiser, Holy
Ghost grover cat the fruit of his own
ways, and be filed with his own devices.
He lets him reap what he would SOW.
God would have snatched the cup of
death from his mouth, even after his
lips had tasted the poison, but he dashcs
the hand of mercy from him, who would
have been his Saviour.
Mercy would have saved him, but mer-
cy is dcspised Hell is dreadful, but the
sinner will not let God save him. Man,
in his sins, when lead to see himself as
he is, and see with the finite eye, and feel
within that Gods laws are just. A law
without a penalty is just about the same
as none at all. Man who is not born
again is not fit subject for heaven.
There all is pure; there all is lovely !;
there angels sing, and holy beings make
sweet music to God and the Lamb. Peace
reigns and happiness free from alloy.
The liar, who bears false witness
against his neighbor The thief who
breaks through and steals. The muir
dercr, whose hands are dripping with hui
man gore. The drunkard, with his bloat-
cd eye, his lvid lip, his tottering knee
The saloonkecper, whose daily business
is to hand out the cup, that beneath the
brim turks plague, fever, death, damna-
ton, all combined. Their voices can
never attune to the melody of Heaven,
but with others, who have not met God
in the pardon of their sins, find that
there is reality hell. W. W. IL.