The New York herald., 1878-02-24

possible who Is not conscious OF III desert and
does accept just. 10 Is only SO long
rs dspeased with himself aud knows that God dis
pleased with him also and for cause, that punishment
s possible And, moreover, men can suner The Keen
est form OF punishment only SO long az they retain
ana reassert the wicked purpose or the wicked
oct AS soon as repent and renounco
both. even though God should continue TO
iee aGd express his displeasure for what they
had BEEN men should nnd some taste OF heaven In
their present renunciaton OF their wicked past The
Doctor thinks II probable, though not certain, that
every tree agent who SINS against the restraints i'm
posed by his own moral sense and the vii! OF God
overeaps barrier along the pathway OF goodness and
OF Ie which ne viii never eectually desire TO rscross
Every purpose which We cal sinful may in its very
nature be permanent or eternal. IL certainly shows
itss he says. 10 bs persistent as II gathers strength
experience teaches anything, Il teaches tnat moral
recovery must be inspired furthored from without
Professor Porter shows that AL forms oi religion as
sumes to be a sinner aud needing sucn in;erven-
ton, and u Is on this assumption that christianity
rests its claim 10 be received as supernatural ana
divine. IL offers q remedy IRON sin which u declares
10 be from COD. IL presses II upon him but does not
compel him take it. 1t o1crs II upon conditions and
plainly tells him tnat he canno. fail TO comply with
these conditions without loss ana penalty.
What this penalty and loss may be in thor nature
and effect the questions presented for discussion
Unless the axoms already laid down are true reve-
aton Of mercy blessing IS either meaningless or
useless or Impossible Tne Scriptures do realrm
those truths IN iorm but they imply their authority
by declarations, examples and actiops which take
ornament OF OF which Atar AFTER another
emerges 10 meet mans longing gaze Tor iisnt from
above and neyond Against tnis background they arc
all projected Tho background itself only ceases 10
be dscrned noticed when the sun arises and Hoods
the heavens wi b ts excess oil light
II we must assume these ethical truths 10 assure
ourselves Christian revelation Is IRON God We
also these truths IN Interpreting the import
app caion OF ltg declarations. Against this same
background OF eternal love, which Is but another
the sayings in the revealed word that are dark
or enismatical concerning mans future, whether
words the sgnlnoanco OF iuagcs or the historic sur
roundings undor which they were uttered all these
we oy wnSs We Know 70 oe !rIe Of man as
ruler OF the needs OF under bondage ~ u
wicked Will aud habits Of evil. aud OF his capacities
for suffering from the inherent nature Of evil and the
deserved and manifested d'speasure OF God.
Whatever representations We ind OF mans w"ak-
dcpravity and dauesr whatever hixn-wrought
pictures OF God's anger or It's continuance We must
hold fast to tho primal truths which mako God dear TO
affections our pltying Father or venerable as
that God is morally perfect that we as,
sert that Ne would d.hght 10 receive nonor s anu
love from all his creatures, that He uses all Inc means
Tor the triumph OIL goodness and The deverance oi All
tnat He wisely can 90; tnat ne Will never cast on
soul truly loves HIM in any part oil his domnions,
or In any period OF his administration; and that he
cannot possibly be dspleased witl or enectively
punish, any being who loves Him IN The present, or
who repents OF not having loved aud obeyed HIN In
FUTURE PROBATION AND RESTORATION.
Whether he Will being the whole human race, in
this lie another TO moral harmony with Himself,
whether He will sooner or aier terminate the ex
stence OF those who are not reclaimed or, whether
He will doom such TO conscious and continued
suffering during immortal exlstcnce--are The
questions IN respect TO which the several authors
were invited 10 give their opinons with the
reason holding them. These reasons Dr. Porter
says 10 be 0und in The testimony oi the scriptures
interpreted by the grammatical and historical
methous whic ich accepted by ali Prolesan. theoo.
uians IN connection WITH those ethical uutns which
shine by their own shi OF which all comm unications
from God TO man must be interpreted, II, by their
manifested truth they are to be commended 10 every
mans conscience IN the sight OF God
FRorHiSGHAM's REVIEW AND VIEWS
fnrA wi. nj hr Sli
condensed, which were sent 10 the eminent clergy.
men already named and upon which they
sidered DR.. Porter's statement to be CAIN and
candid, but at tho same time as revealing
the extent to which the doctrine involved has Ia the
course OF time become atlenuated. II Is only CEN
tury suce jonathan Edwards dropped his bttuminous
rhetoric, as Mr. Fro,hngnam calls IT, upon the tender
sensibiltles OF the uncouverted; and To-day great
theoogan ike Dr. Porter consuits the seosiDilites OF
MANKIND and does not SO much as suggest the awful
doom oil which Edwards and his hearcrd were certain
Tho concessions oil modern theology are fatal, MI
Frothingnum thinks. 10 the vulgar doctrine That
doctrine requires the active suffering iutense and Tor
an ina .lni.e PERIOD OF all VINO accept
generating offces ot the Holy SPIRIT through Chrst.
The COZ is lhe result depravity
Utter depravity involves utter obstruction. Annihra
ton would logically meet the condltious OF the casei
but annihIaon carries no terrors TO careless minds
10 multitudos IL would be welcomed Upon. Tho
annihilatlon, therefore, was never popular
in tho Church. The curse pronounced on Cam,
that he should not die, that no man should
Kill him, that he should 1.-Two to suffer- WAS
pronounced against rccusant humanity. The dogma
thinker next Introduces and comments upon Dr.
Porter's propositions about punishment Tor cause
being continued until the wicked purpose anu the
wicked repent oil and orsaken, and say that
start from premises Is TO make rapidly toward
UntaranIsm and enter on Tue nigh road out OF Chris
uauity The irrationality OF the doctrine o endless
punishment Is It's stronghold IN Inc ordinary 'evan-
gecc mind, SO that the Introduction Of moral ideas
overthrows or rather undermines IT.
THE THEOLOGICAL PROPOSITIONS DENIED.
Tne doctrine III question can DC argued only on
theological grounds That Is to say, the reasoning
nv n al al N. n.
known, abstract quantities being assumed as points OIL
departure; the contention being wholly IN the air
Tue theoogian posts God as personal oeing inte-
gent tree with intellect to devise, heart 10
ove aud will 10 choose; beng oi perfect moral
goodness, unspotted holiness and perfect love he
posts man as a moral being, personal and
free POSSESSING all The endowments which requi
site or responsioe ACTIVITY ue'ns @ wno a. ",mss ~
the supreme law of MS inner and OUTWARD ACTIVITY
The lheologsn next assumes the existence oi moral
relation between these bengs and proceeds 10 reason
on these ptloEs tho basis oi such relation
Mr. Frotningnam denies the assumptions or hesi-
tatcs to accept them, and says that tue
practical application OF the doctrine becomes
Impossible the moment The ethics OF the clergy
give place to the ethics OF social e the Speculative
Justification OF IL becomes impossible Inc moment the
distractions OF the scholastic give place TO the acs
oi the observer. The human consciepce aboshesthe
practice; tho human abolishes The theory.
Dr. Portcr's other set OF axioms, Mr.. Fr0thinahsm
says move IN an opposite direction toward raonal'sm
wnicn endeavors understand what the moral
order of the world actually The scientific
mind entertains no conception Of future pun
isument Whatever Ana 10 conception Satans
relributon, satisfaction, punishment and the rest are
empty Dgures Of speech-piciurc language, which,
Perhaps contain no meaning 10 say, as an ortnocox
oi this city recently sad that the doctrine
OF uturc punishment Is iudceusible apart from the
Scriptures, Is, In Mr. Frothlngham's opinion, an
abandoumen mt oil the theological ethical ground
Tor the exeRcticaL And this. he thinks is virtually
an bandonmenl OF the doctrine altogether.
Passing, then, TO tho Scriptures, Mr. rockingham
looks upon the Biblo as simply q bVok--a literary
pnen omenon-t0 be read critically Judciously INTEL
hgeptly, other writings are read Anu viewed In
tnis light, sentence like depart from me ye cursed
into everlasting bre prepared for the devil ana his an
gels" derives authority from lie position In New
Testament writing, or IRON It's being put into the
mouth OF Jesus II is like boulder the surface Of
q meadow, which the geologst explains Dy tracing It's
history and origin To some remote formation OF rock.
II the text just quoted or any text OF ike tenor can
be traced 10 Baby Ion, and ultimately to the Persian
dualism which imported into Palestine by the re-
turning captvcs, then It deserves as mucn considera-
ton the Persian theory OF duaiism descrves--as
much, anu more. IL Is of the same stun with the
org nal formation. from which II Is fragment The
believers IN duaism will II with respect not on
account OF IT'S incidental location but on account