The New York herald., 1878-03-24
RETRIBUTION.

IS 1T ENDLESS OR LIMITED !-DR. BEECHER
coRRECTs ONE OF HIS CRITICS.
TO rHB EDITOR rHR HERALD
ask leave to correct some In communica-
ton OF Dr. G. W. Samson. In which certain state
ments made affecting me and my wltnoss. Oymp.
iodorus. l had made q quotation from him TO prove
aiomios used by him to characterize limited
punishment, as opposed TO one that Is eternal In
tho first place. his statement TO the place where
the quotation may be Aound and will mis-
load any who tries 10 ind II He says that It Is
the Aldine edition OF the works OF Aristotle pub
nshcd Venice in 1851. know OF NO such edition.
Tho Aldne cdion OF the complete works OF Aristotle
In Avo volumes, was published In Venice IN
l495-9s, folio. The passage in question does
not occur in this edition, for It does not
contain The commentary OF Oiympiodorus, MS
stated by Dr. Samson. The passage is TO be found
In tho Aiane edition Of the documentary OF OlympL
odorus" on one OF the trestses OF Arsiotie that Is
tho "Meteorologicu Venice 1851. Il occurs on page
81 But this ~ verv scarce u may be fouhd ~
ldciers edition Of the Meeorologioa vol l, p 2s2
Lips, 1884 49, Svo.
in order 10 avoid the idea that this philosopher
calls limited punishment aio"tan, US opposed TO
10 my witness, Olympi0dorus ny representing him
grossly conIradcting himself he represents him
first saying that tho soul not punished cDdcssy,
anu as opposed this, uirnnx inat II Is punished
'ever cxistently" which ~ endlessy. la behalf ot
OlympiOdorus / protest against sLcu Injustice He
says that II Is punished for limited period,
ana this he characleiizes by diomios
DR.. Samson Also does injustice TO Oiynpiodorus
by representing him as meaning, by tho soul, only
the animal soul, which Is not immortal, as distn-
guishod from the pneumd, or spirit which is The
context shows plainly that Oympi0d0rua was speak
ing OF the spirits Of all men, ana II DR.. Samson Will
read u he will hud that II IL He was speaking Of
Tartarus ana OF NIL It's departments ior retrbulve
fiction aud OF all the human who camc " them.
he suppose tnat they cit their spirits benind
them. Undoubtedly he agreed with PmIo who by
psuche, soul 0eu dosgn as we do, The immortal
spiIiI
Hence all the reasoning Of Dn. Samson, basod on
il exists aud that Tor this reason tue punishment u
called eternal, falls away Also his idea OF physically
healing soul that Is punished tn II 10 auniaIlaIed
too ridiculous to be imputed ~ Oymplodorus who
was obviously man OF sense.
ID. samson PROCESSES to adopt tho Platonic idea OF
dionios III the TimRcus II he adopts IL As applied 10
Coo ne ought not " speak oi uture punishment any
moro, Tor God as aionos, Plato tolls u.s. mas mother
past nor Iu;urc. "do 10" Is tho proper statement
acc ording TO him. Ot this OlynpiodOrus was well
aware and he iutimatos that he aid
use atOn,0s IN mis- PIatonc sense, Uut In usual,
common sense He had 100 much sagacity to adopt
PiatOnic sense which excludes all iuturc times,
and then 10 talk Of endless or iuturc punishment
But DR.. Samson seems ~ have no correct Idea OF
what Plato means by ason and aso"tos Certainly he
imputes 10 him ideas which he has mover expressed,
anu from which he would have revoltsd ~ absurd
and scll-c contradictory These arc tue words o Dr.
samson :-'Ui Plato, IN his 'rmacus, says TINT
Is the .contaner well as the runer' o aii things
ana bengs including God and the universe; that It's
essential meaning is always existent (1tOn)-thatis
IAN enduring aidsos writton originally Gidios
living exstenco', real being enduring 'through al
eternity (dta tou atOnosC"
Let US carefully consider these statements. We are
told tnen, that according 70 Plato 1.-The essential
meaning of aton Is always ex'stent'-that is, an
cvor enduring hving existence, real being cndur
Ing through eternity" through the aion, dia ou
a,onos But noe we ask. What is .hs second aios
through whch tne first oion, tho living beng, en-
auresY Is another real Hs'ngs Il 80,
what is hy We need now definition. But
this Is not all Thus real being. thus over
the 'lramer' OF all things und beings, Including
Cod aud The aniverse. VI course II ms wonderful
something superior TO Him. Moreover. II he framed
tie universe Then God dd not; and II ho contaos the
universe then God does no. Who ihen, is THIS Won
deriu a,on that Is not God Du' is ~ lar superior
ta,ns .Aims Aud any one suppose
such tn ,nrs as ,hcses Yss Dr. samson tells us Ina.
be has said them Ia his "flmaeus." In behalf OF
Plato protest against such injurious misrepresenta
lions. Pluto regards as the eternal now, IN
which God and the tmmutabie ideas which arc the
nodeB OF created Things dwell without past or
future. The Supreme God, who IL eternal IN this
tcnse framed tho universe out OF Chaotic materials Ia
with these ideas aud created and Infused
inso II aud through 1t divine soul WHICH makes the
universe "a subordinate God. He made tho stars aud
planets also other subordinate Gods and to them
inc lower animals The ..Timacas' 10 employ Cd In de-
scribing the processes through winch THIS universe
was thus framed as whole und IN oil It's parts THO
Supreme COD. by whom The universe was primarily
framed, is called IN tho Tnaeus" tho Eternal God,
the Father tho Creator but he Is not called dion nor
Is space that contains the universe ever calod dt0
Nor linc called ny that name III tue "rimaeus."
The eternal nOW aud has no past or iutur'
But Pialo calls time revolving image Vi It, which
hus past aud iutura This philosophical use Of dt0n
10 denote eternal now docs not occur
IN the early centuries OF the Greek language Nor Was
Il then used denote eternity In the common sense
term, d0nOting all timc past Or iuture, or
both Its first was liie ana tnen age, ana tnen
an age oi indefinite duration. The idoa OF eternity
came up tho history OF the word, and especially
that idea OF eternity which II is represented
ever enduring, now, without past or iuture
Hence, 20 REPRESENT Aristotle, as Dr. Samson
uoes, as declaring that the original aud IN.
cient scnse VI aiOn was eternity, and az
appealing to the ancients as sustaining him In this
view, nm great Injustice. IL represents him as
ehcr ignorant Ut the usagcs OF the ancents ors uc-
Deratey nisreprcsenting thcni. i0r sucn usages do
not exist tho earlier centuries VI tho Greek Ian
guage VI course cannot attempt to prove tns
assertion now, but II Or. Samson will consult my
''Hislory Opinions on the Scrptutal Doctrine oil
Reribution," nc Will lind evidence OF tho truth of
these statements.
Ur. Samson represents ME as misled, with the Rev.
John Miller, by bishops Butler aud Whatcly. Tho
Vows OF Mr.. Miller TO the mortality aud dlssolu-
oil the SOUL ana spirit ~ death do not accept
have reviewed them, and, as mink, rsiuted them.
IL he miscu IN these, as aleged by DR.. samson,
certainly was not, and ought not to be placed IN the
salno category. EDWARD BEECHEh.
THE LEOS OF The CHURCH.
The accession of Cardinal rocci to the Pontlcatc
Leo KILL has called up among our Catholic exchanges