The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-01-17
from the New York Times.l
HE'LL AND A REVENGING GOD.

lcrOuI LNe new OK VlmeSl
HELL AND A. REVENGMG GOD.
tsERMoN BY PROF. SWING, OF CHICAGO.
CHICAGO, Jan. 6.-Prof. David Swing, of
the Central Church, preached notable SER
mon to-day to his congregation. in Mcyick-
er's Theatre, on the subject of merciful
God and endless punishment In the course
of his remarks he said: ssThe Plilalelplia
clergy are said to have convened last week
ahd.to have passed unanimously a resolu-
ton OF entire conflencein the endlessness
OF future Spunishments but their meeting
and their action show that they confess to a
powerful disturbance of the theological air,
and feel that the time has come for the
champions'of the old idea to march around
the town in full arms and uniform, that te-
| merity may check itself or know at least
| what to expect. All this sensibllity of the
older school of ttieologians shows that the
| mountain on whose sides we have lived
peacefully so long is at last moved within,
| and may not ON the morrow be such an EN-.
| blem OF repose. TO let the old definition OF
God and hell stand un.ouched is rs absurd
as to leave untouched the old definition OF
plow, or King, or beauty. The Word OF
God does not signify now what it signiied
when David prayed for curses upon his ene-
mics, or when Cesar mentioned that name
in his war journals in his bloody career. As
the beautifn, in civilized lands is net mod
eled after the beautiful OF Africa or. Fill, bnt
after their own deeper and purer ideals, so
the theological forms of new ages may not
be lavish patterns of old outlines, but must
be the forms of the last and best reflection.
The new and bold words spoken in the past
year by many Scotch Presbyterians, and re-
echoed at last by Mr.. Beecher and by an
English clergyman of eminent learning and
piety, are part OF those inevitable words
which must come when society is CROPPING
along toward better portraitures Of God and
heaven and hell and Of self. As 20 the pic
ture of a former era which was-so unfortrI-
nate as to paint its Heavenly Father as be-
ing person who owned bottomless lake OF
fire, and as being person who, for His own
good pleasure, regardless of sin aforeseen.
foreordained millions to spend endless years
in what lake OF fire, it is net 50 much won
der that the Scotch Calvinists, and all Cal
vinists, are rising p'against such an idea OF
God, as that the idea ever conltl'haye lived
for week, or for a moment in the human
heart. Born out of the public cruelty, the
definition of God must needs soon enjoy the
modifying influence of a deeper public edn
cation and of growing justice AMI Kindness.
Armenanism, Unitariansm, Qnakerism,
Uniyersaiism, AIethodism, were some of the
forms assumed by the softenei thought aud
feeling of the seventeenth century, while in
the Roman Catholic Church the school OF
Fenelon came along. showing a parallel
mitigation of the nature Of hell and OF the
hitherto measureless malice OF God. The
recent utterances. of several Scotch Presby-
terians and of Canon Farrar and Of Mr.
Beecher, are the latest and boldest words in
dissent which has been muttering thun-
der for half hundred years. Those last
words are only the sharp thunder, showing
that the storm has come-that It is overhead
that our houses and fields will soon re.
CSIvC GIC SOUu VI tttC itt VI buC Ci6>
ments. What of the might Waterman? No
exact words ever come to us from the fl,-
ture, but from all appearances it seems that
the storm will not be at all terrific, and that
the old definition Of the Heavenly Father
will soon be fully dead, and we shall see all
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 cease to
exist; and, as when King dies, they COM
bine the shouts, 1.-The King is dead Long
live the king.'' So in the death chamber
OF the old theology, the Christian world will
min%e memory and hope in one sentence
s'The creed is dead Long live the creed "
A neW faith will have disentaneled itself
from the old, and a grander religion will sit
down upon throne which. has been gather
ing domain and subjects for Is centuries.
The objection one might make to the violent
language, even the solemn oaths OF Mr..
Beecher, is that why did or could he become
so AROUSED over an idea Of God which is al
ready so hopelessly empty OF practical pow
er. Such intense feeling were worthy of
some honor when the liberty Of a State or of
race were in peril. Perhaps. on the other
hand, there are Christians yet living who do
hold to the old letter, and upon whose
heavy ears only the crashing and pounding
at Plymouth desk could make any impress
sion. If sucI, worshipers Of a revengeful
God still remain here and there in the
Church, then let the Plymouth eloquence
apd anathemas roll on, for it is high time
! that the kind Father who made man and
| who loves man were worshiped,s net as
monster but as q friend. Will this over
turning OF the old belief regarding future
torments affect badly the future Of Chris
tianity, or Of public morals? We are not
! left to conjecture for reply. The stnajori-
| ty of Christians have not for Il half century
realized that there was any such hellas that
| pictured by the Church. The words have
been repeated, as OF old, to some degree,
but with Catholic and Protestant the old
| significance has fallen away, aud has lett
| behind only the general truth that God will
| punish sin aud reward virtue. From this
| debate, which now shakes the old doctrines,
no harm can come, for the ideas which most
influence the human mind are moving on
/ ward without chance"
Mr.. BeecLer's' Views on Hell.
| TIE following letter is in reply to cue
asking Mr.. Beecher if the secular press had
properly represented his doctrinal views of
the "Atenement'' and of ''Rctribntioa'' to
the finally impenitent
| BROOKLYN. n. Y, January g.. 1873.
M Dear M. Morrison-It is ipconceiya-
| BILE to me how rational men should allow
themselves to be excited by the periodical
misreports of the reporters, aud the Asso-
ciated Press reports based upon theaj in re-
gard to my sentiments. Week after week
my sermons are reported in full, by Mr.. Ell
linwood, and printed in tile Christian Union,
of New York, and no man need be alta loss
to know my religious sentiments. For
twenty-five years, in newspapers. in print
ed volumes, as well as from the pulpit,
have preached and printed, inevery conceiv-
able form, the truth Of Inspiration aof the
Sacred Scripture, the existence and Govern
ment Of God, the doctrines OF the Trinity,
ne n a 49,