Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-05
The Talk .Ibout Ketri6,.tiom.

A question on which men divide as
partlsans,-a question which is decided by
votes and not by arguments,-a question
which ostensibly rests in mems opinions,
and his kicked about by the lowest orators
and the lowest processes, lis one that soon
becomes deprived Of its Importance; and
men who tremble in the prospect of end
less suffering as the consequence of sin,
cease, at last, to believe in retribution
altogether. No greater misfortune could
happen to the world than this, for,
if there is one thing in which revelation
science,-and experience thoroughly
agree. it is in the doctrine that suffering
is, and must forever be, the consequence
OF sin. A man must trample on his own
common sense before he can believe that
if he falls asleep in this world an impure,
vicious, malignant man, he will wake up
in the next saint in heaven
To loose the idea Of retribution is to
lose the idea that holds the moral world
in equipoise. To make God so tender
and loving that without repentance and
reformation He will "clear the guilty" is
to disgrade Him beneath human con.
tempt. 1t blots out the sense of Justice,
it tr; Informs crime into mistake; it
makes nothing Of that which has filled
| this world with misery, and that which
will fill any world with misery, so long
as it may be persisted in. As long as
consequence follows cause, just so ling
will retrlbution follow sip, whether in
this world or the next; and to blot out
the belief in retribution in any man S
mind is to demoralize and debauch him.
| OF the more dlgnifed discussion of
the question of everlasting punishment
it IS proper to say word. That there is
a considerable number of orthodox min
listers who have given up, or are giving
up their belief in this dogma, there is no
question. The loosening hold upon it
has been evident for many years. End
less torment has been talked very little
about in American and English pulpits
for the last decade, and is rarely, except
IN a general way, presented as motive
to religious life. The Indian Orchard
minister has a multitude Of sympathizers
among his professional brethren, aud the
number is growing larger rather thar
smaller. The change comes partly Of a
change of views Of the character Of God
partly Of change Of ideas concerning
the office OF punishment, ard partly Of
new and better interpretations of Script
ure. Such men as Canon Farrar ano
Rev. Dr.. Wilton = eminent alike as ortho
dox Christians and scholars--have had a
great deal of influence on the profession
al mlDd of the Gay, in determining tha
phase of the question which scholarship
can alone determine, Wis, that which de
ponds upon the exact Interpretation Of
all that the sacred writings have to say
upon it.
DR.. Whiton's little book has made, anc
is making profound impression; and sc
important is it deemed BY some of those
who have read it, that money has been
freely put into his hand for its distriou
ton.
If there is to be a future life,-ant
that is the faith of Christendom and heath
endom, -it goes without saying that Their,
is to be retributation in it: but, as W,
have read DR.. Whiton's book, ther
S no declaration in Scripture that thu
punishment is to be endless,--and ne
declaration that it is not to be. The bool
is quite worthy Of any mans reading. ane
we commend it particularly to thos
whose votes have been canvassed by tn
reports. If they have not already pc
rsued it, they will learn that they votet
before they had ell the light there was t.
De had upon the subject.--Scribner TO
MQu.