The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1878-03-01
For THE MARIETTA JOURNAL
ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.

may suffer in right doing but cannot
be punished for doing right. If in the
moral constitution of things, there
can be no rewards without holiness,
and no punishment without sin, then
heaven must ba a state, as we'll as a
place, and hell condition as we'll as
a place; then heaven and hell are
not arbitrary things, not dependent
on the will of the Creator, but the
moral condition of the creature -
Man may suffer arbitrarily, but can
not in the nature of things be pun,
ished arbitrarily. Leaving God and
the Bible out of this discussion, ma
ture has either by law or accident,
established a law, that like begets its
like, and experience confirms the
fact that punishment always follows
sin in this world; therefore if man
lives to eternity, if he does not
change, will he not suffer forever
If nature should ever lose its balance
and fall back into chaos, and then
start again, is it not most probable
she will follow the same old beaten
track, and the same cause produce
the same effect The belief in
Atheism does not save man from suf-
fering and punishment here, nor does
if offer any reasonable probability
that men will be saved from sin and
punishment hereafter, if the Bible is
true, and there is God who governs
the moral and natural worlds.
Our faith in God does not relieve
the fact that men sin, and are pun
ished in this world. If men believe
that Jesus was really the Christ that
was to come, and accomplished all he
promised to do, still men sin, and are
punished, IfGod can prevent sin and
punishment ia the other world, why
has He not prevented it in this 7 II
it is against His nature for man, and
devils to suffer forever, is it not
equally against His nature and gov
ernment for them to suffer at all Is
it not probable that if the Divine
power and goodness could have
created a moral being without the
possibility of sin and punishment,
that He would have done it'll 1t is
impossible but that infinite wisdom,
power and goodness could create any
other moral universe, than the best
that could be cFsateds Is it proba-
BILE He will ever change it, to suit
his enemies, and the opposers Of all
good 2 Man is man, and God il
God, in this world God reigns, and
rules here, and man sins, and is
punished here. If he is man in the
other world, and God is God in the
other world, and man sins and is
punished here, will he not sin and
be punished there 7 Is not sinner
in this world sinner in all worlds
If God does not change in the other
world, and the sinner cannot, then
the sinner must suffer forever.
Tt is often asked if Divine good
ness can punish forever2 We re-
ply, Divine goodness does not punish
at ell. 1t is the will Of God that Ill
men should be saved. He has 20
pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but than he turn and live. Man sins
against the will Of God, and is pun
sished against His nature and His
will. God gave His only begottou
Son to Keep men out of hell. Man
ruins himself against oil the mercy,
grace and warning Of the Almighty
ooh, Israel, thou has destroyed thy
self" Men will be damned because
they will not be saved. If men viii
not be saved 10 this world, what evi
dence have we that they will chang'
ia the other Z Is it possible in tht
nature Of things for God to offer |
stronger motive to the human mint
to be good in the other world tina
God does not bold out 10 the mind il
this 7
He says "what more could | hav'
done, than / have already done =
God is 10 Chriss, and Jesus declares
he would have saved Jerusalem, bul
he could not, because they would not
It may be argued, man is here in th'
flesh, and there he will be a spirit
Is not the flesh one Of the strong
motives to be gooodY Are there nj
motives in the ties of friendship AMI
kindness 7 Where do VIC fad sth'
most reckless forms Of character
are they not among those farthes
removed from society, seaman anc
soldier, etc.H What will the sailor
be when on the wide sea, where al
the ties Of flesh and blood are brok
en-. and all his restraints arc
gone forever Thousands are helc
within the bounds of decency only by
the restraints of mothers, wives anC
friends. We need not lift the val
to look into eternity to prove mer
will nsver repent. Wreck aftel
wreck drift by US daily. There are
thousand of men in Georgia tosday
who will never repent. They will
vbide the Judgment as they are
There must be an end Of strife
Perennial nature proclaims the eter
nal relstions Of things. The oai
bends under the storm, but rise
4 4