The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-01-24
Eternal Punishment.

y
to say a word on the prevailing topic
of the day, that of External Punish
ment." | agree with Rev. Cruzan,
that nippancy should have no part in
the consideration Of so important a
subject. Though / do not wonder
that in the light of sound reason,
some ideas advanced on this subject
should be received with ridicule and
laughed to scorn.
| believe that He'll is. Not that it
is particular place as a lake or
valley, but a condition of being,
state of existence-that is inharmo-
nious because essential good has
given place to essential evil. 1t is
an original condition, existing from
the beginning. 1t has no fixed and
material location as lake or a val
ley, these terms are only typical, but
is condition or state, and may exist
anywhere or everywhere. Where
evil is, there hell is also. What evil
Is to hell, so is good to heaven. Let
them be localized where found, but
remember they are conditions of be-
ing, their locality being another and
subordinate consideration. The
duration of this condition is Indefinite.
So far as time is concerned it may eX-
ist forever, not perhaps in the single
individual, but in the abstract and in
its relation to the whole race. Where
the spirit Of evil is, there is hell.
Whether that spirit manifests itself
in body or mind, and be on earth or
in the spheres above or below, hell or
suffering is its eternal concomitant
The condition begins where evil ap-
pears and continues with it from gen
Grafton to generation. To the un-
lettered and ignorant, and to those
who are slow to apprehend spiritual
truth, hell is pictured by the fancy as
a lake of fire and birthstone, or val
lev of death. TO them it must have
a material meaning, for this to them
is the most terrible. But, to him
who strips the doctrine of its material
istic dress, and apprehends its spirit
ual truth, there is far higher, deeper,
andmorc terrible significance attached
to the word hell than this. lie notes
the condition as present in the body
and the thought, ever veXing the con-
science, increasing perhaps with age,
on and on until it becomes a con-
suming fire in the soul, symbolized
only by the gnashing of teeth, and
by unquenchable fire.
Such | believe to be the nature of
hell. The spiritual meaning of the
Bible words on the subject justify
this position. Seek the spirit of truth
in the Scriptures, and the letter of
the word will not vex the mind with
mysteries and contradictions. BY
the power of God, corrective meas
ures are always at work eliminating
the good from the evil. He'll, both
here and hereafter, both now and
forever, in this world and in the worlds
To come, is one of the means by which
Omniscience works to redeem the
world to goodness, and to establish
Himself forever in His Kingdom; the
brightness and glory of which, is en-
hanced ten thousand fold, because
therein dwell His children, beings
who have been tried as by FIRE, and
have come up from the depths OF evil
and hell, as pure gold from the rehn-
er's fire. That Kingdom is verify
now. IL exists where virtue and
charity are found, and is eternal in its
nature. He'll is. suffering, suffering
is punishment; not indicative but