Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-01-03
u A HELL. HAS DONE.


WHAT HELL HAS DONE.
Day BY day the world grows wiser.
and rs II grows wiser IL becomes better.
The increase Of knowledge necessarily
brings With IL an increase Of goodness.
As man progresses in worldly wisdom.
he gains elimpsss Of the great future
before him; he learns to read the grand
plan Of salvation Alright: he becomes
intimate with the Savior Of the world.
and, knssling at his feet. draws inspira-
tioa from his words. He begins 10 sss
Christ o. he ia God Of love and ten
dsrness. not Q Devil to Be feared and
summed. The glorious scheme Of sal
vation-not damnaiion-opens itself BE-
fore him. aud in glowing lsttsrs OF nrs
he reads the words. peace on earth.
good will to man." In this nineteenth
century we are just beginning TO realize
the nature Of our God. just beginning
to draw very near unto him. and 70 e.
p~sriencs the Joy which comes from o
shipping him in spirit and in truth.
We are. in short. just beginning TO dis
card Hell and all its imaginary horrors.
and to embrace Jesus with all his prom
ised blessings.
And now that our imaginary hell 10
about TO be abolished !; now that We are
to approach the Disty as a being Of in.
Unite love. to recognize him IS
Father. IL Is fitting and proper that we
shosld review the past. and ask our
selves what Hell has done for US. For
nearly nineteen hundred years this bug
bear has been held up to US. In our
youth We were taught fire and briin-
stone. and tho endless torrents Of the
damned haunted Us. waking and sleep
ing. The years rolled on. and reason
began TO assert its sway. But early i'm
prsssions are very strong. and despite
reason. the old notion Of an endless hell
tormented u still. To utterly abolish
the idea. required what we are now To
have. . revision Of the bible. in which
the Offensive word should be sxpungsd.
We are 10 have NO more hell now. and
tho human race may well ask what has
this idea Of eternal damnation done for
us7
In the FIRST place IL has transformed
three-quartsrs Of the Christian world
into inndsls. Men Of sound reason can
not-,hsy should not-belisvs in . God.
who while claiming love a. his highest
and hottest attribute. deliberately con
signs one-half the human race TO end.
less psrdition. Men Of ordinary com.
mon sense must refuse to honor and
worship a Deity who commands them to
love their enemies. and at the same time
condemns them to everlasting torture
for sin. the motive Of which He has
hiuself implanted in their hearts. The
idea IL repugnant even 10 human love,
aud how much more 10 the Divine Love.
which is supposed to animate God! II
IL no wonder that Inhdelity reigns
supreme In the world. A man 10 Be a
Christian under the old regime must be
IN idiot. Hs'must certainly DO a cow
ard. for none bat towards succumb to
that most isnobls Of passions -fsar.
But infdelity is tho smallest Of the
evils which hell has brought upon
this gsodly world. II has done Its
utmost TO drive from the human
race every vestigs Of true manli-
ness. All the noblsr sentiments Of
humanity have been ignored by our
preachers. They have not called upon
US to worship God for His infinite love
10 mankind. They have appealed to
none Of our higher feelings. They
have amply held mp hell to US a a
terror. Their argument for nineteen
hundred years has been "Damnation !
Damnation ! Damnation /! Flee from
the wrath 10 come - Il II any wonder
that human nature is degenerating. in
stead Of advancing. as Il shouldi Is it
any wonder that sensible men and
women reject this terrible idea Of FIRE
and birthstone for eternity for those who
simply act in accordance with the pas.
sions which q hsllish God has endowed
them with
The abolition OF hell will be the sal
walton OF the Bible. A few more years
Of this damnaiion doctrine would have
30 thoroughly Disguised the human race
that the Christian religion would have
fallen. Hereafter men will be appealed
to TO do right for rights sake. not to
escape hell. And men thus called upon
will do right. Love will govern instead