The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-01-24
THE THEOLOGICAL HE'LL.
DR.. T4LMAGE SURE or FIRE AND
BRTMSTONE.

GODS WRATH AND INDIGNATION MORE
FREQUENTLY SPOKEN OF IN THE BIBLE
THAN HIS LOVE AND MERCY-MINIs-
TIERS RECREANT IN THEIR DUTY-HoW
TO AVOID HE'LL.
From the New York Times.I
Rev. DIR. Talmage having been extensive |
ly advertised to preach on the now popular
question of the existence of a hell, his taber-
nacle was packed in every part yesterday, !
mostly by curiosity seekers. He took as ms |
text the words: 'sThas saith the Lord |
as extracted from Exodus, iv.:22 Exodus, |
lv:l3; First Samuel, ii.27 Joshua, vii.:l3 (;
Joshua, xxiv.:2; Judges, Wis; First Chron-
:cles, XVIII, and jeremiah, vi.:9 He said
that it made very little difference what De-
Witt Talmage thinks on the subject OF hell,
or what Dean Stanley or Canon Farrar or
Dean Rockingham thinks, for they were
never in the eternal world. The belief OF
the Roman Catholic Church in eternal pun
isment does not settle the question. Neither
does the fact that Methodism, Episcopalian-
ism, and Presby teranism have placed such
belief among their tenets. |, continued
the speaker. cast aside all human authority.
There is only one Being who can tell me
whether hell exists, and that is God. L start
out with the assumption that the Bible is
true. If any body chooses to deny that,
will argue with him some other Sabbath.
1t being granted that there is God and
that he is good, it is reasonable to suppose
that he gave some revelations or guide to
- man. What is that revelation? Isit Shaks-
peare or Josephus, or Rollins History, or
the Koran? If any one can point out a bet
i ter book than che Bible will preach from
it. 1t is easy to deny, but denias amount
to nothing. l have no sympathy with q
iippant discussion of the subject OF he'll. 1t
is nothing to joke about. Why do not peo-
pie JOKE about Ashtabula or Mars Head?
There is more fun in those subjects. 1t
should be approached not in a spirit OF crit
icisnl, but as a measure of present safety.
We should find out what the only authority
worth saying about it, In Matthew is the
statement: 1.-The angel shall come forth to
separate the wicked from the just, and shall
cast them into furnace of fire." What
is the use of trying to explain away
the furnace and the fire when they
are there: If the statement is wrong,
it is the Almighty who has made a mistake.
Paul says: 1.-The Lord Jesus Christ, who
shall be revealed from heaven. with mighty
angels OF fire, taking vengeance on those
that know not Cod John says 'sThey
shall be tormented with fire and birthstone,
and they shall have their part in lake
which burneth with fire and birthstone, and
they shall both be cast into lake of fire and
birthstone Christ says: depart from
me We cursed into everlasting fire. But it
may be claimed that all this is fgurative. 1
am not opposed to saying it may be so, but
il there is not to be fire there is to be some
thing as severe as fire-torments unmiti-
gated. I prefer Gods comparison because
know God to be right. God says fire and
furnace. He may mean them literally. The
Bible says fire sixteen times, and says we
shall all be plunged into it except on one
condition. Those who won't believe this
should at least be consistent and pitch their
Bibles into the stove or the East River.
Tom Paine and Voltare were consistent.
There are Bibles in the houses Of every one
nthe audience. Overheard with your BIZ
bles or your unbeef! Keeping both stul-
titles you beyond all qualification. Out Of
100 sermons, SO are on the love, mercy, and
kindness of God, and if a minister preach
two on the indignation of God he is called
sulphuric. Our preaching needs reconstruc-
ton. So recreant are our ministers that the
people don't know that the Bible speaks
more frequently Of the wrath of God than
his love. If God were never angry he would
be imbecile. The Bible speaks IS times of
Gods love and 81 times OF his wrath and in
dignation. How this accords with Gods
mercy will discuss tomorrow evening. L
have nothing to do with objections this
morning. God says Sc in his most stupen
dops way that there is a hell-burning now.
II say tlat.it is probable that there are some
in this house to-day who will spend eternity
in that lost world. Nothing but the hand
of an insulted, outraged, indignant God
g keeps this whole audience from sliding like
{ az. avalanche into it. But there is no more
need to go there than to jump into the gey-
sers of California or the crater of Cotopaxi.
Gentlemen of the press tell them that say
there. The Lord Jesus Christ, by one mag
nificent stroke. made it possible for all to be
saved. He not only told us that there is a
hell, but He went into it. He put his foot
into the hottest hole of its darkest furnace.
1t is cheap to get saved. 1t won't cost as
much as loaf of bread. Ii a man has his
choice of heaven or hell, and refuses heaven,
men, if he doesn't deserve to be lost. God
knows I never prayed over any sermon as
have prayed over this. Yet how powerless
am to make you see the truth as you will
see it when the front gate of eternity opens
to your spirit, l close with one quotation,
from Isaiah xxxiii.:14, ''who among us shall
dwell with the devouring fire? Who among
us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"
Who? Who? Whos
MR.. BEECHER',S NAN or STRAW
AN INANIMATE CREATION THAT THE
BROOKLYN PASTOR SAVED FROM Flu
TURE PUNIsHMENT-REv. MIR. MACAR-
THURS PROOFS THAT SINNERS WILL
BE PUNISHED.
Rev. r. S. Macarthur, Pastor of the Cal
vary Baptist Church, preached last evening
on "Future Punishment-What? p lie took
for his text Matthew xNv.:46. He said This
is a solemn and painful subject. Attention
has been called to;it recently in a variety of
ways. A new generation has come up since
it has been generally discussed. 1t is prop
or fharafnra that the old oround should hn
gone over again A controversial spirit in
this discussion is always productive Of harm.
But a humble, teachable spirit will make it
both pleasant and profitable. The minister
who would be ssfree from the blood of all
men" must not 'sshun to declare the whole |
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