The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-01-17
HE'LL.

Henry Ward Beecher is reported as
having used the following language in
one Of his sermons a few weeks ago:
"The doctrine that God has been for
thousands of years peopling this earth
with human beings during period three
fourths of which was not illuminated by
an alter or a church, and in places where
a vast population of those people are yet
without light, is to transform the Almigh-
ty into a monster more hideous than Sa-
tan himself and swear by all that is
sacred that | will never worship Satan,
though he should appear dressed in roy
| al robes and seated on the throne of Je-
hovah. Men may say, You will not go
| to heaven. A heaven presided over by
such demon as that, who has been peo-
| pling this world with millions of human
beings. and then sweeping them off into
hell-not like dead flies, but without
taking the trouble even to kill them
and gloating and laughing over the eter-
nal misery, is not such a heaven as |
want to 60 to. The doctrine is too hor-
rible l cannot believe it, and / won't.
They say the Saints in heaven are so hap
py that they do not mind the torments
Of the damned in hell. But what sort of
Saints must they be who could be happy
while looking down upon the horrors Of
the bottomless pitt And by the blood of
Christ denounce this doctrine. By the
wounds in His hands and in His side
abhor it. By His groans and agony l
abhor and denounce it as that hideous
nightmare of theology"
This stirred up a terrible breeze, and
the preachers have been giving the sub
lject hell" ever since. The following is
reported from New York on last Sun
day:
"Rev. DR.. w. F. Hatfield, Methodist.
said if il was held that the doctrine of
endless torment was inconsistent with
divine love, he would say that father
does not willingly harm his child. He
gives him the free will and choice. God
tells, men, said he, in the Bible. that He
has made a hell; that the faithful are to
be rewarded in the one and the rebel
lious punished in the other He had
made men so that they could keep the
law, and He tells them that He has made
hell. He would not undertake to say
what it was like. He would not say as
one divine had said, that God had made
hell to thrust men into.
Rev Talmage Congregationalist
Brooklyn, started out with the assump
tion that the Bible is true, and quoted
from Matthew, Paul and John to prove
a lake which burneth with fire and brim
stone. He said if God were never angry
He would be imbecile. The Bible speaks
twenty-eight times of Gods love and
sixty -one times Of His wrath and indig
nation God says fifty six times in Hi:
most stupendous way that there is a he'll
burning. Now say that it is probable
that there are some in this house who
will spend eternity in that lost world
. Nothing but the hand of an insulted, out
ragged, indignant God keeps this whole
, audience from sliding like an avalanche
into it.
Bishop Snow, who says he is from the
West, said My soul revolts from tn,
thought of a hell of fire forever and ever
Tell me not the soul is immortal. Th'
soul ceases at death to be a living soul
a. and the Immortality of the human sou
is a heathenish fable.
Rev. r. s. Macarthur of this city, Bap
: tist, said: The word of the Lord Jesu
before that of Canon Farrer or Beeche
any day. If you close hell. you mus
: also close heaven. Grant il you will tina
: a period comes when the wicked MAJ
come forth from hell and enter heaven
! even so. why should men prefer to ente
} heaven by that method?
! Rev. Halsey w. Knapp is a Baptis
) preacher on Sundays, and a poulterer il
! Washington market week days. In hi
sermon tonight he said he believed in
! material hell and material fire. If tn
} glory Of heaven is to be everlasting, then
. in Knapp's opinion, the punishment O
} hell must be everlasting also. KNAPP
! never heard the theory advanced by an.
one who believed in a hereafter that tn
: glory of heaven would be temporary
We are like Bob Ingersoll on this que'
, ton. We do not know any thing abou
it, and we think these called" "inspii
ed" preachers, know no more about
than we do. There ought to be a hel
whether there is or not. If there is on,
it will do no harm to avoid il by pur
and honest life here; if there is non'
such a life will give happiness here, if nc
hereafter.