Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-03-29
FCTURE PUNIsHMENT.
THE Current Blazing Discussion"

|
punishment is distinguished by no new evi-
dence. but by new dsputsnts. eprogress
OF democracy and of luxury in the world
has brought to the front in theology COM
munistic and an aristocratic party. The FOR
mer is the patron of what call the Bohe-
mian theology, and the latter of the Sofa
theology. My Lord Verisopht naturally be-
lieves in the latter and Sir John fslstafi
and Jack Cade in the former. UnhAppily.
neither of these personages is scientific
authority. 1t is very significant that both
Abdiel above them, and Mephistopheles be-
low them. are too wise to believe in either
the Bohemian or Sofa theology. But the
| communistIc and the luxurious tendency are
powerful enough to have their own nswsps-
pers. magazines, books platforms. and even
pulpits
The Lord verisopht prefers DIR. Majolica
for preacher Falstaff and Cade usually
prefer to do their own preaching. The Bo-
hemian and the Sofa Theology agree in pos
sessing the democratic spirit of uncontrolled
selfrule and individualism. They both regard
the uninelcone as the untrue The belief Of the
communistic party in liberty and that Of the
luxurious party in ease is tso intense that the
| scientific method is to neither q master. but
| only servant. The one believes in decid-
| ing the most intricate controversies by count
of heads and clack of tongues the other.
| by the languid sneer of fashion. These the
illogical parties are full of the Spirit Of the
Time. and not of Spirit of Eternity. But
| now, for the first time in history. the por-
tions of society which they represent are be-
| ginning to obtain the ear Of the world on the
most complicated questions of theology,
heretofore left to the decision Of scholars.
| This is the chief characteristics Of manya
modern debate Not a little discussion in
our times is a trial of scholars by newspa-
pers and parlors, rather than of scholars by
scholars. Neither in the historical, nor in
the philosophical. nor in the exegetical por
tions of this debate concerning future pun
ishment is there any new evidence but the
new disputants are placing the old evidence
with much eagerness in q new pair Of scales.
Age after age the evidence has been weighed
in the rival scales of jealous competing
scholars, and the new results recorded in
standard opinions. Now it is to be weighed
in the scales of the people. Ultimately, if
the latter instrument is steadily balanced,
the evidence will be found to weigh in the
new scales precisely what it did in the old.
Experiment will corroborate experiment
and the more We have of it the better.
For one, have made up my mind not to
go out of this life trusting my chances of
eternal peace to the opportunity of repent
ance after death
Am | willing to advise any friend to trust
his chance of eternal peace to an opportuni-
ty of repentance after death? NotI. By a.
much as any man or woman is dear to me. by
so much l should advise them to be shy of
going hence trusting their eternal future and
its peace to an opportunity of repentance be-
yond the grave. If l cannot advise John
and Jane, William and Mary, to trust to re-
pentance after death, have no right to ad-
wise the ages TO do SO. John and Jane, Will
liam and Mary, are the ages.
THE FORMS OF OPINION.
The first fault find with the current loose
newspaper discussion, and with much that
pretends to be scholarly, as that it gives no
definitions. 1t is very difficult to ascertain
where a man stands among the many forms
of opinion on this theme. Canon Farrar
makes these only four in number but there
are at least nine.
l. The Dantean view. This il often con-
fused with the Orthodox. Dante's poetry,
his imagery of rhinestone and fire, is not in |
frequently spoken of as if it were to-day the |
official utterance Of the latest scholarship. |
The Dantean view, strictly SO called. is re-
pudiated by scholarly orthodoxy. Allow me |
to say, however, that believe in the exist |
ence of spiritual body. and that l know,
beyond a peradventure. that in this life, |
when man Is under the terrors of conscience, |
strange thrills of pain shoot through him /; |
he is bowed down there are many indica-
tions that the finest flores of his structure
are at war with the nature of things. We do
not know but that in another state of exist
ence the spiritual body will be dsrkened and
bowed down, and shot through with pain as
it is here. l cannot be sure that any one is
to assert that in the next life there
may not be pains nearly physical as the
spiritual body is. There is spiritual body.
and here and now it lies behind the finest
fbres OF our flesh. and here and now We feel
some of the pains and blisses of which the
spiritual body is susceptible. do not adopt
the Dantean view Of toe state of the lost in
another life, but object to any man saying.
who believes in a spiritual body. that there
are no conditions adapted to that body to re-
veal Gods displacency there, Just as similar
conditions surely reveal the displacency OF
conscience here. Let no man whistle on
this theme until he is out of Dante's forest.
There are more things in heaven and earth
than are dreamed of in the pains that con-
science gives US by its displacency, and the
blisses it imparts by its complacency. When
he cover of flesh is dropped. and we possess
in fulness all the powers which now exist in
smbryo in this mysterious organism. who
Knows but that somewhere in the next state
IF existence We shall understand what the
lin but vast prophecies of our instructive
gestures in contrasted moral states mean
standing erect. and having In our faces o
light not Of this world. or bowing down, feel
ng chains upon our limbs, and pains shoot
ng through the innermost fibres. This quar-
er of the sky deserves a long gaze. We are
earfully and wonderfully made.
2. The Romish view. This does not teach
BY authority that the pains of the next life
will be physical. but yet asserts that it is
dangerous to deny that they will be. In the
North American Review, lately. March
lpril, 1879 Romish writer defends theory
If the state of the impenitent almost Dan
can. OF course, the doctrine of the Romish
is not upheld by Protestant schcl-
RS.
3. The Orthodox view. What is it? |
Inow that | venture much, but am asking ,,
10 one here TO indorse my propositions l
lain no right to speak for others When l
et aside all exegetical considerations and
lse only the light Of ethical science my view
Il future punishment is summed up in these
TX propositions
a. Argument which proves that sin will
ease involves principles which prove that it
would never begin. 1t has begun and op-
imism must adjust itself to this fact of eI- !
,erience.
e. Judicial blindness occurs under the
'peration Of the two natural laws that re-
'eatcd sin impairs the judgment and that he
= 'Ne - .'--i" g" '-A' ''Pe"''U
Th. .o,, ,.o..;... .,,,,,. -,
,isas tro,,, g. sa,la
"A TIs ,gsc,;,,sr-ss - vs., r,I, ~ ,o,
v. of .. ~ ~ ''a ~
" seoin 1u,"'o' oe
~ ~ eee ~ Juy. .,,s;",,i;.a. an' u"
"a "a H. nIs .ne poei y. Ji 80 Suae'',
aa,, , ri s - oi,n.a,, sa,
mn, mn 'Aay ,a.i l.o pei"an'u.' ,o'uny' '
o s.'Ii iion uou A.u ~ it1 t Ionso
VI HHai PeiiiAiiene' Vi o'" 'noiA'
r. v.,....- ..-,.-. ...-, =.
~ ~ nno Sih oon'ihuea hS puhisnueh'
n -. oohs.nue a,,o -. ,
- ,ha ni,.ina ai',i.a'' s'a 70 no.
,nn.an, @ onna.;on,pp u1p'ne a;ns, minuut an
- CONSCIOUSLY vi uNoon'e'ou''' io'
a. o..,., .
,;.in, 10 i,.,r,an, H. =, -, s I'M, .h,,
'n' 49, a. 'a.' a,,o" n iio " soy NM W
~ ~ " No. H1ou, " Poin' ou'