The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-17
DURATION OF PUNISHMENT.

THE ETERNITY OF PUNISHMENT BELIEVED
AND TAUGHT BY GREEK PHILOSOPHERS.
Last week DR.. George w. Samson read paper be.
fore the Baptist Mnsters' Conference Of this CITY,
briof sketch OF which was published in the HERALD
OF Tuesday Tho Conference requested the Doctor 10
prepare his paper tor publication, and is offered to
our readers to-day. II Is exhaustive tho special
subject Of which II treats Tho Doctor is Of the
best Hebrcw Creek scholars tho city, Is
millar with ali philosophers of tho we'll
as the moderns:-
10 THE EDITOR THE HRRALD:-
The present elaborate discussion Of the New Tesia
mcnl Greek term. dion, kindred to 0tdm Of tho Old
les Hcorow, Is but the revival Of tho yet
exhaustive controversy among Greek students, be-
ginning under OXYGEN, IN Tie third century, An UNDER
Standing OF tho point requires the consder
tou OF TWO principles. which must guide the Judg-
mcnt:-
are those In popular common use; the elabor-
writer cannot change popular TERMS as IS seen in
the perpetuaIcd expression, 'thc sun rscs." Words
IL express spiritual IDEAS "ail seeing" applied to
God, and ''new birth" 10 the redeemed spirit, must
be drawn from those applied to material objects.
Science only classify. ahalyze and express iinma
terial law IN popular terms, ana Gods revelation
must be gwen to man III human language.
econd-Men OF Science IN classifying, Analysing and
tbeorZing In any department VI observed pnen0mena
Will explain their uge OF words according TO their pre-
conceived philosophy Tho philosophy called that Of
sense, because 1t recognizes common convc-
ZION as expressed by words ut their origin, Is most
likely have ruled the language Of revelation. SO
as future exlsence Oi man Is concerned three
classes OF philosophers have Ia all ages appeared All
observe that tneIc are exscoccs such US plants.
auimais and human bodies that begin from IIieless
germ grow old, decay aud die Wine others like tho
sun solid earth appear TO DO enduring,
and hence arr ses series OF contrasted terms such al
dying and undying, living aud ever living
Men OF sciencs now IN their application OF popular
terms expressive Of endless existence have main
tanned three distinct views Ono class has regarded
all assured knowledgs as that atiested by bouiiy
sense they have observed that there material
istunces aud forces controlling their forms they have
conceived that all forces, such as gravtaton, plant
liie animal instinct human reason, ono that all
these constitute Coz, wuiic plant life animal instinct
and human reason parts OF this common divine
existence, emanating from ana returning 10 II, und
tb all things or beings arc immortal only
sense that uuorgauzeI matter and impcrsonal spir-
ituaI energy mortal Another class have regarded
mans immaterial nature us superior to animal H.
snc,, AKIN To, though distinct from, tho d.
mal nature that the Two arc inseparablc,
and that this Is everenduring though suscep
bic OF indefinite gradual change, whie also 1t may
have existed before It's prcsept lie earth third
class have held that mans spiritual Is distinct from
germ oil the spirit OF human offspring, and that whio
the spirit OF man Is immortal his animal instinct Is
not IN immortal, though may continue
AL these classes OF views are elaborated III tho
oldest preserved wrtngs-thc Ved-s Of India among
the Greeks, who learned from lndu, Chaldea and
Egypt. Pythagoras represents ;he first, Plato the
second aud Aristotle the third Just before the New
Testament WAS written IN tho Greek language the
three conceptions as appei 10 uIure existence were
elaborated respectively by Lucrstius, Virgil aud
Cicero and all three met In acute debate at ALEXANDRIA,
the great philosophic centre OF tho world when The
Christian scnooi OF Oriaeu nourished.
Tne latter view, that which harnonizcs common OBJ
servation and common conviction with The keenest
analysis comprehensive synthesis Of science,
seems TO OF the Old anu New Testament revea.
tionr the books Of the former having given in
the perfected language Of Asiatic advancement,
those OF tue inter were gwen alter tho perfection OF
Greek literature The word nephesh usually rendered
s.soul" In our English Ola Testament, used ABOUT
eight hundred times, Indicates u nature common
In nd man Fp al - ~
and man: the single apparent
H. Il, being tho objcctor's query, which Is
answered xl.. D, and XII, Tue word psyche
(.souPy used about one hundred times IN
Tho New Testament, and pneuma, used also
about ono hundred Times. preserve same distnct-
ness: ior though the Greek psyche from Ut
conflicting PHILOSOPHERS, came DO used In popular
sense the entire spiritual nature Of man, Just
the Saxon 'sour corrupted from It's original by
dsttnctvcncss us contrasted with gDeist or ghost
Yet tho word pseumd (sprit is never used except TO
tho nature IN man superior to animal instinct
and Akin to COD rs spirit The special TACT thas This
popular use OF the psyche, 'sou" for the spur
ituai nature - only used by Matthew and Mark, the
two earliest ana HoDrow WRITER'S aud never by Luke
Paul, Peter or john indicates certainly design IN
the Divine Spirit who guided the New Tcsta-
mcnt writera IL IL especially to DO notod
that Paul. tho first TO 10 inspired to uso
the Crock language Ia SEATING Chrisps truth,
since Matthew could not, as history attests havo
written before tho Council At Jerusacm A. ID. 80 (sco
w., 10; XII, 1921; xviii, 15), wnle Paufs nrst
epise written about years after that Council
(Acts, xvL, IL xviii, l0-l5: l. Thessalonians, hL, ~
Paul. his very first episc, also In his last
mcnt, carefully calls attention to this distinction H.
Thossaioniaus, W. %; Hebrews, w., l2) Its relation
to future life Is Indicated by Luxe In recording
Christs promise to tho penitcnt crucined with Him,
"ro-day thou shalt DO with me In PARADISE coupled
with HIS dying words, Fa'her, into thy hands com.