The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-02-21
NOT SETTLED.


ticle on hell has not altogether stopped
discussion. Rev. James NJ. Pullman, a
Universalist preacher Of New York, gets
off the following good remark:
"The worst aspect of the orthodox
creed is its effect upon society and upon
individuals As long as men of pure
lives and high character stand up in their
pulpits and declare that salvation is
cheap, and that it can be got by single
momentary act of faith, you must expect
demoralization in private life and the
debauchery Of the public conscience. By
these doctrines, the sceptic ofaexalted
life is eternally punished, while the re-
penting murderer is swung from the
scaffold into the bliss of Heaven. The
effect of this is to people Heaven with
some of the worst souls and hell with
some of the noblest"
The following, from Mrs. Nellie Brig
ham, is not bad
The Hebrew had no idea of hell OF
everlasting torment. Later on mytholo-
gy threw its shadow over theology The
place Of torment was depicted as a lake of
consuming fire There is some sense in
depicting hell as bottomless pit, as the
great multitude Of sinners would soon
have filed mp any other, and late arriv-
ais would have escaped scot free. The
old idea of hell was that sin was to be
punished by material means. Theolo-
gians still cling to this superstition. Here
is a sample of their logic A man muir
ders another. His victim is a good man,
but unconverted he goes straight to hell.
The murderer, in confinement, repents,
and. like the thief on the cross, enters
heaven. From near the great white
throne helooks down upon the agonized
face of the man he murdered, and says,
i have the best of it, after ALL No rea-
soning human being can accept such doc
trine as this. Bear in mind that heaven
and hell-as Christ said Of the kingdom
OF God-are within you. Some day the
true conception will come-that the fu-
ture state is only a place for enlarged
growth in all goodness and truth"
But the best thing. we have seen is
communication in the Newark American,
Here it is
These be perilous times. The politi-
clans are all out at sea, and don't know
whittier they are drifting; and the relig.
ious world is not less seriously and strange
ly befogged. Old institutions are being
shaken as a reed in the wind. There are
no recognized leaders. and the multi
tude are bewildered. Even those who
assume to lead are strangely at variance.
| 1t isn't much wonder that ordinary minds
are confused. OF late people have been
much exercised over the question OF fu
ture punishment. Is there a material
hell am sure / don't know but there
are a good many people who seem to be
certain about It, and they are confident
also that people wouldn't repent if they
were not sure of being burned up unless
they did. Now if it should turn out that
there isn't any hell, then / suppose these
people would be sorry thay had repented
at all. Our minister tells us that if peo-
pie thought there would be an opportu-
nifty to repent in the future they would
be less likely to repent now. ! am much
inclined TO believe, if that is fact,
| that a repentance so brought about needs
very much to be repented Of Morethan
that think if there is anybody who
ought to be damned it is the man who
loves sin, and would sin il only he could
do so without being punished. The man
who only refrains from stealing because
of his fear of punishment is a thief; and
the man who would postpone repentance
to the future life, if only he knew there
was no hell, is a child of the devil what
ever his pretensions or professions.
Will there be any chance for repent
ance or reformation in the future life p
Tell me whether or not man will have a
| future, and il so whether or not he will
be free, and then / can answer. He is
free here; and the most of US have found
out that we can't violate the law without
suffering the penalty. OF one thing l am
certain: no man in this world or any 9th
er will have the approval of his own con-
science unless he does right from a love
for the right And the man who lacks
the courage in this world to espouse the
cause of truth and justice, and from a
love for these principles, isn't fit to go to
heaven and if such creatures are allow
ed there l think / should prefer some
other locality.
After all, isn't this question of heaven
or hell question of state rather than
place2 There are those who will carry
Joy and peace and love and heaven with
them wherever they may go; while 9th
ers will carry sorrow and shame and sin
and hell even though admitted to the
companionship of angels. Are we never
to learn that the great work Of life is the
development of character and that this
is a work which one must do for himself
Higher than the question of whether
we shall be punished or not is the ques-
ton whether we shall deserve to be. /
am tired Of all this whine and cant about
mans helplessness and depravity. Vir-
tue is not thing to be impaired but to
be won and there is such thing for a
man as to so live as to carry heaven with
him wherever he may 60. 1t is high
time that the puerile and heathenish
doctrine that man can do nothing for
himself was exploded. The fact is that
the man who fails to make a clean heart
for himself will never have one, either in
this world or any other but whoever
struggles toward light and liberty need
have no fear of any hell"