Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-02-15

Paradise, the Garden of Eden, after the
known beautiful resort OF the first pair; and
that of punishment they called Gehinnon
(Geheina.) This Gehinnon was formerly
fertile valley near jerusalem where at
various times Israelitish children had
been sacrificed to the idol Moloch. It was
for this reason in after ages held to be a
most abominable spot, and in looking out
for name for the place of divine punish
ment after death this one suggested itself
to the Jewish tneologians as the fttest. 1t
was certainly the only name used by them
for the imaginary place Of divine retribu-
ton The locality of either the place of
reward OF punishment was a matter OF no
moment, the minds of the people being
satisfied with the faith in a first and sec
ond Gehenna, and a first and second Par
adise, where rewards OIL punishments
would be dispensed by God. The current
Of opinion, then, was that Immediately or
soon after death the just entered the one
and the wicked the other. This was the
first reward Or retribution-the second
was to come at the resurrection, when
God would have his general judgement
day. The reward Of the just would be the
enjoyment of eternal life and the resplen-
ent glory of God. AS to the punishment
Of the wicked at the resurrection the opin-
ion of the theologians was divided. One
section Of the PhariseeS held that the
wicked would not revive, or be resurrected
at all, but would be eternally kept in the
grave as their prison. But from the Tai
mud we learn that some of them believed
in a general resurrection, and that the
bad would receive from God their final
doom, which was to enter Gehenna again,
but whether fol- time or for eternity was
not settled. They hesitated to teach the
eternal punishment of the licked, for the
reason that repentance might take place
shortly before death and their first Gehen-
ma prove sufficient to cleanse and save the
sinner. They were only free in pronounc-
ing eternal suffering to inf1dels, apostates,
betrayers of the nations cause, and those
misleading others in sin. That Gehenna
was place of fire was the common as
sumption because Moloch was a heated
idol; and the words, behold the day
cometh that shall burn as an Oven,' were
considered to refer to the judgement day.
The Jewish doctrine of rewards and pun
ishments. thus materialiZed, could never
afterward attain the title or dignity OF an
article of faith. That Christianity adopt
ed it is not surprising, as its first propa-
gators were apostate Jews, and their
minds were naturally infused with the re-
| ligious notions current at that time. But
what strikes us with surprise is that at
the present time some divines uphold the
antiquated doctrine of a material Paradise
and hell of fire-a doctrine that was only
an offshoot of the fatal controversies be-
tween the SadduceeS and the Pharisees of
old, and can deprive no authority what
ever from any of the twenty-four books of
the Bible. The Jew can get along and be
saved with the belief in Gods power to
bestow life and to retain and return it at
His will, that He is just, and willpunish
and reward as each deserves; but "the
secret things belong to the Lord our God,
but those things which are revealed be-
long unto us and to our children forever,
that wemay do all the works of thelaw."
REFORMED EP1sCopal.
The Rev. J. M. Gray, in the Reformed
Episcopal Church, Greenpoint, quoted pas
sages from the New Testament to show
how consOnant with the notion of an eter-
nal hell is the spirit of the Scriptures. AS
to the nature of hell, the wicked are to be
sensible of it; they are said to weep, wall:
and gnash their teeth. They are in eX-
quiSite torture. A lake of fire and brim-
stone is their home
UNIvERSALIsT.
The Rev. James NJ. Pullman, in the
Universalist Church of Our Saviour, said
| that it was childish thing to indulge in
doubts about future life. GOD would
not accept as a plea for bad stewardship
| that the future was too vague to inspire us
| to eXertion. We had just as much reason
to believe in a future life as we had to be-
| lieve in any definite term of the present
life. What he expected to find in the
eternity was the same God, and the same
connection between well doing and hap
piness, and between i'll doing and suffering.
He should go into it, not as from an ended
n],otin nI1fo 10 nnr a1,,n
baton.
CATHOLIC.
Father Walsh, of Albany, thus lays
down the Roman Catholic doctrine on the
subject of He'll:
''Every Catholic must believe three
things concerning he'll as of divine faith :
First, that there is hell where the tor
ments await the wicked. Second, that the
souls of the wicked descend to these tor
ments immediately after death. Third,
that these torments are eternal, unend-
ing"
He says that although the Church itself,
has never defined anything as certain con-
corning the fire and location of hell, opin-
ions have prevailed in the Church on both
subjects, and from these opinions it would
lie neither wise nor safe to depart. The
fire of hell is material fire, and hell is
situated in the bowels of the earth.
At Oshkosh, Wis, three gamblers laid
plan to clean out fourth at poker. The
victim was dealt four aces, to- induce him
to bet, but was given six cards so as to
make misdeal. But ."Greeny.' backed
his fourfor all he was worth and won,
when his opponents charged him with hay
ing another card secret ed about his person.
A search revealed nothing, and he depar-
ted with lis winnings. 1t was afterward
discovered that he had slipped the extra
card into sandwich which he was eating
while playing, and had actually eaten it.
Tramps in the sunny State of Tennessee
are no more particular as to the company
they keep than are their brother knights of
the turnpike in colder chimes. Asa freight
train was rounding into Chattanooga, a
brakeman discovered a man aStride Of one
of the animals in car load of mules, and
in another car second tramp was found
perfectly at home among cargo of swine.
James Miller, aged sixty, disappeared
since then his friends have drained two
mill ponds hunting for him. But few
days ago he was found leaning against a
tree in the woods two miles from any
house, having cut his throat with his own
razor.
Enoch Hayes Of Cleves, O., married last
spring and died last fall. Just before the
latter event he was sued by Elizabeth
West for breach of promise Of marriage.
The suit is continued against Mrs. Hayes
as the heiress of the estate, and the fight
of the two women is Incidentally bringing
out all the part iculars OF Mr.. Hayes's
double courtship.
Colonel Nathaniel q. Macrae died at his
res dence in Cincinnati Tuesday, in his
seventy second year. He was born in
Prince William county, Va, graduated at
West Point in 1925. and was placed on the