The New York herald., 1878-01-13


account at all And yet that is the basis OF all Just
judgments OF God or men, Human fathers arc eontin-
the character OF their children. They punish
and disinhert some and reward aud exait
has been frequently taken that eternal punish.
ment is inconsistent with Gods character AZ loving
Father But the moro holy and loving Hc Is the moro
just must be HIS judgments and tho r,ore severe His
punishment OF the evil doors. There has been kind
Of "hedging around the probable facts aud logical
tendency toward the Roman Catholic doctrine OF pur
gatory much that has been SAID and written lately
on this subject Tho orthodox IN limiting proba.
,ion 10 human life here aud tho hoerodox
tending probation to tho unseen worc, put limiting
the activities aud powers of tho mind and will IN that
state. Now the arst error Is based upon some sup
posed which death to TX the condition
Tor veal or woe ot every human beng who leaves this
world, And also upon misappicaton Of tsxts Of
Scripture. One OF the latter most frequently quoted
this side is EccIssastes XII, 3"If the tree ali
ward the south or toward the north, in the place
where the tree facth there Il shall be- This text IN
lis connections has no more 10 do with the uture life
or the condition Of tho mpentent here than 1t has
with any other subject in the Word OF Goa. Indeed
IL is statement OF physical iacts which evory lille
boy understand And tho only legitimate appiicA-
ton oi It to the questions at issue would be 10
prove that wherever man dies there his body must
remain. For II has no inheront power to change It's
position to the north tho south. The other
gives souls OF men The future lic abilities
powers which they have not or do not exercise In
tins They contcnd .nat man may 1.-Two seventy
years on earth sinner, but that IN the iuturo life
me new element will enter into him some power
!ui influence IRON without viii turn him round
that he shall cease 10 be sinner and become saved
~
complished, is II scttleu where IL rs to take place
Those who deny the existence oil he'll and pursatory
M SUPPLY t ssa.o 'oa m nS,r S 10
heaven wIh the spirits OF just men made
perfect, because they are yet imperfect; and
etnery pace IN space IL is impossible to what
particular advantage this theory mas over the other
There must DO NOR. dehniteness OF doctrine II we
nrc TO believe either Univcrsalism, which has been
combating orthodoxy Oh tuis line, fails to give tue
mnu anything satisfactory instead OF that which IL
ntaaa xvnv n tha
much 0l tho thrcadbare doctrine oil nant sinfuncssand
damna.ion, which not even hyper-Calvnist III this
age believes. They rdlcue material punishment aud
hken hell furnace whose bottom has been burned
out and Is undergoing repairs This Is the cheapest
opponent. But every man Of ordinary common sense
will perceive that II does rot meet tho quostion in
issue at all What evidence is there III Universal.
ism that The sinner ot threo score years and
ten will not continue sinner for three
score and ten millions OF yearss None ut
al. Neilher is there any evidence In It's teach
inps that this loving gracious God and Father, whom
all rejoice 10 thug about the lovo side OF his
character, VIII do anything more or different Tor The
snL In the world than he does for him here
So thut, however much the doctrine OF universal sal
walton may appeal TO our sympathiss and desires, II
fails TO convince the Judgment OF MANKIND. Hence
Universalsm niinationalisni has very feeble
growth. Even incorrglble sinners like fixed state
ues oosy" says Proessor P.tan, Of HUDSON, Ohio IT'S
discussing sort Of guilt while the sinner tremDlcs
under another Sort The point OF vital moment Is his
accountability Tor his own wrong doing" And this
tact related 10 the atonemont Of Christ, the Pro-
lessor cannot be transferred to Christ who
never take the sinneRs obligation unti the sinner and
He are one.
CHARACTER rux ONLY BASIS OF PUNISHMENT.
Now, isnot question in this issue Ut all whether
man cease to DC wrong door here or hereafter.
Death is u negative, and cannot maze or unmakc
positive. IL Is not personality. endowed with cx-
trnordnary powers over tho lie and destiny OF the
human race 30 lar AZ death per Affects human life
Il does as II man were merely I'M animal II,
therefore, death cannot aud does not Of itself AFFECT
sinner repent there or here but will neY II IS not
sufficient answer TO say that u he can he wtil Tor
experience IN TINS life shows that he but Will
WIN the motives presented to him in the future he
stronger better lifted to lead him to life Of Obcdi
ence and love than they are nowY his temptations
there will undoubtedly be OF different kind from those
that besct him here, but will they be less Of less
powcrY Can the Ethiopian change hts skin the
also do good that are accustomed 10 do evil. Per-
manency Of character alter II has been formed Is
in human experience. And it Is that motives
we'll as temptations exist here which can never bc
brought TO boar upon the life and Character Of soul
separated from the body and which, strongly they
appeal TO the heart iai ooner than they succeed
creclng reforms. The evidence Is stronger that this
permanency Of character will become moro perma-
neut In the future than that principles aud laws
upon which character are founded will be modified or
reversed that tho desired change may be wrought
Canon Farrar, whose sermons have been published
this side OF the Atlantic, does not deny future PUNCH
ment Nor does Mr. Beccher the Unversalis,s.
they object to and cavil about Canon Farrar seems
to intimate that God will rspudiato some
sins without punishns ne .,r ,or Sn,h while & ne
and hereafter the penalty OF unrepented sin
he cannot think without abhorrencc OF men con.
demned to unutterable tortures by. irrsversibe
DEGREES. He believes that men lost hero much
future life and that Christ cnmo to seek and
to save the lost But the best and all that no had to
offer and ''hope tnat the vast majority OF the
lost would at length be found" But hopes are very
uncertain unless the soul has some "sure word OF
Farrar ike all tho rest who repudiate hell aud pun
ishment, fails TO offer.
JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN CONCEPTIONS OF HELL.
The LORD jesus Christ very distinctly taught (Sfat.
thew xii, 81, 50 and parable that some sins
would not he forgiven In the life TO come, rs well
that some would be. And lie also taught just
clearly that God Is able 10 destroy both soul and
body in nell (Aatthew K, Is; Luke XII, 5) 1t Christ
oaai Of Tho semplo WINS consumed by ire His
threatening or warning Ia meaningless and forceless.
Aud II In this word He presented new idea
method OF presenting new ideas that 1t stands alone
All HIS references to hell connected with tho fI.
bliss. And ho refers 10 II as II IL dogma we'll
understood by his hearers There " NO questioning
about on their part and no explanations on Hs Can
II be supposed that men who watched His words
closely would have found nothing hero question
inquire into; that men who looked sharply after
the marital relation In the future lie should
about doctrine vital to all this? IL is In
consistent with their revealed character to think
And Is equally Inconsistent with Chrlsts character
aud methods OF teaching to suppose that He would
project such dogma Tor tho first time upon the world
In the shape In winch II appears Ia ths gospels. Man
U
place ana state OF puns hment In the future lilo winch
ihey and Christ understood by the terms which have
becn translated he'll. Aud that that conception not
merely OF remorse Of conscience which OF the
theologans who have spoken or written this qres-
ton would have US believe IS equally clear DR.. Far
rar, like many othcrs his side Of this question,
bases his disbelief IN the eternity Of punishment upon
the critical analysis OF the Hebrew aud Greek words
translated "dcad," 'ctcrna," 'scvcrlasting," &c.
DIR. Hugh Miller Thompson, formerly OF this city, but
OF New Orleans, In letter Of his published IN the
Democrat oi that city, agrees with Canon Farrar IN
his critical scholarship but Insists that the doctrine
oil the eternity OF future punishment ID not aecIod by
any grammatical or lexlcographIcal criticism
words The doctrine OF eternal punishment does
not stand, no says on tue criticism OF one tex. or OF
score; IL IL rooted In the nature OF God and As
long lives he will bear the penalty Of his
If the doctrine OF 'the uniy oi law" be admitted As
long as sinners they are lost n this world ana
In all worlda Whlio Dr. Thompson admits his belief
IN tho possibility OF rcpentan aud restoration the
iuture life, lie believes also, he says, In
sucn thing rs hxNy OF moral charac-
ter that the time when there be change,
that 'the nlihy Is hlthy still" Rcstorationism he
trto,ls HI Annr