The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-03

which Father Ncningcr, y. j.. Thinks SUR
prtsinn and Unreasonable.

the many curious questions which from time to
time a.,itatc IT," public mind has recently sprung
up this: l. there in eternity place called hell.
md what punishment must the imponitent sin
ncr undergo there? will try to meet the inquiry
in rs fcw words as = siblc; but ask before
hand. How is 1t possible that people express
such an anxiety to see answered now this ques-
tion. which has boon answered ever since u
rational being lived on this earth. and ever
since God spake TO men 10y reason and revela-
ton?
In order to make this clear. let us look nj the
four cat"gorics into which men by their reli-
gious belief or unbccf may be classified They
are: Catholics. rrotcsiants. Deists and Atheists
For all Of these the question on hell is out Of
place.
First. con corning Catholics: The dogma that
there is in eternity place which we call hell.
whore All those who Ill" in the state OF mortal
sin suffer- everlasting punishment. Is an article
OF faith proclaimed by the Church in condemn
ing the so.callcd Originists. and solcmnly re-
echoed in the celebrated Athunnsian Symbol
adopted by the Church. Therefore. ~ Catho-
lies believe the Church to he infallbc in her
do ctrinul definitions. thr question is settled.
Concerning Proicstants. If there are real or.
thodoy Protestant. they believe Christ to b. the
son of God incarnatc. consequently. that His
teaching X true; and they believe the Bible to
Dee the word 81 God. Let us then. open the
Bible and cons. der the uicranccs OF Christ and
Has apostles. That in the books Of the old Gov
onant he'll il frequently mentioned. nobody will
den, who hy- ever read them. Moses. Da.
VIII. tho Prophets, point 60 place In eternity
where. o'rr death. the wicked nre punished.
They ra,i u h"!l rscslnrling fire. DARKNESS. the
well ~ death. ~" country Of sorrows Numbers.
xvi: Iralius. liv. ISuiuh. NNNiV.: Daniel. Nil;
Isaiah. NNNiii.. &r.) ~. John. preaching to the
crow j. 49, people coming from every direction
to h'nr mn. nrhnr' th'm Win me ,unpurnch-
hi' iiro " he'll which truy's that the belief III
inufr everlasting Iunlsl inrht awaiting INC
+ ru; mot onv ~" Jews believed IN he'll. but also
iu nauk,td believed ia il. Primitive reveal;
ton. in tl r'Lafd, mas never. nee the orig nal
TAIL ~ man. psri7led from among men, What
, lh' Greeks and romans believed 81 Tartarus
! hrurs Witness toth s.. And not suDcrsttious peo-
/ pie Onil among them believed. but men like
SucrNt' g. Puiu. Aristotle. Cicero and Sgneca.
Nhat student ,in lr ignorant Of whnt Homer
and Nir4il sang Of the dcs.,nt Of Eneus into
Tufiaru~? INcn BgyIr and iolingbrOkc. those
rropnettcrs Of mndrlity. plainly acknowl.
B. edge ia" unteniHhi' inct Of tnis unlnter-
may Utmost snv. with mems consciences
] Concerning tn utternnres OF Christ on this
subject. all uat have ever read the Gospels
know that H. frcGurntly-cven more frequently
W VIVA" 81 Got w"ud Gns t p" wckd e'e5 Thai
uar' j." calls " u place OF torment Luke xvi.
Vii. i'll Ii" a.so 1aiis i hen hre tMa,t.
V. ~ which. us llr aillrmS cannot BE- quench-
| 81. IL sprGhs oi two ways on which men
iug 10 lite. Tho other leading 10 destruction.
tory, ana u'r's'V' words 81 Christ Affirming
/ he'll a, n u.ncr OF everlasting punishment
. forthr wicked. are the words which He is to
I the naN Of Ju iemrnt. when He will say u
them That shall be- on the left side; Depart
from M. W cursed. into everlasting lire. which
WIS lr' pared tor tn" devil ana his angels. And
iil"y -hnli 70 into everlasting punishment. and
and more positive wor'is could Christ have
used 10 announce To mankind hell where the
wicked snail be- punished without end. II some
prutn-tant-, nevertheless. deny hell. they should
also deny n"nv'n. bccHus" Christ speaks in the
salnr sent'nr" of heaven ana Of he'll.
Sotur apo-tl,-, too. understood the Lord. and
so ticy taught the faithful Peter. in his Seq
ond Epi-tlc. afllrirs that the wicked shall be tor
mcnted by Ia" same torment which was pre-.
Of everlasting lire. CPeter XII. 81 SO. in the
obey not cnrist. ana do not i've according TO ms
81 Nh a% i rao &. d EHn' in his T9 ESss
says they are suffering the punishment Of eter-
st. john. in his Apocalypse. saw the damned
in 4 pool of damnation. where, he says. they
shall be tormented for ever and ever. These
words Of Christ and His apostles are too ex-
pllri. too positive, To admit in their interpreter
tion 81 any sutterfuge or equivocation. espe.
riaily, should | uddu,G quotations from all the
Holy Fathers. beginning with those Of the first
century oi the CHRISTIAN era. who understood
the t"ariIings Of Christ and His apostles in the
way in which the Catholic Church has defined
H. a'.stain from these quotations because !
ant q. refuse To listen 10 tradition. H. how.
ever. they refuse 10 listen to the clear teaching
oi the words OF Christ and His apostles. and
t'9br'!'N" u, ""'st nee o. hell, they may call
tlcn,"ly Pr9ie-iants hut In fact they are
onlv disguised Dci-ts.
WeraI Dr.-is those who believe in God and
th" immortality ol IT," soul but deny revelation
nndtAnA that natural honrsty-that rs, keeping
in" .uW 81 hniur' according 10 the dictates u
thrir own cou~ 'irnr"-.s all Tint God can ask 81
mon. In regard To- thrn. also. W, shy the ex-
particular utt"uron here some readcrs VIII
prolm.ly n'i p"rTve ne whole strength 81
INC argument. nut all logical thinkers. al
igi urt NlillunN ilirrs, VIII perceive II. mo