Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-02-05

e
Angeles.
BY REV. JOHN u. WELLS.
Acts XVII, %: "For we are also his
offspring"
Not long ago an Eastern ortho-
dox newspaper, the Congregation
alist, sent out enc hum
bred circulars to as many
Congregational minister's! asking
them first, whether in their opinion
there had been in their churches
any essential departure from a
doctrine of eternal punishment;
secondly, how far belief in this
doctrine should be insisted on as a
prerequisite to the IN mis-
try. More than three quar-
tiers of the ministers an
swered that their opinion, ortho-
dox people believed in an endless
hell as much as ever; and moreover
that they would always vote
against installing candidate for
the ministry who had any doubts
on this point. A very few did not
answer at all, while respectable
minority gave expression to
what 1 should call decided and
most enlightened views, some
OF them being both liberia
enough and frank enough
to say that belief In everlasting
damnation had very little to do
with q mans real Christianity. the
same plainly showing that, in their
own minds, there were serious
doubts about there being any such
thing as the old-fashioned hell.
What gave rise to this question
Ing was the refusal Of q Congrega-
ti0nal Council, by small major
ity, to install Mr.. Merriam at Indi-
an Orchard, Massachusetts, on &C.
count Of his heretical views on the
subject in question, and the conse-
qusnt resolution, on the part of the
church which had called him, to
install him itself,-a resolution
which was speedily carried out.
At North Adams, in Massachu-
sets, Mr.. Munger, of the same Con-
EDUCATIONAL fellowship, was very
lately installed by a regular coun-
Gil, Notwithstanding his advanced
opinions. Mr.. Munger says as
much as this: ITO deny that God
would receive penitent, from
whatever depths of hell he might
look up, would simply be to lose
my God;"-thus taking on this
point the very position occupied by
the Unitarian and Universalist
Churches.
Rev. DIR. Thomas, q Methodist
minister of Chicago, in a recent ser.
mon, says: "What difference does
1t make whether man believes in
an endless hell or not, if he be O
good man? Religion is the uplift
Ing Of the soul to God and the out
going of the heart in deeds of kind
ness to man, and belief in hell, o.
in some special creed or theory o
inspiration, is not essential to suci
q life.u
And so I might go on citing sim
liar instances, filling all my tint
with the citations, instances ant
proofs that light is breaking in
upon Orthodoxy at its very darkes
point; that it is beginning to cas-
aside what you will permit me t.
call, in all kindness, its organisms
and to outgrow beliefs which arr
Inconsistent with faith in right
eous God.
But the old doctrine still hold.
Ito ri
Orthodox ministers feel it to be
their duty, once in a while, to say
that they still believe in everlast
ing damnation. They give up, 9
great many of them, the lake o
fire and the perpetual burning, bu
they still hold to an eternity o
punishment for the impenitent.
And Notwithstanding the rays o
light that are streaming through
it is an undoubted fact that
over large part of Christ.
endom, there still hangs
like a leaden pail, this shadow o.
an Reversible and horrible fate
for all who In this life have failed
eeo6me up to certain standards
J~7Iifs life is the trial time.
Death ends the trial one way OF
the other. After death comes the
Judgment, and from the sentence
then pronounced there is no APP
peal one way or the other. 1t is
either up forever into heaven, or
down forever into hell.
FOrever! Think what it means
Try to fancy what it is for human
being to be forever punished-to be
forever wfetched! Years go fol
nothing. Time goes for nothing.
In one hundred years, in one thou
sand years, in one million
years, in a million million-mil.
lion years he has just begun
It matters little. SD far as that is
concerned, whether you say that his
body is in lake Of fire, submerged
with one of Millions fallen An
gels, in
ga fiery deluge fed
With ever-burning sulphur unconsumed,
Or that his soul is given over to an
intensity of unremitted torment.
The point is that he knows no rest
or change from agony. He sighs
and groans for relief, but no relief
Is at hand. He looks up into
Heaven, but Heavens door is
nnlIt. Perchance he cries "Forgive
me. Father!' But the day of for
giveness is forever over. He had
his chance once and his chance is
gene. No more any chance for
him! No more any light or peace!
No loop-hoIe OF escape from his
black prison-house! He may wait,
and wait and wait, but no hope
can come to him, no loving hand
eau be stretched out to him, no
word or breath of pity, no ray of
hope forevermore. Only the black
ness OF utter desolation, the I'M
speakabie torture of perpetual de-
spair! DO you believe thiss But