Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-13
DIR. McKim's Views on Future
Punishment.


puts ''his supporters in this diocese, es-
pecially myself, in false position. l
therefore beg leave to give some facts
which will disprove the charge that 1--WE
intended to keep secret his views If we
could" and which will place Dr.. McKim
in the right light before the public.
I was very DESTROYS to have DR.. McKim
elected to the Office of Assistant Bishop of
Virginia, believing he was the best man
for the place. But having heard it said
that he held erroneous views on the ques-
tion of future punishment, L wrote and
asked him to state what his views really
were, the subject never having been dis
| cussed between us.
DR.. McKlm sent the inclosed reply,
which was written to me individually, and
which am sure he intended to be private,
and never contemplated it's being read in
the Council of the diocese. Nor did I IN
tend so to use it. But when his opinions
were challenged by a member of the Coun-
Gil, knowing that DR.. McKim had no wish
to conceal them, and remembering that
he had so expressed himself in the letter
itself, l felt that in justice to himself
and to the diocese Was at liberty to read
a part of it, which part regarded as the
gst of his argument, and that all she rest
was but an elaboration. 1 now regret that
I did not read the whole of the letter, as L
am confident, in that case, his position
would not have been so grossly misunder-
stoo1 as it has been. And accordingly,
having obtained his consent, now ask the
Times, in justice to all parties, to publish
the entire letter, which disposes of the I'M
worthy insinuations against its author.
Your correspondent "X,'' goes on to
speak of a ''McKlm movement in our late
Council. II there Was an org tnized move
ment to elect anybody I did not know it
and [ do know that Dr.. McKim was nomi-
mated by the Rev. Mr.. Powell spontaneous
ly, without any precencert whatever.
r. J. MCBRIDE,
Rector Grace Memorial Church, Licking
ton, Va.
Wednesday, June IS, 1888.
NEW YORK, March s.
MY DEAR BROTHER [ have been on
the sick list for week, otherwise should
| have answered your letter sooner.
You ask my belief with reference to the
awful subject of future punishment. l
might answer in word, Ibow to the
teaching of Jesus Christ and his Apostles
absolutely. But that might appear an
evasion. Let me say, then, believe the
: wicked are reserved unto the judgment
of the great day, when they will be judged
intermediate state but in the body. be-
lleve the sentence then pronounced will be
final and irrevocable, and that it will be
to Everlasting punishment. So far all
is clear.
| If you ask what is meant by everlasting
punishment you enter at once upon deba-
table ground. For, first, do not think
the Scriptures clearly teach that the wick
ed shall suffer torment for all eternity,
on, on, absolutely forever; a. E., do not
see it clearly taught land am thankful
do not) that sin and Satan and hell and
the torments of the damned are as eternal
as God Himself :! And second, I incline to
| the opinion that true eXegesis, unshacK-
led by philosophy or traditional beliefs,
indicates that absolute Immortality is the
gift of God in Jesus Christ to all who
receive HIM. "The wages of sin is
death; the gift CT God is eternal life"
| If this be the true Interpretation, then it
will follow not that God ultimately ami
hllates the wicked man, but that He, hav-
! ing suffered that Indefinitely long punish
ment pronounced at the great day, ''dies. "
'sperishes'' at last from conscious being.
I find no difficulty in harmonizing this
view with the most awful denunciations
| of Gods Word.
I have no hesitation III saying it
seems to me the most likely interpreta-
ton, and do not care who knows that l
so regard it. But I do not hold it as an
article of faith; 1 should not presume to
teach it Dramatically [ should not affirm
positively-as did in sermon preached
five years ago-that 1 believe this the doc
trine of Christ and His Apostles. 1 pro-
foundry feel the folly of dogmatizing on
such theme-only so far as the Scripture
leads me by the hand can go. L unhes-
itatingy accept all it's statements. But |
hold back when am repaired to accept a
certain Interpretation of Scripture as
thing as sacred as Scripture ITSELF We are
very much In the dark when we get UPON
such theories. Hence my practice is to
use the words of Scripture in my teaching,
no more, no less, and let the Holy Spirit
apply them as He will.
On the other hand, 1 refuse to allow
that Scripture binds me to believe in the
absolute eternity of sin and hell and the
devils and the lost in hell. An absolute
eternity of conscious woe in hell is not
clearly revealed in Scripture, and 1 will
not teach it; nor will l commend myself
to any man s good opinion by denying that
sound exegesis seems to allow US to hope
that evil will not be as eternal as the
throne of God, and that the wicked may
in far-off eternity, having received the
due measure of their deeds and having re-
fused eternal life, perish out of conscious
being. am very truly yours.
r. H. McKIM.
The Rev. r. J. McBryde.
P. S.-Since writing the above il occurs
to me in perusing it how vain it is to put