The Wilmingtonian., 1885-05-23

hover OF the grass? why not represent 1t
as mere shadow" or as the "yapcrP"
Can it be supposed that Everlasting" means
enduring as 'the vapor," that eternity is a
shadow of the dial passing as swiftly as "the
weaver's shuttle?" Again,
A. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED
rs REPRESENTED BY TERMS MORE TERRIFIC
AND AFFECTING THAN ANY OF THOSE USED
IN THE BIBLE TO REPRESENT TEMPORAL
CALAMITY. This is not a subject for de-
clamatlon, nor for the exercise of the imag-
nation. The SIMPLE, yet awful relations of
it, given in the word of God, are more i'm
pressive than the burning language of
seraph would be. Listen to some of them
and see if they represent any state or con-
dition of man, that has been, or can be
here. 1t is called ''the second death,' the
place "where their worm never deth and
the fire is not quenched," the bottomless
pit" darkness forever 'lake of fire and
brimstone," vengeance of eternal fire.
"a furnace of fire. 'fire prepared for the
| devil and his angels;" and the Son of God
| called it "the damnation of hell y These
expressions need no comment. Again
.. That the punishment of tho wicked
will be in future state will appear, if we
consider, THAT IF NATURAL EVIL BE THE
| ONLY PUNISHMENT FOR SIN, THEN IT is NOT
BY ANY MEANS INFLICTED IN PROPORTION
TO THE wICKEDNEss OF MEN. Where in point
Of physical suffering, do we discover any
distinction between shin that serves God
and him that serveth him notP" How
reconcile this inequality with the justice of
a holy God? To this, however, it is object
| ed, that over, and above the ills to which
the flesh is heir, and which the good and
the evil share alike, the wicked suffer tho
| agonies of guilty conscience, which is the
compensation for this apparent incougruity
in the Divine administration. In other
| words, the wicked are harassed by remorse
the Christian has peace with God. This
objection is true to some extent but it is
fallacious. The word of God teaches that
perseverance in sin results in increased and
increasing insensibilty of conscience Thus
it is said of some, that they are ''past feel
ing, )" "their consciences scared with an hot
iroD." Here, then, we have condition of
punishment without suffering. Still fur
ther, a good man suffers more from COM
junction Of conscience, from indulging in
a vain thought, than wicked man from
heinous Offences Here the lesser sin is
inflicted with the greater punishment. How
, reconcile this with the justice of GodP The
objection, again forces the objector iuto this
} absurdity, that to escape the punishment
f due to sin, be must perscvere in sin. For.
according to the objection, the lashngs of a
/ guilty conscience, is his punishment, but
9 we have the fact that perseverance in sin
e renders the conscience insensible, aud there
D fore the wicked, in time, will suffer not at
e all.
e 6. The AToNEMENT MADE BY THE LORD
1 JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS. sUsrAINs THE
t IDEA OF THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED
r IN FUTURE STATE. 1t is written, 'cursed
e | is every one who continueth not in all things
/. contained in the law to do them.' ''Christ
t was made a curse for us" He died for sin
It under the law, a death most horrible ant
e ignominious. For what? To save the
d race from transitory sorrows Of the presen
n existence? But suppose this to be the case
i The agony, the Jgroans, the blood, the deaf
e the end If the relief of man from th
consequences of sin-and natural evil |
E the only consequence aud penalty-the glor
N has not followed. Still, and notwithstanC
l. ing, sickness and sorrow, pain and deatl
n sway their iron sceptres, and fill the worl
1t with sighs, groans and graves; and if Il
D, atonement is proposed to save the race fro
d sin and its penalties here, that atonemeI
10 made through infinite wisdom and love is
d failure, and this magnificent plan-wortl
n of Gods in its results nothing more than
AZ ocean it's tempest tossed
Of To watt feather or to drown a fly.
a. If not, then, the conclusion is that the pu
le ishment of the wicked is elsewhere than
oil the present life.
m III. This Punishment will be E5erna
De We propose in the discussion, to use Il
y, terms, as they may occur, Everlasting,
IN eternal" lever" forever" " forever an
:" ever' interchangeably, and
'e- Ist Let US inquire into the meaning
IT. this word 'eternal, and its synonyms,
rs, Lasting, or enduring forever, continuiI
Dir without end immortal. 2. Perpetual, CONT
IRE uing indefinitely, or during the prese
= state of things" The term then, sgnifi
rs the longest possible period of which t
In subject mentioned in each case is capabl
IN A few passages will illustrate my meaniu
no Gone generation passeth away and anoth
las cometh, but the earth abldeth forever"
ut the destruction of the earth as mention
NJ in the sacred scripture denotes the ent
aY aunihiation of its atoms, as well as I
destruction of its form and structure, til
is the sense OF the term must be limited, but
TO the new heaven and new earth, where
Mt dwelleth righteousness is meant, then
'he term is to taken literally as meaning end
Ito duration.
nd Then again, we have "a servant forever
ore that is a servant as long as he can be
len namely, for life. So ''an ordinance forev
er- i. e. through the longest period it can be
len ordinance l. Q. the Mosaic dspensatio
ng Again we have ''the everlasting hills a
len mountains i, e. hills and mountains end
In ing through the longest period p edcaI
ent of them, that is while the earth endures.
en- But if these terms ale applied to
the continuance Of things in future sta
'nt' they are to be used, unquestionably,
denote absolute eternity, for with respect
RE- those things such duration is possiu
on According, therefore to the principles
>ls- correct Interpretation, their sense is to
nee fixed according TO the nature Of the subje
itS of which they are predicated. And as
ges object is not to established theory; but
ass discover truth, it is proposed On til
the principles to exhibit their meaning. Til
"er is a phrase translated "fOrever and ov,
nat which is used in New Testament, eight
ap- times in fiftoen ortheso Instances il T.
eth piled to the continuance, nr TIA ,,,,.v