New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-11
SERMONS WORTH KEEPING.
VIII.
HEAVEN AND HE'LL CONSIDERED.
THE REV DR.. C. IL. EATON. OF THE CHURCH
OF THE DIVINE PATERNITY breaches
on THE THEORIES or FUTURE
REWARDS AND PUNIsHMENTs.

,rorcor 70 dav than AZ any time for five years pro
yious to Dr. Chapns death 1t is entirely free from
debt, no mortgages existing on It, One-qUarter of
the church membership has been added IN the eight
and a half years pasorate. DR.. Eaton was born in
MASSACHUSETTS, and is graduate OF Tufts College and
Seminary. He is an earnest and impressive speaker
rarely writes his sermons, and never uses manu-
script in the pulpit His congregation arc now lis
tening 10 series OF sermons OF which the following
IS one.
Or. Eaton took for his subject yesterday morning
"Heavon and He'll and preached from these words
"The kingdom of God is within you"-Luhe XVII ~
He said
Interpretation OF Christianity has been slow and DIM
cult The tendency 10 maerialze inc spnlaa i,saf
tho attempt TO localze God, representing HIN rs
gigantic man, In the identification Of sayslon WIN az
external rite, in the doctrine OF tho physcaI rsi
rection and in many other ways. But perhaps uoI'
IS more striking example Of this mesTa D refesnce
70 Heaven and Hell. Let Us consider inc coh~asVou
IDEAS. :, aoc,arss tha,
Heaven Is locality. II IS situated lar aooVe Us ~
the upper air The streets OF tne NS% Of
Stones Its Inhabitants are clothed IN white raiueht
and carry harps IN their hands. Inc rNe , VI tho
rms through the city, upon whose bank sishus tc
I'LL ~ life the leaves OF which for the heahns
of the Nations The poetic descriptions Oh o. yoi
,nS Thew have been wrought by Milton and Bunyan
and the great of literature and song lh'o INC
na hev have their place But the symbols I'M
Fortunately have usurped the place OF the nai' 81 e.
,ney and reverently by Christ though involy
ing descriptions too lofty for bis dscipes 10
he baen degraded 10 a scDsuous and Manometah
maradIsc 70 a very largo extent the popular con-
ception of Heaven IS maze up OF munanU en- niendors
eeneN M Chalmers saws There may be crowns OF
material splendor. there may DE Iees vi n-nnias
lovelness there may eacns Of deep and
security, palaces OF proud anu s'ao''
city of lofty pnnacies
A CONCEPTION OF HE'LL
Perhaps It is undesirable as certainly Is mposs.D.o
10 reproduce today the vivid and repu'sive pictures
Of he'll which havs been accepted as true rep'e'eu
49, +, ,orta,u orcs Of the Church. There was
,ino whom religious terrorism almost universal
The pen of the poet, the pencil OF the arts' anu '
sermon Of denunciaton and warning which rang MN
every pulpit added to the maddenmg rear oi 'no
tpouisjtion and ecclesiastical tyrantS Hero ana tre
az IN the writings OF Scotus, there IS eVlue"oo '
the sn,rja INTERPRETATION is not entirely ioS. buS
amonc the learned and unleaTne1, the material view
IS commonly accepted saints anu tu.oos Samas nv
10 tell how by the luid glare Of eternal hameS III
had seen millions writing III every form Oh en lhjs
suffering. their eyebals roihs Mi,a nd 0uiV,r
anguish their limbs gashed ana nu'iaieu an h ia and
ING with pain, tortured by pang' ndescrlDaIlo anu
shrekng In vain for mercy TO an , tGSyeTed mock
ing them and casting them into caldrons o. Donins
brmstoneS For tho damned there was no respite
0 In ai our own country one the greatest intellect
God forbid he should be considered me eg'a ,s
damned shall be tormented IN the presence OF Soa
and the Lamb and ne gordea s3H win Gontl. tho
arror of the love and gratitude OF me SAINTS sans, 10 10
aesyeR MIN. Infant! sde Of SP infF b Snz ' rises
heaven l pause, overwhelmed by me a"tuIe re- tbn
the view stand dumb before the sEo Gn . a. inS
Of the Almighty In the face Of such blasphemy ny
this dt large remains eSse inc
There are two sufficient objections TO me ina'erla TIA
view of hcay rS ana 9s % has n Eternity
OF tabor and the endless Incidence Oh hrenS
physical flames Of fire and Sr +, ho ar rGe p S
as examples OF religious bar6a1sn. Du' the1n aois
something in the faeIs cx Gr Which makes
n constantly impossible 10 accePV ms VIC" y"
, We have SSd serv9e t Of COD s e material
cepon stands condemned when }ndsri a. ,He pa a,
,be New Testament win show that the literalists
have absolutely 10 foundation II inc 'eacn Eo ~
c1nTess which are mancs'ly pictorial and hyper
bolicsl or upon riS'lanslailohs anu cpso ~. h
r ,sEee ,m its literal liter Sens Sense
Tn damn. in the New Testament. means 20 con
ani ageionr The word translated he' in some
eases IS fades" and means the world beyond the
Tartsr1is is the original. Latin term for the prison
Of evil spirits, not after but unt the resurrection,
means primarily the valley Of llinnom Just outside
Jerusalem, where Ofa was burned ana w n L., W
fore the symbol of remedial puni llment. These
facts taken in connection with the positive assertions
with reason in the condemnation Of the material con
ception OF heaven and nell.
TIE SPIRITUAL CONCEPTION.
But because we have come to ignore the repre-
tentations of nteraliss being no longer terrified by
their lurd descriptions of hell and smiling at their
childish and groesque idea Of heaven, is there there
fore no meaning to be attached 10 the terms heaven
and hell? Do they not stand for real facts ard
relations in the visible and invisible world IN
doubtedly They stand for the eternal antasonlsn
between right and wrong, the everlasting Yea ana
the everlasting No of the universe between good ana
eva llcht ana darkness. in the soul OF man. Chiists
teaching is entirely spiritual although HIS disciples
did not at first understand IL.
In tho Christian conception, locality counS for
little. Heaven and he'll, - far a. they ale referred
20 at all, are not places, bat inward experiences
The kingdom Christ came 10 establish was not 10 DO
in Galee nor in Judea, bat in the hcaits Oh men
within you so also IT may be sand that hcii stanos
for states Of the soul; In word heaven III . ule
God Cod "'' '''' ~''''''
Heaven in the woias Of Christ ctG at
when he finds heaven IN yielding himself completely 10
Coz. asking nothing. desiring nothing, pu' TO loeo
in the SOUL in the ascent 10 sublimer heights OF
being Whenever and Vleiever a soul approaches
Tod in love ana obedience there is forcaste Of
heaven, and when this union is complete then the
seventh heaven of bliss j. reached. Heaven. then, is
resting IN full CONSCIOUSNESS Of His presence upon the
bosom of the Infinite. II is moving in the dyinely
governed stream of progress in the ages i i, feeling
win constantly growing appreciation the thrill Of the
INFINITELY true. beautiful and good. It Is participation
IN the divine love OF man, wlch has been illustrated
In deeds OF self sacrifice and patient labor since the
world began, and which found ifs elimination In
Snrst; II Is rendering our human loves permanent
ny hfhng them into eternal relations. and BY
meeting them with the Father Of Love and baptizng
them IN iis spirit II is faith In God and faith in man
which leads TO union with God and ultimate pefcc-
ten $500
WHAT HELL REALLY is
so hell stands for states of falsehood impulity. in
Justice or hatred Hell Is alienation from God. SELF
VIII, violation Of the law Of our highest growth the
decay of our conscience, The weakening OF our wills
the loss of faith and sympathy, the placing Of our
selves in opposition TO the movement of God in tho
world these things constitute he'll. There IS a law ~
spiritual attraction which draws toward God there
Is also laus< repulslon which drives us away from