Nevada County picayune., 1890-03-05

temporary, that sin and suffering and death constitute but an episode in the history of Gods admlnlstra- tjon of the affairs of His universal empire. We now proceed to ad- duce few plain scriptural passages in support of this view of the ques- tion-"And through death destroy him that had the power of death, that is. the devil. and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. - Paul. In reference to the wicked, the same inspired writer says, who shall be banished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.'' James, too, in the first verse at the head of this article, tells us that sin, when 1t is finished. bringeth forth death. John tells us in the revelation. that both death and hell were cast into the lake ot fire" meaning thereby their ntter and irreversible destruction. It Is very significant fact, that the Paul. me. as we'll as the other epistles, all of winch were written after the day of Pentecost. are profoundly silent respecting the awful dogma of a burning endless hell, in which the wicked shall spend miserable life of excruciating pain and suffering forever and ever.
 It is evident that the full measure of the spirit was not bestowed on them until the day of Pentecost, and that before this event their spiritual knowledge was very crude and mea- ger. In fact. our Savior told them, that he had many things to say unto them, but they could not bear them now, assuring them at the same time that when the holy spirit should come, He would lead them into all truth. Now, It would seem. that if there is an endless hell of inexpreSsi- hle suffering for the wicked, they would have proclaimed that terrible truth in such plain and unequivocal terms that none could have been mis- taken. But we find. that instead of doing this, they characterize the ti- nal doom of the wicked under the terms of death and destruction The proof from the Old Testament iS equally as conclusive as that of the New. Moses. the great leader of Israel, proclaimed the issues of life and death, of life for obedience, of death for disObedlence. The prOph- ct Ezekiel repeated the same mes sage. announcing with emphasis the truth. "the soul that sinneth. it shall die"-by which we are to un- derstand not the death of the body, to which all alike, the good and the bad were subject, but the second death. or the death of both soul and body, from which the good are eX- empt Malachi tells us, that the wicked shall be destroyed root and branch. =
 But the time would fail Us to quote any more of the strong scripture proofs on this important question, and We therefore desist. and invite our readers to direct their attention to the fairer and more attractive side of this question, the eternal duration of good, or the immortality of truth, virtue and right. One of our unin- spired poets so beautifully expresses the central idea of our subject, that we cannot forbear quoting it as an appropriate introduction to the pre- sentation of our views, truth though crushed to earth, shall ris, again,-thc eternal years of God arc hers; but error, wounded. writhes in pain, and dies amidst her worship CTS" The idea, that two antagonis, tic kingdoms, the kingdoms of light and darkness, of good and evil. oi virtue and vice, shall run parallel with each other throughout eternity -thas some dark and dismal place shall be set apart from all other pla- ces, with walls mountainous flaming high, above all flight of hope, v where no star shall ever rise on the lurid vast to cheer the dying eye, or tell of coming hope; in which the devil and his angels, with the myriads upon myriads of Adams race who died in sin. shall writhe and groan in neon ceivablc agony forever and ever, pre- sents to our mind a picture so revolt ing and unreasonable, so infinitely crnel and hnrharnns 1hnf mn rnnnil