Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-03-03
The Ancient Landmarks, or the Com.
mon Theory of He'll Reviewed.

Custom, in law, in morals, and in
literature, whether sacred. classical or
profane, has always carried with it
both authority and reverence. Any
attempt. therefore, to invalidate such
custom may at first sight appear futile;
but, if the breach should be made on
things long considered sacred, then
the attempt is not only considered use
less, but irreverent and wicked.
In the following paper, the writer
disavows any ulterior purpose, on his
part, of any evil consequence, or even
to loosen in any measure the strong
ties which may have held us bound to
the ancient landmarks in sacred history
or revelation. But under the convic-
ton that, in certain portions of the
Hewbrew scripture, as they have been
translated and transferred from one
Epoch to another, and into the verna-
cular of every age through which they
have passed from ages inmemorial down
to recent times, great and manifold
errors have been persisted in to the
detriment of revealed truth, and in
some instances, perhaps, to the integ-
rity of good morals.
In the further consideration of this
subject, one phase Of this question only
will be discussed in the present paper.
From the beginning of time the future
life of mankind, in general, and of in
vidual persons in like manner, must
have been a subject fruitful both in
speculation, and theory of dogma, and
at given times to have caused serious
revulsions in the ordinary methods of
thought, and what may have been con-
sidered by some, settled questions in
Divine Revelation. But it should be
remembered that, the special question,
as well as coordinate ones have not
been indisputably settled, nor have
they found a partially full consensus in
the intellectual convictions or even in
the religious belief of any two nations
or races of people that ever existed.
The real future of man, after he has
passed beyond this present ..vale of
tears, if taken as whole, in body,
soul and spirit, as he has from the
earliest times been classified, has never
been revealed to omortals, and there is
as little uniformity of settled and intel
ligent conviction in the minds of schol-
arly men as well as many other good
Christians on this point to-day as ever
existed in any former period of church
history. While taking this view, there
must be left conviction in our minds
that. much of what we have been taught
or read on the ultimate destiny of man,
was for the greater part mere guess
work; or. as may possibly have been
the case, only ingenious theory. But
does not the Bible reveal all that is es-
sential for us to know on this question
greatest of all in interest for man, to
know?
We may say in answer, perhaps it
does; but, if so, no man hitherto has
been able to decypher the writing or to
explain the mystery.
1t may be further asked, lift his very
question has not been long ago settled
and become part Of the various sys-
TENS of theology? And still farther
has it not also been defined by Councils
of the church, and by them placed in
the creeds for the instruction of the
faithful in all coming times and places?
To this | answer, that these ancient
councils discussed and elaborated many
points of doctrine, now a part of the
Christian faith, and the creeds of the
church contain many beautiful and pro-
found truths. and theological seminar
les have claimed to be rightful custo-
dians and expounders of these truths;
but when they have undertaken to ex-
plain the movements of eternity, or the
ultimate destiny of any human soul,
and meet out to it its destiny in another
world, all their postulations are but
vanity of vanities. This phase of
the question of mans Immortality may
be new and strange to some of our
readers, but it is an old question in the
annals of the human race. In one of
the oldest books in the known world,
the question has been asked, and it was
then one of Importance to the inquirer
himself: IF man die shall he live
again?" But the Oracle to which he
was then silent, as to the
when, or the where, and much more as
to the how or the fact itself
But again, is it not true that the
Bible teaches the doctrine of a heaven
and hell as places, respectively, in
which rewards shall be granted, and
meeted out as the parties
may each have merited in former
life? The Bible does, verify, speak of
rewards for the righteous and of pun
ishment to be inflicted upon the wick