St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-19

writers think that this text refers to tn,
judgment of Cos OH the ASsyrians and
on the irreligious part of the Jewish
nation. Turn TO the siXty-seventh chap
ter of the same prophet and read his
awful words: And they shall 60 out
and look upon the corpses of men who
rebelled against Me, for their worm
shall not die. and their fire shall not be
quenched, and they shall be an aboini-
nation to all desh." w., 24.) The prophet
Daniel refers TO hell in these words:
"And many of those who sleep in tile
dust of the earth shall awake; some
into life everlasting and others unto re-
Droach 10 see il always" xii, 81 l
quote one more text from the Old Tesla
ment: Humble thy soul exceedingly,
remember that wrath will not tarry, and
that fire and worm take vengeance on
the impious.n (Ecclesiasticus vii. IL
Readers of the New Tesla ment can
readily furnish texts in proof of the
reality of hell. Its special name in the
New Testament is Gehenna. We read
in st. Mark this direct statement:
Into GeheDna, into the inextinguiSh-
GX., 42)
John the Baptist. referring to Christ,
puts forward the same teaching in the
following figurative way: Whose fan
is in His hand, and He will thoroughly
cleanse His floor and gather HIS wheat
into the barn, but the chatf He will
burn with unquenchabie fire." Matt.
ill.,. ~
More vivid still is the awful descrip-
ton of the damned given in Christ's
account of the last judgment as mar
rated by ST. Matthew: Then He shall
say to them also that shall be OH His
left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed,
into everlasting fire, which was prepared
for the devil and his angels, for | was
hungry. and you gave Me not to eat, l
was thirsty, and you gave Ne not to
drink, was stranger, and you took
Me not in, naked, and you covered Me
not. sick and III prison, and you did not
visit Me- Then they shall answer Him,
saying: Lord, when did we See Thee
hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or
naked. or sick, or in prison and did not
minister Thee?' Then shall He an
swer them. saying: Amen l say TO YOU,
as long as you did il not 10 one of thes,.
least, neither did you do il 10 Me- And
these shall go into everlasting punish
ment, but tile Just into life everlasting
(XXv., 4l-46.i
The belief In hell has been constant
and universal. The ancient pagans had
their Hades and their Tariarus. The
myths of fantalus condemned forever
TO hunger and thirst, and of Sisyphus
forced 10 roll large stone up an endless
hill are based upon the belief in a fur
Their punishment. Nor can it be said
that this belief has mad its origin in
either OF the two great sources Of errors
namely, the baser passions and worldly
interests. For belief in a future pull
ishment is decidedly opposed to both.
Common sense tells us of the reaSona-
bleness of the belief in hell. There
must be some punishment for obstinate
and unrepented sin. God's wisdom de-
mands it; Gods justice requires il.
There is moral order. There is the
great law OF nature impressed upon
mems hearts. This law must have some
authority: it must carry with it some
sanction. 1t would nave little or no
sanction if there were no puuis hmeI1
Ill the next life. Punishment in this
life may or may not follow each grave
violation Of the law of natu re: but even
II II did, such Is not Suffi cient sanction.
The justice of God requires a hell, for
ii would De niust that the murderer
and the rob5er should be put upon the
same plane with the man of peace and
the man of honesty.
The Catholic church is officially CON-
mitted 10 the doctrine of the eternity of
hell. In the fifth general council. held
in hn
following proposition. taken from a
work by the learned Origen, was con-
demned:
II he torments OF the damned will end
some day. and Jesus Christ, who was
crucifed TO redeem mankind. will die
again 10 redeem aud save the devils"
Science is certainly not opposed to the
doctrine of an eternal he'll: rather does
the scientific world say that the conse-
qnences of mans actions go on for
ever.
Let us take a scriptural text. In ST.
Matthew Christ speaks or eternal fire:
1T is better for thee to enter into life
MANNED or lame than. having two hands
or two feet, to be cast into everlasting
fire" xviii, 81 In st. Mark the
Savior speaks of "urquenchable fire,
where the worm dieth not and the fire
is not eXtinguished." Gx, 44-45.)
In the description of the last judg-
ment we find the preston, depart
from me into everlasting Judgment"
(Matt.Xxv =, 40 Again anu again the word
eternal occurs in the gospel. Even if
we look upon the gos pels merely with
historic eye we cannot explain The oft
occurring word eternal as applied to
hell in any other sense than thi s, that it
Will last forever. Turn again to st.
Matthew and read these words: And
these shall 20 into everlasting punish
lnent. but the just into life everias ting"
(KXv., 49, The same duration is ap-
plieI to the life of the damned as 10
that of the just. Throughout the Cos
pels. We find that Christ puts eternal
ire in sharp antithes.S to eternal life.
quote one more text, this time from
the Apocalypse: And the smoke of
their torment shall ascend forever and
forever" XIV, IL Inc same form of
words is used TO express the eternity of
helFs torment as is used TO express tile
eternity of God. These words are,
forever and ever" so that il we hold
God to be God We must hold hell to be
eternal.
The thoughtless say. "God would not
create countless multitudes to be
damned forever" An eternal hell is
contrary TO Gods mercy" Let us see.
hSiO 10 ilO w HdtGfeT ludl
countless millions of the human &C
Will be lost. 1t may be hard for the
rich men to go TO heaven, but commenta-
tors canuot decide what is meant by the
phrase rich man." AT all events, there
are comparatively few rich men in the
world. The vast ma jorlty of mankind
are poor, if we take poor in a sense
other than that of poverty of spirit.
Catholic theology does not teach that
infants who die without baptism are
punished with positive pain. Catholic
theology does not teach that all who are
outside the visible pale of the church
are necessarily lost. Catholic theology
does say that all who faithfully
follow their conscience-the linal
rule of morality-will be saved
GOD did not create any one to be
damned, much less countless millions.
He made men with free will, and upon
ones self depends his future happiness
or misery. He is merciful. but he does