The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-02-08
ETERNAL PUNISHMENT F"
The Subject of Father Hedges
Sermon Last Night.
FPS TOTAL ABSTAlNERS
He Urges His Hearers So to Live
That They May Never Receive
the Curse of the Damned.
He'll is World Without
God. Fine Address.

Despite tho snow of yesterday
morning the 3 o'clock mass at st.
Mary's was we'll attended. The Sac.
rament of Holy Communion was
celebrated, in which a number of
the children of the parish joined.
Tho address was on the subject of
Sabbath observance.
Last night when the wind was
blowing almost blizzard, With
particles of flying ice every mo
ment adding to the depth of snow
already on the ground, throng of
worshippers wendell their way to
the evening mission service.
Father Hedges took for his text
the words from st. Matthew, Ode.
part From Me Ye Cursed Into Ever.
lasting Flames" He said: Hell.
What is it? What does the luke.
warm Catholic tell me when I ask
him about hell? He says 1 don't
have time to think of such things,
or | have heard some one say there
is no hell. What does the infdel
tell me on this subject? He says
there is no hell. Have [ ever seen
1t, or has any one ever been there
and told of it?
And what does the true Catholic
toll me? That hell is everlasting,
that it Is the punishment for q bad
life and that man condemns him
self to- hell and loses life with God.
for that is what hell is-a life with.
out God.
From tradition even we know
that there is hell. The old jew.
ish philosophers taught Of it and in
the New Scriptures are we warned
of it ia the words of the text.
Our Lord said: IF thy foot
scandalize thee, cut it off, so il
you sin, stop or you will surely burn
IN he'll. The Scripture keeps the
doctrine OF heaven and hell togsther,
so If you reject hell you reject
heaven. We know that hell is, and
that hell is eternal, and we also
know that the punishment of hell is
fire. How shall hell burn O spirit
ual soul? Is anything impossible to
God? My friends, the fire of hell
burns and burns and burns and
never consumes, so If man goes
down to hell he goes there just as
you creRteu MN.
Speaking of the gifts OF God to
man as srelating to the senses, the
first of them all is the gift of will of
freedom. Yes, my friends, if a man
does go into hell he goes there with
all the senses he had when God
created him, My dear friends. if
there was nothing in hell but the
groans. the lamentations and the
sorrow OF the condemned, that would
be punishment enough. In hell q
man's will will have lost it's freedom.
for now is the time for q man to
choose God, for when he is in hell
he has no choice. He must stay
there for ever and ever, then let us :;
obs my friends. let US try to serve
God and merit His good will. May
none OF the members of this oongre
CATION hear these terrible words of
God. depart ye cursed into eternal
hre,' but may you ell hear Him say
those sweet and beautiful words.
Come to me ye faithful and possess
the kingdom of your Inheritance
which was prepared for you,'"
At the conclusion of the sermon
Fathers Hedges and Hopper col.
lected from the congregation the
pledges OF total abstinence. and af.
ter benediction Father Hedges an
nounced that he knew there was a
desire to know how many pledges
hal been returned. From the com
paratively small congregation 90
pledges had been returned signed,
with many more still to hear from,
do expressed himself as highly graf
flied at this result of his labors and
that OF his companion in the cause
Of total abstinence.
ADJUSTMENTS.