The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-02

reference to the great calamity about
to come upon the Jewish Nation at
the destruction of Jerusalem.
II is evident likewise thet there
we're thousands who believed and
taught the doctrine of endless pun
ishment. We inquire, Could Jesus
have pronounced that judgment on
that people to be greater than the
doom of endless punishment Could
he have uttered this language if he
believed in that doctrine7 Accord
ing to this orthodox theology the
people that suffered in that calamity
all went to an endless punishment
and are there now and will remain
to all eternity.
Yet Jesus said that the destruc-
ton coming upon that city was
greater than any that ever had been
or that ever would be. 1t is evident
that Jesus included all punishments
connected with the violation of all
law. Yet if the doctrine of the popu
lar theology is true all the suffering
that took place on all the earth at all
times would not be so much as one
drop to the ocean compared to the
doom of endless punishment.
The reader is ready to inquire what
Jesus meant when he said, "And
these shall go away into eternal pun
ishment, but the righteous into life
eternal" The term eternal here is
an adjective. And they only qualify
terms to which they are applied.
They never give power or quantity to
noun.
The word eternal means without
beginning or end of existence" Can
we imagine a punishment, damna-
ton or sin that never had begin
ming? The word derives its mean
ing from the word aion, that means
age or dispensation, and all ages
must have beginning. If one age
is limited million are. This word
eternal, that is used to, qualify pun
ishment in this passage, means correc-
ton, chastisement, pruning. Those
that were on the left were sent into
an everlasting condition, to be cor
rected and pruned. To be made bet
ter. The word punishment in this
text is derived from the Greek word,
which means to correct or prune. In
no way can it mean endless.
Paul to the Hebrews is clear on
the subject of punishment: "We
had fathers of our flesh who correct
ed us a few days after their pleasure.
But God, the Father of our spirits,
chastised for our profit that we might
be partakers of his holiness. Now no
Christening for the present seemeth
to be joyous, but grievous: neverthe-
less, afterward it yieldeth the peace
able fruit of righteouness unto them
who are exercised thereby"
If punishment is endless this Ian
guage could not be used. No profit
can come from endless suffering.
Then there can be no afterwards.
Neither can any one be partaker of
Gods holiness or yield the peaceable
fruit of righteousness. 1t is plain
that the writer of this epistle did not
believe the chastenings of the Father
of our spirits to be endless.
There IS another great error taught
in modern theology on the subject of
punishment. That the sufferings of
Christ save us from being punished.
He saves from sin but not from pun
ishment. Sin is one thing; punish
ment is quite another thing. One is
the cause, the other the effect. We
can be saved from sin, the cause, not
from the punishment, the effect of
SHINING.
1t is tr tn that Christ suffered in
consequence of the wickedness of
sinners. Yet he was not punished.
All punishment is suffering, but all
suffering is not punishment. Christ
suffered innocently, but not as quit
ly criminal.
Punishment is pain to be inflicted
upon the guilty, having the end in
view of correcting the evil of doing
wrong. Being thus saved from sin
there is no retribution. Jesus stands
before the world innocent. If we
follow in his footsteps and take him
as our guide we will be by his side as
disciples. The only way to escape
punishment is not to commit SIM
OnlCard.