The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-05-22
ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.
DR.. T. A. Wharton Says the Bible
Teaches 1t from End to End.

DR.. T. A Wharton preached tw'
very strong dOctrInal sermons from
his pulpit Sunday ON the subject o
Eternal Punishment He discussed
the subject at both the morning ant
evening services
In mis- talk Sunday evening he sale
that he had tried not To believe II
eternal punishment He had studied
the Bible from end TO end, spending
weeks and sometimes months on single
passages of scripture ana he had tried
hard TO keep from believing IN it, But
he said that he could tind no place in
the Bible that gave any ground for
believing there was no eternal punls h.
ment, and it was the most intolerable
agony of his life that there was moth
ing in the Bible that gave him room
to hope for those who died without
/ Christ.
He referred to the parable of Dives
and Lazarus and said that alone
1 was sufficient to condemn the doctrine
4 of universalism. There was also no
middle ground. There was an inter
i mediate state, but no intermediate
place.
He referred to the doctrine of second
probation. He ridlculed it. The
doctrine was of Protestant origin.
similar to the Roman purgatory.
The believers In that doctrine thought
that Dives punishment was sort or
reformatory punishment TO prepare
him for higher state, ana that all the
masses of the unredeemed would in
that state be given an opportunity to
accept Christ, and that all would
take advantage of 1t. DR.. Wharton
said he wished he could believe that.
He READ the passage of scripture upon
which the doctrine was based. which
was the 10Th verse of the third chapter
of ST. Peter. He explained the
meaning of the scripture, aud said that
it was simply a warning to Christians
not to be discouraged because their
religion was going TO be antagonized.
No scholars of any note, however.
any longer builded their belief ON the
passage he had quoted. He then dis
cussed the universal consciousness
doctrine. He said If that was &C.
cepted, no revelation was needed. It |
impeaches the whole testim ony in |
the Bible and if it was credited the !
Bible was gone.
But all these theories, said DR.. |
Wharton. are condemned by the whole |
plan of salvation. There was no hope
for the lost soul. The Bible teaches
it from cover TO cover. When a man
dies without Christ he enters upon a
state of eternal retribution: a state of
absolute hopelessness. The theories
Of the theorists all fall before the
words of Christ, when He said that
On the day of the resurrection, when
He had gathered the nations of the
earth before Him He would say to those
lpon His right hand enter into ever.
astlng joy and to those upon His
eft, Depart into eternal darkness.
Dr.. Wharton said he wished he coula
believe there was way to get arou.
he doctrine of eternal punishment-it
vas an awful thing but the Bible
aught it. 1t was woven through the
Whole philosophy of the Book.
He said Christians must go, in GER
ain way, blind, accepting what they
annot understand and believing it to
q true, and if Christians would put
themselves in Christ hands and ask
i'm to save them the whole assurance
nd machinery of heaven would he
ehlnd them. He said people must not {
rife with God Christ did not put
side has crown and come into this
'orld to save humanity from an
imaginary danger.
He closed with an earnest appeal to )
is hearers, that they trife not with the
ord, but to take him TO their hearts, :
I'd believe in Him and trust Him. )