Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-07-14
THE ELIMINATION OF HE'LL.

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teachers are sometimes heard to
affirm that the average man of
today is callous to religious ap-
peals. Some regard this as evil
dence that men have become
more wicked. more selfish and
avaricious. They would have us
believe that men are afflicted
with moral deterioration. This
is not true. Men live, think,
act on a higher moral plane today
than ever heretofore. Wicked
ness, selhshness and avarice hold
fewer in thrall than at any former
period.
1t is a fact, however, that men
are generally Indifferent, even
callous to religious appeals.
They are drifting away from the
churches into Indifference, spec
ious pantheism or a hopeless ag-
Mysticism.
Why not? If there be heav-
en- all roads lead ithither. He'll
has been eliminated from religi-
Gus faith. The hell described in
Paradise Lost, and The Course OF
Time, the place of future and
eternal punishments preached by
Calvin and Knox, Wesley and
Edwards is cruel, unnatural, and
unreal. The Bible description
of it and the nature of its pun
ishments are merely. poetlcal
expressions and metaphors of
thought drawn for the instruction
of a highly imaginative and po-
etical people. God is love. He
rules men by love. Fear is a
base, unmanly trait and it is i'm
possible that Infinite Love should
play upon it to win men from sin
unto righteousness.
Is it not altogether probable
that this kind of teaching and
preaching is responsible for the
Indifference of men to religious
appeals? It is not beyond just
suspicion that faith in heaven is
more closely related to faith in
hell than we supposed. We have
quite succeeded in abolishing hell
and as consequent faith in heav-
en- is weakened.
We care nothing about the alb
stractions Of eschatology, mol
whether the scriptures are in
spired or not. The writers oi
the Bible were under the neces-
sity of setting forth the Divine
character in terms within the
comprehension of men. In nc
other manner could the finite
learn to know the Infinite.
When they described the Divine
attributes they meant just what
they said and expected men to &C.
cept it as true. There was nc
doubt concerning the character
of the God they portrayed tc
men. His power to punish men
for doing evil was as limitless as
that to reward them for doing
good. His will to do both none
could thwart.
Out of this conception of Di-
vine power, will and purpose,
based equally on fear of hell and
hope of heaven there was build
ed that positive faith which was
vital and efficient to turn mer
from sin unto righteousness. Il
is this faith begotten of fear ano
love which leads men coura-
geously to endure, bravely tc
fight, calmly, triumphantly tc
die. It is not a repulsive, gloomy
faith, but steadfast and joyous.
Neither fear nor love is distorted
nor given undue influence in its
structure, but each mingled with
the other produces a syn-metri.
cal, beautiful, enduring whole.
If the preaching and religious
teaching of to day does not over.
come the stolid Indifference O.
men and inspire them with E
positive, active, enduring faith.
may it not be because the ele'
ment of fear has not been giver
its proper place and proportion
as an agency in turning mer
unto Righteousness?
If God has revealed rational
heaven to men it seems a just
assumption that over against il
he has revealed a rational hell.
If men are taught that the latter
is myth, a coinage of distorted
imagination, they will easily sat.
isfy themselves that the former
has no real existence and thai
after all there is nothing known