Evening journal., 1905-12-04
HELL" SUBJECT
OF HIS ADDRESS
Father Bermineham'S Church
Crowded TO the Doors
Yesterday

To an audience that filed ST. Pat
ricks Church. the Rev. w. J. Bermins.
ham delivered his second lecture Of
the Advent series. on the subject, rs
There a HELP"
In a few sentences. Father Berming-
ham defined the position Of the Catho-
Tic church upon the subject AS upon
many other subjects. the church has
not declared Of what the torments Of
hell consist. Although two Of her
greatest doctors, St. Augustine and
st. Thomas AcQuinas have professed
/ the belief that fre-materia-fire the
same as on earth-is the medium of
punishment yet, the church has not
declared excathedra, that this is a
matter Of faith
But that there is a hell, even the
lpagans believed. The story OF PrOvet-
/ lbens bound, the Stygion God Pluto,
and many other Of their myths, all
point to the fact that they believed
in the punishment of onenses commit
ted against their Gods and that these
ipunishments would last forever.
The lecture pointed out numerous
passages I'm Holy Writ. which unques-
ltionably point to the existence of a
He'll
The promised scene Of the Last
Judgment when Christ will say to the
wicked Depart ye cursed. etc" the
parable of Christ concerning Dives
and Lazarus. and much other testi-
many from Holy Scriptures, point un-
lquestiOnably to the existence of such
lplace Of torment
"The awful attribute Of Justice. 50
terrible to the offending creature. is
Essential to the An Pergect creator.
I'm vain would the unpious man and
the conscious sinner strip him of &C.
In vain do they force their own roa-
Ison and strive to frame TO themselves
"a Deity according to their own guilty
lminds-one who should be-all boun-
lttul. benevolent, but not avenging:
this justice absorbed in this good.
mess. Gods mercy ends with this
life, and his justice alone reigns IN the
future world
AS He is all just He must perish
Isin, and as He is eternal. this torment
must be endless. The reverend loc-
lturer graphically and forcibly describ.
led the pangs of conscience, of mem
ory and Of the imagination. which the
damned must suffer. Even on this
learth, he said "the murdered driven
almost to suicide by the consciousness
Iof his guilt will give himself up to
human authority. with the hangman's
moose staring him in the face, in order
TO gain respite from the unbearablo
ItOrtures OF conscience.
AS for the memory, every sin. every
!. warning. and every opportunity he hat
for gaining salvation, will come bacl
/ with all the terrible stings Of re
morse, emphasize the condition int
. which his folly has reduced him.
The damned will also have an al
(. most perfect idea of the joys, the end
: less joys OF heaven. and in imagina
!. tion he will picture the rapturou
a state Of the blessed and contrast 4
v with his own infinitely miserable lif'
in hell of these pangs will the great
est torture of hell consist.
But all this fades into insignificanc,
lat the thought that this will last for
lever and ever. No hope Of release viii
ever come as a cooling breeze o
= spring, to tighten his torment.
Liberty Of which we are all s.,
proud in this glorious country, will b,
no more" If God would say to a damn
ed sinner that after millions and mill
ions of years he would be released
from his torture. the punishment o
: hell would be bearable. but He hal
given forth the word that It will b,
forever.
In his usual eloquent manner. Faith
er Birmingham exhorted his hearer,
= TO weigh this terrible thought, and t
let it be for them an incentive to live
righteously and walk in the fear o
p God.