The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-08-30

W lhC htllntn htllgs NpAiNNi'S' -
was a boy and some times 1t was
girl that was placed naked In the arms
of the great image after it had been
fred to a red heat with fuel piled un-
derneath the image and passing
through 1t as a Gue. The cries Of these
infants so horribly sacrificed were
drowned by the cheers of the worship
pers and various musical instruments.
All of this. indeed everything akin
to suffering, was strictly forbidden
by the Divine Law given to Israel.
And they had been specially warned
against this very form Of idolatry
Neviticus xviii, 81; Deuteronomy
xviii, 10). 1t is a gross mistake and
SANDER of the Divine character and
Law to suppose that 1t ever sanctioned
torture. And 1t is still worse SIAN
der upon God to suppose that he would
himself do, and that for all eternity,
what he condemned In his fallen crea-
lures.
The Lord declares all this through
the Prophet jeremiah vii, 31-3D. Here
God particularly forewarned the Israel
ties that their wrong course would
eventuate In the terrible time Of trou-
BILE which came upon Jerusalem In the
year A. d. 20, when 1t was estimated
that over q million died at the siege
Of Jerusalem. In fulflllment Of this
prophecy the Jews cast the dead bodies
over the wall Of Jerusalem into this
very Valley. Thus we read, Behold,
the day is come, saith the Lord, that 1t
shall no more he called Topheth, nor,
The Valley Of the son Of Hinnom, but,
The Valley of Slaughter; for they shall
bury in Topheth till there be no place.
And the carcasses Of this people shall
be meat for the fowls Of the heaven,
and for the beasts of the earth"
After the reformation made by King
Josiah the Valley of Hlnnom was desc
Grated to the intent that it might never
afterward be considered fit for any
kind of religious worship, sacrifice or
ceremony. 1t became the valley of
defilement 1t was used at certain
times for the burning of the offal and
luDDioh VI tiO NiiJ' ~ bCNdhit NhS
dumping place of dead cats and dogs,
etc. If any of these fell upon the
edges of the rock, no one thought
worth while to Interfere, and the mag
gots and worms destroyed them. Fires
also were lighted occasionally to burn
was added so that the fumes might
destroy any malarial tendency, in the
Interest of the health Of the city.
The Lesson jesus Taught.
We have before our minds now the
gehenna fire which no one ever at
tempted to quench, but which was de-
signed to consume utterly everything
cast into 1t. We have in mind also the
which were permitted to feed on the
carcasses undisturbed until the car
casses were consumed and the worms
themselves died. Another item here
should be noticed, namely, that say
Ing amongst the Jews was, Whosoever
In danger of going from bad to worse
until he will be brought before the
tribunal of the Sanhedrin, culprit.
Jesus took the same line of proverbs
and declared that anyone violating the
Golden Rule to the extent of calling
his brother fool would be in danger
eventually of such depression from
righteousness as to bring him under
sentence of the greater tribunal Of
Messiahs Kingdom, and, "Whosoever
shall say unto his brother, Thou art
fool shall be in danger of gehenna
fire" (Matthew V, 22).
What the Great Teacher meant was
that the earthly Jerusalem was pic
ture or type OF the heavenly Jerusa-
lem, which represents the Divine Gov
ernment or Klngdom-the New Jeru-
salem which, by and by, will come
down to earth-when Gods will shall
be done on earth as 1t is done in
heaven.
AS gehenna lay outside of the wall
of Jerusalem, so our Lord intimated
there would be an antltypical gehenna
outside the New Jerusalem. AS the
trash and offal of the typical city were
consumed in the Valley of Hlnnom. so
the offal and trash of humanity who
will refuse all of Gods favors. nIercies,
blessings ana opportunities, will be
treated as dlsgraceful wretches and be
consumed, destroyed, in the antityp-
ical gehenna-which is the Second
Death. Concerning this antitypical ge-
henna, the Second Death, we are def
nitcly Informed of the characters which
Will there be destroyed utterly, as Pc
ter says, "as natural brute beasts"
We have description of this sym
bollcal New Jerusalem or Divine King
lom Revelation XXD, composed pri
mnrlly of the Church, and secondnrily
Of all from the world who, during
Messiahs reign, will enter In through
Its gates and enjoy the blessings OF
Divine favor and life eternal. And
then we read, verse 8, But the fear
ful, and unbelleving, and the abomina.
a a \ a.