The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-04-06
At the Catholic Mission is
a Plain and Logical
Discourse.

/ A very strong sermon was preached
by Father swint last night at the
catholic church on the subject Of
Hell" Father swlnt carefully
avoided the extravagant which is So
frequently INDUCED in in the treat
ment of this subject. 1t was an ap-
peal not to feeling. but to the mind.
The sulferings Of hell were illustrated
and brought home to the hearers by
| comparison to surefings In this life.
Father swint insisted particularly.
on the part that hell does not conflict
with either the justice or mercy OF
God.
That hell, eternal punishment for.
sin, is great and deep mystery we
candidly confess. Our finite human
reason cannot fathom it; our nature
shrinks from it. But do you know
that the mystery Of hell begins right
here in this life? Say to me if you
Twill: cannot see how an infinitely
good and merclful God can punish
sin eternally, and l will say to YOU
II do not see why child OF God will
blaspheme Him; why rational man
should make beast of himself; how
a believing Christian can risk the
loss of the eternal happiness Of hea-
ven for the momentary qualification
lie may get out Of few sins. Hell is
a mystery Of severity and pain, but
come with ME to the garden Of Geth-
semene, come with me to Calvary and
| will show You ten thousand times
greater mystery of love and pardon.
God does not put the soul to hell; the
soul puts itself there, in spite of God,
in spite of the very blood OF the Son
of God shed for 1t to the last drop.
1t isn't my purpose this evening to
indulge in any fanciful creations Of
the Imagination in describing the tor
mcnts of hell, There has been en-
tirely too much futile sentimentality
wasted upon this subject Of hell, on
the one hand by certain class Of
writer's and preachers on the subject,
who have given such d grossly mater
ialistic coloring to the pains of hell
as to disgust more reasonable minds,
and to SOW at times even the germs
of positive unbeliefi on the other
hand there. has risen, especially in
recent ye&rh a class of shallow
Drained emetionalists, Iwho dilate EFF
cdsively on Gods mercy but fail 10
see that His justice must, be as i'm
finite as Ills mercy. b, s
1t might be well in fact, in this age
.of doubt and aelf-coneeit, when men
ARE bold to challenge every truth that
has been revealed to us by Almighty
God, to state very. clearly the Catho-
lie doctrine on this question of hell.
1t is defined Catholic doctrine, thing
therefore which every. Catholic must
believe, that there is hell, that hell
is eternal, that those who die in IN
repanted-of mortal sin Immediately
upon their death go down into hell,
and though the essential punishment
Iof hell is the Same for all, in the sec
ondary punishments, souls are pun
Iished adversely according to their
guilt. This much is defined doctrine.
Much more is contained In Scripture
and in the common belief of Christ
ondom. Listen to the words of Scrip
Iture, and weigh them well, for they
come from the tenderest lips that
ever spoke, and would not have been
uttered if they were not eternal truth.
Speaking of the last judgment, Jesus
Isays. "And to them on His left hand
lille Christ will say; Depart from
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared Off the devil and his angels
4 (Math. $500. In His parable OF
4 the marriage feast, to which a man
had come, who had not on wedding
garment, He represents the master
of the feast as saying to the servants,
Bind him hands and feet, and cast
I him out into the exterior darkness!
There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth (Math. 22:1S). And so in
Ills parable OF the cookie and the
wheat, in which He compares the end
i1n