Year: 1878

following article on Eternal Punishment


in your paper ? 1t is the prelude of on


of Joseph Cooks Monday Lectures, il


Boston, and, as we think, contains tn


true Bible doctrine on that awful subject
Our earnest but humble desire is, tha


it a careful perusal.


Yours, &c,


T. L. HUGHES,
And other subscribers of Oak Hill, o


The lectures which the Rev. JOSEPH
Cook is delivering now attract the larges
audiences of the course. His preliminary
talk was upon the current discussion O
future punishment:


THE PRELUDE-FUTURE PUNISHMENT.


The current blazing discussion of fu
ture punishment is distinguished by nc
new evidence, but by new disputants.-
The progress Of democracy and of luxury
in the world has brought to the front in
theology a communistic and an aristo
cratic party. The former is the patron
of what l call the Bohemian theology,
dHd lHe ldtter Ol lA0


Laughter. My Lord Verisopht natur-
Falstaff and Jack Cade in the former.
Unhappily neither of these personages
is a scientific authority 1t is very sig
nifcant that both Abdiel above them,
and Mephistopheles below them, are too
wise to believe in either the Bohemian
or Sofa theology. But the communistic
and the luxurious tendency are powerful
enough to have their own newspapers,
magazines, books, platforms, and even
pulpits.


The Lord Verisopht prefers Dr. MajoI
lea for a preacher. Falstaf and Cade
usually prefer to do their own preaching
The Bohemian and the Sofa theology
agree in possessing the democratic spirit
of uncontrolled selfrule and individual
ism. They both regard the una0elcone as the
untrue The belief of the communistic
party in liberty, and that of the luxurious
party in ease is so intense that the scien-
tific method is to neither a master, but
only servant The one believes in de-
Gliding the most intricate controversies
by count of heads and clack of tongues;
the Other by the languid sneer of fashion
These theological parties are full of the
Zeit Geist or Spirit of the Time, and not
of the Ea0igkeits GsiSt or Spirit of Eternity.
But now, for the first time in history the
portions of society which they represent
are beginning to obtain the ear of the
world on the most complicated questions
of theology, heretofore left to the decis-
ion of scholars. This is the chief charac-
teristic of many modern debate. Not
little discussion in our times is trial of
scholars by newspapers and parlors, rath-
er than of scholars by scholars. Neither
in the historical, nor in the philosophic-
al, nor in the exegetical portions of this
debate concerning future punishment is
there any new evidence; but the new dis
putants are placing the old evidence with
much eagerness in a new pair of scales.
Age after age the evidence has been
weighed in the rival scales of jealous
competing scholars, and the results re-
corded in standard opinions. Now it is
to be weighed in the scales of the people.
Ultimately, if the latter instrument is
steadily balanced, the evidence will be
found to weigh in the new scales precise
ly what it did in the old. Experiment
will corroborate experiment. and the
more we have of it the better. All just
scales use the true weights of the Ea0ig-
keits Geist. and all such scales justify each
other. The false weights Of the Zeit Geist
are the only things to be dreaded.


For one, | have made up my mind not
to 60 out of this life trusting my chances
of eternal peace to the opportunity of
repentance after death In this assem-
bly, we profess to revere the scientific
method. Let me try here a serious ex
pertinent. Nothing tests doctrine like
acting it out. How many are there in
this hall that are willing to trust their
chances Of eternal peace to the possibili
ty of repentance after death? Canon
Farrar says that his Gospel is one of eter-
nal hope; and that, although he can not
preach the certainty of Universalism he
must yet lift up behind the darkness in
the background of our views of the next
life hope that every winter will turn to
spring. He assures US that there is an
opportunity of repentance after deaths
Will any one rise here and say seriously
that he is willing to act on that assurance
1t is safe to put truth into practice
Thou shalt not steal" l am willing to
take that as a guide at this moment.
"Thou shalt commit no murder" l am
ready to trust my whole weight upon that
plank in the theological platform. But,
as for myself, l have personally made up
senses, go hence trusting to a chance of
repentance after death. Applause.


Am willing to advise any friend to
trust his chance of eternal peace to an
opportunity of repentance after death p
Not l. By as much as any man or woman
is dear to me, by SO much l should advise
them to be shy of going hence trusting
their eternal future and its peace to an
opportunity of repentance beyond the
grave. If l can not advise John and
Jane, William and Mary to trust to re-
pentance after death, have no right to
advise the ages to do so. John and Jane


William and Mary are the ages.


What then have we to do with this Sc
ductive clamor as to repentance after
death, we practical men, who believe in
the scientific method and would put ev


erything to the test of absolute expert


ment in life? If we cannot depend or


the doctrine ourselves, if we are not will


ing to put our whole weight upon it, i


we recoil with terror when asked to pu


upon it the weight of any friend, how


dare we stand up and put upon it the


weight of ages, full of passion and blind


ness, heat and pruriency, and what thes'


forces may breed? AS practical matte


the question for me is settled by simpl


appeal to individual seriousness. Yo,


are not willing l am not willing, to tax


the leap into the Unseen depending Oh


the chances Of repentance afts4 death