') / BX 9931 .G844 1853 Guild, Everet Emmett, b 1811. ' The Universalist's book of reference Digitized by the Internet Archive "in 2009 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://www.archive.org/details/universalistsbooOOguil UNIVERSALIST'S BOOK OF REFERENCE. COHTAININQ ALL THE PRINCIPAL FACTS AND ARGUMENTS, AND SCRIPTURE TEXTS, PRO AND CON, ON TUB GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN LIMITARIANS AND UNIVERSALISTS. By rev. E. E. guild. Search the Scriptures. — Jesus SIXTH EDITION, 3£vcbiseO anD Knlatflett. BOSTON: UNIYERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, 37 CORNHILL. altered according to Act of Congress, m the year 18i3, BY JAMES M. USHER, It the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetla Stereotyped by HOBART & BOBBINS, ENGLAND TYPE AND STEB20TTPE FOUNDEBT, BOSTON r It E FACE. This work is designed to be what its title imports ; a book of reference. We do not saj that we have collected all that can be said on the subjects treated, but we think we have collected all that is important that has been said in favor of, or in opposition to, the views generally enter- tained by Universalists. That the subjects discussed in this volume are important, no one will dispute. We have endeav- ored to treat them candidly and fairly, and to present in 1 condensed form all the information which we possess con- ^erning them. We have expressed our opinions freely, firankly and boldly. These opinions are the result of years of careful, patient, persevering and untiring investigation. We have long seen and felt the necessity of a work like this, and for years have been collecting together materials for it, and now present it to the public. We lay claim to but little of originality, except for the design, the arrangement, and the manner of discussing the various subjects treated. Most of ths ideas contained in this book have, no doubt, been expressed by others ; but in no case have we intentionally adopted the language of others without giving credit. If * PREFACE. we had been ambitious to acquire literary tame, this work "would never have been published. Our chief aim has been usefulness. How far we have succeeded in accomplishing our object, the public must judge. We have endeavored to speak forth the words of truth and soberness, and to com- municate our ideas in the plain, unvarnished language of truth. Whatever other faults may be found in this book, we think no man will say that the ideas and sentiments of the writers are not clearly expressed in it. To those who wish to compose sermons on the subjects treated upon here, this work will be convenient ; as all the scriptures, and facts, and arguments, &c., will be before them at.one view. This will save them a vast amount of time and labor, which would otherwise have to be spent in hunting up proofs, facts, author- ities, &c. To those who are engaged in public discussion, either oral or written, it will be invaluable for the same reasons. And to the general reader, especially those who have but little time, and perhaps as little inclination, to investigate these subjects as thoroughly as the importance of them demands, it may perhaps communicate some valuable, important, and useful instruction. If it shall accomplish the above objects, and be instrumental in promoting the great cause of truth and righteousness, we shall be satisfied. The question with us has not been, what did our ancestors believe ? but what is truth ? The present is the age of controversy ; and the motto of the people is, "Give us facts." For the opinions herein expressed we hold ourselves responsible to the public ; and we ask for them a candid consideration. If any man feels disposed to controvert them, he must invalidate PREFACE. 5 the facts and arguments upon which our opinions arc based. If we hold any opinions which are erroneous, we shall feel under peculiar obhgations to the man who will point them out and prove them to be false. We hold ourselves in readiness to examine whatever may be said in opposition to our views, and will either iiclinowlodo^e ourselves mistaken, or stand up in their defence. 1* PliEFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The first edition of the Book of Reference Avas issued in 1844, and met with a ready sale. The edition was ex- hausted about five years since, and, as the work was not stereotyped, the original publishers did not feel disposed to run the risk of issuing another. The call for the work for the few years past, from all parts of the country, has been constant and urgent ; and, with the belief that in its revised and improved form it is calculated to do great good, it is new offered to the public. Boston, September, 1853. CONTENTS. Chapter I. — Bible Doctrine of Hell. Section T. — All the passages in the Old Testament in which the original word Sheol ocours, and is rendered Hell in the common English version 13 Section II. — All the passages in the Old Testament where the Hebrew word Sheol occurs, and is rendered Grave in the common English version 15 Section III. — All the passages in the Old Testament wherein the Hebrew word Sheol occurs, and ia rendered Pit in the common English version 16 Section IV. — All the passages in the New Testament where the Greek word Hades occurs, and is rendered Hell and Grave in the common English version 16 Section V. — All the passages in the New Testament wherein the word Gehenna occurs, in all of which it is rendered Hell in the common English version 17 Section VI. — The only passage in the Bible wherein allusion is made to Tartarus, rendered Hell in the common English version 18 Section VII. — Statement of facts, showing that the Scripture writers did not use the words Sheol, Hades, Tartarus, and Gehenna, to signify a place of endless misery 18 Chapter II. — Bible Doctrine concerning the Devil. Section I. — All the passages in the Old Testament where the original word Shaitan or Satan occurs, in whatever way rendered in the com- mon English version 47 Section II. — All the passages in the Old Testament where the word Devils occurs 48 Section III. — All the passages in the New Testament where the word Satan occurs 49 Section IV. — All the passages in the Bible in which the terms Satan and Devil are used to signify the same thing 50 Section V. — All the passages in the New Testament where the Greek word Diabolos occurs, in whatever way rendered in the common English version 51 Section VI. — Statement of fiicts, showing that the terms Shaitan, Satan, Devils, and Diabolos, were not used by the Scripture writers to sig- nify a Fallen Angel, or personal being called the Devil 52 10 CONTENTS. Chapter III. — Bible Doctrine concerning Demons. Bectiou I. — All the passages in the Old Testament wherein reference is had to Demons 60 Section II. — All the passages in the New Testament wherein allusion is made to Demons 60 Section III. — Remarks and observations on Demons, and facts stated, showing that the Demons mentioned in the New Testament were not Fallen Angels 65 Chapter IV, — Bible Doctrine of Rewards and Punishments. Section I. — Promises to the obedient 75 Section II. — Threatenings to the disobedient 79 Section III. — Instances of Divine punishment inflicted in this life. ... 81 Section IV. — Remarks on Rewards and Punishments 84 Chapter V, — On the Scripture usase and meaning of the words Eternity, End- less, Eternal, Ei^erlasting, Never, Forever, and Forever and Ever. Section I. — Facts stated in relation to the Scripture usage of these words 107 Section II. — Passages from the Bible in which these words are evidently used in a limited sense Ill Section III. — Examination of all the passages in the Bible where these words are applied to punishment. 115 Section IV. — Statement of facts, showing that the fact of the application of these words to punishment is no proof of the doctrine of endless punishment 163 Chapter VT. — Bible Doctrine of Judgment. Section I. — Those passages of Scripture which show the manner of, the time when, and the place where, God judges his creatures 177 Section II. — Passages from the New Testament which speak of judg- ment 180 Section III. — On the Greek terms Krino, Krisis, Krima, their different forms, &c., rendered judge, judgment, condemned, condemnation, damned, damnation, &c., in the New Testament 181 Section IV. — Statement of facts in relation to the Bible doctrine of judgment, and an examination of those passages of Scripture which by some are supposed to teach the doctrine of a future general judg- ment 182 Chapter VII. — On the Second Coming of Christ. Section I. — All the passages in the New Testament which speak of the second coming of Christ 204 Section II. — Those passages which are supposed to refer to Christ's final coming, at the resurrection of the dead 209 Section III. — Closing remarks on the coming of Christ 210 Chapter VIII. — On the Scripture usage of the phrases That Day, Last Day, Last Days, Last Time, Last Times, Great Day, Day of Wrath, Day of the Lord, Sfc. Section I. — Passages from the Old and New Testaments wherein these phrases occur 221 Section II. — General remarks on these phrases 223 Chapter IX. — On. the Scripture usage and meaning of the phrase End of the World. Section I. — All the passages in the Bible, wherein this phrase occurs. . . 228 Section II. — Remarks on the phrase End of the World 223 CONTENTS. 11 Chapter X. — On the Scripture usage of the word Fire, and the phrases Ever, lasting. Eternal, and Unquenchable Fire. Section T. — Those passages where the word Fire, and these phrases occur. 238 Section II. — Brief remarks on the Scripture usage of the word Fire, and these phrases 241 Chapter XI. — On the Worm that dieth not. Section T. — All the passages in the Bible where the expression. Their worm dieth not, may be found 248 Section II. — Brief remarks on the Worm that dieth not 248 Chapter XII. — Scripture usage of the phrase Furnace of Fire. Section I. — Those passages where the word Furnace and the phrase Fur- nace of Fire occur 251 Section II. — Kemarks on the Furnace of Fire 252 Chapter XIII. — On the Scripture usage of the phrases Lake of Fire, Lake of Fire and Brimstone, and Second Death. Section I. — All the passages in the Bible where these phrases occur. . . 255 Section II. — Remarks on these phrases 256 Chapter XIV. — On the phrases. Stand before the Lord, Stand before God, Appear before God, and Presence of the Lord. Section I. — Passages wherein these phrases occur 258 Section II. — Remarks on the Scripture usage and meaning of the phrases 2C0 Chapter XV. — On the phrases Kingdom of God, Kingdom of heaven, A King- dom, The Kingdom, 4v. Section I. — All the passages in the Bible wherein the phrase Kingdom of God occurs 2G5 Section II. — All the passages in the Bible wherein the phrase Kingdom of Heaven occurs 2C8 Section III. — Those passages in the Bible wherein the phrases The King- dom, A Kingdom, Everlasting Kingdom, &c., occur 270 Section IV. — Remarks on all these phrases 271 Chapter XVI. — On the phrases Eternal Life and Everlasting Life. Section I. — All the passages in the Bible where the phrase Eternal Life occurs 277 Section II. — All the passages in the Bible in which the phrase Everlast- ing Life occurs 278 Section III. — Remarks on the phrases Eternal and Everlasting Life. . . 279 Chapter XVII. — Bible Doctrine of Salvation and Damnation. Section I. — All the passages in the New Testament wherein the words Save, Saved, and Salvation occur, and which have reference to Gospel salvation 282 Section II. — Those passages in the New Testament where the words Damnation, Damned, Condemnation, Condemned, &c., occur. . . . 286 Section III. — Remarks on the Bible doctrine of salvation and damnation. 288 Chapter XVIII. — On the case of Judas. Section I. — All the passages in the Bible wherein allusion is made to Judas 297 Section II. — Closing remarks, and a statement of facts concerning Judas 298 12 CONTENTS. Chapter XIX. — On the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Section T. — All the passages in the Bible where the blasphemy against the Ilofy Ghost is alluded to 304 Section II. — Eemarks on the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. . . .304 Chapter XX. — A brief Statement of the principal Arguments in favor of TJni- vcrsalism ; also. Objections to those Argurnents, and Replies to those Objections 308 Chapter XXI. — Objections to the Doctrine of Endless Misery 343 Chapter XXII. — On the Authority of the Apostolic and Christian Fathers. . . 353 Chapter XXIIF. — The Articles of Faith, Plan of Church Government, and Statistics of the Denomination of Univtrsalists in the U?iited States and British Provinces 362 CHAPTER I. BIBLE DOCTEINE OF HELL. SECTION I. All the passages in the Old Testajient wherein the Hebrew word Sheoi occurs, and is rendered Hell in the common English Version. Deut. 32 : 22. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. Verse 23. I will heap mischief upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. Verse 24. They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction : I will also send the teeth of beasts upon tliem, with poison of serpents of the dust. Verse 25. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. 2 Sam. 22 : 6. The sorrows of hell comijassed me about ; the snares of death prevented me. Verse 7. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God. Job 11:8. Vei'se 7. Canst thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection ? Verse 8. It is as higli as heaven ; what canst thou do ? deeper than hell ; what canst thou know ? Job 26 : 6. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no cover- ing. Psalm 9:17. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Psalm 16: 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 18:5. The sori'ows of hell compassed me about ; the snares of death prevented me. Verse 6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God. Psalm 55 15. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell 2 14 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. Psalm 86 : 13. Verse 12. I will praise thee, Lord my God, with all my heart ; and I will glorify tliy name forevermore. Verse 13. For great is tliy mercy toward me ; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lou-cst hell. Psalm 116 : 3. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me ; Ifoxi,nd trouble and sorrow. Psalm lo'J : 8. Verse 7. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence ? Verse 8. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there : if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Prov. 5 : 5. Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on hell. Prov. 7 : 27. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Prov. 9 : 18. But he knoweth not that the dead are there ; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. Prov. 15 : 11. Hell and destruction are before the Lord ; how much more then the hearts of the children of men ? Verse 21. The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath. Prov. 23 : 14. Verse 13. Withhold not correction from the child : for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not die. Verse 14. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Prov. 27 : 20. Hell and destruction are never full ; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. Isaiah 5 : 14. Verse 13. Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge ; and their honorable men are famished, and tlieir multitude dried up with thirst. Verse 14. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure ; and tlieir glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. Isa. 14 : 9. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming : it stirretli up the dead for thee Verse 10. ^11 they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we .' art thou become like unto us ? Verse 11. Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols : the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee, Isa 14 : 15. Yet thou shalt be bi-ought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isa. 28 : 15. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement ; when the overflowing scourge shall pa^s through, it shall not come unto us ; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves. Verse 18. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand ; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. Isa. 57 : 9. And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase tliyself oven unto hell. Ezek. 31 : 16, 17. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit : ... . They also went down into hell with him, unto them that be slain with the Bwoi-d Ezek. 32 : 21, 27. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him : they are gone down, they Ue uncii-cumcised, slain by the sword .... And they shall not lie with KTBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 15 the mighty that are fallen of the unoirciimcised, ■which are gone down to hell with their weapons oF war ; and tliey have laid their swords unde)* tlieir heads ; but tlieir iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the teri-or of the mighty in the land of the living. Verse 28. Yea, lliou slialt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with tlieni that are slain with tlie sword. Amos : 2. Though they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down. Jonah 2 : 2. Verse 1. Then Jonah prayed vmto the Loi'd his God out of the fish 's belly ; Verse 2. And said, I cried by reason of mine aflBiction unto the Lord, and he heard me ; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. Hab. 2 : 5. Yea, also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied. SECT^ION II. All the places in the Old TESTAJrENT where the Hebrew word Sheol occurs, and is rendered Grave in the common English Version. Gen. 37 : 35. I (Jacob) will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Gen. 42 : 38. If mischief befall him (Benjamin) by the way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Gen. 44 : 31. And tliy servants (Judali) shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 1 Sam. 2 : 6. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive : he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 1 Kings 2:6. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. Verse D. But his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with bloocL Job 7:9. As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave sliall come up no more. Job 14 : 13. that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that thou wouldst keep me secret until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and rememl)er me. Job 17 : 13. If I wait, the grave is my house • I have made my bed in the darkness. Job 21 : 13. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Job 24 : 19. Drought and heat consume the snow-waters ; so doth the grave those which have sinned. Psalm 6 : 5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee : in the grave who shall give thee thanks. Psalm 30 : 3. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave : thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Psalm 31 : 17. Let the wicked be ashamed, and let Ihtm be silent in the grave. Psalm 49 : 14, -15. Like sheep they are laid in //. c r, iv death shall feed on them ; and the upright shall have dominion uv°.r Kh^.xL 'u tiiC "loru- 16 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. ing ; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave ; for he shall receive me. Psalm b8 : 3. for my soul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. Psalm 89 : 48. What man is he that livetli, and shall not see death ? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave 1 Psalm 141 : 7. Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one who cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. Prov. 1 : 12. Let us swallow them up alive, as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit. Prov. 30 : 16. The grave ; and the barren womb ; the earth that is not filled with water ; and the fire, that saith not, It is enough. Eccl. 9 : 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest. Cant. 8 : 6. Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine nrm : for love is strong as death : jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Isaiah 14 : 11. Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise «f thy viols ; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. Isa. 88 : 10. I said, in the cutting oif of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave : I am deprived of the residue of my years. Verse 18. For the grave cannot praise thee ; death cannot celebrate thee ; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. Hosea 14 : 14. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death : death, I will be thy plagues ; grave, I will be thy destruction : repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. SECTION III. Jill the passages in the Old Testabient wherein the word Sheol occurs, and is rendered Pit in the common English Version. Num. 16 : 30. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open lier mouth, and swallow them up, witli all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit, then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. Num. 10 : 33. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them : and they perished from among the congregation. Job 17 : 16. They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. SECTION IV. All the places in the New Testament xvhere the Greek word Hades occurs, and is rendered Hell, and Grave, in the common English version. Matthew 11 : 23. And thou, Capei-naum, which art exalted unto heaven, Bhalt be brought down to hell : for if the mighty works, whicli have been BIELE DOCTRINE OF IlELL. 17 done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it Tvould have remained until this day. Matt. 16 : 18. And I say also unto thw. That thou art Peter : and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell snail not prevail against it. Luke 10 : 15. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. Luke 10 : 23. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar otf, and Lazarus in his bosom. Acts 2 : 27, 31. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou sufiFer thine Holy One to see corruption He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neitlier his flesh did see corruption. 1 Cor. 15 : 55. death, where is thy sting ? grave, where is thy victory ? Rev. 1:18. I am he that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen ; and have tlie keys of hell and of death. Rev. 6 : 8. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse ; and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him ; and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Rev. 20 : 13. And tlie sea gave up the dead which were in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them : and they were judged every man according to their works. Verse 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This ifl the second death. SECTION V. All the passages in the New Testament wherein the word Gehenna occurs, in all of which it is rendered Hell in the common English Version. Matthew 5 : 22, But I say unto you. That whosoever is angry with hif« brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment : and wliosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but who soever shall say. Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire. Verse 29. And if thy right eye oiiend thee, pluck it out, and cast H from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should per ish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Verse 30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast mto hell. Matt. 10 : 28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 18 : 9. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire. Matt. 28 : 15. Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ' for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte ; and when he is aade, J9 make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 2^ 18 BIBLE DOCTKINE OF HELL. Verse 33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers ! how can ye escape the damnation of hell ? Mark y : 43. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off : it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Verse 45. And if thy foot otfend thee, cut it off : it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fii-e that never shall be quenched. Verse 47. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire. Luke 12 : 5. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear : Fear him which, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear him. James 3 : 6. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity : so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature ; and it is set on fire of hell. SECTION VI. Tlie only passage in the Bible wherein allusion is made to Taktahos,— rendered Hell in the common English Version. 2 Peter 2 : 4. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. SECTION VII. Statement of facts, showing that the sacred writers did not use the ivords Sheol, Hades, Taktahos, and Gehenna, to signify a place of Endless Misery. SHEOL. — This word occurs sixty-four times in the Bible, and is rendered thirty-two times hell, twenty-nine times grave, and three times pit. That it does not signify a place of endless misery is evident from the following facts. 1. The connection of those passages where it is rendered hell Bhows that no reference is had to a future state of existence. There- fore, there is no proof that this hell is in any other world than the one in which we live. The first time it is rendered hell, and of course the first time the word hell . occurs in the Bible, is in Dcut. 32 : 22. By examining the hell there ispoken of, it will be seen that it was the " lowest hell," and that it was to " co7isume the BIBLE DOCTRINE OP HELL. 19 sarth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of tlie viountains.^'' Here fire is evidently used as a figure of punish ment. Tlie nature of this punishment may be learned fi'om verso twenty-four, " They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction : I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with poison of serpents of the dust.'' All this was of course to take place here on the earth. The next time it is rendered hell is in 2 Sam. 22 : 6, where David says, " The sorrows of hell compassed me about," &c. The nature of this hell may be learned from verse seven. " In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God." Again, in Ps. 18 : 5, David says, " The sorrows of hell compassed me about ; the snares of death prevented me." Verse 6, " In my distress I called upon the Lord," &c. In Ezek. 32 : 27, hell plainly signifies the literal grave. " And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war ; and they have laid their swords under their heads.'' If the reader will examine every passage where the word sheol occurs, and is rendered hell, with the connec- tion in which they are found, he will see no reason for supposing this hell to be in another world. 2. Both David and Jonah are represented as being in hell, ind David is not only represented as being in hell, but as being in the lowest hell ; and yet both of these individuals were alive, and on the earth. Jonah 2 : 2, " Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice." Certainly, Jonah could not cry out of the belly of hell unless he was in hell. By consulting verse one, it will be seen that this hell was the fish's belly. Ps. 116 : 3, " The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains oi hell gat hold upon me." To learn the nature of this hell, see the next words. " / found trouble and sorrow.''' Ps. 86 : 12, 13, " I will praise thee, Lord my God, with all my heart ; and I will glorify thy name forevermore. For great is thy mercy towards me ; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell." We learn from this that it is not necessary to go into another world to find the lotvesi hell. Unless it can be shown that there is a hell lower than the loiuest, it is in vain to talk about any other hell than that which exists in this world. It is sometimes said that " from hell there ia 20 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. no redemption." But we here read of a man who was redeemed from the lowest hell. 3. God is represented as being in hell. Ps. 139 : 8, " If 1 make my bed in hell, behold, thou (God) art there." Hell here signifies the invisible state of the dead ; or perhaps the literal grave. The obvious meaning of the psalmist is, that death could not carry him beyond the reach of God's presence. 4. David and Jonah are not only represented as having been in hell and as having been delivered from it, but the soul of David is spoken of as having been delivered from hell. Ps. 30 : 3, " O Lord, thou hast brought up my soid from the grave " (sheol). By soul, here, David evidently means himself, his own person ; and by sheol, the literal grave, or invisible state of the dead. See the nest words : " Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." 5. God is represented as bringing men up from sheol. 1 Sam. 2:6," He (God) bringeth down to the grave [sheol), and bringeth up." By those who believe in a place of endless misery, called hell, in a future world, it is thought that when once a person gets to hell his doom is sealed forever, and that there is no prospect of his ever coming up. But, if sheol in the text just quoted means a place of endless misery, this opinion must be given up. 6. God is not only represented as bringing men up from slteol, but the Psalmist expresses satisfaction in the prospect of the redemption of his soul from shed. Ps. 49 : 15, " But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave " {sheol). Now, if the word soul here means the immortal part of man,, and the word eheol a place of misery after death, then it needs no proof that the Psalmist expected that the soul would go to this hell, and afterwards be delivered from it. 7. The patriarch Jacob expressed himself as if he expected to go to sheol. See Gen. 37 : 35, 42 : 38, and 44 : 31. But does any man believe that this good old man expected to go to a place of either limited or endless misery after death ? Certainly not. But, if sheol signifies a place of misery after death, Jacob certainly expected to go there. 8. To suppose that sheol signifies a place of endless misery after death, is to suppose that David, so far from being a man " after God's own heart," was a perfect monster in cruelty. In 1 Kings BIBLE DOCTRINE OF UELL, 21 2 : 6, he enjoins it upon his son Solomon not to let the " hoar head Df Joab go down to the grave (s/ieol) in peace." In verse 9 he enjoins it upon him to " bring down the hoar head of Shimei to the grave {sheol) with blood." And in Ps. 55 : 15, he says of his enemies, " Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell " (sheol). 9. The pious and patient Job prays that he might be hid in sheol. See Job 14 : 13. But, is it to be supposed that Job wished to be hid in a place of endless misery ? 10. Sheol is represented as a place from the power of which it is impossible for any man, good or bad, to deliver himself. Ps. 89 : 48, " What man is he that liveth and shall not see death ? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave (sheol) ? " This question is one which was designed to involve its own answer, and that answer was designed to be a negative one. Hence, if wo understand the words soul and sheol here as they have been com- monly understood, then the text afl&rms that the souls of all men will go to a place of endless misery. 11. The bones of the Jewish people are represented as being scattered at the mouth of sheol. See Ps. 141 : 7. But, is it to be believed that the bones of these people were scattered at the mouth of a place of endless misery in another world ? 12. Sheol is represented as a place where " there is no work, nor device, nor knovdedge, nor wisdom." See Eccl. 9 : 10. But, if there is no icork there, of course it cannot be a place where devils are at loork tormenting men. If there is no device there, it cannot be a place where devils are contriving how they may best torment their subjects. And if there is no knowledge there, of course it cannot be a place of misery. 13. The good old king Hezekiah, during his sickness, expressed himself as if he should die, and go to sheol. See Isa. 38 : 10. But no man believes that Hezekiah expected to go to a place of endless misery. 14. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and their company, and their wives and their little ones, are represented as having gone down alive into sheol. See Num. 16 : 27 — 33. Here we learn that it is not even necessary to die in order to go to sheol. And, as these persons went alive into sheol, — that is, went into sheol while living, — hence this sheol must have been in this world. 22 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 15. God speaks in the Bible of ransoming mankind from sheol. Hosea 13 : 17, " I will ransom them from the power of the grave " (sheol). By those who believe in a place of endless misery it is thought that for those who will be doomed to that gloomy prison of despair there can be no ransom. But this text certainly teaches that for those who were in sheol there was a ransom. 16. Sheol is destined to be destroyed. Hosea 13 : 17, " grave (sheol), I will be thy destriLCtion." Now, whether this sheol is in this world or another, or whether it is a place of misery or not, one thing is certain : it is destined to be destroyed. The reader will bear in mind that this is the only word rendered hell in the Old Testament. How can that be a place of endless misery which is itself to come to an end, and cease to exist ? 17. Sheol and Saul are synonymous in their meaning. Saul is merely a different pronunciation of the word sheol, in consequence of its being differently pointed. Now, one of the kings of Israel, and one of the apostles of Christ, were both named Saul. If the parents of king Saul, and the parents of Saul of Tarsus, had under- stood sheol to mean a place of either limited or endless misery, is it likely they would have named one of their children after such a place ? What parent, in our day, would name a child hell, and at the same time understand this word to mean a place of endless misery ? The parents of the persons referred to above undoubtedly understood the word sheol in its true sense, namely, " to crave, to demand, to ask," or that in relation to which we desired information, as the unseen or invisible state of the dead. 18. Sheol is denominated Sipit. Ps. 88 : 3, 4, " My life draw- eth nigh unto the grave (sheol). I am counted with them that go down into the pit" Prov. 1 : 12, " Let us swallow them up alive, as the grave ; and whole, as those that go down to the pit." See, also, Isa. 14 : 15 ; and 38 : 18, 19; Ezek. 31 : 16. It waa customary among the Jews to deposit their dead in deep pits, or caves, which were numerous in their country, frequently extending far under ground, and which were sufficiently capacious to contain a large number of dead bodies. Hence arose the expression " depths of sheol" or " deepest sheol ; " and hence it is that sheol is denom- inated a pit, The allusion, in the above texts, evidently is to the manner in which the Jews were accustomed to dispose of their dead, and not to a place of endless misery. BIBLE DOCTRINE OF UELL. 23 19. Shcol is said to have a mouth, or place of entrance. See Pa. 141 : 7 ; Isa. 5 : 14. The allusion is to the mouth of the caocs in which the Jews deposited their dead. 20. Shcol is said to have bars. Job 17 : IG, " They shall go down to the bars of the pit" [sheol). Here is an allusion to the fact that the burial-places of the Jews, or, rather, the entrances to them, were guarded by bars and gates. 21. Sheol is spoken of as having sides. Isa. 14 : 15, " Thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." The allu- sion is to the fact that the Hebrews often deposited their dead, and in great numbers, too, in places excavated from the side of the cave, or pit, which was selected as the burial-place. 22. Sheol is associated with the base of mountains. See Deut. 32 : 22. The burial-places of the Jews were sometimes located at the base of mountains, and in the mountains' sides. In the text just quoted the allusion is to this fact. 23. The inmates of sheol are said to be in the dust. Job 17 : 16, " They shall go down to the bars of the pit (sheol), where our rest together is in the dust." If the word sheol here signifies a place ol endless misery, then this text teaches us that, so far from this place being located in the spirit world, it is located in the dust of the earth. 24. Sheol is spoken of as a place of resort to escape punishment. Amos 7 : 2, " Though they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them." " The allusion is to the escape of criminals from the officers of justice. They might dig into the pits and caves of the earth (the burial-places), yet the omniscient eye of God could not be eluded, nor his justice evaded." The criminal, then, instead of being sent to sheol to be punished, was to be brought out to receive the merited punishment. Tliis idea, although plainly inculcated by the Bible, is at direct variance with the common opinion. 25. The contents of sheol are said to be : 1. Gray hairs. Gen. 37 : 35, and 42 : 38, and 44 : 29, 31 ; 2. Hoary heads, 1 Kings 2 : 6, 9 ; 3. Bones, Ps. 141 : 7 ; 4. Sheep, Ps. 49 : 14 ; 5. Houses and goods. Num. 16 : 32, 33 ; 6. Swords and other weapons of tear, Ezek. 32 : 27. Surely no one will contend that these things are contained in a place of endless misery, in the spirit world ! 26. The inmates of sheol are called t/ie dead, the slain, etc., Isa. 14 : 9 ; Ezek. 31 : 17, and 32 : 21. Certainly it could not be 24 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. said of immortal souls, in a place of endless misery, that they were doad, slain, etc. This language was evidently used with reference to those whose animal life had been destroyed, and whose dead bodies had been consigned to the grave. 27. Sheol is used to signify a state of moral impurity, 2 Sam. 22 : 6; Ps. 18 : 5, and 30 : 3, and 84 : 13, and 116 : 3 ; Prov. 23 : 14, and 5 : 5, and 9 : 18 ; Isa. 57 : 9. The grave is a place of physical defilement and death, and might, therefore, with gi*eat propriety, be used as an emblem of moral impurity, defilement and death. 28. Sheol is often used as a term synonymous with death, Isa. 38 : 18, and 28 : 15, 18 ; Ps. 55 : 15 ; Cant. 8:6; Prov. 5:5; Hosea 13 : 14. Death precedes, the grave follows in quick suc- cession. Hence the propriety of using the terms death and grave as synonymous. 29. The inmates of sheol are said to consume and vanish aicay, and to be eaten zip of worvis, Job 7 : 9, and 24 : 19 ; Ps. 49 : 14. Do the believers in a place of endless misery believe that immortal souls will there coiuume, vanish away, and be eaten up of viorms ? Surely this language can have no other reference than to the dead bodies of men after they are deposited in the grave. 30. Sheol is spoken of as a place o^ rest. Job 17 : 16, " They shall go down to the bars of the pit [sheol), where our rest together is in the dust." A place of misei-y could not certainly be regarded as a place of rest. Hence sheol here does not signify such a place. 31. Sheol is spoken of as a place of silence, Ps. 31 : 17. If it be a place of silence, then it cannot be a place from which the cries, groans, shrieks, bowlings, imprecations and blasphemies, of the damned will be forever ascending. 32. Sheol is spoken of as a place of absolute and entire uncon- sciousness. Ps. 6 : 5, " In death there is 7io remembrance of thee ; in the grave [sheol) who shall give thee thanks?" Isa. 38 : 18, " The grave [sheol) cannot praise thee ; death cannot celebrate thee." Eccl. 9 : 10, " There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol] whither thou goest." It needs no argument to prove that a place of utter unconsciousness cannot be a place of either limited or endless misery. 33. Sheol is used as synonymous with Keler. Is. 14 : 11, ■* Thy pomp is brought down to the grave (sheol), and the noise of BIBLE DOCTUIXK OF HULL. 'ZO thy viols : the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee." Verse 10, " But thou art cast out of thy grave {keber) like an abominable branch, and as the remnant of those that arc slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet." Ezek. 32: 21 — 27, " The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the niid.«t of hell (sheol), with thorn that help him; they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Asshur is tlicre, and all her company; his graves [keber) are about him, all of them slain, fallen by the sword. Whose graves [keber) are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave [keber) ; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. There is Elam, and all her multitude round about her grave [keber), all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which aro gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living ; yet they have borne their shame with them that go down to the pit. They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude; her graves [keber) are round about him There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude; her graves [keber) are round about him And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncir- cumcised, which are gone down to hell [sheol) with their weapons of war ; and they have laid their swords under their heads ; but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living." All admit that the Hebrew word keber signifies the literal grave. Every one can see that in the above texts sheol and keber are used as synonymous terms. In Isa. 14 : 11, it is said of the king of Babylon, " Thy pomp is bi'ought down to the grave [sheol), and the noise of thy viols ; the tcorm is spread under thee, and the worms cover theey In verse 19 he is said to be cast out of his grave [keber) " as an abominable branch, as a carcass trodden under foot ^ The loorms of sheol, and the carcass in keber, have the same refer- ence. The expression, sides of the pit, used in connection with sheol, verse 15, and the stones of the pit, mentioned in connection with keber, verse 19, are evidently the same. The dead of sheol, verse 9 of this chapter, and the slain of keber, verse 19, signify precisely the same thing. In Ezek. 32 : 21, 27, the inmates of sheol are said to be slain, 26 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. to be laid Avith the uncircumcised, and to have their swm'ds laid under their heads. In verses 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, the same or similar expressions are used in connection with keber. The only difference in the usage of these terms is, that, whereas sheol is always used in the singular number, keber is often used in the plural number. But it must be borne in mind that sheol was the common receptacle of all the dead, good, bad, and indifferent. All went to sheol, whether they were buried in tombs, sepulchres graves, caves or pits; yea, whether they were burned with fire devoured by wild beasts, or left unburied. Sheol signifies the state of the dead in general ; it does not signify a particular grave. It was not a thing of individual appropriation, as the grave, or keber, was, but a state or condition common to all the dead. It was very proper, then, that it should be used in the singular number ; for, although the graves, or kebers, were many, there was but one sheol for all. 34. If the reader will examine every passage where the word sheol occurs, he will see that it is used in two different senses, the one literal, and the other figurative. It is used in a literal sense to signify the grave, or, as some suppose, the invisible state of the dead. It is used in a figurative sense to denote trouble and sorrow. 35. Ps. 9 : 17, is supposed by some to teach the doctrine of endless hell torments ; but the reader will bear in mind that the hell, or sheol, there spoken of is either the same as that in which David was while living here in this world, or the same as that into which Jacob expected to go, in which Job prayed to be hid, and in which Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their company, were swallowed up alive. If the latter, then it signifies that the wicked, and those nations that forget God, should be suddenly cut off and destroyed by the judgments of God, — be overwhelmed in calamity, and be brought to an untimely grave. On the supposition that sheol signifies a place of endless mis- ery, and that the scripture writers understood it so, we see of no way to account for the following additional facts : 1. Not one of the scripture writers has given us an account of the origin, history, or location, of such a place. Moses has given us an account of the creation of the heavens and the earth, but he says not a word about the creation of a place of endless misery. Nor is any such account contained between the lids of the Bible. BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 27 Now, if there is such a pl?ce God must have created it; and if Moses knew that he had created such a place, why should he over- look so important a fact in his history of the creation ? 2. God never informed mankind that he had created such a place, lie forewarned Adam and Eve of the consequences of partaking of the forbidden fruit. lie forewarned the Jews of the consequences of departing fi-oni the law of the Lord ; and he has communicated various kinds of information to the children of men. But he has nowhere in the Bible informed any man that he had created an endless hell. 3. It is nowhere said in the Old Testament that sheol is a place of endless misery. We have seen that the word sheol occurs sixty- four times. It was used by Moses, Jacob, Samuel, Ezra, Job, David, and others; but not one of these persons ever intimated that they understood by it a place of endless misery. 4. God never informed the Jewish people that sheol signified a place of endless misery. In addressing that people he frequently uses the word sheol, but always speaks of it as something which existed in this world. 5. Endless punishment in sheol is not annexed as a penalty to any known law of God. God gave to the Jewish people various laws and institutions, and he annexed penalties to those laws ; but we shall search in vain to find a law to which is annexed the pen- alty of endless misery in sheol, or anywhere else. 6. God never threatened the Jewish people with punishment in sheol after death. He frequently threatened them with punish- ment, and with tremendous and awful judgments; but in no single instance did his threatenings extend beyond death. 7. The Jews were never threatened with punishment in sheol after death by any of their prophets, priests or kings. If the reader thinks we are mistaken, let him examine the Old Testament, and see if he can find an instance of this kind. 8. No person, of whom we have any account in the Old Testa- ment, old or young, rich or poor, bond or free, holy or unholy, ever expressed any fears of suffering misery in sheol after death. 9. No Jew, of whom we have any account in the Bible, ever prayed to be saved from punishment in sheol. 10. It is never said, in the Old Testament, of any person who bad died, — whether he died a natural death, or was publicly exe- 28 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. cutcd for his crimes, or was cut off by the judgnients of GoJ, or whether he was a good or a bad man, — that he had gone to a place of endless misery. 11. When persons died, among the Jews, their surviving rel- atives and friends never expressed any fears that they had gone to a place of misery. If they knew of any such place, they certainly felt very differently about it from what people do in our day. 12. The Jews never express themselves as if they expected tc be separated from their friends after death. Now, if they believecJ that heaven was a place of endless happiness for some, and shcol a place of endless misery for others, how is this fact to be accounted for ? We see no way of accounting for this fact only on the suppo- sition that they had no knowledge of the existence of a jalace of endless misery. 13. Not one of the Old Testament writers has ever connected the words everlasting, eternal, forever, endless, &c., with sheol. We nowhere read of an everlasting sheol, of an eternal sheol, of an endless sheol, or of a sheol that shall endure forever, 14. Cruden, in his Concordance, admits that sheol " most com- monly signifies the grave, or the place or state of the dead." — Sea Crudeii's Concord., art. Hell. And George Campbell, D.D,, F.R.S,, Edinburgh, and Principal of the Marischal College, Aber- deen, a divine of the Presbyterian church, says that sheol "signifies the state of the dead in general, without regard to the goodness or badness of the persons, their happiness or misery." — See Prel. Dis. 6, p. 2, HADES, — This word occurs in the New Testament eleven times. It is rendered ten times hell, and once grave. That it does not signify a place of endless misery, is proved by the following facts : 1. In the translation of the Old Testament into Greek, by the Seventy, they rendered the Hebrew sheol by the Greek word hades. Hence, sheol in Hebrew, and hades in Greek, as they occur in the Scriptures, are synonymous terms. And, as our Lord and his dis- ciples always quoted from the version of the Seventy, or Septuagint Version, they would, of course, use words and terms and phrases in accordance with their usage there; and hence sheol in the Old Testament, and hades in the New, signify precisely the same thing BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 2fi Now, as wc have shown that the word sheol docs not signify a placo of endless misery in tlie Old Testament, so neither can the word nades signify such a place in the New. 2. The first time hades occurs in the New Testament, it is used in reference to the city of Capernaum ; of which city our Lord says, it " shall be brought down to hell." See Matt. 11 : 23. And in Luke 10 : 15, he says it " shall be thrust down to hell." Now, no one will pretend that the city of Capernaum was to be thrust into a place of endless misery in a future world. The word hades is used here in a figurative sense, to denote desolation and destruction. Adam Clarke says, " The word here means a state of the utmost woe, and ruin, and desolation, to which those impenitent cities should be reduced. This prediction of our Lord was literally fulfilled ; for, in the wars between the llomans and the Jews, these cities were totally destroyed ; so that no traces are now found of Bcthsaida, Chorazin or Capernaum." 3. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16 : 19 — 31, this word is used to denote the degradation and misery which came on the Scribes and Pharisees (of whom the rich man is the parabolic representative), when they died to all the privileges of the legal dispensation, were cast out of the gospel kingdom, and were brought into a lower state of degradation than they fancied the pub- licans and sinners (of whom the beggar is the parabolic representa- tive) to be in. All the figures of this parable are drawn from the heathen notions respecting Elysium and Tartaros. Now, had our Lord believed the views of the heathen in regard to hades and its difierent apartments to be correct, he would not have drawn the figures of a parable from those views. Indeed, any attempt to do this would be to convert that which was designed for a parable into a literal relation of facts. 4. The soul, or person, of Jesus Christ is spoken of as having been in hell. See Acts 2 : 27,28. Jesus was in hades, — that is, the grave, — to be sure, after death ; but does any man believe that he went to a place of endless misery after death ? 5. In Uev. 6 : 8, hell is spoken of as being in this world. " And I looked, and behold, a pale horse : and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him : and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.'" 3* 30 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 6 Mankind are spoken of as being delivered from hell. Kev- 20 . 13, " And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them." Now, if the hell here spoken of was in a future state of existence, one thing is certain, those who were in it were not alive, but dead. How, then, could they suffer misery there ? Another thing is very evident : those who wore in it were delivered from it, and no intimation is given that they were ever sent back again. If this text has reference to the literal resurrection, then the meaning simply is, that death and the grave, or hades, were to deliver up their dead. But it is not probable that the text refers to a literal resurrection. What John saw, he saw in a vision ; and the vision is not to be interpreted literally any more than his other visions recorded in the same book. 7. In Matt. 16 : 18, we are told that " the gates of hell (hades) shall not prevail against the church of Christ." But, are we to understand by this that the gates of a place of endless misery should not prevail against his church ? What danger was there of this ? The word gates here is evidently used to signify power. Death, the common enemy of mankind, was in a thousand forms assailing the subjects of Christ's church, and he himself was to be brought under his dominion, and be made the subject of his pale realm. But a complete victory was to be obtained over death, and mankind were to be delivered from his power. Hence the powers of death and the grave could not prevail against the church of Christ. 8. In Rev. 1 : 8, we are informed that Christ has " the keys of hell and of death." But has Christ the keys of a place of endless misery, in a future state of existence, called hell ? Is it not sup- posed, by those who believe in such a place, that an all-powerful evil spirit, called the devil, has possession of those keys? If the keys of hell here mean the keys of a place of endless misery, over which such a being as we have just spoken of reigns, then Jesus must be the door-keeper for the devil. But who can believe this ? No one. Jesus has the keys of death and of the grave : he can therefore enter the dominion of these powers, and deliver mankind from their cold and iron grasp. 9. The usage of hades in the New Testament exhibits as plain a resemblance to the grave, as sheol of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, as we have seen, the gates that guarded the entrance to the burl' ,1 -places of the Jews, are mentioned in connection BIBLE DOCTRINE OF IlELI 31 with shcol. The same is true oi hades in the New Testament. See Matt. 16 : 18. We have seen, too, tluit the keys, hy whicli tlicse gates were opened, are mentioned in connection with sheol. This ia also true of hades. See Rev. 1 : 18. Again, the inmates of sAeo^ are said to be tlie dead, the slain. So are the inmates of hades. See Rev. 20 : 13. Once more ; sheol is used as an emblem of degradation, moral impurity, punishment, etc. So, also, is hades. See Matt. 11 : 23; Luke 10 : 15, and 16 : 23. If it be asked here " How could the quiet and peaceful grave be made an emblem of misery ? " I answer, we have before stated that the grave is a place of physical impurity, corruption and defilement. Hence it is a very appropriate emblem of moral depravity and deoradaticn. And, as misery is the constant and invariable attend- ant of moral impurity, hence the idea of misery is associated with it. Besides, death precedes, the grave follows in quick succession. The act of dying is generally attended with pain ; hence the agonies of dying are associated with the grave. In the common English ver- sion of the Scriptures the grave is used as the emblem of cruelty. See Solomon's Song 8:6," Jealousy is cmel as the grace.''' 10. Hades, like sheol, is destined to be destroyed. 1 Co. 15 : 55, " death, where is thy sting ? grave (hades), where is thy victory ? " If the reader will examine the connection of this text he will see that Paul was treating upon the subject of the literal resurrection of the dead. He shows that all mankind will be raised from the state of death, be changed from " mortal to immortality," from " corruption to incorruption," from " weakness to power," from " natural to spiritual," from " dishonor to glory," and that " death shall be swallowed up m victory." Then he says the triumphant exclamation shall be made, " death, where is thy sting ? grave, where is thy victory ? " Paul undoubtedly had his eye on the passage which we have quoted from Hosea 13 : 14, " death, I will be thy plagues ; grave (sheol), I will be thy destruction." What is signified by one of these passages is also signified by the other ; and hence hades and s?i€ol, in whatever way these terms may be understood, are destined to be destroyed. 11. The last we hear about hades in the New Testament it was "cast into the lake of fire." Rev. 20 : 14, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." If the reader will examine the chapter of this book on the lake of fire, he will see that this lake of 3'J, BIBLE DOCTRINE OF UELL. fire was in this world, and that the ph.rase " lake of fire " is used in the book of Kevelation to signify total and entire destruction. To cast persons into the lake of fire, was to completely destroy them from off the earth. To cast death and hades, the grave or hell., into the lake of fire, was to completely destroy them, so that they would never more exist. For no one pretends that either death or the grave will exist in another world. But this language is highly figurative. Death, and tho state of mortality, may be said to have been destroyed when Christ burst the bands of death, rose trium- phant from the grave, and brought life and immortality to light. Hence Paul, speaking of Christ, says, " Who kath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.'' The believers in this gospel can look forward prospectively to the time wheu death and the grave shall be destroyed, and be no more forever. 12. Dr. Doddridge, on Rev. 1 : 18, and Parkhurst, who quotes from Lord King's History of the Creed, chapter 4, says : " Hadees, or Haidees (as it is spelt in Homer or Ilesiod), obscure, dark, invis- ible, — from a, negation, and idein, to see. The invisible recep- tacle or mansion of the dead in general. Our English, or rather our Saxon, word hell, in its original siiinification (though it is now understood in a more limited sense), exactly answers to the Greek word hades, and denotes a concealed or unseen place ; and this sense of the word is still retained in the eastern, and especially in the western counties of England ; to hele over a thing, is to cover it" Dr. Canipbell says : " As to the word hades, which occurs in eleven jjlaces of the New Testament, and is rendered hell in all except one, where it is translated grave, it is quite common in classical authors, and frequently used by the Seventy, in the translation of the Old Testament. In my judgment, it ought never, in Scripture, to be rendered hell, at least in the sense wherein that word is universally understood by Christians. The word hell, in its primitive signifi- cation, denoted only what was secret or concealed." — Prelim. Dis. C, part 2. Dr. Hammond says : " Among profane writers, it is clear that the word (hades) signifies not the ]jlace of the damned, no, nor any kind of place, either common to both or proper to either bliss or woe, but only the state of the dead." — Annot. in loc. Donncgan defines this word tl)us : "■Invisible; not manifest, concealed; dark, xincertain.'" — Donnegan''s Lexicon, p. 19. Dr BIBLE DOCTIUNE OF IlKLL. 33 Adam Cliirke says : " The woril hell, used in tlie common translation, conveys noio an improper meaning of the original word ; because hell is only used to signify the place of the damned. But, as the word hell comes from the Anglo-Saxon helan, to cover, or hide, hence the tiling or slating of a house is called, in some parts of England (particularly Cornwall), helhig, to this day ; and the covers of books (in Lancashire), by the same name, so the literal import of the original word hades was formerly well expressed by it." — Com.inloc. Concessions such as these, from such men, ought to satisfy every candid man that the words sheol and hades have been very generally and very greatly misunderstood. At the close of our remarks on Gehenna the reader will find some additional facts on this subject. TAllTAKOS. — " This word means that prison of the heathen, hades, in which they supposed that tyrants and other wicked beings were tormented in various modes. The word does not occur in the Bible. But in 2 Peter 2 : 4, a verb, derived from this word, is used, — tartaroosas, — and is rendered 'cast down to hell,' — more literally, tartarused them. It is evidently a figure, used to denote severe punishment, imprisonment in a dark place." Tartaros was one of the departments of hades ; and as we have shown that hades itself is to be destroyed, of course tartaros must cease to exist also. Hence it cannot be a place of endless misery. For an explanation of 2 Peter 2 : 4, see our remarks on Jude 1:6. It is there shown that the angels who are said to Itave been tartarused were human messengers, and that the punishment which was inflicted on them was of a temporal nature. As the word tartaroosas occurs but once in the Bible, no further remarks on it are necessary. For if sheol, hades nor Gehenna, either of them, signify a place of endless misery, of course it will not be pretended that tartaroosas, signifies such a place. GEHENNA. — Professor Stuart, of Andover College, says of this word : " The word Gehenna is derived, as all agree, from the Hebrew words Gee Hemiom." To this, and in the opinion that this word signifies the valley of Hiiinom, — a j.lace, near Jerusalem, where a continual fire was kept burning, to acstroy the filth and dirt of that city, — the Ibllowing writers are all agreed : Adan? 3-J BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. Clarke, Parkhurst, Wynne, Wakefield, Macknight, Heylin, Rosen,, muller, and others. Indeed, this fact is not disputed by a single respectable biblical critic. Its meaning, in the New Testament, must, therefore, be determined by its signification in the Old. In order that the reader may see the scripture usage of it in the Old Testament, we will give every passage from that book where it occurs. Josh 15 : 8. And the border went up by the valle]] of the son of HiU' nam unto the south side of the Jebusite ; the same is Jerusalem : and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward. 2 Kings 23 : 10. And he (Josiah) defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. 2 Chron, 28 : 3. Moreover, he (Ahaz) burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abomina- tions of the heathen. Jer. 7 : 31, 32. And they (the children of Judah) have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire ; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter : for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place. Jer. 19 : 2. And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee. Verse 6. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. From the above passages the following facts are perfectly obvious ; 1. The valley of Hinnom was one of the landmarks, or boundaries, of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. 2. If the reader will consult Lev. 18 : 21, and 20 : 2, he will learn that the idol god Moloch was set up in this valley, and that the Jews sacrificed their sons and their daughters to him. Professor Stuart says : " If we may credit the Rabbins, the head of the idol was like that of an os, ■while the rest of its body resembled that of a man. It was hollow within ; and, being heated by fire, children were laid in its arms, and were there literally roasted alive." We cannot wonder, then, at the severe terms in which the worship of Muloch is everywhere denounced in the Scriptures. 3. This valley was called Tophet, as Stuart says, "from Topk, to \oniit with loathing; " or, as Sehleus- ner says, " from Toph, a drum ; because the administi'ators of these horrible rites beat drums, lest the cries and shrieks of the infants BIRLE DOCTRINE 01<" UEI.L. d!j who were burned should ]m heard by the asscml)ly ; " or, as Adam Clarke says, " from topket, tlie firr-slovc, in which some suppuso tliey burnt their children alive to tlie idol Bloloch." 4. The good king Josiah abolished these nefarious practices, and polluted tho place where they had been committed. Schleusner says : " After this, they (the Jews) held the place in such abomination, it is said, that they cast into it all kinds of filth, together with the carcasses of beasts, and the unburicd bodies of criminals who had been exe- cuted. Continual fires were necessary, in order to consume these, lest the putrefaction should infect the air ; and there were always worms feeding on the remaining relics." Stuart says, Josiah pol- luted this by causing the filth of the city of Jerusalem to be carried there ; and, he adds, " It would seem that the custom of desecrat- ing this place, thus happily begun, was continued in after ages, down to the period when our Saviour was on earth. Perpetual fires were kept up, in order to consume the offal which was deposited there. And as the same offal would breed worms (for so all putrefying nicat of course does), hence came the expression. Where the ivorm dieth iwt and the fire is imt queivched.^' 5. This valley is made an emblem of that terrible temporal calamity which came on the Jewish nation in the destruction of their city and temple. This valley lay south of Jerusalem, or on the south and west of Mount Sion, and was very deep, so that the city was inaccessible in tluit part. Sometimes it was made the place of execution, and the manner of executing criminals there was this : After the malefactor was condemned by the Sanhedrim (a Jewish council, composed of seventy-two persons, six from each of the twelve tribes of the Jews), they set him in a dung-hill up to his knees, and put a towel about his neck, and one pulled one way, and another the opposite, till they forced him to open his mouth. They then poured boiling lead into his mouth, which went down into his belly, and so burnt his bowels. After destroying the life of the unfortunate being in this manner, they then cast his body into the fire, which burned without cessation in that horrid place of defilement and death. Sometimes the criminal was cast alive into this fire, and his life and body destroyed in this manner. ^Ve have seen that this place was made an emblem of the judg- ment, which came on the Jewish nation in the destruction of their city and temple. Now, let it bo borne in mind that Jesus and his 36 BIBLE BOCTIUXE OF IIKLL. apostles addressed the people in the language of the Old Testament scriptures ; and it is not to be sup^xised that they would use words and phrases in any dilferent sense from what they are used in the Old Testament without giving some plain intimation of it. To havft done so would have been to purposely deceive the people. The question, then, is not in what sense is the word (Gehenna) used by the llabbinical writers, or in the Jewish Targums, but what is it used to signify in the Old Testament scriptures ? And its meaning there must determine its meaning in the New Testament. The word Gehenna is used in the New Testament twelve times, and is invariably rendered hell. The following facts, stated in the language of Mr. Balfour, show that it is not used to signify a place of endless misery : 1. " The terra Gehenna is not found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, — called the Septuagint, — or the translation of the Seventy, nor in the Apocrypha, nor in any classic Greek author. It is, therefore, primarily and exclusively, a Jewish or Plebrew term. 2. " The translators had no authority for translating this term by the word hell, as it is the name of a place, — as much &o as Sodom and Gomorrah, and, therefore, the original word should have been retained. And I would here remark, that in some excellent versions the original word is left untranslated. It is so in the French Bible, and in the Improved Version, Wakefield's Version, and Newcomb's Translation. The Hebrew words for the valley of Hinnom are Ge-hinnom, and the Greek word Gehenna is a com- pound of these two words united in one, without a change of mean- ing. The English words to signify this place are valley of Hinnom. Now, if this terra had been left untranslated in those passages where it occurs, or if it had been translated valley of Hinnom, as it ought to have been, there would have been no difficulty in understanding their true meaning. Their meaning would have been obvious to every observing mind. 3. " The word Gehenna is used but twelve times in the New Testament ; and, properly speaking, it does not occur even as many times as this. It occurs eleven tiuh^s in the gosi)els written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke ; and, by comparing the places, it is evident that these historians relate the same discourses in which our Lord used this word." So that, in point of fact, the word was used BISLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 37 but eight times; — seven times by our Lonl, and onec by James. " I mention this fact, because this is the only word which the learned pretend signifies a phiee of endless misery. And, admitting that this is the proper signification of the term, it is certain it is not mentioned so often in the whole Bible as some of our modern divines mention it in a single sermon. 4. " This word is used by our Lord, and by the apostle James, and by no other person in the New Testament." Neither P:iul, John, Peter nor Jude, have used this word in all their writings. " How can this fact be accounted for, if they understood our Lord to mean by it a place of endless misery ? 5. " All that is said about Gehenna was spoken to the Jews. It is not once named to the Gentiles in all the New Testament; nor arc any of them ever threatened with such a punishment. Tliis fact is indisputable. Now, how can this fact be accounted for, except on the supposition that the punishment of Gehenna was that which alone concerned the Jews ? And, as the punishment of Gehenna did not concern the Gentiles, hence nothing is said to them about it." 6. We have seen that our Lord used this word seven times. Five times out of this number he used it when addressing his own immediate disciples. Now, if he used it to signify a place of end- less misery, how is it to be accounted for that he should say so much about it to his own disci^^les, and so little to the unbelieving part of the world ? 7. Our Lord used this word but twice, when addressing the unliclieving part of the Jewish nation ; and in one of those instances, at least, the connection shows conclusively that no reference was had to punishment in another world. Matt. 23 : 33, " Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell (Gehenna) ? " To learn what this " damnation of Gehemia " was, see the next words : " Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes ; and some of them ye shall kill and cru- cify ; and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city : that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous A^bel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.' It is plain from 4 38 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. this that the damnation of Gehenna was something which they were not going to^ but something which was com'mg to them. AVho can doubt that it was the same punishment which was predicted by Jeremiah, in the seventh and nineteenth chapters of his book ? 8. " It is admitted on all hands that this word is never used to signify a place of misery in a future world in all the Old Testa- ment." 9. It is also admitted that it is used in the Old Testament to signify punishment in this world ; yea, that it is used to signify that very punishment which came on the Jewish people within forty-five years after Christ threatened them with the damnation of Gehenna ; and which consisted in the destruction of their city and temple, the destruction of millions of their lives, and the dispersion of the rest throughout the inhabited globe. This fact is made per- fectly plain by those passages where the word occurs. See Jer. 7 : 30 — 34. " For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, siiith the Lord : they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire ; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter : for they shall bury in Tophet 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 ; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride ; for the land shall be desolate." See, also, chapter 8 : 1 — 3, " At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the lx)nes of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhab- itants of Jerusalem, out of their graves : and they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped ; they shall not be gathered, nor be buried ; they Bhall be for dung ujion the face of the earth. And death shall be RIIILE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 39 chosen rather llian life by a]l the residue of tlicm that remain of this evil family, wliich remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts." See, also, Jeremiah, chapter 19. " Thus saith the Lord, Go, and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests, and go forth unto the valley of the son of liinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee; and say, Hear ye the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem ; thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears sliall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burnt incense in it to other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled the pla^je with the blood of innocents ; they have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt ofi'erings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind ; there- fore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place ; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives ; and their carcasses will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing ; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss, because of all the plagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat of the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every one of the flesh of his friend, in the siege and straitness wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, and shalt say unto them. Thus saith the Lord of hosts. Even so will I break this people, and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again ; and they shall hirij thevi in Tophet, till there be no place else to bury. Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make their city as Tophet : And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned 4 'J BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL. incense unto all the hosts of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods. Then came Jei-cmiah from Toi'iiet, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy ; and he stood in the court of tlie Lord's house, and said to all the people, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring upon this city, and upon all her towns, all the evil that I have pronounced against it ; because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words." The prophet Isaiah has reference to the same thing in chapter 66 : 24, " And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses 0? the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their Jire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.'' Here we see the origin of the expression " undying worm." It was derived from the fact that worms were constantly preying upon the filth and putrefying flesh which were deposited in Gehenna. Here, also, we see the origin of the expression " unquenchable fire." It was derived from the fact that a fire was kept constantly burning in Gehenna, for purposes which have already been stated. We see, too, that fire and worms are spoken of, in the Old Testament, in connection with the valley of the son of Hinnom. This accounts for the fact that, in the New Testament, the same things are spoken of in connection with Gehenna. And hence the judgment which came upon the Jewish people is called the " damniition," or punish- ment, " of Gehenna," " Gehenna fire," or the fire of Gehenna. Hence, Gehenna is also spoken of as the place " where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Rev. ]Mr. Parkhurst, in his Lexicon, referring to Matt. 5 : 21, 22, says : " The phrase here translated hell-fire (literally Gehenna of fire), does, I apprehend, in the outward and primary sense, relate to that dreadful doom of being burnt alive in the valley of Hinnom.'''' No one can doubt that the predictions of Jeremiah and Isaiah, just quoted, were fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem. Then the valley of Hinnom became the valley of slaughter. Tlien Jeru- salem became as Tophet. Then the Jews did eat the flesh of their sons and of their daughters. Then the land of Judea was made Jesolate. Then tlie carcasses of the Jewish people became meat for the fowls of heaven, and the beasts of the field ; for six hundred thousand of their dead bodies were carried into the valley of Hin- nom, and were suflercd to lie there unburied. Then the wrath of BIBLE DOCTRINE OF ilELL. 4j God came on the Jewish people to tlie uttermost, and they experi- enced " tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world, even to that same time, no, nor ever shall be." See Matt. 24 : 21. Now, the fact which we have just stated, — that Gehenna is asod in the Old Testament to represent punishment in this world, and no- where else, — being a fact which is indisputable, wc demand, in the language of Mr. Balfour, " What meaning would the Jews, who were familiar with this word, and knew it to signify the valley of Ilinnom, be likely to attach to it when they heard it used by our Lord ? Would they, contrary to all former usage, transfer its meaning from a place with whose locality and history they had been fomiliar from their infancy, to a place of misery in another world ? This conclusion is certainly inadmissible. By what rule of inter- pretation, then, can we arrive at the conclusion that this word means a place of misery after death ? " 10. If Gehenna signifies a place of endless misery in another world, and if, in those passages where it occurs, it is set in contrast with heaven (as is supposed by those who attach this meaning to the word), it is certain that those who go there are to go bodily. See Matt. 5 : 29. And it is equally certain that those who go to heaven are to go there bodily ; and not only so, but are to go thei-o '■'■halt,'''' and ^'■maimed ;" — some with only one eye, some with only one hand, and some with only ono foot. See Mark 9 : 43, 45, 47. But can any man believe all this ? 11. Gehenna, in the New Testament, is set in contrast with the kingdom of God. Mark 9: 47, "It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell [Gehenna) fire." Now, if the reader will examine Chapter XV. of this book, on the phrases kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven, he will see that the phrase kingdom of God signifies the gospel dispensation ; and that this kingdom wa.s to be established here on earth, at the time of Christ's coming to destroy Jerusalem, and scatter the power of the holy people. Hence the fact that Gehenna is contrasted with this phrase, proves that Christ used this word to signify the punishment which came on the Jews, and in which the disciples of Christ might be involved if they suffered anything whatever to draw them from their attachment to their Master. 12. If Gehenna signifies a j^lace of punishment in another world, 4* 42 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL, and if God inflicts Gehenna punishment on any of his creatures in that world, it is certain this punishment will consist in entire destruction, and absolute annihilation, and not in endless misery. See JMatt. 10 : 28, " Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehemia]." Now, to " destroy the soul, inti- tnates as certainly the death of the soul, as to destroy the body intimates the extinction of the life of the body. If, then, by the word soul we understand the spirit, or immortal part, of man, and if God will do what he is here said to be able to do, — that is, destroy both soul and body, — the doctrine of annihilation is clearly established." And the doctrine of endless misery is overthrown by the very passage which is frequently introduced to prove it. But if we understand Gehenna here to signify the valley of Hinnom, and the word soul to signify the animal life of man (us is its meaning generally in the Bible), then all is plain. God might destroy the lives and bodies of the disciples in that awful calamity which came on the Jewish nation, and which is represented under the figure of Gehenna, or he might cast them into Gehenna by numbering them with the six hundred thousand unbelieving Jews, whose dead bodies were carried into the valley of Hinnom, and left there unburied. 13. Whenever our Lord said anything about Gehenna, the per- sons whom he addressed are evidently supposed by him to be acquainted with the meaning of the word. Hence no explanation whatevei is given of it. But, in what other sense, pray, could they understand it, except in the sense in which it was employed in the Old Testament ? 14. If Gehenna means future punishment in the New Testament, it is certain the apostles never preached it to Jews or Gentiles. They did not mention the word in a single instance in all their preaching, of which we have any account. How can this be accounted for, if they understood by it a place of endless misery ? 15. If Gehenna means a place of misery, in a future world called hell, it is certain this hell is a material hell ; and that pun- ishment in hell consists of torment in literal fire. We know that a material hell has been contended for ; but, in these days of refine- ment, improvement, and light, and knowledge, this idea is pretty generally abandoned. But if any class of people must have a hell, we insist upon it that they abide by the conclusions which are to be legitimately drawn from their premises. If they will have it tlmt BIP.LE DOCTRINE OF HELL. 43 orelienna means a place of punishnient in a future world, th.-n let them be contented with the hell of the Bible, and not undertake to manufacture a new one, nor to improve on the old one. Let them, then, cease to preach about a '■'^ spirihial hell,'''' and a '■'hell of cmi- scie7Lce ;" and let them go to preaching up the good old Orthodox hell of our fathers. If they will do this, we will at least give them the credit of consistency. To the views which we have advanced on the meaning of Gehenna, we know of but one plausible objection. That objection we will now state, and reply to. It is objected, that, " although Gehenna originally denoted ti.e valley of Hinnom, yet it had lost that signification in our Saviour's time, and was used to signify a place of torment in another world." To this objection we rei)ly as follows : 1. This is a barefaced assertion, unsupported by any positive or direct proof whatever. 2. The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures was commenced about two hundred and seventy or two hundred and eighty yeai's before Christ, when the five books of Moses were translated. The translation of the rest of the books was not undertaken until within one hundred and seventy years of Christ's birth, and was not fin- ished till some time after it was commenced, say twenty years. — See Prideaux's Coniiections, vol. 3, pp. 356, 357 ; Home's Intro- duction, vol. 2, pp. 168, 1G9. Now, as when this translation was made, no such change as is alleged had taken place in the meaning of Gehenna ; hence, one hundred and fifty years before the date of the New Testament this word retained its original meaning. The only Jewish books which were written between the completion of the Septuagint Version and the public ministry of Christ, which have come down to us, are some of the later books of the Apocry- pha, and the writings of Philo. Two of the Apocryphal Iwoks allude to punishment after death, but do not speak of it as punish- ment in Gehenna. Indeed, the word does not occur in any of the Apocryphal books, nor in any of the writings of Philo. How, then, can it be proved that any such change as is supposed had taken place in the meaning of Gehenna? 3. Josephus wrote his works shortly after the New Testament was written. He was a believer in puiiishment after death, and frequently alludes to it in his writings ; yet he never calls it pun- 44 BIBLE DOUTRINE OF UELL. ishment in Gehenna, nor does t'je word Gehenna occur in his writ- ings. No Jewish writings composed within one hundred years after the time of Josophus have descended to us ; so that it cannot be proved that any change in the meaning of Gehenna had taken place within one hundred years after the time of Christ. 4. The first time that Gehenna was used to signify a place of misery after death, of which we have any account, was by Justin Martyr, about the year of our Lord 150. 5. The first time this word is used to signify a place of misery in another world, by any Jewish writer of whom we have any account, was by Jonathan Ben Uzziel, in a Targura written by him, the date of which is uncertain. " Prideaux, together with several of the old critics, and even Gesenius, place it not far from the Christian era, on the authority, chiefly, o? Jeivisk traditions. Prideaux, however, has well observed, that, ' in historical matters, it is not to be regarded v;hat the Jeios write, or lohat they omit.'' Most of the eminent critics now agree that it could not have been completed till some time between two hundred and four hundred years after Christ. Dr. Jahn thinks it 'a collection of the interpretations of several learned men, made towards the end of the third century, and containing some of a much older date.' Eichhorn says that 'Jonathan certainly lived later than the birth of Christ;' and, judging from his style, his fables, his perversions of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, and from the profound silence of the early Jews and Christian Pathers, he concludes that his compilation can- not have been made before the fourth century. The same circum- stances that Eichhorn adduces, are thought by Bertholdt to indicate the second or third century ; and he is confident that the collection * cannot have attained its complete form before the end of the second century.' With these general conclusions it is said that Bauer likewise agrees ; and some critics have referred the woi'k to as late a period as the seventh and eighth centuries." See Universalist Expositor, vol. 2, p. 3G8. There is no proof, then, that the meaning of the word Gehenna wtis changed until one hundred and fifty years after Christ. If, thc-refore, we believe this word signifies a place of misery after death, we nuist believe it on the authority of unin- spired men, — on the authority of Jewish Targums and Talmuds, and not on the authority of the Bible. If the reader is disposed to bow to such authority, he can do so ; but we beg to be excused. EIBLE DOCTRINK OF HELL. 45 The following facts bear equally against understanding eitlier Sheol, Hades, Tartaros, or Gehenna, to signify a place of endless misery. 1. The words eternal, everlasting, forever. Sec, are not connected with either Sheol, Hades, Tartaros, or Gehenna, in a single instance in the v/hole Bible. 2. Paul says he " shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God; "and yet he has not, in all his writings, mentioned either Tartaros or Gehenna. He mentioned hades but once, and then used it to signify the grave. Now, if Paul believed these words signified a place of endless misery, how is this fact to be accounted for? 3. Among all the charges brought against Jesus and his apostles by the unbelieving Jews, they never charged them with threatening them witli endless misery in Sheol, Hades, Tartaros, Gehenna, or anywhere else. Now, the Jews believed themselves to be the pecu- liar people of God ; and if Jesus or his apostles had threatened them with endless misery, it would have excited their indignation to the highest pitch ; and we should have heard them accusing Christ of being audacious and presumptuous. But no; no such charge is brought against him. 4. No person mentioned in the New Testament ever expressed any fears of going to a place of endless misery after death, or ever prayed to God to be saved from such a place. Nor is it said of any person who had died, that he had gone to a place of endless misery, — either in Sheol, Hades, Tartaros, Gehenna, or anywhere else. 5. The salvation of the gospel is never spoken of as a salvation from a place of endless misery, either in Sheol, Hades, Tartaros, or Gehenna. It is spoken of as a salvation from sin, from the dark- ness of this world, from wrath, from unbelief, and from the power of darkness ; but no intimation is given that Jesus came into this world to save mankind from endless misery in another. Thus, we have finished our examination of these words. The reader can judge for himself whether either of them, as used in the Scriptures car possibly signify a place of endless misery. KECAPITOLATION. — The English word hell occurs in the Bible fifty-four times ; — thirty-one times in the Old Testament, and twenty-three times in the New. In the Old Testament it occurs 46 BIBLE DOCTRINE OF HELL, once in Deuteronomy, once in 2 Samuel, twice in Job, seven times in Psalms, seven times in Proverbs, six times in Isaiah, four times in Ezekiel, once in Amos, once in Jonah, and once in Habakkuk. In the New Testament, it occurs nine times in Matthew, three times in Mark, three times in Luke, twice in Acts, once in 2 Peter, once in James, and four times in the book of Revelation. In the following books of the Old Testament it is not found : Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Eccle- siastes. Song of Solomon, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, nor Malachi. It is not found in the following books of the New Tes- tament : John, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephe- sians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessiilonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 Johu, nor Jude CHAPTER II, BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCEEMNG THE DEVIL. SECTION I. All the passages in the Old Testajient wherein the original woi d Shaitah or Satan occurs, in whatever way rendered in the commc n English Version. Gen. 26 : 21. And they digged another 'well, and strove foi that also : and he called the name of it Sitnah. Num. 22 : 22. And God's anger was kindled, because he (Balaam) went : and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Verse 32. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times ? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me. 1 Sam. 29 : 4. And the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which tliou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us. 2 Sam. 19 : 22. And David said, What have I to do with you, ye song of Zeruiah, that ye should tliis day be adversaries unto me ? 1 Kings 5 : 4. But now the Lord my (Solomon) God hath given me rest on every side, so that thei'e is neitlier adversary uor evil occurrent. 1 Kings 11 : 14 And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon ; Hadad tlie Edomite : he was of the king's seed in Edom. Verse 23. And God stirred him up another adversary, Rczon the sou of Eliadah, wliich fled from his lord Iladadezer, king of Zobali. Verse 25. And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Iladad did ; and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria. 1 Chron. 21 : 1. And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. Ezra 4 : G. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of liig reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 48 illBLE DOCTKINE CONCERNING THE DEVIL. Job 1 : 6. Now there was a day -when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. Verse 7. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou ? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it. Verse 8. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my ser- vant Job ? that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil .' Verse 9. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught ? Verse 12. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power : only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. Job 2:1. Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present tliemselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. Verse 2. And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou ? And Satan answered the Lord, and said. From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Verse 3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my ser- vant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil ? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him with- out cause. Verse 4. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin ; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. Verse 6. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand ; but save his life. Verse 7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils, from the sole of his foot unto his crown. Psalm 38 : 20. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries. Psalm 71 : 13. Let them be confounded and consumed, that are adver- saries to my soul. Psalm 109 : 4. For my love they are my adversaries. Verse 20. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord. Verse 29. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame. Zech. 3:1. And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. Verse 2. And the Lord unto Sa ten. The Lord rebuke thee, i'atan ; even the Lord, that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee. SECTION II. .ill the passages m the Old Testament where the word Devils occurs. Lev. 17 : 7. And they shall no more offer their saci-ifices unto devils, after wliom thoy have gone a whoring. Deut, 32 : 17. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God ; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fithers feared not. 2 Chron. 11 : 15. And he (.Tcrol)oam) ordained him priests for tl\e high places, and for the devils, ami for the calves wliich he had maook, to ascertain the scripture usage of this word, the reader will discover that it sign! fies an enemy, an opposer, an adversary, and that it is not once used to signify a personal being, called the devil, or Satan, i. e., such a being as is commonly believed in by most Christians. That the word was not used by the Old Testament writers to signify such a being, is further evident from the following additional facts : 1. Not one of these writers has asserted the existence of such a being; or given us any account of his origin, history, locality, &c. Moses has given us the oldest authentic record extant, but he gives us not a word of information concerning a holy, happy angel in heaven, rebelling against God, falling from paradise, and of his introduction into our world. The word Satan, nor devil, occurs in a single instance in his writings. The original word rendered Satan occurs but three times in his five booivs ; and once, as we have seen, he applies it to a v^ell, and twice to an angel of the Lord. That Moses did not design to teach the existence of such a being is, therefore, indisputable. The five books of Moses comprise a history of the world for a period of more than two thousand years. During this whole time, then, mankind were entirely igno- rant of the existence of an all-powerful evil spirit, called the devil. 2. The woi-d rendered Satan, in the Old Testament, does not occur in any of the following books : Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteron- omy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Esther, Proverbs, Eeclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, 5* 54 BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE DEVIL. Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, ITosca, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahuni, Habakliuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi. Of course, it will not be pretended that either of these books teaches the existence of such a being ; and whether such a thing is taught in those books where the word does occur, let the reader determine by examining all the passages where it is found. Can it be supposed that the Jews of ancient times were knowing to the existence of a devil, who was doing extensive mischief in the world, enticing men to sin, and leading millions down to irretrievable ruin and misery ; and yet, that such holy men as Joshua, Nehemiah, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, &c., should say not one word concerning him ? 3. God never gave the Jewish people, through the medium of his prophets, any warning concerning the devil, any information in regard to the extensive and powerful evil influence which he was constantly exercising over them. Nor are any directions given how his influence might be resisted, and his power counteracted. All of which was certainly very necessary, if such a being really existed. 4. No person, of whom we have any account in the Old Testa- ment, ever undertook to excuse himself for his crimes and iniquities, by saying he was enticed, or tempted, by the devil, and charging the blame upon him. The case of Eve may be thought an instance of this ; but I remark, that we are not told that the serpent was a fallen angel, nor that the devil assumed the form of a serpent, and tempted Eve. Besides, Adam acknowledged no influence of the serpent or the devil in his case, but charges the blame upon his wife. We might as well, therefore, suppose Eve to be the devil, or the woman to be the form which the devil assumed, as to suppose this of the serpent. 5. The children of the Jews were not taught by their parents anything concerning the devil ; nor were they cautioned to beware of his seductive wiles and stratagems ; nor told that for disobedience they would be consigned over to his tender mercies. All this is perfectly unaccountable, if Jewish parents believed as some parents do now. G. Among all the prayers recorded in the Old Testament, there is not a single instance of any individual ever praying, cither for himself, or any one else, to be delivered from the influence or power of the devil in this world, or anywhere else. Either persons then BIBLK DOCTRINE CONCERNINQ THE DEVIL. 55 did not believe as many do now, or they were culpably negligent in this respect. 7. We are not informed, in the Old Testament, of any person who ever swore by the devil, or cursed by the devil, or ever wished any of their fellow-men to go to the devil. Certainly, wicked, pro- fane Jews did not believe as profane men do now, or we should have some instances of this kind. 8. Another fact is, that no person under the Old Testament dis- pensation, either good, bad, or indifferent, ever expressed any fears of going to the devil himself, or of any other persons going to the devil. They express no such fears when well, when sick, nor on the bed of death. Nor do the living express any fears that their deceased relatives, friends, or acquaintances, had gone to the devil. DEVILS. — This word is found in the Old Testament four times. It occurs once in Leviticus, once in Deuteronomy, once in 2 Chronicles, and once in Psalms. By consulting Section 2 of this Chapter, which contains all the passages where it occurs, every person can see that it is used to signify the heathen divinities, or false gods of the heathen ; and in no other sense. As it is not pretended that this word is used to signify a fallen angel, no more need be said on it. SATAN. — This word occurs both in the Old and in tiie New Testament. In the Old it occurs just eighteen times. Once in 1 Chronicles, fourteen times in the book of Job, and three times in Zechariah. In the Old Testament we have seen it signifies an enemy, an opposer, an adversary. It is used in precisely the same sense in the New. This word occurs in the New Testament thirty- seven times. Four times in Matthew, six times in Mark, six times in Luke, once in John, twice in Acts, once in Romans, twice in 1 Corinthians, three times in 2 Corinthians, once in 1 Thcssalonians, once in 2 Thcssalonians, twice in 1 Timothy, and eight times in Revelation. It is not found in Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, nor in Jude. This word is applied in the New Testament as follows : To Peter, one of the disciples of Christ ; to Beelzebub, the imaginary prince, or god, of the demons or spirits of dead men ; to Judas, another 56 BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE DEVIL. disciple of Clirist, who deserted him, and thereby became an enemy or adversary to him ; to the unbelieving Jews, who were the adver- saries of Christ, and of his religion ; to false teachers, they being the enemies of truth ; and to the heathen opponents of the Gospel, and persecutors of the followers of Christ; see Rev. 2 : 13. It is also applied to the spii'it of wickedness in man, and to the evil pas- sions and desires of men ; see Acts 5 : 3, and John 13 : 27. DIAB0L03. — This word is found in the Greek Testament thirty-six times. Six times in Matthew, six times in Luke, three times in John, twice in Acts, twice in Ephesians, three times in 1 Timothy, twice in 2 Timothy, once in Titus, once in Hebrews, once in James, once in 1 Peter, three times in 1 John, once in Jude, and six times in the book of Revelation. It is not found in Mark, John, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colos- sians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, 2 Peter, nor in 2 and 3 John. If the reader will examine Section 4 of this Chapter, he will see that the words devil and Satan are used in the New Testament as synonymous terms. The word diabolos is translated in the common version of the New Testament thirty-three times devil, twice false accusers, and once slanderers. Had it been invariably rendered by words which properly define it, no one would ever have dreamed that it was used to signify a fallen angel. Donnegan defines this word thus : Dia- bolos — an accuser, a calumniator. See Donnegaii's Greek and E?iglish Lexicon, p. 356. We are aware that some writers say it signifies the devil ; meaning a fallen angel, such as has been gen- erally believed in ; but before it can be allowed to have this siguifi- , cation, it must be proved that such a being exists ; or, at least, that the New Testament writers believed in the existence of such a being, and applied this word to him; which we think cannot be done. This word is applied in the New Testament in the same manner that Satan is, and signifies precisely the same thing. If the reader, therefore, will examine all the texts where it occurs, and read them as if it was rendered slanderer, accuser, calumniator, opposer, enemy or adversary, he cannot fail of understanding them in their true sense. In closing this chapter, we will state some objections 10 the com- BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE DEVIL. 57 men view of the subject, and reply to some objections against the views which we have presented, 1. The cotmnon vieio of the subject is absurd. It supposes sin to have originated in heaven. Now heaven is everywliere repre- sented in the Scriptures as a holy, happy place, into which nothing sinful, unholy, or unclean can ever enter. To suppose, therefore, that sin and rebellion against God originated there, is absurd in the extreme. 2. It is coiitrary to ex-perience. It supposes man to be influ- enced to sin by a personal devil. Now no rational man, acquainted with human nature, ever felt, or imagined that he felt, any such in- fluence. 3. It is unphilosopMcal. It supposes more causes tlian are necessary, to account for the wickcxlness of man. We think the fact of man's animal nature being so closely connected with his spiritual is abundantly sufficient to account for all his sin and wick- edness, without resorting to the supposition that a personal devil has any concern in the matter. We have no doubt that thousands have imagined they felt the influence of such a being. So have thousands imagined they felt the influence of witches; and this fact proves as much in one case as in the other. 4. It comes directly in contact with the plain declarations of the Bible. 1st. It supposes sin to have been introduced into our world by a fallen angel. Whereas, the Bible declares that by one man, not by one deoil, nor by one fallen angel ; but " by one man, sin en- tered into the world, and death by sin." ^ee Horn. 5 : 12. 2d. It supposes man to be tempted by a personal devil. But when the Bible speaks out plainly on this subject, it declares that every man, yes, every man from Adam down to latest posterity ; every man is tempted, not by the devil, not by a fallen angel, but " every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his oicn lust, and enticed." See James 1 : 14, and 4 : 1—4, and Prov 1: 10. 3d. This theory supposes that the works of the devil will remain, and that he himself will exist throughout the ceaseless ages of eter- nity. But the Bible affirms that he himself, and all his works, shall be destroyed. Ileb. 2 : 14 ; 1 John 3 : 8. Whatever this devil may be supposed to be, then, one thing is certain ; he is des- 58 BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE DEVIL. tilled to he completely destroyed, together with all his works. So far, therefore, as the salvation of the human race is concerned, it is a matter of no consequence whether such a being as a personal devil has any real existence or not. We will now notice some objections to our views. It is ob- jected, 1. That personal pronoiais are applied to the devil {n the Bible, and the Scriptures frequently speak of him as a real being ; and represent him as talking, acting, Sj-c. To this we reply, that personal pronouns are applied to many inanimate things in the Bible ; and oftentimes they are represented as talking, acting, &c. The earth is personified. Job 31 : 38. The heavens are personified. Jer. 2 : 12, 13. The sea. Job 38 : 8, 9. Destruction. Job 28 : 22. Death and the grave. 1 Cor. 15: 55; Job 28: 22. The hosts of heaven. Ps. 148: 1 — 5. The mountains and hills. Isa. 55 : 12. The trees of the forest. Judges 9 : 7 — 16. Wisdom also is personified. Prov- erbs, chapters 8 and 9 ; also, Prov. 1 : 20 — 33. Seeing so many things are personified in the Scriptures, is it any marvel that evil, that wicked men, that the lusts and passions of men, should be per- sonified ? So far from it, it is just what we should be led to expect. 2. It is said, If the idea of a personal devil and an endless hell be given 2ip, our preachers will have nothing to preach about. We frankly confess, we know of many preachers who, in such a case, would lose a principal topic of conversation and pulpit declamation. But then it mast be confessed that, if in reality no such being as a personal devil exists, the less that is said about him the better. And if these preachers can find no better subjects to discourse upon, they had better abandon the ministry, and be silent. 3. It was remarked by a certain old lady, that the existence of a devil was perfectly clear ; else how could mankind 'make a picture of him ? We know there have been a great many pictures of the devil, and we also know that a great many pictures of things exist in the human imagination, and are even put upon paper, which have no existence in reality. Mankind are extreniely fond of pictures ; and perhaps some will esteem it a hard case that we should attempt to rob them of their beautiful pictures of the devil. Tn conclusion we remark, that until the facts and objections stated BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE DEVIL. 59 in this section, against the existence of a personal devil, are satis- factorily accounted for or removed, we must continue to believe that Buch a being exists only in the imaginations of the ignorant, the weak, and the credulous ; and that the idea of his existence ought to be abandoned by every rational man. CHAPTER 111 BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCEDING DE- MO [^G, SECTION I. AU the passages in the Old Testament u-^erein reference is had to Demons. Deut. 32: 17. They sacrificed unto devils {demons), not to God ; to gods whom they k?iew not, to uew gods that came newly up, whom your fat hers /eo/-cc? not. Psa. 'J6 : 6. For all the gods of the nations are idols {daimonia) ; but the Lord made the lieavens. Psa. 106 : 37. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils {daimoniois) , and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons, and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan. Isa. 13 : '21. But wild beasts of the desert shall be there (in Babylon) ; and their houses sliall be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs {daimonia) shall dance there. Isa. 34 : 14. Tlic wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr {demonia) shall cry to his fellow ; the screech-owl shall also rest there (in Idumea), and find for herself a place of rest. Isa. 65 : 11. But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop {daimonia), and that furnish the drink oflering unto that number. SECTION II. ^11 the passages in the New Testament wherein allusion is made to Demons. 1 Cor. 10 : 20, 21. But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacri- fice, they sacrifice to devils {demons), •.ind not to God: and I would not thit yc should have fcUowsliip with devils {demons). Ye cannot drink BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING DEMONS. Gl the cup of the Loi-d, ami tlie cup of devils (demons) : j'o cannot be p:iv- takoi'a uf the Lord's table, and uf the table of devils {ilc/aous). Acts 17 : 18. He seemetli to be a setter forth of strange g-otis {daimonia), because he preached unto them .Jesus and the resurrection. Kev. 'J : '20. And the rest of the men, which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not Worship devils [demons), and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood ; whicli neither can see, nor hear, nor walk. liev. IG : Id, 14. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils {demons), "working miracles. llev. 18 : 2. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils (demons), and the hold of every tbul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 1 Tim. -1 : 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doc- trines of ifevils (demons). John lU : 20, 21. And many of them (the Jews) said, lie (Christ) hath a devil (demon), and is mad ; why hear ye him? Others said. These are not the words of him that hath a devil (demon) : can a, devil (demon) open the eyes of the blind ? John 7 : 20. The people answered and said. Thou (Christ) hast a devil (demon). John 8 : 48, 49. Then answered the Jews, .and said imto him. Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil (demon) ? Jesug answered, I have not a devil (demon). Verse 52. Then said the Jews unto him, now we know that thou hast a devil (demon). Abraham is dead, and the prophets ; and thou sayest, If a man keejJ my saying, he shall never taste death. Matt. 11 : 18. For John came neither eating nor drmking, and they Bay, He hath a devil (demon). Luke 7 : 33. For John the Baptist came neither eating breixd nor drink- ing w^ine ; and ye say. He hath a devil (demon). Matt. 4 : 24. And his (Jesus) fame went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils (demons), and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and he healed them. Matt, 8 : IG. When the even was come, they brought unto him (Christ) .many that were possessed with devils (demons) : and he cast out the sj)irit3 with his word, and healed all that were sick. Mark 1 : 32 — 34. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed of devils (demons). And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils (demons) ; and sufiered not the devils (demons) to speak, because they knew him. Verse 39. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils (demons). Luke 4 : 40, 41. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them " nto him ; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils (demons) also came out of many, crying out, and saying. Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And he, rebuking them, suftered them not to speak : for they knew that he was Christ Luke 13 : 32. Go ye and tell that fox (Ilerod), Behold I cast out devili 62 ' BIBLE DOCTRINE CONCERNING DEMONS. (demons), and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be ])erfected. Luke 8 : 2. And certain women (were with Christ) which had beea healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils {demons). Mark IG : 9. Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils demons). Matt. 10 : 7, 8. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils {demons) : freely ye have received, freely give. Mark 3 : 14, 15. And he (Christ) ordained twelve, that they should be "with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sickness, and to cast out devils {demons). Mark 16 : 17. And these signs shall follow them that believe : in my name shall they cast out devils {demons) : they shall speak with new tongues. Luke 9 : 1. Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils {demons), and to cure diseases. Luke 10 : 17. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying. Lord, even the devils {demons) are subject to us through thy name. Mark 9 : 38. Master, we saw one casting out devils {demons) in thy name. Luke 9 : 49, 50. And John answered and said. Master, we saw one casting out devils {demons) in thy name, and we forbade him, because he foUoweth not with us. And Jesus said unto him. Forbid him not : for he that is not against us is for us. Matt. 7 : 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils {demons) 1 and in thy name done many wonderful works ? Matt. 9 : 32 — 34. As they went out, behold, they brought to him (.Tesus) a dumb man possessed with a devil {demon). And when the devil {demon) was cast out, the dumb spake ; and the multitudes marvelled, saying. It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pliarisees said. He casteth out devils {demons) through the prince of the devils {demons). Luke 11 : 14 — 26. And he was casting out a devil {demon), and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the dsinl {demon) was gone out, the dumb spake ; and the people wondered. But some of them said. He cast- eth out devils {demons) through Beelzebub thechief of thef/ef(/s {demons). And other's, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing tlieir thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; and a house divided against itself falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand ? be- cause ye say that I cast out devils {deinons) through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils {de?nons), by whom do your sons cast them out ? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils {demons), no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. Wlien a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace ; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me ; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest ; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my hou.se whence I came out. And when he cometh, he fin clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jfiws, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice, said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, tliou Son of God most high ? I beseech thee, torment me not (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him : and he was kept bound with chains, and in fetters ; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the decil {demon) into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying. What is thy narao? and he said. Legion: because many devils {demons) were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And thei'e was there a herd of many swine feeding '-n the mountain ; and they besought him that he would suifer them to fr.tsr into them. And he suttered them. Then went the devils {demons) ciifc of the man, and entered into the swine : and the herd I'an violently (hmi a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed fhem saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city ani ia the country. Then they went out to see what was done ; and camo b> Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils {demons) were J smarted, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind : a' id they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means )iC 'Jiat was possessed of the devils {demons) was healed. Then the wliO'.r jiultitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about be- sought him *o ^f part from them ; for they were taken with great fear. And he went up ir.1 o the ship, and returned back again. Now the man, out of whom the dji ils {detnons) were departed, besought him that he might be with him. T.t.e same account is contained in Matt. 8 : 28 — 34, and Mark 5 : 1—21. Mark 1 : 28 — 27. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and he cried out, saying. Let us alone ; what have Ave to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And .Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, Wliat thing is this ? what new doctrine is this ? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. Mark 3:11. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, tell down before him, and cried, saying. Thou art the Son of God. Luke 7 : 21. And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Acts 5 : 16. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits : and they were healed every one. Acts 8 : G, 7. And the people (of Samaria) with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them : and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. Acts IG : ](J — 18. And it came to pass, as wo went to prayer, a certain damael pos.sesse : 11. If they (men) obey and serve him (God), they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure. Lev. 18 : 5. Ye shall keep my statutes and my judgments ; which if a man do he shall live in them. Verse 40. Thou shalt keep his statutes, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee. Ps. I'J: 11. In keeping them (the commandments) there is great re- ward. Prov. 1 : 8. Let thine heart keep my commandments, for long life and veuce shall they add to thee. Prov. 2'J : 18. He that keepeth the law, happy is he. Jei. 6 : IG. Walk therein (in the good way) ; and ye shall find rest for your souls. Matt, 7 : 22, Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter 7* '8 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. into the kingdom of heaven (i. e., the blessings and privileges of the Go&pei dispensation), but he that doeih the will of my Father -which is in heaven. Matt I'J : 17. If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Luke 11 : 28. Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. 1 John 2:17. He that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Matt. 7 : 24 — 25. AVhosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock : and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. Jolin 8 : 51 If a man keep my sayings he shall never see death. Job 34 : 11. The work of a man shall he (God) render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. Ps. 62 : 12. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy : for thou render- est unto every man according to his work. Jer. 17 : 10. I the Lord search the heart and try the reins ; even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jer. 32 : 19. Thine eyes are upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ivays. Rom. 2 : 6. God will render to every man according to his works. GaL 6 : 7, 8. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. Jor he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Eph. 6 : 8. Whatsoever good things a man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord. 1 Peter 1:17. God, without respect of persons, judgeth according to every man's work. Titus 3 : 8. These things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works ; for these things are good and profitable unto men. James 1 : 25. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Rom. 2 : 10. Glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. 1 Peter 3 : 10, 11, 12. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile : let him escliew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears arc open to their prayers. G.il. 5 : 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. Ps. 110: 1G5. Great peace have they who love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Prov. 3:17. Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Isa. 20 : 3. Thou (God) wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. Rom. 8 : G. To be spiritually minded is life and peace. 1 Peter 3 : 13. AVho is he that will harm you, if ye be doers of that which is gooil ? Prov. 3:1, 2. My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments ; for length of days, and long life and peace, shall they add to thee. DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 79 SECTION II. Threatenings to the disobedient. Dent 28 : 15 — 26. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken Duto the voice of the Lord thy Gud, to observe to do all his cominaiulmcuts aud his statutes which I command you this dny, that all these curses shall come upon thee, aud ovortake thee : Cursed slialt tliou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the held. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cui'sed shall be the fruitof thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon tliee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto fur to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish ipiickly ; because ol' the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast fursakeu me. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have con- sumed thee from ott' the land, whither thou goest to possess it. The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflam- mation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blast- ing, and with mildew, and they shall pursue thee until thou perish ; and thy heaven that is over thy liead shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust : from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies ; thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them ; and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. See also Deut. 28 : 27 — 68. Prov. 1 : 2'J. They hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Verse 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. Ps. 63 : 19. They (the wicked) are utterly consumed with terrors. Job 15 : 24. Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid. Job 18 : 11. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side. Isa. 3:11. Woe unto the wicked ! it shall be ill with him ; fur the reward of his hands shall be given him. Prov. 17 : 20. He that hath a froward heart findeth no good. Prov. 22 : 5, Thorns and snares arc in the way of the froward. Job 21 : 17. How oft Is the candle of the wicked put out? and how oft Cometh their destruction upon them ? God distributeth sorrows in his anger. Job 27 : 13 — 23. This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword ; and his ofl'spring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death ; and his widows shall not weep. Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay, he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver. He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh. The rich man shall lie down, but he sh;ill not be gathered : he openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors bike hold on him as v.'aters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth h-im away, and he departeth, and, as a storm, hurleth him out of his place. For God shall cast upon him, and 80 DOCTRINE OF REWAKDS AND PUNISHMENTS. not spare : he would fain flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place. Job 36 : 6. God preserveth not the life of the wicked. Vs. 11:6. Upon the wicked, God shall rain snai-es, fire, and brimstone and an horrible tempest ; this shall be the portion of their cup. Ps. 75 : 8. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red ; it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same ; but the dregs thei'eof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink thenu Ps. 107 : o4. God turueth a fi-uitful land into barrenness, for the wicked- ness of them that dwell therein. Ps. 146 : 9. The way of the wicked he turneth upside down. Prov. 3 : 33. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. Prov. 10 : 3. God casteth away the substance of tlie wicked. Isa. 11 : 4. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Job 4 : 8. They that plough iniquity and sow wickedness reap the eame. Prov. 22 : 8. He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity. Gal. 6 : 8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap cor- ruption. Job 15: 20. The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days. Job 20 : 12. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth. Verse 16. He shall suck the poison of asps. Job 81 : 3. Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity ? Ps. 11 : 16. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Ps. 32 : 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked. Ps. 87 : 35, 36. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree ; yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not : yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Prov. 2 : 22. The wicked shall be cut oif from the earth, and the trans- gressors shall be rooted out of it. Prov. 4 : I'J. The way of the wicked is as darkness ; they know not at what they stumble. Prov. 10 : 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing. Prov. 11:5. The wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. Verse 21. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be un- punished. Verse 31. The wicked and the sinner shall be recompensed in the earth. Prov. 12 : 21. The wicked shall be filled with mischief. Prov. 13 : 5. A wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. Prov. 15 : 6. In the revenues of the wicked is trouble. Eccl. 8:13. It shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he pro- long his days. Ps. 55 : 23. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. Prov. 8 : 36. He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul : all they that hate me (wisdom) love death. Prov. 11:1 ',). As righteousness tendcth to life, so he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death. Isa. 11 : 18. Wickedness burnetii as the fire. Isa. 57 : 20. The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Ezek. 18 : 20. The wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Gen. 34 : 7. God will by no means clear the guilty. Eccl. 2 : 26 To the sinner God giveth travail. Prov. 11:3. The pervcrsenoss of transgressors shall destroy them. Prov. 13 : 2. The soul of the transgressor shall cat violence. DOCmiNE OF REWAUDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 81 Prov. 26 : 10. The great God, that formeJ all things, rcwardeth trans- gressors. Ps. 55 : 10. Mischief a.nd sorrow are in the midst of the wicked. llom. 1 : 18. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. llom. 2 : 9. Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil ; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. Eph. 5 : 6. For because of these things (uncleanness, covetousness, idolatry, &c.), comcih the wrath of God on the children of disobedience. Col. '6 : 6. For which things' (same as above) sake the wrath of God comeih on the children of disobedience. Rom. 6 : 23. The wages of sin is death. Rom. 8:6. To be carnally minded is death. James 1 : 15. Sin when it is finislied bringeth forth death. Col. 3 : 25. He that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done ; and there is no respect of persons. Heb. 2 : 2, 3. If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobetlience received a just recompense of reward ; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation .' SECTION III. Instances recorded in the Bible of Divine punishment inflicted on the wicked in this life. Case of Eve — for partaking of the forbidden fruil. Gen. 3 : 16. And. unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy con- ception : in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children ; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Of Adam — for the same crime. Gen. 3 : 17 — 19. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying. Thou shalt not eat of it ; cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life : thorns also and thistles shall it bring fortli to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field : in the sw&xt of thy f ice shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Of Cain — for the murder of his brother Abel. Gen. 4 : 10 — 13. And he said. What hast thou done ? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground : and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto tliee her strength : a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in tlie earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can liear. Of the Antediluvians — for their great icickedness. Gen. G : 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. Verse 7. And the Lord said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, flora the face of the earth ; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. Gen. 7 : 21 — 22. And all flesh diet! that moved upon the earth, both of fowls, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth, and every man : all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, dietl. And every living sub- stance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man. 82 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. and catt'.e, fiJid the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven ; and they "were destroyed from the earth ; and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. Of Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. -19: 24, 25. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven : and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inliabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 0/ Lot's wife. Gen. 19 : 26. But his (Lot's) wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 0/ Pharaoh and the Egyptians — for their cruel oppression of the Israelites. Exodus, chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. These judgments were nine in number. 1. The river Nile and all the waters of the land were turned into blood. 2. Frogs were sent into their houses, into their bed- chambers, into their ovens, and into their kneading-troughs. 3. The dust of the land was turned to lice. 4, The cattle of the Egyptians were afflicted with flies, and a terrible murrain, insomuch that they died, and the Egyp- tians themselves with boils breaking forth with blains very grievous. 5. A grievous hail mingled with fire came upon them. G. The whole land was filled with destroying beasts. 7. A dreadful darkness, " which might be felt," came upon them. 8. The first-born of them were slain by the de- stroying angel. 9. Phai'aoh and his host were overwhelmed in the waters of the red sea, and cut off from the earth. See Ex. 14. Of Abimelech — for the murder of the sons of Jerubbaal. Jud. 9: at verse 56 we are told: — Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren. Of the Shechemites — for supporting Abimelech in his wickedness. Jud. 9 : at verse 57 we are informed : — And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads. Of Ahab and his wife Jezebel — for their cruel murder of JVaboth 1 Kings 21. The sentence pronounced upon Ahab was : — In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. Verse 19. Upon .Jezebel. The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Verse 28. In chapter 22, we have an account of the execution of these sentences. Of the Ammonites. Ezek., chap. 21. At verse 30, God says, I will judge tliee ia the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. lu chap. 22, we read that tliis sentence was executed. At verse 81, Gotl says, Tlieiefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them ; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath : their own way have I recompensed upon ■their heads, saith the Lord God. Of Solomon — for licentiousness and idolatrtj. 1 Kings, chap. 11. In this chapter, we are told that God, as a punishment upon Solomon, stirred up enemies against him both at home and abroad, and gave him no j^ace in his kingdom during the remainder of his life and reign. Of Jeroboam. — for idolatry. 1 Kings, chapters 12 and 14. His fimily •was cut off, and the peace of his kingdom destroyed. He himself waa afflicted with a withered hand, for laying violent hands upon the " man of God." Of Baasha — for the same sin. 1 Kings, chap. 16. He was afflicted with the same or similar judgments to those that befell .Jeroboam. Of Ahaziah — for in^]iiiriiig of Baal-zebub, instead of God, concerning his sickness. 2 Kings, chap. 1. He was punished with death. Of Jehoram. — for idolatry. 2 Chron., chap. 21. A great plague waa Bent upon liis people, his chililren, and his wives. He was afflicted with great sickness — an incurable disease of his bowels, which lasted two ycara, and finally terminated in death. DOCTRINE Ol? REWARDS AND TUNISHMENTS. 83 O/Manasseh—for the same. 2 Kings 21 : 3—6. 2 Cliron. 83 : 2—15. [u 2 Chvou. 33 : lU, 11, we road. And the Lord spake to Manassch, and to his people ; but they would not hearken. Wherefore the- Lord brouglit upon them the captains of the host of Assyria, which took Manassch among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. Of Amuziah — for the same. 2 Chron., chap. 25. He Avas defeated in battle, and finally his subjects conspired against him and put him to death. Of Moses and Jlaron. Numb. liU : 12. The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me iu the eyes of the chil- dren of Israel, therefore, ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Accordingly both died without being permitted to enter Canaan. Of the iinhclieving Israelites. Deut. 1 : 32. Moses said. Ye did not believe the Lord your God. Verses 34, 35. And the Lord was wroth, and sware, saying. Surely there shall not one of these men, of this evil genera- tion, see that good land which I sware to give unto their fatliers. Of the wicked and rebellious Jews. 1 Sam. 12 : 9. They forgat the Lord their God, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies. Lev. 18 : 25. The land is defiU>d, therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it. Verse 28. Tlie land shall spue you out, when ye defile it, .as it spued out the nations before j'ou. Ps. 107 : 11,12. Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsels of the Most High ; therefore he brow^ht down their heart with labor ; they fell down, and there was none to help. Lam. 1 : 8. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned, therefore she is removed; all that honored her despise her. Ezek. 39 : 24. According to their uncleanness, and according to their transgressions, have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. Of Ephraim. Jer. 31 : 18. Ephraim said, Thou /i«si chastised me as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Of David. Ps. 38 : 6. There is no rest in my bones because of my sin. 2 Sam. 22 : 21. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness ; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. See, also, verse 25. Of Ahas. 2 Chron. 28 : 2. Ahaz made molten images for Baalim. He burnt his children in the fire, after the abomination of the heathen. Verse 5. Wherefore the Lord delivered him into the hands of the king of Assyria. Of Judas, for betrayint^ Christ. Acts 1 : 18. Now this man (.ludas) purchased a field with the reward of 'iniquity ; and falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, for lying to God. Acts 5 : 1 — 10. Both were struck down dead. Of Herod. Acts 12 : 21 — 23. And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory : and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. Of Ehjmas the sorcerer, for attempting to turn the deputy from the faith. Acts 13 : 8 — 11. He was smitten with blindness for a season, and there fell on him a mist and a darkness. The above instances are but a few out of the very many recorded in the Bible of Divine punishment inflicted in this world. We might cite the instances of God's judgments upon the Jewish 84 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. people during their sojourn in the wilderness ; yea, during their whole history from the earliest period down to the present time. We might cite his judgments upon the different heathen nations for their oppression of the Jews; his judgments on Babylon, Assyria, Tyre, Sidon, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Jeru- salem. But the above instances are sufficient to show that mankind are sometimes, at least, rewarded and punished in this life. SECTION IV. Remarks on Rewards and Punishments. The three preceding sections are designed to prove, not that there is, or will be, no retribution in the future world, but that there is a retribution in this. We have purposely omitted those threatenings contained in the Bible which, by some, are supposed to relate to a punishment to be inflicted in a future state of existence. The strongest of those passages containing them, and those most relied on by the advocates of future retribution, will be considered in the course of this work. It appears to us that on no subject whatever have mankind so greatly and so generally erred as on the subject of rewards and punishments. And on few, if any subjects, is it more important to the well-being and happiness of man that he should have correct views and information. The theory of rewards and punishments, which has most exten- sively prevailed in the world, is this : That this world is a state of probation or trial, where mankind are forming characters for eternity. That there is no such thing as retributive justice in this world ; but that the reward of virtue, and punishment of vice, are reserved to be administered in a future state of existence. In opposition to this theory we urge the following objections. 1. It renders the reward of virtue, and the punishment of vice, extremely uncertain. God is unchangeable ; his law is immutable, and his system of moral government is the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever. If, tlierefore, virtue goes unrewarded, and vice unpunished, in time, what proof have we that such will not always C5ontinue to be the case ? We are aware that some writers have DOCTRINE OF KEWAIIDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 85 asserted tliat " inankiiKl are not rewarded and punished in time, therefore they will be in eternity." But what kind of logic is this ? Is the conclusion embraced in the premises ? So far from it the only legitimate inference or conclusion to be drawn from the prem- ises is this : Mankind are not rewai-ded nor punished in time, tlierefore they never will be. If God is not just in this world, we have no proof that he ever will be. 2. If this theory be admitted to be true, it renders it absolutely certain that some virtuous actions vjill never be reivarded, and that some vicious acts will never be punished. All mankind do some good and some evil. If, therefore, some are admitted into heaven because the balance of their actions have been good, then they will receive no retribution for their sins. On the other hand if some men go to hell because the balance of their actions have been evil, then they will receive no reward for their good deeds. If mankind do not go to heaven on the ground of merit, but because they have complied with the conditions of the gospel, then those who comply with these conditions will not be punished for their sins ; and those who do not comply, will not be rewarded for their virtues. If mankind go to heaven by reason of some miraculous change, which is wrought in them in this life, it amounts to precisely the same thing. Those who experience this change will not be punished for the sins which they have committed ; those who do not experience it will not be rewai'ded for their good deeds. 3. It destroys all distinction between the effects of good and evil in this world. According to this theory, good is not good, because it produces happiness here ; nor evil evil, because it pro- duces misery. If it be admitted that the virtuous, in consequence of their virtues, are more happy than the vicious, or that the vicious, in consequence of their vices, are more miserable than the virtuous, this overthrows the theory against which we are contending, because it is an admission that there is a sort of retribution in this life. But, so far from this being admitted, it is even contended by some that, as a general thing, the righteous suffer more in this world than the wicked, and that the wicked enjoy more happiness than the righteous. The advocates of this opinion admit a distinc- tion between the effects of good and evil, to be sure; but it is a distinction altogether in favor of evil. If this be true, then vice is rewarded with happiness, and virtue with misery I How do the 8G DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. advocates of this opinion know but that such a state of things may always continue ? If so, then in order to be happy we must be ^'icious. and in order to avoid misery we must avoid practising vir- tue. A theory which can be reduced to such absurdities cannot possibly be true. We know of nothing that is evil except that which lessens happiness, and produces misery ; nor of anything that is good except that which produces happiness, and lessens misery. Now, if the opinion just referred to be true, then good is converted into evil, and evil into good. 4. It s?ipposes that caicses may exist, and be in ojjeratioji in this world, imthout producing any effect whatever. It is no more true that an effect cannot exist without a cause, than it is that a cause cannot exist without producing an effect. Now, virtue and vice exist in this world, and are causes ; they must, therefore, produce their effects. To suppose that the vicious enjoy more happiness than the virtuous, is to suppose that virtue is the cause of misery, and vice the cause of happiness. 5. It is contrary to analogy. It places the effects and conse- quences of men's actions altogether beyond the sphere in which they act, and involves the absurd idea that we can sow our seed in one field and reap the harvest in another. Mankind exercise their physical powers — eat, drink and sleep ; cultivate the social relations of life — love their parents, their wives, their husbands, and their children, without expecting to be rewarded for it in a future state of existence. Why, then, can they not love God, obey his law, cultivate and exercise their intellectual and moral faculties, without expecting a reward in the future world ? 6. It is of exceedingly pernicious moral tendency. The very idea of retribution in another world for deeds performed in this, presupposes that virtue is not rewarded, nor vice punished, here. Now, to promulgate such a sentiment to the world is directly cal- culated to produce the following impressions upon the minds of men. Some will be led to conclude that, as neither virtue nor vice are rewarded now, they never will be ; and, therefore, it is a mat ter of perfect indifference which of them is practised. Others will be led to conclude that happiness and misery are not at all depend- ent upon men's actions, but that all the evils of this world are a kind of matter of course, and unescapable and unavoidable. IIcncQ they will make no exertions to secure happiness on the one hand DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. b. nor to avoid evil or misery on tlie other. Again, others will como to the conclusion, that the reward of virtue, and the punishment of vice, are extraneous, — entirely sejiarate and abstract I'roni the deeds performed, — and that, therefore, virtue is not to be loved and practised for its own intrinsic value, nor vice shunned and detested for its own intrinsic odiousness. Hence they will suppose that tlie reward of the virtuous, in a future state, is a sort of ofl'set, or compensation, to them for tlie trials, and deprivations, and suf- ferings, which they have endured in the practice of virtue ; and the punishment of the wicked an offset to the happiness they have eiijoyed in the practice of sin. This view of the sulyect is directly calculated to frighten and drive men from virtue, and disincliite them to its practice. If, in addition to the doctrine of no retribution in this life, you add to it that the wicked enjoy themselves the best in this world, then you increase its demoralizing tendency in a tenfold degree; because this is not only calculated to make men hate virtue, but it is directly calculated to make them love vice. Now, man loves happiness; — this is " his being's end and aim." God has bound this law of our nature " fast in fate." He has so constituted us that we have an instinctive desire of happiness, and dread of misery. Men will pursue that course which they think will yield the great- est amount of happiness. Tell them, then, that to be virtuous they will be miserable, and that to be vicious they will be happy, and they will cling to vice with a death-like grasp, and avoid virtue as they would avoid the jaws of death. If, in addition to this, you add that the retributions of eternity may be easily escaped by a timely repentance, then you have got the old serpent's doctrine in complete perfection. " Ye shall not surely die." That it is by no means certain. Some way of escape will be pi-ovided, by which the threatened calamity will not come upon you. Under the influence of this doctrine, thousands have come to the conclusion to secure the happiness of this life by a course of sin, and then by a timely repentance escape the threatened punishment, and secure the happiness of eternity into tlic bargain. If there is any doctrine on earth which gives man a complete license to sin, this is the very one. We know of no doctrine which can possibly be worse. Atheism promises no reward to the vicioua Deism promises not the exemption of punishment to the wicked 88 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. but this doctrine promises happiness to the wicked, and assures them there is a way to escape all just retribution. But this doctrine is as false as it is pernicious. It deceived our first parents. It has deceived millions of the human race, and led them the downward way to shame, misery, disgrace and death. The siren song is still ringing in the ears of men, and deceiving thousands. It is high time it was banished from the world. May God speed the day ! 1 . It is contrary to human observation. Even some of the advocates of future retribution admit that the virtuous are most happy, and the vicious most miserable, in this world. The ancient heathen philosophers admitted this. A certain leading divine, of New England, who taught future retribution, was heard to say : — " If there was no God, no heaven, no hell, no future state of exist- ence, he would practise virtue for its own intrinsic value, and for its present reward." This is the true doctrine. When this senti- ment prevails among men the world will be reformed, and not before. Let us now look over our own country, our own state, our own town, our own neighborhood, and ask ourselves what class of men, of all those with whom we are acquainted, are the most happy Are they the idle, the dissolute, the abandoned, the vicious ? That man's powers of perception must be exceedingly small, and out of order, who cannot see that such is not the case. Again, let us ask ourselves what class are the most miserable. Are they the indus- trious, the prudent, the virtuous ? Are they those who deal their bread to the hungry, who clothe the naked, visit the sick, rejoice with those who do rejoice, and weep with those that weep ? So far froiti it, if we find a truly happy man, he is one in whose heart virtue reigns triumphant. 8. It is contrary to human experience. Who has not experi- enced the pleasure and satisfaction derived from the consciousness of having done his duty ? Who has not experienced the reward of virtue ? Surely no one who has ever practised it. Virtue tends to misery, does it ? No. If all the children of virtue could speak out on this subject, their united testimony would be, without one dissenting voice, it is not so ; the reverse is the flict. The natural tendency of virtue is to happiness. Wliy is it that the wicked are miserable ? Why is it that the greatest criminals, in the last hour of their earthly existence, invariably certify that their whole life has DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 89 been one continued scene of unhappiness ? It is because the natu- ral tendency of vice is to misery. 9. It is contrary to the 'plain declarations of the xcord of God^ (1.) This theory says, God does not judge mankind in this world. The Bible declares, " Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.' And again, " I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judg- ment and righteousness, in the earth." Ps. 58 : 11 ; Jer. 9 : 24. (2.) It declares that there is no reward for virtue, nor punishment for vice, in this world. But the Bible says, " Verily there is a reward for the righteous." Again, " Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed i?t the earth, much more the wicked and the sinner." Ps. 58 : 11 ; Prov. 11 : 31. (3.) It teaches that it is a matter of perfect indifference, so far as our present happiness or misery is concerned, what course we pursue. But the Bible informs us that " Wisdom's ways are ways of pleas- antness, and all her paths are peace." Prov. 3 : 7. The objector may say, " This is undoubtedly true of wisdom's ways, but it is just as true of the ways of folly." To this we reply that the Bible, in strong contrast with this, says of the wicked, " Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known." Rom. 3 : 16, 17. (4.) It promises equal happiness to the righteous and wicked in this world. But the Scriptures tell us, " Great peace have they who love thy law." Ps. 119 : 165. It may be said, " This is true of the righteous, but it is equally true of the wicked." We answer : the Bible affirms " There is tio peace to the wicked." Isa. 48 : 22. (5.) It promises a way of escape from just punishment to the sin- ner. But God says he " will by no means clear the guilty.' " Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished." Exod. 34 : 7 ; Prov. 11 : 21. (6.) It teaches that it is a matter of no consequence, so far as this life IS concerned, whether the intellectual and moral faculties of man are under the guidance, control and direction, of the animal pro- pensities, or whether the passions and propensities are governed by the intellect and morals. But the Bible teaches that "to be car- nally minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Rom. 8 : 6. 10. It comes in contact with farts which a^e plainly and explic<- 90 DOCTRINE OF KEWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. itly stated in the Bible. The Bible abounds with instances of divine punishment inflicted in this life. In Section III. of this Chapter we have collected thirty instances of this kind ; and these comprise but a small portion out of the vast number that are recorded in the Scriptures. It has been stated that " although God does soractinies see fit to pour out his judgments upon nations and communities in their collective capacity, yet he never metes out retributive justice to single individuals." This is not true. Out of the instances collected, referred to above, twenty-three cases are those of individuals. It is a fact, then, that mankind are rewarded and punished in this life. Of course the doctrine of no retribution in this world falls to the ground. Such are our objections to the doctrine of retribution in another world for deeds performed in this life. We will now take the fol- lowing position. Mankind are rewarded and punished in this LIFE. This position we sustain by the following arguments : 1. From the justice of God. God's justice is active. Like all the other attributes of the Deity, it is an operative principle. We might as well suppose that power, that benevolence, or love, could lay perfectly dormant and inactive in the Deity, as to suppose this of justice. The highest exercise of justice consists in suitably and equitably rewarding and punishing all moral agents accord'ng to their works. Justice requires that the virtuous be rewarded, at the time when, and in the place where, they are virtuous; and that the vicious be punished at the time, and in the place, where they are vicious. IF, therefore, the justice of God is an active principle, matdciiid are as much rewarded and punished here as they ever will be. It follows, from this argument, that if mankind, or any portion of them, practise vice in a future state of existence, they will be punished there ; but then, it will not be for sins committed here, but for sins committed there. If there are any wlio suppose that vice will be practised in tlie spiritual world, it belongs to them to prove it. The question whether vice will be practised there does not belong to our present subject. 2. From the nature of God's moral government. That man is subject to certain laws, and that these laws were instituted by the Creator, will not be disputed. Well, what was the design of God in instituting these laws ? Was it to promote his own happiness, or to add to his glory ? Surely this will not be pretended. For God DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISnilL'NTS. 91 is now, and always has been, infinitely glorious. His glory, there- fore, cannot be increased nor diminished. lie is perfectly happy in and of himself; yea, infinitely happy "in his own immortality." In crivinar laws to man, then, he designed the good of man. His laws, therefore, must be founded in the very nature and fitness of things. Tliey must be based in the very nature and constitution of man. They must be designed to point out to man the course which he ought to pursue, in order to secure to himself the greatest amount of happiness ; and the course which he ought to avoid, if he would avoid his own misery. Hence, misery nmst be connected with the violation of these laws, and happiness with their observ- ance. It is in this sense that Ciod has connected haj^piness with virtue, and misery with vice. It is in this sense that punishment treads close upon the heels of transgression. It is in this sense that virtue is its own reward, and vice its own punishment. 3. From the history of tnankind. No one acquainted with the history of the human race, need be told that the historic page abounds with instances of the displays of God's retributive justice. Tyrants and oppressors may have flourished and prospered for a while, and to all outward appearance may have been happy. But their own confessions have revealed the fires which raged within, and the torments which reigned in their bosoms. And sooner or later their violence, their cruelties and their oppressions, have been visited upon their own heads. The description of such, given by the Psalmist, is true to the letter. " I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like the green bay-tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not : yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." Nations may have been cruel and oppressive, and may have risen to great power and worldly grandeur by such means ; but it was only to receive a more tremendous fall, and to experience the mortification and shame of being in their turn the down-trodden and the oppressed. All of which verifies the truth of the proverb, " Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a re- proach to any people." Prov. 1-4 : 34 ; Ps. 37 : 35, 3G. 4. From the ohserKatioa and experience of viankiiid. See objections to the doctrine of future retribution. Obj. 7 and 8. 5. From the direct and posilire testimony of the Bible. See objections as above. Obj. 9, Specifications 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. 92 DOCTRINE OF KEWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 6. From facts which are clearly stated in the Bible. See ob< jections as above. Obj. 10. We will now notice the objections to the doctrine of retribution in this life. It is objected, 1. " That the pious and virtuoiis are frequently unfortunatey and sometimes miserable, in this worlds This is undoubtedly true; but, we ask, are the virtuous miserable and unfortunate because they are virtuous ? In other words, do they suffer the penalty of God's moral law ? This will not be pretended. But if they do not, then their miseries must be attributed to some other cause. This leads us to remark, that man is governed by three different sets of laws. He is a physical, intellectual, and moral being; and is governed by physical, intellectual, and moral laws. These laws operate separately and independently of each other. If man obeys the physical laws, he will receive the reward of health and physical enjoyment. If the intellectual, he will experience intellectual enjoyment. If the moral, he will enjoy that happiness which flows from the exercise of the moral faculties. If he obeys them all, he will derive pleasure and satisfaction from each of these sources; and experience all the happiness which is allotted to a human being. It must also be remembered that mankind, both good and bad, are subject to various evils and misfortunes, which are not of our own procuring, which cannot be warded off, and which cannot be considered as the penalty of any law whatever. If these facts are constantly borne in mind, they will serve to explain all the seeming discrepancy in the administration of rewards and punish- ments. Again, mankind are extremely liable to be deceived and mistaken in their judgment on this subject. It may be well for us to mention the several grounds of deception. 1. They may be deceived by the pretensions and professions of men. It is not every man who professes to be virtuous, who really is so. It is often the case that those who profess the most religion have the least ; and those who profess none at all have the most. If, therefore, mankind calculate the deserts of their fellow-men by their professions, they will often judge a man to be deserving of reward when he is not and another to be deserving of punishment when he is not. Cer tainly, we cannot expect that God will bend himself to the notions of such concerning justice, 2. Mankind are liable to be mistaken in their estimate of the amount and extent of the guilt of their DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 93 fellow-nioti. All men are not equally guilty for committing tlie Bame act. Two men may commit the same act, and one may bo greatly guilty, and the other not guilty at all. Tlicre arc different degrees of responsibility or accountability. In relation to the phys- ical and intellectual laws, it is, perhaps, strictly true that ignorance of those laws excuses no man. That is, man will suffer the conse- quences of disobeying them, whether he has a knowledge of their existence or not. But in relation to the moral laws, ignorance of them, where that ignorance is not voluntary, dais excuse a man t( some extent at least. We may, then, greatly err in calculating the guilt of our fellow-men. God only knows the heart. He only knows to what extent men are guilty. He only knows how much of reward or punishment his creatures are deserving of; and we have no reason to expect that he will dispense his rewards and punij^hments to suit our views of what justice requires. 3. Man- kind may be deceived by their own estimate of themselves. They may think themselves deserving of reward when they are not, and undeserving of punishment when in fact they deserve it. They may be ignorant of the physical laws, and live in the habitual viola- tion of them, and not know it. They may think themselves per- fectly guiltless for so doing, and they may be so; but the conse- quences will be precisely the same. They must suffer pain, sick- ness and disease. They may form a wrong estimate of what con- stitutes virtue, and think they are practising it, when they are not. In this case, although they may look for reward, they will not receive it, for they do not deserve it. This was the case with the ancient Pharisees. They made religion consist in the practice of forms and ceremonies. These they faithfully performed, and judged themselves to be very pious, holy and virtuous men. But if the testimony of Jesus is to be credited, they were very far from right- eousness ; and although they judged themselves deserving of rewarc( . yet they were not. Now, in reference to those who profess to be virtuous, are esteemed to be such by their fellow-men, and yet are miserable and unhappy ; for instance, suffer pain, sickness, and all the deprivations consequent upon ill health. It may be that their misfortunes are of that kind to which all are liable, and from which none are entirely exempt. Perhaps they have inherited a bad constitution. In that case, it is their misfortune and not their fault. It may be they have 1)4 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. voluntaril/ — either ignorantly or knowingly — violated the physi- cal laws of their nature. If they have done it ignorantly, they cannot escape the consequences ; if knowingly, they have incurred a penalty which they ought to suffer, and will suffer, so long as they continue to violate those laws. But, it may be, they are not what they profess to be — virtuous men. Even if their outward conduct is moral, they may perform all their good deeds from bad motives; and. in that case, are not entitled to any reward, nor will they receive any. The truth is, a man may cultivate the moral faculties ever so much, and live in the strictest conformity to God's moral law ; yet, if he disregards the laws of health, eats too mucli, drinks too much, sleeps too much, exercises too little or too much, exposes himself unnecessarily or necessarily, or eats, drinks, and sleeps too little, he cannot escape the consequences. The fact of his obeying the moral laws will not exempt him from the penalty of violating the laws of his physical constitution. As a moral being, he may experience that happiness wliicli flows from the exercise and cultiva- tion of his moral faculties. As a physical being, he may, at the same time, suffer pain, sickness and disease, as a necessary conse- quence of neglect or violation of the physical laws. But in no case, if the man is truly a virtuous man, can you rob him of virtue's reward. He may meet with misfortunes. His riches may " take to themselves wings and fly away." Friends may desert him. He may be persecuted. He may be incarcerated in prison, or confined within the gloomy walls of the dungeon. He may be suspended on the gallows, tied to the stake, and around him may be gathered the fagot and the flame. But, " amid the war of elements, the wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds," he will he unmoved. He wallvs forth in all the " conscious dignity of independent virtue." In prosperity he rejoices ; in adversity he is resigned. He loves virtue for its own intrinsic value ; practises it because he loves it, and for its present reward. His soul is stayed on God ; for he knows that God is on the side of virtue. In life, and in death, he feels and experiences the " soul's calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy which is virtue's prize." 2. It is objected " that the wicked are frequently prosperous and happy in this life." That the wicked may be prosperous and happy, in one sense, is undoubtedly true. That is, it may be true of the merely immoral man. But that they are ever prosperous ' D()CTUINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISH MKNTS. 05 and happy in the sense that the virtuous arc, or in the higlicst sense of thot^e terms, we deny. But the objector says " lie is acquainted witli a number of wicked men, who evidently enjoy themselves aa well as any people on earth." Hold, my dear sir. Arc you sure of this ? Appearances are often deceptive. We frequently see our Ibllow-creaturcs placed in circumstances which we judge to be favor- able, and conclude they must be happy ; but, on becoming acquainted with the facts, we learn they are not. Indeed, sometimes men ap- pear to be happy, and act happy, when they are not. Paganini, of Paris, in France, was a celebrated wit, musician and theatrical performer. He was one of the most jocose and humorsome of men. He was thought to be the most happy of men. He was considered a very amusing companion, and his company was sought for by all. One day Pa.ganiui went to a celebrated physician of Paris, and. without informing him who he was, complained of habitual melan- choly. " Have you been long troubled with it ? " asked the i)liysi cian. " Yes, for a number of years." " Does it give you much trouble ? " " Yes, it destroys all my peace. It troubles me by night and by day; and I have frequently been more than half in- clined to destroy myself." " I advise you," said the physician, " to find the company of Paganini, and keep it : he will cure you of your melancholy." " Alas ! " cried the unhappy man, " I am that very Paganini."^ Tiberius was a Roman emperor. He had abundance of wealth, was enthroned in power, and enjoyed every means of gratifying his sensual appetites to the very full. He was placed in circumstances which, by the mass of mankind, would be judged favorable to produce happiness. But was Tiberius happy ? The following letter, written by him to the Roman Senate, shows that he was not : " What to write, conscript fathers, in what terms to express myself, or what to refrain from writing, is a matter of such perplexity, that if I know how to decide may the just gods and goddesses of vengeance doom me to die in pangs worse than those under which / linger every day." On this, Tacitus makes the following remarks : " We have here the features of the inward man. His crimes retaliated upon him with the keenest retribution ; BO true is the saying of the great philosopher, the oracle of ancient * This story is quoted from memory. We may be mistiikeu in the name, but are certain we are not in the fact 96 DOCTKINE OF KEWARBS AND PUNISHMENTS. wisdijm (Socrates), that, if the minds of tyrants were laid open to our view, we should see them gashed and mangled with the whips and stings of horror and remorse. By blows and stripes the flesh is made to quiver ; and, in like manner, cruelty and inordinate passions, malice and evil deeds, become internal executioners, and> with unceasing torture, goad and lacerate the heart. Of this truth Tiberius is a melancholy instance. Neither the imperial dignity, nor the gloom of solitude, nor the rocks of Caprea, could shield him from himself. He lived on the rack of guilt, and his wounded spirit groaned in agony." How many thousands and millions of cases of the same kind there have been, and are now ! And it is to be feared that, in consequence of human folly, there will be thou- sands and millions more. When, therefore, we see the wicked appar- ently happy, we ought to remember that their happiness may be ia appearance only, and not in reality. But again. It may be that those whom the objector esteems to be so wicked, and who he thinks are so happy, are not so wicked as he supposes, after all. Under a very rough exterior many a man carries the very best of hearts ; and under the cloak of religion, yea, under the very " livery of the court of heaven," many a man carries a heart of the most con- summate knavery, hypocrisy and deception. But we have said that the wicked, i. e., the merely immoral man, may be happy. But in what sense may he be happy? By the merely immoral man, we mean one who is destitute of moral principles, and neglects to cul- tivate the moral faculties. Such men there have been, and such men there are, who, notwithstanding their utter destitution of moral principle, yet yield the strictest obedience to the physical laws. In such cases, you will see in them the stout, muscular, athletic and robust frame, a fine flow of health and spirits, and perhaps they may be lively, cheerful, and, in a certain sense, happy. And why should they not be ? They have obeyed those laws upon the ob- servance of which hangs suspended our physical enjoyment ; and why should they not receive their reward? But what kind of happiness is it which they enjoy ? we ask again. Is it that high and holy kind enjoyed by the righteous? No. They know nothing of the satisfaction which is derived from the consciousness of having done our duty. They are strangers to the happiness which flows from the exercise of the moral faculties. They experi- ence none of the rewards of virtue, for they do not practise virtue. DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND rCNlSHMENTS. 97 Their enjoyment, therefore, is merely of a sensual, earthly, animal kind. They enjoy themselves in the same manner as do the brutes ; in the same manner as docs the horse, the ox, or the swine. Reader, is this the greatest good of life ? Is this the highest happiness allotted to human beings? We tell you, nay. And, if you tliinlc it is, we tell you, you have made a sad and most fatal mistake, which, sooner or later, and before you leave this earthly clime, you will learn to your sorrow. But some will say, perhaps, " We know the doctrine of retribu- tion in this life is not true, for we have practised virtue, and have received no reward." If you have received no reward, it must be for some of the following reasons. Either you are not what you profess to be, or you have made a false estimate of what constitutes virtue; or you practise it from wrong motives; or, in looking for an imaginary reward in a future world, you have overlooked the real one, and trampled it under your feet. If it is for either of these reasons, your case forms no objection to our theory. You receive no reward, for the reason that you do not deserve any. 3. Another objection is, " The theory of retribution in this life is of had moral tendency." Of bad moral tendency! Why? How ? " ! " it is said, " this theory makes all reward and punish- ment limited, and confines both to this world. Consequently, the inducements presented to the mind of man, for him to practise virtue and refrain from vice, are not great enough." " Man," it is said, " is greatly influenced by appeals to his hopes and fears. Hence, the greater the reward promised, and punishment threatened, the greater the influence." This theory, then, " makes all reward and punishment limited." Well, suppose it docs. Is not man a finite being ? Is he not exceedingly limited in all his capacities, capabilities, and powers ? Is he not a frail child of humanity, and extremely liable to err ? No man can dispute that he is. Should he not, then, be the sub- ject of limited rewards and punishments ? How absurd to suppose the contrary ! The very fact, then, on which this objection is based, that this theory makes rewards and punishments limited, is a strong confirmation of its truth. But, " it confines rewards and punish- ments to this world." Very well. Where does man do his deeds of virtue and vice ? Is it not in this world ? Most certainly it is. Well, what time and place more suitable to reward and punish him, 9 • 98 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. than at the time when, and in the place where, he deserves it? But, " the inducements are not sufficient." Are not ? But do men love their wives, parents, brothers, sisters, or children, because they expect to be rewarded for it in another world ? Or do they refrain from hating them for fear of being punished in another world if they do ? If such be the fact, then our sentiments of respect for human nature must sink into nothing; and all men may exclaim with Brutus : " virtue, I have worshipped you as a god, but have found thou art but an empty name ! " Again, does the farmer labor and toil to cultivate his farm, sow his seed, and gather his crops, thinking that he will be rewarded for it in eternity ? Does the mechanic pursue his daily avocation for the sake of any other reward than that which he receives here ? Will a man per- form a day's labor with any more faithfulness or cheerfulness, under the promise of a reward however great in eternity, than he will under the promise of a dollar at the close of his day's labor ? Once more. Do the wicked practise sin in this world with the expecta- tion of being rewarded for it in another ? No. All these are actuated solely and simply by present motives. If, then, the wicked can be induced to practise sin for the sake of the pleasure which they imagine is connected therewith in this life, cannot the virtuous be induced to practise virtue for the sake of that happiness which is the certai?i and sure reward of it here ? But suppose those whom we denominate the virtuous are actuated by the motives which the objector would present, are they worthy of the appellation, virtuous, which we bestow upon them ? Suppose you see a man administer to the wants and necessities of his fellow-men. You ask him why he docs it. He replies : " For the sake of obtaining heaven." You ask him if he has no sympathies for human kind; no benevolence of heart ; no humanity to man. And he tells you " no, he is actuated by higher motives than these, his object is to secure his own happiness in the paradise above." What would you think of such a warm-hearted philanthropist as this ? Or, sujjpose you see a man tempted to do evil, to steal, rob, or murder, as the case may be, but he resists. You ask him why he did not commit the act. lie replies : " I most certainly should have done it, had I not been afraid of going to hell if I did." What would you think of a man of such strong virtuous principle as this ? Would you think either of thcsQ characters meritorious, or deserving of any reward what r COCTKINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 99 ever ? Certainly not. No. Barbarians practise on better princi- ples than these ; and the veriest heathen on earth would scout such morality and virtue. •' But man is a being actuated by hope and fear." So he is. But does it follow that we are to make unreal representations to hia hopes and fears ? We know this plan has been adopted. I'arenta sometimes adopt it in the government of their children. They will tell them of ghosts and hobgoblins, of immortal devils, and bears in the cellar. But what rational man ever supposed that children were ever made any better by such a course of treatment ? The fears of mankind have been appealed to too much. Past history proves that sanguinary laws and cruel penalties have always defeated their own object. The fear of an endless hell may perhaps restrain the outward actions of some, but it never made one single soul any better. It has no power to purify the human heart. The reward which the objector would offer is greater than the one we offer, to be sure ; but it is more remote, and by thousands would not be judged to be very certain. The pursishment which the objector would threaten is greater than that we threaten. But the objector himself provides a way by which it may be easily escaped. Timely repentance will wipe off the stain, and exonerate from the penalty. Hence, there is no certainty about it. Now, it appears to us that it must be obvious to every man of sense, that the preaching of rewards and punishments which are absolutely certain and sure., will exert a more powerful influence upon man, than the preaching of rewards and punishments which are uncertain, even although the latter may be much greater than the former. Is the doctrine of present rewards and punishments, then, of bad moral tendency ? Is it dangerous to inform mankind that happiness is connected with virtue, and misery with vice ? Does not man love happiness, and dread misery ? Is it wrong, then, to tell him that if he practises virtue, he will be happy ? that if he practises sin, he will certainly and inevitably be miserable ? Is it because mankind have believed this doctrine in past ages, that licentiousness has abounded and sin so extensively prevailed ? No. God knows it is not so. It is because they have believed that there is pleasure in sin, and that virtue and religion were designed to make their pleasures less on earth. The world can never be reformed until this wicked, and abominable, and pernicious error, is rooted out. 100 DOCTRINE OF EEWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. When mankind are brought to believe, firmly and sincerely, that there is a reward for virtue this side of a located heaven, and a recompense for vice this side of a located hell, then virtue will reign triumphant, and a more powerful, thorough, and general reformation will take place than the world ever yet saw. 4. It has been objected that " This is the same doctrine that was held by the ancie?it Saddiccees." We know the Sadducees believed in the doctrine of present rewards and punishments. In this we agree with them. But they also held that death was the last end of man. From this we dissent. We are not, therefoi-e, Sadducees, because we happen to agree with them on the doctrine of rewards and punishments. We believe in the existence of one God. So does the objector ; so did the Pharisees ; so did the Sadducees. But is the objector a Universalist, Pharisee, or Sadducee, because he agrees with them in believing in one God ? The Sadducees believed implicitly in the five books of Moses, and received them as a rule of faith and practice. They could not find the doctrine of future retribution in them ; but they did find the doctrine of retribution in this life ; hence they rejected the former, and embraced the latter. And this is one of our reasons for doing the same. The Sadducees held other doctrines, which in a great degree nullified the influence of their views respecting rewards and punishments upon them ; but, notwithstanding this, they were a much more moral, virtuous, and respectable sect than their neighbors the Pharisees, although the latter believed in the (supposed to be) purifying doctrine of future retribution. They never received half the censures, nor half the condemnatory denunciations, from Jesus Christ, that the Phari- sees did. Jesus frequently spoke of the Pharisees as " hypocrites, whited sepulchres, serpents, generation of vipers," &c. ; but he never bestowed these appellations upon the Sadducees. And although he warned his disciples to beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, yet we are not informed that the views of the Sadducees respecting rewards and punishments was the doctrine referred to. It is far more probable that it was their doctrine respecting a future state. 5. It is said " That there is no meicy in this system of rewards and punishments." No ijiercy in it! Is it so, then, that God caiHiot be just, and at the same time be merciful ? If so, then to those who are punished God is not merciful, and to those who are DOCTRIxNE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMKNTS. 101 Baved, hi is not just. This impeaches both the justice and merc^ of the divine Being, The higliest exercise of mercy consists in withliolding unnecessary or unjust punishment. Hence, God can punish his creatures all that justice i-equires, and at the same time be merciful to them. He can be both just and merciful at the same time. Cannot a parent chastise his children all they deserve, and do it in mercy? So can God. Hence the Psalmist says, "Unto thee, Lord, belongeth mercy ; for thou renderest to every man according to his works." Ps. 62 : 12. 6. But it is also said " There is no grace in this system." " Mankind," it is said, " according to this system, are punished all they deserve; and, therefore, there is no room for the exercise of grace." Indeed ! But are not these rewards and punishments limited ? And is there not room enough for the exercise of grace after the dispensation of rewards and punishments has ceased ? Cannot a father punish and reward his children all they merit, and, after they arrive to the age of twenty-one years, give them each a farm as an act of grace ? And cannot God reward and punish his creatures all they merit in time, and in eternity bestow upon them immortality, as his gift to them through grace ? Certainly, the fact of our having been justly dealt by in time gives us no claim on God for any benefits to be extended to us in another world. But we have shown it to be the doctrine of the Bible that " God will render to every man according to his works." If, therefore, the objector thinks there is no mercy nor grace in this theory, we leave him to settle the dispute with the Bible. 7. It is objected that " This theory gives no rational account of what, or in lohat, the punishinent of sin co?isists." We think we have been sufficiently plain and definite on this subject ; but, if the objector is not satisfied, we will now try to make ourselves understood. The nature of the punishment of sin depends altogether upon the nature of the sin committed. If it is a neglect of the physical laws, then it is a deprivation of the enjoyment which flows from the exercise of the physical powers. If a violation of these laws, it is the physical pain and misery which is the necessary consequence. If it is a neglect of the intellectual laws, it is a depri- vation of the pleasure derived from the exercise of these faculties; and, besides, the individual must be deplorably ignorant, and, in point of intellect, sink to a level with the brute creation. If a 9* 102 DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. violation of tliese laws, it is mental uneasiness and unhappiness, frequently terminating in partial derangement, or positive insanity. If it is a neglect of the moral laws, it is a deprivation of the happi- ness which results from the exercise of the moral powers. If a violation of these laws, it is the misery and unhappiness which fol- low necessarily. If it is both a neglect and violation of either or all of these laws, then the punishment, as is seen, will be both nega- tive and positive; a deprivation on the one hand, and positive suffering on the other. We trust the subject is now sufficiently plain, and if so, the objection we are considering falls to the ground. 8. Another objection is that, ^"^ According to this theory, much of the -punishment, which is experienced by the guilty, consists in remorse of conscience" " Now," it is said, " it is well knoivn that by a long-continued course of sin, conscience may become completely paralyzed and inactive, so that it ceases to reproach or sting the transgressor." Whether the conscience can ever become entirely dormant and inactive is very doubtful. If there are any cases of this kind, they must be exceedingly rare ; and they form exceptions to the general rule. It is true, the Bible speaks of some whose consciences were " seared as with a hot iron ;" but this does not prove that their consciences had become extinct, nor entirely inactive. That the conscience may become measurably dormant is un- doubtedly true ; but it must be recollected that if there is such a thing as remorse of conscience, there is such a thing as i\\& pleasiire derived from a conscience " void of offence." Conscience not only condemns us for our faults, but it approves us for our virtues. In proportion, therefore, as an individual becomes insensible to remorse of con- science, in that same proportion he becomes insensible to its approving smiles. Now, does he gain anything by this ? Is he placed in any better circumstances ? in circumstances more favorable to the enjoy- ment of happiness ? No. As the inward monitor speaks not to approve, so its warning voice speaks but feebly. In that case, the individual becomes more reckless and daring ; less circumspect and cautious, and more bold in his crimes. Of course he is more easily detected, and more exposed to the penalties which are annexed to the laws and institutions which have been established by man. We can imagine no deprivation which can be worse, nor no condition on earth which can be more deplorable, than for an individual to be DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 103 destitute of conscience. The fact, then, on which tliis objection is based forms no real objection to the theory we are advocating. 9. It maybe objected that, '■'■ As a part of the punishment of sin consists in remorse of conscience, and as, according to Phre- nology, some men have a large share of conscience, and others only a small degree, therefore, those v>ho deserve the least jnaiishineni tvill receive the most, and those who deserve the most will receive the least." To this we reply j- — If two men perform the same act, and one of them possesses a great share of conscience, he is guilty in a great degi-ee ; if the other has naturally only a small share of conscience, he is guilty only in a small degree. One, therefore, deserves a great degree of punishment, the other only a small degree. This objection, then, only proves that our theory of rewards and punishments is one of the strictest impartiality, equity, and justice. 10. It may be asked, " Hoiv does the self-murderer get his pun- ishmentV Self-murder! We know of no such crime. Murder implies malice aforethought. But the Bible informs us that " no man ever yet hated his own flesh." The crime of self-murder is therelbre impossible. We know that a certain declaration is often quoted to prove that there is such a crime, namely, " No self-mur- derer shall enter the kingdom of heaven," This declaration is sup- posed by some to be in the Bible ; but it is not. There is no such passage in the book. The word self, and murder, or murderer, are nowhere connected in the whole Bible. By the " self-murderer," we presume the objector means the suicide. If, then, it be asked, " How does the suicide get his punishment ? " we answer : The act of suicide is generally, if not always, committed by those who are of unsound mind, — those who are acting under the influence of either partial or positive derangement. It is extremely doubtful whether any person of sane mind ever, coolly and deliberately, in the sober exercise of his judgment, put a period to his own exist- ence. Those who commit the act of suicide under the influence of insanity are not responsible; hence, incur no guilt, and, conse- quently, no punishment. But, allowing some do commit this act in the exercise of their reason, what then ? The whole difficulty in the mind of the objector may arise from a false view which he enter- tains respecting the object and mode of divine punishment. If you suppose divine punishment to be retaliatory, — that is, that a cer- 104 DOCxraNE oT rewards jind punisujiexts. tain quantum oi' pain is inflicted on tlie transgressor, equal in amount to that which he has occasioned, or that he is made to expe- rience a certain amount of evil equal to tliat which he has produced, or that he is made to suffer simply and solely because he has com- mitted an evil act, — all this is a very great mistake. No. God punishes to reform and make better. His punishments are disci- plinary, emendatory, and salutary. He docs not, therefore, inflict pain upon the transgressor simply iecause an evil act has been committed, but in order that the crime may not be repeated. Again, if the objector supposes that God, in the administration of his moral government, is under the necessity of specially interfering and dii'ectly punishing his creatures, this is another very great mis- take. No. God is under no necessity of guarding the interests of his law by penal enactments and penal sanctions. It is a law, as we have seen, which is founded in the nature and fitness of things, — a law written in the very constitution of man. God's law, there- fore, unlike all the laws ever instituted by man, does, by its own operation, absolutely secure the reward of virtue and the punish- ment of vice. God, to be sure, may, at certain times, and in certain cases, inflict direct punishment upon the violators of his law. But this is not his general mode of administration. As a general thing, we know of no penalty annexed to the law of God except the nat- ural and necessary consequences which flow from its violation ; nor any punishment for sin except the natural and necessary conse- quences which flow from the practice of vice. How strong is the love of life ! How instinctively man will cling to it, and shrink from death ! How great must be the suffering, and how intense the agony, endured by that mind, which will prompt its possessor to voluntarily cut the strong cord which binds him to earth ! " But," you may say, " all this suffering and agony he has brought upon him- self by his own voluntary sins." All this may be very true; and, if so, it is a proof that sin is punished in this life. Of the suicide, then, it may be said, that, by a course of sin and transgression, he has plunged himself into misery, until God uses his own hand as the instrument of his own destruction. He is cut off" from life and all its endearments, and his career of wickedness has terminated in untimely death. It may be well to mention here that the ]3il)le nowhe're enumerates suicide among the catalogue of crimes, nor the suicide among the catalogue of criminals. We would not now wish to be understood as justifying the act of suicide, ^'ery far from it, DOCTRINE OF RKWARDS AND PCNISHMKNTS. 105 We mention this fact because it is a fact, and the reader will bear in mind it is a fact for which we are not responsible. If the objector, therefore, is disposed to cavil, let him cavil at the Bible, not with us. We suppose the reason why the Bible does not speak of suicide as a crime, is because the scripture writers, all of them, took it for granted that it was an act which would not be very fre- quently committed, and very seldom indeed, if ever, by a person in the sober exercise of his reason and judgment. 11. But the objector may say, " Suppose a man to murder a felloio-being, arid the next moment turn round and kill himself— how is he punished for this double crime, committed in the very last moment of his life? " We frankly confess that this is, to all ai)poarance, one of the greatest difficulties, in the way of our theory, wliich can possibly be stated. We admit it to be a very plausible objection. But, supposing that no satisfactoiy reply can be made to it, — what then ? Let it be borne in mind that this objection is founded on an extreme case. How many of the human family are guilty of this crime ? Not one to an hundred thousand. Must it not be a very strong theory against which only one difficulty out of mamj can be presented, which we, short-sighted mortals, cannot remove ? IMust not that theory be considered absolutely invulner- able against which only one objection out of many can be urged, which cannot be satisfactorily answered ; especially when even that one objection is founded on an extreme case, — a case which rarely happens among men ? But we are not afraid to meet this objection in the very face. To murder a human being, and then for the murderer to turn round and kill himself, is an unnatural crime. Charity would lead us to suppose that no man would be guilty of such an act witliout extraordinary provocation. The man who could commit such a deed must be under the influence of the most powerful animal excitement. His passions, for the time being, must have the complete ascendency over him, and be absolutely uncontrollable. Now, is it not a well-known fact that some men have not that government and control of their passions that others have ? And should not these be mitigating circumstances in the case of persons guilty of killing a human being and themselves at the same time ? We know that in the eye of tljose laws instituted by man they would not be. But, we ask, how will they be looked on in the eye of that great law of love which God has instituted for the government of his creatures ? We do not a^ik, how will tlvae lOG DOCTRINE OF KEWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. persons be looked on by the eyes of men ; but we ask, how will they be looked on by the eye of that God who "sees not as man sees," who is acquainted with all the thoughts of his creatures, their motives and intentions ? He also is acquainted with our frailty, our liability to err, the circumstances in which we may be placed, and all the influences with which we may be. surrounded. He is our Lawgiver and our Judge ; and his law, by its own operation, secures to the violator of it all the punishment he thinks him to be deserving of. We ask, again, how will persons guilty of the crime we are considering, under the mitigating circumstances we have named, be looked upon in the eye of that charity which "suffereth long, and is kind," and which requires of mankind that they look not too severely upon the faults and foibles of their fellow-men ? That heart must be callous indeed, and insensible to the feelings of humanity, which will prompt its possessor to look on the agonies and suflFerings of the suicide, which have been the cause of his rais- ing the hand of destruction upon himself, or upon the miseries endured by that man whose passions are so violent and ungovernable as that he can commit such a crime as the one we are considering, and then say, " It is not enough ! " If persons guilty of these crimes deserve our censure, they also deserve our pity and commis- eration. If they are guilty, they are also unfortunate. But they deserve our pity no more than does that man who would add one single iota to the pangs and sufferings which they endure. The punishment of those guilty of the crime under consideration, consists in their suffering the natural consequences of sin. A course of sin and fully, after having destroyed the happiness of the unfortunate being, and after he has suffered the pangs and sorrows of the trans- gressor, has terminated in untimely death. Such, reader, are the arguments in favor of the doctrine of pres- ent rewards and punishments. And such are the objections against it. We now appeal to your candor, and ask, which of the two theories we have had under consideration is most consistent with reason, with common sense, and the Bible ? It is of the utmost importance that you should decide this question. If you decide in favor of the theory which we have advocated, you are safe. Sin will have jbr you no charms, and temptation no power. You will avoid sin as you would avoid the jaws of death, or the poisonous fangs of the serpent ; and you will cling to virtue as your only, your chiefest, and your greatest good. CHAPTER V. SCETPTURE TEEMS EXPRESSING DUIUTION. SECTION I. On the Scripture usage and meaning of the words Eternity, Endless, Eternal, Everlasting, Never, Forever, and Forever and ever. 1. ETERNITY. — This word occurs but once in the Bible. Isa. 57 : 15, " Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eteniity, whose name is Holy," &c. Of course, it is nowhere in the Bible applied to punishment of any kind, either in this world or another. It is never said the wicked shall go into, or suffer, or endure, an eternity of punishment. 2. ENDLESS. — This word does not occur in the Old Testa- ment, and is found but twice in the New. 1 Tim. 1:4," Neither give heed to fables, and eyidless genealogies," &c. Heb. 7 : 16, " Who (Christ) is made after the power of an endless life." When applied to genealogies it is used in a limited sense; when applied to the hmnortal life of Christ, which he obtained by being raised from the dead, it is used in an unlimited sense. It is connected with life m the Scriptures, but it is not connected with punishment. We nowhere in the Bible read of an " endless hell," of " endless death," of " endless misery," of " endless punishment," nor of " endless pain.'M 3. EVERLASTING. — The word everlastinir occurs in the Old 108 SCRIPTURE TEKMS EXPRESSING DURATION. Tostanioiit sixty-one times. Eight times ia Genesis, once in Exodus, twice in Leviticus, once in Numbers, once in Deuteronomy, once in 2 Samuel, once in 1 Chronicles, nine times in Psalms, twice in Proverbs, eighteen times in Isaiah, five times in Jeremiah, twice in Ezekiel, seven times in Daniel, once in Micah, and twice in Habak- kuk. In the following books it is not found : Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Job. The same word occurs in the New Testament twenty-sis times. Four times in IMatthow, twice in Luke, eight times in John, once in Acts, twice in llomans, once in Galatians, twice in 2 Thessalo- nians, twice in 1 Timothy, once in Hebrews, once in 2 Peter, once in Jude, and once in Revelation. It does not occur in Mark, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 Peter, nor in 1, 2j and 3 John. 4. ETERNAL. — This word is found but twice in the Old Tes- tament. Isaiah 60 : 15, " Whereas thou (the Jews) hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations." Deut. 33 : 27. Every one can see it is used here in a limited sense. The same word occurs in the New Testament forty-one times. Twice in Matthew, three times in Mark, twice in Luke, nine times in John, once in Acts, three times in Romans, tliree times in 2 Corinthians, twice in 1 Timothy, once in 2 Timothy, twice in Titus, five times in Hebrews, once in 1 Peter, six times in 1 John, and once in Jude. The word is not found in 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, r*hilippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, James, 2 t*eter, 2 and 3 John, nor in Revelation. 5. FOREVER. — This word occurs in the Old Testament very nearly, if not just, three hundred and four times. Four times in Genesis, thirteen times in Exodus, fifteen times in Leviticus, eight times in Numbers, eleven times in Deuteronomy, four times in ^oshua, twelve times in 1 Samuel, ten times in 2 Samuel, ten times ^ings, twice in 2 Kings, nineteen times in 1 Chronicles, fifteen "* Chronicles, three times in Jijzra, twice in Nclicmiah, seven SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSiXQ DDKATION. 109 times in Job, one hundred and twelve times in Psalm.s, twice in Proverbs, four times in Eeclesiastes, thirteen times in Isaiah, twelve times in Jeremiah, three times in Lamentations, four times in Ezekiel, nine times in Daniel, once in Hosca, once in Joel, once in Obadiah, once in Jonah, three times in Micah, once in Zechariah. once in Amos, and once in Malachi. In the following books it ia not found : Judges, Ruth, Esther, Song of Solomon, Nahum, Ilabakkuk, Zcphaniah, Haggai. The same word occurs in the New Testament twenty-nine times. Twice in Matthew, once in Mark, twice in Luke, five times in John, four times in Romans, once in 2 Corinthians, five times in Hebrews, twice in 1 Peter, twice in 2 Peter, once in 1 John, once in 2 John, twice in Jude, and once in Philemon. It is not found in Acts, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ej)hesians, Philippians, Colos-sians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, James, o John, nor in Reve- lation. 6. NEVER. — In the Old Testament this word occurs just forty-nine times. In the New Testament it occurs thirty-seven times. It is not much relied on to prove the doctrine of endless punishment, and therefore we shall not be so particular in consider- ing it. In the course of this chapter we shall give some quotations fr:^m the Scriptures, showing that it is sometimes, at least, used in a limited sense. 7 FOREVER AND EVER. —This phrase occurs in the Old Testament twenty-sis times. Once in Exodus, twice in 1 Chron- icles, three times in Daniel, once in Nehemiah, thirteen times in Psalms, twice in Isaiah, twice in Jeremiah, and twice in Micah. It docs not occur in Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 2 Chron- icles, Ezra, Esther, Job, Proverbs, Eeclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Ilabakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, nor in Malaehi. The same phrase occurs in the New Testament eiglitecn times. Once in Galatians, once in Philippians, once in 1 Timothy, once in 2 Timothy, twice in Hebrews, and twelve times in Revelation. It is not found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, nor in Jude, 10 no SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DC/RATION. The words eternal, everlasting, 7iever, forever, and forever ana ever, are generally in the Old Testament translated from the He- brew oUni. This word occurs in the Old Testament about four hundred and fifty-nine times. It is rendered once eternal, sixty times evtrlasting, two hundred and fifty-two times forever, four times ever, sixteen times never, fourteen in\\Q% forever more, twenty- two times forever and ever (where it occurs twice), once forever, even forever and ever (where it occurs three times), four times /ro7« everlasting to everlasting (where it occurs twice), twice world, once world without end, twenty-two times perpetual, twenty-six times old, of old, of old time, in old time, ever of old, six times ancient, ancient times, five times alwaij, always, twice never any more, once Casting, twice long, once long ti?7ie, once coiitinuajice, once strip- ling, ouce young children, and once secret sins. The words everlasting, eternal, forever, ^-c, in the New Testa- ment, are translated from the Greek words aion and aionios. Aion occurs in the Greek Testament one hundred and twenty-eight times. Sixty-six times in the siiigidar, and sixty-two times in the plural number. In the common English version it is rendered seventy- two times ever, twice eternal, thirty-six times ivorld, seven times never, three times evermore, twice xvorlds, twice ages, once course, once ivorld without end (where it occurs twice), and in two instances it is passed over without any word .affixed as a translation to it. Aionios occurs seventy-one times. It is rendered once ever, forty- two times eteriial, three times world, and twenty-five times ever- lasting. When the Old Testament was translated from the Hebrew into the Greek language by the Seventy, the Hebrew word olira, when a noun, was rendered by the Greek word aion ; when an adjective, it was rendered by the word aionios. Olim, then, in Hebrew, and ainn and aionios in Greek, are synonymous terms. The extent of duration, therefore, expressed by aion and aionios in the New Tes- tament, must be determined by the scripture usage o^ olim in the Old. We will now show that the words eternal, everlasting, fo~ever, never, and fcrever and ever, translated from olini, arc used ia a limited sense. SCUIPTOUE TERMS EXPRESSING DUKATION. Ill SECTION II. Passages in which the ^vords Eternal, Everlasting, Forever, ic. ar evidently used in a limited sense. Eternal. — Isaiah 00: 15. "Whereas thou (tlic Jews) hast been for- Baken and liated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Everlasting. — Gen. 17: 7,8. And I will establish my covenant be- tween me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in tlieir generations, for an everlasting cove ant ; to be a God unto thee, and to tliy seed alter thee. And I will give unto thee, and to tin' seed after tliee, tJie land wherein tiiou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession ; and I will be their God. Verse 13. .-^iid my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. Gen. 48 : 4. And -will give this land (Canaan) to thy (Jacob's) seed after thee, for an everlasting possession. Gen. 49 : '2i). The blessings of thy (.Joseph's) father (.Jacob) have pre- vailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. Exodus 40 : 15. And thou shalt anoint them (Aaron's sons) as thou diilst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office ; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood through- out their generations. Lev. 16 : 34. And this shall be an everlastin g sta.tute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a j'ear. Numb. 25 : 13. And he (Phinehas) shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. Ps. '24 : 7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors. Hab. 3 : 0. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow. See also Ps. 105 : 10 ; 2 Sam. 23 : 5 ; 1 Chron. 10 : 17 ; Isa. 24 : 5. Forever. — Deut. 15 : 17. Thou shalt take an awl and thrust it through Ills ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servaut/orcfer. See also Ex. 21 : 6. 1 Sam. 1 : 22. T (the mother of Samuel) will not go up until the child (Samuel) be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and abide there /or ere/-. 1 Sam. 27 : 12. And Achish believed David, saying. He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him ; therefore he shall be my servant forever. Lev. '25 : 4G. They (the children of strangers) shall be your (the Jews) bondmen /ore fcr. 2 Kings 5 : 27. The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cleave ante thee (Gehazi), and unto thy seed/orci-er. ^oli 41 : 4. Wilt thou take liini (the leviathan) for a servant/oreut'r ? 1 Kings 1 : 31, Ix-t my lonl king David live/orcrer. Neh. 2 : 3. Let the king live/orerer. Dan. 2 • 4. 0, king, live/orerer. See also 3 : 9, 5 : 10 ; 6 : 6, 21. 112 SCKIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. Exodus 14 : 13. The Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no move fore re r. Eccl. 1 : 4. Tlie earth aljidetli/o?'Cfer. Ps. 104 : 5. Who laid the foundations of the earth, that they should not be removed /orerer. Ps. 78 : 6'J. He built his sanctuary like high palaces, lilve the earth wliich he hath establislied/oreyer. EEekiel 37 : 25. And they (the Jews) shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fatliers have dwelt ; and they sliall dwell therein, even they and tlieir children, and their children's children, /o/'Cfcr; and ni}' servant David shall be their prince/orcrer. Gen. 13 : 15. For all tlie land which thou (Abram) seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. Exo. 32 : 13. And all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. Josh. 14 : 9. Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's/o/'ccer. 1 Chron. 23 : 25. Tlie Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto hia people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem /orei't!/". Jer. 17 : 25. And this city (Jerusalem) shall remain/orei'cr, Ps. 48 : 8. God will establish it (Jerusalem) /o/Ti'cr. Jer. 31 : 40. It (Jerusalem) sliall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any moreforever. 1 Kings 8:13. I (Solomon) have surely built thee (God) a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever. Numbers 10 : 8. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets ; and they shall be to you for an ordinance/orei'er. Numbers 18 : 23. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they sliall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute/orei-er. 1 Chron 28 : 4. Howbeit the Lord God of Israel chose nie (David) be- fore all the house of my father to be a king over Israel ybrci'cr. 1 Kings!) : 5. Then Avill I (God) establish the throne of thy (Solomon's) kingdom upon Israel forever. Josh. 4 : 7. And these stones (the stones set up at Jordan) shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel /orcccr. Jonah 2 : G. The earth with her bars was about me forever. Vs. 37 : 2y. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell tlierein forever. Forever and ever. — Ps. 148: 5, 6. For he (God) commanded, and they (the hosts of heaven) were created. He hath also established them forever and ever. Isa. 30 : 8. Now go, write it (that the Jews were a rebellious people) before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come, /oreyer and ever. Isa. 84 : 10. It (the fire that was to burn the land of Idumea) shall not be quenched niglit nor day ; the smoke thereof shall go np forever : from generation to generation it sliall lie waste : none sliall pass through itforever and ever. Jer. 7 : 7. Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, /orerer and ever. Jer. 25 : 5. Turn ye again, now, every one from his evil way, and every one from the evil of your doing, and dwell in tlic land tliat the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers/o/-ct)cr and ever. SCRIl'TUllE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 113 JVI'tier. — Lev. 6 : 13. The fire shall ei-er be burning upon tlie altar ; it tjliall iicrcr go out. 2 S.iui. 12 : 10. Now, therefore, the sword shall 7icver depart from thine (David's) house. Judges 2:1. I will never bre;ik my covenant with you (the .Tews). Joel 2 : 2G, 27. And ye (tlie Jews) shall eat in jilenty, and bo satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you : and my people shall ?iecer be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in tlie midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else : and my people shall never be ashamed. Jer. 33 : 17. For thus saith the Lord, David shall 7icver want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel. Ezek. IG : G3. That thou (die Jews) mayest remember, and be con- founded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame. Amos 8 : 14. They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Tliy God, Dan, liveth ; and. The manner of Beer-sheba liveth ; even they shall fall, and never rise up again. llab. 1 : 4. The law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth. To this list of passages, wherein the words everlasting, forever, &c., are obviously used in a limited sense, many more might be added. In these texts we see the word eternal applied to the excellency which God was to bestow upon the Jewish people. We see the word everlasting applied to God's covenant with the Jews ; to the priesthood of Aaron ; to the statutes of Moses ; to the time the Jews were to possess tlie land of Canaan ; to the mountains and nills ; and to the doors of the Jewish temple. We see the word forever applied to the duration of a man's earthly existence ; to the time a cliild was to abide in the temple ; to the continuance of Gehazi's leprosy ; to the duration of the life of David ; to the dura- tion of a king's life ; to the duration of the earth ; to tlie time the Jews were to possess the land of Canaan ; to tlie time they were to dwell in Jerusalem ; to the time a servant was to abide with his master; to the time Jerusalem was to remain a city; to the dura- lioa of the Jewish temple ; to the laws and ordinances of Moses ; to the time David was to be king over Israel ; to the throne of Solo- mon ; to the stones that were set up at Jordan ; to the time the righteous were to inhabit the earth ; and to the time Jonah was in the fish's belly. We find the phrase forever and ever applied to the hosts of heaven, or the sun, moon, and stars; to a writing con- tained in a book ; to the smoke that went up from the burning land of Id.umea ; and to the time the Jews were to dwell in Judea. We find the word never ap[)lied to the time the fire was to burn on the Jewish altar; to the time the sword was to remain in the house of David; to God's covenant with the Jews; to the time the Jewa 10-* 114 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. should not experience shame ; to the time the house of Da', id was (0 reign over Israel ; to the time the Jews were not to open their mouths because of their shame ; to the time those who fell by death sliould remain in their fallen state ; and to the time judgment was not executed. But the external excellency of the Jews is taken from them ; the law covenant is abolished ; the priesthood of Aaron and his sons has ceased ; the ordinances, and laws, and statutes of IMoses are abro- gated ; the Jews have long since been dispossessed of the land of Canaan, have been driven from Judea, and God has brought upon them a reproach and a shame ; the man to the dui'ation of whose life the word forever was applied is dead ; David is dead, and has ceased to reign over Israel ; the throne of Solomon no longer exists ; the Jewish temple is demolished, and Jerusalem has been over- thrown, so that there is not left " one stone upon another ;" the servants of the Jews have been freed from their masters; Gehazi is dead, and no one believes he carried his leprosy with him into the future world ; the stones that were set up at Jordan have been removed, and the smoke that went up from the burning land of Idumea has ceased to ascend ; the righteous do not inherit the earth endlessly, and no one believes that the mountains and hills, as such, are indestructible; the fire that burnt on the Jewish altar has long since ceased to burn ; judgment has been executed ; and no Christian believes that those who fall by death will never be awakened from their slumbers. Now, as these words are used in this limited sense in the Scriptures, why should it be supposed that they express end- less duration when applied to punishment ? These words are applied to punishment in the Old Testament eight times only. In the New Testament they are applied to punishment twelve times. So that these words are applied to punishment only twenty times in the whole Bible. In the next Section we shall examine all the passages where they are thua applied. SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 115 SECTION III. E.rnv}ination of all the passaffCK in the Bible where the words Eit.knai, EviiRLASTiNG, FoREVER, and FoREVER AND EVER, are applied to punish- ment. 1. Job 20 : 5 — 7. The trinniphinp; of the wicked is short, and the joy of tlie hypocrite but for a moment. Thougli his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds, yet he shall i)erisli/orci't'/-. This passage needs no comment to show that it has no reference to punishment in a future world. It is only necessary to examine the connection in which it is found to see that it refers to tem|)oral destruction. " Yet he shall perish forever, like Ms own du)ig ; they which have seen him shall say, Where is he ? His bones are full of the sins of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust." 2. Ps. 9 : 5. Tlioii hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name /brcyer and ever. This and the text just considered, if we allow them to have reference to a future world, prove not the endless suffering or misery of the persons spoken of, but their absolute and entire annihilation. It is not said they should be endlessly miserable ; on the contrary, in the text now under consideration, the punishment of the persons named is said to have been already accomplished. " Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name," &c. Undoubtedly referring to the Canaanitish nations which God destroyed from oft' the face of the earth, so that their names should be known no more on earth forever. Indeed, the connection shows this. See the whole Psalm. 3. Isa. 33 : 14. The sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath sur- prised the hypocrites. AVlio among us shall d-.voll with devouring lire ? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? ' The context of this passage shows that God was speaking of his temporal judgments on earth ; and that these judgments are repre- sented under the figure of fire. " The earth mourneth and lan- guisheth ; Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down ; Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. Now will I rise, saith the Lord ; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. Ye shall conceive chaff; ye shall bring forth stubble 116 , SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. your breath as fire shall devour j'ou ; ami the people shall be as the burnings of lime; as thorns cut up sliall they be burned in the fire. Hear, je that are far off, what I have done ; and ye that are near acknowledge my might." See verses 9 — 13. Then comes in tho passage under consideration. • Who then were to dwell with " ever- lasting burnings ? " " He that walketh righteously, and speaketh iprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppression, that shaketh (lis hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his cars from hear- ing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil." See verse 15. These, then, were to dwell amid the devouring fire of God's iudgments, and dwell safely. They were not to be injured by those fires and judgments which made the "sinners in Zion afraid," and which surprised the hypocrites with " fearfulness." There is a possibility, then, of a person's dwelling with devouring fire, yea, with " everlasting burnings," in the scripture sense of these phrases, and being entirely unharmed and uninjured. We pity the man who can see in this text the least proof of the doctrine of endless punishment. 4. Jer. 17:4. For ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall hvim forever. The prophet is speaking of Judah, and the punishment of Judah. He does not say the anger of God should burn against them through the endless ages of eternity, nor in a future state of existence ; on the contrary, the connection shows that this punishment was of a temporal nature. " And thou even thyself shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee ; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the la}id which thou knowest not ; for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn forever." 5. .Tcr. 23 : 40. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten. Compare Jer 20 : 11. Here, again, it is evident that the Jewish people are spoken of. God does not say they should suffer this reproach and shame in a future world, nor that they should be made endlessly miserable ; nor does any Christian believe that the entire Jewish people are to suffer endless punishment. Few will dispute that this text relates to the temporal punishment of the Jews. The connection makes this perfectly plain. God, after having spoken of the great wicked- ness of the Jews, says, " Therefore I, even I, will utterly forget you, SCUIPTDKE TKKMS EXPllESSINQ DURATION. 117 and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, anl cast you out of my presence; and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual slianie, which shall not be forgotten." For the meaning of the l)hra!^e, " Presence of God," see Chapter XiV. 6. Mai. 1 : 4. The people against whom the Lord hath indignation/or- ever. Here, again, it is evident from the context that God's temporal judgments are referred to. It is not said the Lord will be indig- nant against these people, but " the Lord hath indignation " — th;it is, they were a people against whom, as a people or nation, tlie Lord had always been indignant. The people spoken of are the Edomites, who had been the enemies and persecutors of the Jews, for which God had overthrown or destroyed them. " Whereas Edom saith. We are impoverislicd, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I vAll throio down ; and they shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever." Further comment on this text is unnecessai-y. 7. Dan. 12:2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame- and everlasting contempt. This text was once regarded by the great majority of Christians as proof, not only of punishment in a future world, but of the end- less continuance of that punishment ; but, by the great majority of intelligent Christians, this idea is now abandoned. W^e doubt whether any intelligent, respectable clergyman of any denomination would dare to hazard his reputation on the assertion that the text has any relation to the concerns of another world. If there is any such one, we are very certain he cannot be induced to manifest his sincerity by going before a public audience and defending such an opinion against the attacks of a respectable opponent. But there may be some who are honestly of the opinion just referred to; and for the bencifit of such as may chance to read this book, we will give the text an examination. The first question to be settled is, Is Daniel here speaking of an event which is yet future ? If the view which has connnonly been entertained of the text be correct, he certainly must be ; f()r it has lis SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. been supposed that he is speaking of the literal resurrection fi 5m death, and certainly this has not yet taken place. But it must be allowed that Daniel knew as much concerning the time for the ful- filment of his predictions as any person living at the present day can be supposed to know. His own testimony concerning the time, then, will not be disputed. Well, when then does Daniel say his prediction should be fulfilled ? The twelfth chapter commences thus : — " And at that time." At what time ? Evidently the time spoken of in the preceding chapter. Well, in the eleventh chapter, he speaks of the " abomination that maketh desolate." See verse 31. And Christ, in his discourse concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, contained in the 24th and 25th chapters of Matthew, fixes upon that event as the time for the fulfilment of what Daniel had spoken concerning the abomination of desolation. " When ye (the disciples), therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains." See Matt. 24 • 15, 16. Compare Luke 21 : 20, 21, " And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains." In these passages our Lord addresses his discii)les as if he expected they would live to see this " abomination of desola- tion ;" and it is also plain that this " abomination of desolation " was the Roman army which destroyed Jerusalem. Again, Daniel, in the 11th, and also in the 12th chapter, speaks of tlie " time of the end.'^ What end was this ? " Evidently the end of the world," say some. We reply — Daniel says not a word in his whole book about the end of the world. The phrase " end of the world " does not occur in his writings. What end then was this, and when was it to take place ? See Dan. 12 : 4 — 7. " But thou, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end : many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Then I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was uj)on the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these loojiders ? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth ibrevr and SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. Hi) ever, that it ^luill be for a tium, times, arul a lialf; and ulien he shall have accomplished to scatter the j^ower of the holy people, all THESE THINGS SHALL BE FINISHED." Our Lord, ill the 24th chapter of Matthew, speaks of the same " end" " And ye shall licar of wars, and rumors of wars ; see that ye be not troubled ; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, fur a witness unto all nations ; and then shall the end come." ]Joth Daniel and Christ are here sj)eaking, not of the end of the material world, but of the end of the Mosaic or legal dispen^;ation ; and this was brought to a close or end, finally and effectually, when God " accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people ;" or, when the temple and holy city were demolished, and the Jews led cap- tives among all nations. Once more. In the verse preceding the passage under consideration, Daniel says : " And at that time shall Jlichael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people ; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as there never was since there was a nation even to that same time." Our Iiord quotes these very words, and applies them to the destruction of Jerusalem. " For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." See Matt. 24: 21. But Daniel adds, "And at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found within the book." Our Lord, when speaking of the destruction of Jeru- salem, says, " But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Accordingly, not one Christian perished in that de- struction. All who were " found written in the book " of life were saved, i. e., delivered in that awl'ul and tremendous calamity which came upon the Jews. It is plain, therefore, that both Daniel and Jesus apply the prediction contained in the 12th chapter of Daniel to the destruction of Jerusalem ; and both of them considered it fulfilled at the time of, and in, that event. Those who apply it to a literal resurrection, or to the concerns of another world, or to any event which is yet future, must admit that both Jesus and Daniel were mistaken. If this text relates to the literal resurrection, and teaches the ^punishment of a portion of mankind in a future world, one thing is certain : it is no proof of the doctrine of endless punishment ' But," says the objector, " does it not say ' some shall awake to 120 SCRIPTOKE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. shame and everlasti7ig contempt ? '" Yes ; but have we not shown that the word everlasting is frequently employed in the Scriptures in a limited sense? And have we not shown that it is even applied to punishment, when it is perfectly obvious that only a limited pun- ishment is intended ? Besides, how can it be believed that Daniel intended to teach here the doctrine of never-ending woe, pain and misery, and yet applied to this misery the comparatively light terms " shame and contempt ? " Why, if he intended to teach this doc- trine, did he not say, as those who believe this doctrine in our day would say, under the same circumstances, " Some shall awake to appear before God in judgment, and to be consigned to the torments of a never-ending hell ? " or " Some shall awake to expe- rience endless misery and undying agony ? " Again, if Daniel refers here to the literal resurrection, why does he limit that resur- rection to a certain number ? He does not say " all that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," but " many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." This certainly implies that all were not to awake, or that some would not awake. Upon the supposition that he refers to the literal resurrection, we see no way to account for this ; but, if our view of it is correct, all this is per- fectly plain. Once more. If Daniel here teaches the doctrine of endless punishment in a future state of existence, another thing is very certain : he is the only Old Testament writer who does teach it. If this text teaches it, it is the only text in the Old Testament that does teach any such thing. Now, is it reasonable to suppose that the Old Testament Scriptures were designed to teach so important a doctrine as this, and yet that it should not be mentioned but in one single book, and in only one single passage even in that book, and that book the twenty-seventh one of a collection of thirty- nine, and that passage in the very last chapter of that book ? Can it be supposed that the Old Testament writers believed in such a doctrine, and yet that only one of them, and ho the fourteenth in a list of twenty-eight, should say anything about it ; and he only mention it once, and then in the very last chapter of his book ? Certainly, these are absurdities so glaring that we greatly marvel that they should ever have been overlooked. But it may be asked, " What, then, is meant by ' them which sleep in the dust of the earth ? ' " We answer : the terms sleep, dust, death, &c., are frequently emi)loyed in the Scriptures to SCUIPTUIIE TERMS EXniESSING DURATION. 121 express spiritual sldth, lethargy, indifference ; moral and religious inactivity ; insensibility to tlie claims of duty, and a feeling of .secur- ity against tlie consequences of such things. See Job 42 : G ; Nahum 3: 18; Psalms 44: 25; Isa. 25: 12, 26: 5,29: 10, 47 : 1, 51 : 17, 52 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 34 ; 1 Tim. 5:6; Rev. 3 : 1. This text was spoken in reference to the Jewish people, who, at the time of the coming of the Messiah, were in a low, miserable, and degraded condition. They were morally and spiritually dead. The voice of Jesus was to rou.se them from their slumbers. The judg- ments of God were to awaken them from their lethargy ; and some — that is, the remnant that was to be saved, those whose names were found written in the book of life — were to come forth to the enjoyment of the blessings and privileges of the Messiah's reign ; while others — that is, those whom God had given over to liardness of heart and unbelief — were to be aroused only to relapse, or fall back into a more miserable and degraded condition than before. For an explanation of the phrase " everlasting life," see Chapter XVI. We will close the examination of this text with the following brief extract. " It is agreeable to fact, that, on the day of Pente cost, three thousand Jews awoke to the everlasting life imparted by the gospel, by believing in Jesus. Such, also, was the case with mul- titudes more of them, as the history of the Acts of the Apostles shows. Though the spirit of slumber had seized the Jewish nation, — though they had eyes, and saw not, and ears, but heard not, — yet the apostle declares that there was a remnant according to the election of grace. See Romans 11. This part awoke to everlasting life, or entered into the everlasting kingdom of Christ, and had peace and joy in believing. They heard the voice of the Son of God, and lived. See John 5 : 21, 25, and 28, 29. Compare Eph. 5 : 14. The rest slept on till the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost. They all at last awoke, but it was to shame and ever- lasting contempt, in being dispersed among all nations, and they have become a by word and an hissing even unto this day. Jere- miah, in chap. 23 : 39, 40, predicted this very punishment, and calls it an ' everlasting reproach, and a perpetual shame.'' " — See Balfoui's Seco7id Inquiry. Our Lord, in John 5 : 28, 29, evidently has allusion to the same time, and to the same events. " jMarvel not at this ; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his 11 122 SCRIPTUKE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrec- tion of damnation." It has been supposed by many that this passage refers to the literal resurrection of mankind from natural death. But to this view of the text we oppose the following objections : 1. It is inconsistent with the general theory of those who advocate this opinion. They maintain that, subsequently to the general resurrection, there is to be a day of general judgment. But this test says not a word about a judgment after the resurrection spoken of On the contrary, those who were in the graves were to come forth, some " to the resurrection of life,'''' and some " to the resur- rection of damnation.''' That is, they were to come forth to a state and condition to which they had been adjudged jjreviously to the resurrection spoken of. 2. In those passages of the New Tes- tament which obviously relate to the resurrection from natural death, nothing is said about a retribution to follow tliat resurrection. See fifteenth chap, of 1 Cor., and 1 Thess. 4 : 13 — 18. This is an important fact, and one which ought constantly to be borne in mind. 3. It is not said in this text that all who were in their graves were to come forth, but all who are in the graves. That is, as we have seen above, in the graves of sin, in a low and degraded condition, represented under the figure of their being dead, and in the burial- places of the dead. 4. The word here rendered graves is not hades, but it is a word which signifies tombs, sepulchres, or the literal burial-places of the dead. Now, whenever the resurrection of man- kind from natural death is spoken of in the New Testament, it is spoken of as a resurrection from hades, or from the state of death. It is never spoken of as a resurrection from the tombs, sepulchres, or literal graves. 5. Tlie wicked are frequently represented in the New Testament as being lost, dead, &c., when nothing more than moral death is "intended. John 5 : 2.5, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and noiv is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and they that hear shall Zi?;e." Luke 15 : 24, " For this ray son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and \?, founds Eph. 3 : 14, " Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." 1 Tim. 5 : 6, " But she that liveth an pleasure is dead while she liveth." To be delivered from this state of moral death, is to experience a resurrection to life. Eph. 2:1," And you hath h£ quickened, who SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING UURATION. 123 icej-e dead in trespasses and sins." John 5 : 21, 24, " For as tho Father raiseth up the dead and quickencth thcni ; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hoareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlast ing life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death unto life." In the Old Testament, the wicked Jews are represented as not only dead, but as buried and in their graves. And their being raised from the degraded condition which they were in is represented under the figure of their coming up out of their graves. Ezek. 37 : 12, 13, 14, " my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and yc shall lice, and I will place you in your own land." This language was spoken of the Jews at the time of their captivity in Babylon. The Jews, in the time of our Saviour, were placed in similar circumstances to those of their fathers, to whom the language of Ezekiel was apjjlied. There can be no doubt that Jesus, in John 5 : 28, 29, had his eye on the passage in Daniel which we have just considered, and borrowed his language partly from that and partly from the passage in Ezekiel. If, therefore, the language of the New Testament is to be explained by the use of the same or similar language in the Old, then it must be perfectly plain that this passage in John has been generally misunderstood, and that it must be applied to the same time and events as. the passage in Daniel. We now come to those passages in the Nev/ Testament in which the terms everlasting, forever, &c., are applied to punishment. The first that presents itself is, 8. Matt. 18 : 8. AVhercfore, if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than, having two hands, or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. This language was addressed by our Lord to his own immediate disciples. In the very outset of our examination of this text we inquire. What evidence is there that it has any reference to another world ? Certainly there is not a particle of evidence of this kind. If it be asked, " How could ihefre here tpoken of be everlasting, anless it is to burn in eternity ? " we answer by asking, How could 124 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION, the fire burn on the Jewish altar forever, unless it burns in eternity* How could the Jews hold the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, unless they possess it in eternity ? And ho\F could an everlasting reproach and a perpetual shaine be experienced by the Jews, unless they experience it in eternity ? Again, how can the gospel of Christ be called the everlasting gospel, unless it will be preached in eternity ? And how could the disciples of Christ be said to have everlasting life while living in this world ? If the reader will consult Chapter X. of this book, " On the scripture usage of the term fire, and the phrases everlasting and eternal fire," he will see that the term fire is frequently employed to represent God's temporal judgments on men in this world, and that it is not once used to represent punishment in a future state of existence. The " everlasting fire " spoken of in this text is, in verse nine, called " hell or Gehenna fire." We have shown that the word Gehenna signifies the valley of Hinnoni, and that this valley was used by the ancient prophets, and by Jesus Christ, as an emblem of that awful calamity, or judgment, which came on the unbelieving Jews. See Chapter I. of this book. Now, the obvious meaning of the text is this : that, if the disciples sufiered anything whatever to draw them from their attachment to their Master, so that they renounced the faith of Jesus, and went back to the unbelieving Jews, they should be involved in that judgment which is here repre- sented under the figure of fire, and which destroyed the lives of millions of the Jews, and doomed the rest to pine away in captivity and in despair. It was, therefore, better for the disciples to sufter some temporary de[)rivations, some losses and crosses, and inherit the blessings of the Messiah's reign, than to refuse to do this and be overwhelmed with the Jews in one common ruin. 9. Matt. 25 : 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prejDared for the devil and his angels. The " everlasting fire " here is the same spoken of in the passage we have just been considering. The remarks on it there are equally applicable here. If it is asked, " What is meant here by the ' devil and his angels ? ' " we answer : We have shown, in Section II. of this book, on the " Bible doctrine concerning the devil," that the word devil is not used in the Bible to signify a fallen angel, nor a personal evil spirit ; l)ut that it is used to signify an enemy, an SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 125 opposer, an accuser, &c. It is used here to signify the unbelieving Jews, who were the enemies of Christ, and opposers of his religion. Tlie word angel signifies a niessenger, either good or bad, and is just as applicable to human as spiritual beings. It is used here to sig- nify those who were acting under the influence or direction of the unbelieving Jews. Such were their messenjiers, or emissaries. It probably signifies the Gentile converts to Judaism, who are acknowl- edged to have been even more violent, persecuting, and bitter in their opposition to the gospel, than the Jews themselves. But this will be made more plain in our remarks on the next passage. 10. Matt. 25 : 46. And these shall go away into everlasting punish- ment : bat the righteous into lite eternal. There is not a passage in the Bible that is more frequently quoted, or more confidently relied on for proof of the doctrine of endless punishment, than this. We suppose that, if the believers in this doctrine can be satisfied that it is not taught in this text, they "will be willing to concede that it is not taught in the Bible. Let us, therefore, give it a fair, and careful, and candid investigation. The text forms the conclusion of the celebrated parable of the sheep and goats. The first question to be considered is, Does this parable have any relation to the concerns of another world ? If this question is answered in the affirmative, then the following inferences are perfectly plain and undeniable : 1. Calvinism, or the doctrine of election and reprobation, is false. It is not said to those who were placed on the right hand, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prejiared for you from the foundation of the world ; for God out of his mere good pleasure was pleased to elect you to the enjoyment of his favor and everlasting life." Nor is it said to those on the left hand, " Depart, ye cursed, &c., for God was pleased to pass you by, and foreordain you to everlasting wrath." No. Those on the right hand were placed there because their v^orks or deeds had been good, and those on the left because their wcrrlcs had not been good. 2. It is equally undeuialile that mankind are not to be admitted into heaven because they have exercised faith in the gospel while on earth, nor because they have been born again, nor because they have experienced any miraculous change of nature whatever, nor because they have made a profession of religion, nor because they have joined any particular church. Nor are mankind 126 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. to be excluded from heaven, and to go to hell, because they have not been born again, nor exercised faith in the gospel, nor experi- enced a radical cliange of nature, nor made a profession of religion nor joined a particular church. No. The}' are to go to heaven because their works have heen good. And some are to be excluded, and go to hell, because their works have not been good. 3. Man- kind are not to be saved by grace, nor is immortality and endless enjoyment in a future state the gift of God ; but these things are conferred as the reward of merit. The King says to those on the right hand, " Come, ye blessed of ray Father, inherit the kingdom, he, for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat . I was thirsty, and ye gave vie drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came unto me." And to those on the left hand he says, " Depart from rne, ye cursed, &o.,for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : I was a stranger, and re took me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not : sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.'''' And when those on the right hand infjuire when they had done these good deeds, the King answers, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." When those on the left ask when they had neglected to perform these duties, the King answers, " Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." Hence it is plain, that if this par- able is to be applied to a future judgment, and the concerns of another world, it overthrows the whole scheme of gospel grace, and converts that which is the " gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast" into a reward which is an equivalent for our good works. But that this parable has no relation to the concerns of another world, is evident from the following considerations : 1. The 24ih and 25th chapters of Mattheio evidently form one continued, discourse, ivhich was delivered by our Lord in answer to a question jmt to him by his disciples in relation to the time of his coming, and the destruction of Jerusalem. The 24th chapter commences thus : '•' And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them. See ye not all these things ? Verily I say unto you. There shall not be left here one SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 127 stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the JMount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, eaying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world ? " The [ihrase " end of the world," here, is what has led many to conclude that our Lord blends with the subject of the destruction of Jerusalem the subject of the destruction of the material world. But this is a very great mistake. The word which is rendered world here, is not " kosmos," a word which signifies the material world, but " aion," a word which is expressive of duration, and not of sub- stance, and which signifies an age or dispensation. Hence, Camp- bell, Clarke, Wakefield, "Whitby, Thomas Newton, and others, render this phrase, " the conclusion of the age," " the conclusion of this state," " the end of this age," or " the end of this dispen- sation." For a farther explanation of this phrase, see Chapter IX. of this work. The question of the disciples then was, " What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the Mosaic or legal dispensation ? " But that the question of the disciples did not relate to the end of this material world, is further evident from the fact that neitlier Mark nor Luke, in their account of this discourse, say anything about tlie end of the world. This fact shows that they did not understand by this phrase what many understand by it in our day. IMark says, " And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here ! And Jesus answering, said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, asked him privately. Tell us when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall le fulfilled 1 " Mark 13 : 1, 3, 4. Luke says, " And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said. As for these things which ye behold, the days will come in the which there shall not be left one stone upon an- other that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, IMaster, but when shall these things be ? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass 1 " Luke 21 . 5 — 7. It 13 evident, from these quotations, that the disciples understood our Lord's disco-u-se to relate solely and entirely to the destruction of 128 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATIOX. tbe temple and city of Jerusalem. In both these chapters our Lord speaks particularly and frequently of his coming. lie mentions it ten times in the 24th, and six times in the 25tii. See Matt. 24 : 3, 27, 30, 37, 39, 42, 46, 48, 50, and 25 : 6, 10, 13, 10, 27, 31. But he gives no hint, or intimation whatever, that the coming men- tioned in the 25th was any different in its nature, or was to tako place at any different time than the coming spoken of in the 24th. Again, let it be borne in mind that the language of the 24th and 25th chapters of Matthew, to whatever it may relate, was addressed by our Lord to his own immediate disciples, and in the hearing of no other persons. Now, our Lord, in both chapters, addresses the disciples as if he expected they would be alive when the events pre- dicted should take place. Matt. 24 : 6, " And ije shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars." Verse 15, " When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation." Verse 20, " But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter." Verse 23, " Then, if any man shall say unto yo7i" &c. Verse 33, " So likewise ye when ye shall see all these tkhigs," &c. Matt. 25 : 13, " Watch, there- fore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh." Once more. The instructions which our Lord gives to his disciples are precisely the same in both chapters. In chapter 24 : 42, 44, he insists upon the duty of the disciples to be watchful. " Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Therefore, be ye also ready ; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh." In the 25th chapter he insists upon the same duty. The 1st to the 12th verse contains the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Tlie design of this paral^le is clearly seen from the moral which Christ himself draws from it. See verse 13. " Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh." In chapter 24 : 45, the duty of faithfulness is insisted on. " Wlio, then, is a faithful and v/ise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his house- hold, to give them meat in due season ? " Tlie same duty is incul- cated in the 25th chapter. The 14th to tlic 30th verse contains the parable of the talents. Every one can see that this parable was designed to enforce the same duty of faithfulness. And, again, the consequences which our Lord states would lollow according as the disciples were watchful and faithful, or not, are the same in both flhapters. In chapter 24, from the 4Gth to the 51st verse, these SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING HURATION. 129 consequences arc clearly stated. " Blessed is tliat servant whom his lord, when he coiiieth, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in liis heart, My lord delayeth his com- ing, and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he lookcth not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion ■with the hypocrites ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." In the 25th chapter, from the 28th to the 30th verse, the same consequences are stated. " Take, therefore, tlie talent from him (the slothful servant), and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but fi-om him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'-' From the similarity of the instructions contained in both chapters, and the peculiarity of the style in the 25th, it is evident that what is contained in the 24th is put into a parabolic form in the 25th, and that the latter was designed to illustrate and enforce the same truths that are contained in the former. Lastly, that these two chapters form one connected discourse upon the same subject, is further evident from the fact that the 25th chapter commences with the word then. The word then refers to something which had been previously stated. " Then " — when ? What other time could this refer to but the period which is clearly stated in the 24th chapter ? It is pretty generally acknowledged, at the present day, that the whole of the 24th chapter relates to the destruction of Jerusalem. If this be true, it clearly follows that the word theji, with which the 25th chapter commences, shows conclusively that all that is con- tained in the 25th was to be fulfilled when Jerusalem should be destroyed. 2. Another fact which shows that the parable of the sheep and goats has no relation to another world is, that 7iot one word is said in the parable, nor i?i the 24/A and '2b(h chapters of Matthew, about a resurrection. Now, it is tiiought by those who apply it to another world, that it relates to a judgment to take place in another ■world, and that this judgment is to take place immediately after the resurrection. How, then, is it to be accounted for that Christ, 130 SCRIPTOF.E TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. tlirougliout his whole discourse, was entirely silent respecting the resurrection ? 3. It is also a fact, that not one word is said in this parable, nor in the lohole discoiirse icith which it is connected, about a jtidg' raent in arwther loorld. Christ, to be sure, speaks about the gath- ering of the nations before him, but he does not say this gathering would take place after death, nor after the resurrection, nor in a future world. On the contrary, he aflBrms that it was to take place at the time of his coming. What time this was to be we shall see presently, 4. Another important fl\ct is, that although Mark and Luke have recorded the substance of what is contained in the 24th chap- ter, yet neither of them have recorded what is contained in the 2oth. This shows that in their estimation the 25th chapter was a mere amplification of the same subject tiiat is treated upon in the 24th. How can it be supposed, now, that Mark and Luke under- stood the 24th chapter to be on the subject of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the 25th on the subject of a future general judg- ment, to be followed by the endless happiness of a portion of man- kind, and the endless misery of the rest ; and yet, that they should record the former and not the latter ? Can it be supposed, we ask, that they could attach so much importance to a subject of such comparatively little importance as the one, and none at all to a sub- ject of such vast, such infinite importance, as the other ? Such a supposition is absolutely inadmissible. Let us now more particularly examine the parable itself, and see if there is anything contained in it which would lead us to suppose that it refers to anything beyond the present world. The parable, then, commences thus : " When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : and before him shall be gathered all nations," &c From this it is evident that everything contained in the par- able was to take place '■'■when the Son of Man should come in his glory^ Well, when was this coming to take place? This is an important question ; because on the answer to it depends the appli- cation of the whole parable. We presume it will not be disputed that Jesus knew as much about the time when he should make his appearance as any other person. Let us, then, appeal to his own testimony on this point. We have shown that the 24th and 25th sciurTum-; tlums Kxi'uiiSdiNU uukaxion. 131 chaj/terfc of JM;ittlie\v ibnii one connected discourse, and that tho coming of Christ is i'ref[ucntly spoken of in both chapters. Well, is there anything said in either of these chapters respecting the time when this coming was to be ? We answer, that although Jesus acknowledges that the precise day and hour were known to God only (see Matt. 24 : 36, Mark 13 : 32), yet he did know that it would take place within a certain period of time, and that period is clearly stated in both chapters. We have already shown that Christ addresses his disciples, in both chapters, as if his coming was to take place during their natural lives. But in the 24tli chapter there is something even more definite than this. Our Lord says (see from the 29lh to tlie 34th verses), " Immediately after the tribulation of those days (the days just preceding the destruction of Jerusalem) shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken ; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clonds of heaven ivith power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig-tree : When his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : 60 likewise ye, when ye (the disciples) shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.''^ Compare Mark 13 : 24 — 30, " But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the utter- most part of heaven. Now learn a parable of the fig-tree : When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near : so ye, in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigii, even at the doors. \^erily I say unto tjou. That this generation shall not pass till all THESE THINGS be done.'' See also Luke 21 : 25 — 32, " And 132 SCUIPTUKE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; and ujjon the eaith distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring ; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for those things which are commg on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your (the disciples) heads ; for your redemption (from the persecutions and trials which they had endured) draweth nigh. And he spake to them a par- able : Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees ; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that sunmier is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, xohen ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.'" From this last quotation we learn that the " coming of the Son of Man,'" and the '•'■coming of the kingdom of God," are synonymous expres- sions. And the uniform testimony of the New Testament is, that although the kingdom of God, or Gospel dispensation, conmienced when Christ commenced his ministry, yet it was not permanently established until Christ's coming at the destruction of Jerusalem, at which time the power of the holy people was scattered, and the children of the kingdom obtained rest from the persecutions which they had endured from the cruelty of this persecuting power. Hence, the coming of the Son of Man is frequently connected with the coming of the kingdom of God. See Matt. 16 : 27, 28, " For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels ; and then shall he reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you. There be some standing here lohich shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his king- dom." Mark 8: 38; 9: 1, "Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he Cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come loith poweii." Luke 9 : 20, 27, " For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Fatlier's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 133 till they see the kingdom of God." For further testimony on this subject, see Cliapter VII. Tlie passages which we have quoted, if they mean anything at all, establish the fact, beyond all controversy or cavil, that the sec- ond coming of Christ was to take place at the destruction of Jeru Salem; and at that time the kingdom of God was to come with power; the preachers and professors of Christ's Gospel to be rewarded, every man according to his works ; and the unbelieving and persecuting Jews to be punished as their crimes and iniquities deserved. lie who denies this, must deny tlie positive and direct testimony of Jesus himself; and if he contends that no such com- ing of Christ took place at that time, he must also adopt the necessary conclusion, namely, that Jesus was one of the greatest impostors, or foolish fanatics, tlie world ever saw. If no such com- ing took place at the time specified, then our Lord either intended to deceive his disciples, or was himself deceived. Bear 'n mind, then, reader, that what is contained in this parable was to be ful- filled at the time of the coming of the Son of Man. And remember tliat we have proved, by the explicit testimony of Christ himself, that that coming was to take place at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, and during the lifetime of some of his own imniediate disciples. You cannot fail now to see the true meaning and a|)j)li- eation of the parable. The design of the parable was twoluld 1. To prefigure the separation which would take place between the true and false professors of Christ's religion, when he should come in judgment upon the Jewish people. Then those who had been faithful in their Master's cause, who had been watchful, and on the look-out for the signs, which Christ predicted would precede that judgment; those who had practised the religion they professed, fid the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick, &c., would be accounted worthy to escape those calamities which were coming upon the earth, and to inherit the kingdom of God, or the blessings of the gospel dispensation. Whereas, those who had been unfaithful, who had not improved their talents, had been hypocritical in their pro- fession of the gospel, and had neglected to be on the watch, would be taken by surprise ; the Son of jMan would come when they looked not for him, and they would be overwhelmed with the Jews in one 3omnion ruin. Accordingly, when the fiithfui Christians saw the approaching destruction, they fled from the place of danger, were 12 1C4 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. gathered into the city and country of Pella, a mountainous region beyond the river Jordan, and were saved ; while upon tho Ticfaith- ful Christians and ungodly Jews the wrath of God came to the utir- 'iiost. This separation is I'eprescnted in the parable under the figure of separating sheep from goats. In the following parables the saniD thing is represented by different figures. Matt. 3 : 12, •' Whose fan is in his hand, and he (Christ) will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the chaif with unquenchable fire." [For the meaning of the phrase "unquenchable fire," see Section X.] Matt. 13 : 24 — 30, " Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field ; but while men slept, his enemy came, and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto hiiu. Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? from whence, then, hath it tares ? He said unto them. An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him. Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said. Nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest ; and in the time of har- vest I will say to the reapers. Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them ; but gather the wheat into my barn." Our Lord, in his own explanation of this parable, fixes the time for its fulfilment at the end of the age. JMatt. 13 : 37 — 43, " He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man ; the field is the world (kosmos) ; the good seed are the childi-en of the kingdom ; but the tares are the children of the wicked one [the word ' one ' here is supplied by the translators] ; the enemy that sowed them is the devil [for the meaning of the word ' devil ' see Chapter II.] ; the harvest is the end of the world (aion) [for the meaning of the phrase ' end of the world ' see Chapter IX.] ; and the reapers are the angels (that is, the messengers of the gospel). As, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world (aion). The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and tliey shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity ; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire [for the meaning of the phrase ' furnace of fire ' see Chapter XII.] : there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then SCUll'TUKE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 135 shall the riles of our Lord hated by every individual of all nations of the earth ? No; thousands never heard of their names ; and of those who had heard of them, of those who had seen and heard them proclaim the Gospel, thousands loved them as they loved the apple of their eye. Now, he who contends for a literal gathering of every individual of all nations before the Son of jNIan at the destruction of Jerusalem, must also contend that the Gospel was preached to every individual of all nations, and that the disciples were hated of every individual of all nations, previous to that event; all of which is contrary to fact. If it be asked, " What all nations, then, were to be gathered before the Son of Man at that time?" — we answer, the same all nations to whom the Gospel was to be preached before the destruction of Jerusalem, and the same all nations who were to hate the disciples of Christ. Well, did such a gathering take place at the destruction of Jerusalem ? We answer. Yes. Titus, the Roman general, with his army, invested the city of Jerusalem at a time when the Jews had assembled there to celebrate the feast of the Passover ; and multitudes of the Jews, together with vast numbers of the pros- elytes to Judaism from the different heathen nations, were gathered there to partake of this great national and annual feast. About three millions of people were congregated in the city, and both Jews and Gentiles were represented there. In the sense, then, that Jesus intended, there was a gathering of the nations before him at th.G destruction of Jerusalem. His prediction concerning it was as literally fulfilled as some similar predictions contained in the Old Testament. See Jer. 3 : 19, " At that time they shall call Jeru- salem THE THRONE OF THE LORD : and ALL THE NATIONS sholl be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem." Zech. 14 : 1, 2, " Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoij shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I mil gather all NATIONS against Jerusalem to battle ; and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled, and the women ravished ; and half of the citj shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city." These passages need no conmicnt. They show what is the evident meaning of the phrase " all nations," and 148 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. in what sense we are to understand our Lord when he says, that "before him should be gathered all nations." We have been thus particular in our examination of the text under consideration be- cause our Lord's discourse, of which it forms a part, has been very generally misunderstood ; and because a correct understanding of this discourse is absolutely necessary to a correct understanding of the New Testament scriptures. This discourse may be said to be a key to unlock the whole New Testa,ment. Reader, the subject is before you ; read, consider, and reflect. The next passage which presents itself for our consideration, is 11. Mark 8 : 29. But lie that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. For an exposition of this text, see " On the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost," Chapter XIX. 12. 2 Thess. 1 : 9. AVho shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Any person who will carefully examine this text, will see that the persons to be punished, the time, and place, and nature, of the punishment, are precisely the same as in Matt. 25 : 46, which we have just considered. The first question to be considered is. Who were to be punished with everlasting destruction ? The context shows that they were those who " knew not God, and obeyed not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; " or those tliat troubled the Thessalonian Christians. See verses 6 and 8. But who troubled the Thessalonian Christians ? We answer, they were troubled, first, by their own countrymen. See 1 Thess. 1 : 14, " For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus ; for ye (the Thessalonians) also have suffered like things of your oion countrymen, even as they have of the Jews." But, second, they were troubled by the Jews. See 1 Thess. 1 : 15, " Who (the Jews) both killed the Lord Jesus and their own proph- ets, and have persecuted us^ See, also, Acts 17 : 1 — 8, "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thcssalou'tca, lohcre rvas a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures ; opening and alleging that Christ must needs have sulll'ied and risen again from the dead, and that tliis Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ. And some SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSINQ DURATION. 149 of (hem believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jcios which believed not, filled with envy, took uiiio them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying. These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also, whom Jason hath received ; and these all do con- trary to the decrees of Ca2sar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people, and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things." See, also. Acts 17: 13, "But when the Jews of Thessalonka had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people." The next question is. When were they to be punished with everlasting destruction ? " When the Lord Jesus should be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire." See verses 7 and 8. But when was the Lord Jesus to be revealed from heaven ? See, on this subject, " On the Second Coming of Christ," Section VII. See, also, on Matt. 25 : 46, above. It is there shown that this coming took place at the destruc- tion of Jerusalem. This, then, was the time when the punishment spoken of in the text was to commence. This is further evident from what is said should take place when the Lord Jesus should be revealed from heaven. At that time he was to " take vengeance on them that knew not God," &c. Compare this with John IG : 3, " They (the Jews) have not known the Father nor me." See, also, the declaration of our Lord, when speaking on the subject of the destruction of Jerusalem. Luke 21 : 22, " For these be the days of vengeance, tliat all things which are written may be fulfilled.'' Again, in 1 Thess. 1 : 6, Paul says, " It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you." Com- pare this with Matt. 24 : 21, " For then (at the destruction of Jerusalem) shall be great tribidation, such as was not since the be- ginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Now, those who contend that a greater tribidation than this awaits the unbelieving Jews who persecuted the Thessalonian Christians, must of course contradict the direct and positive testimony of Jesus him- self. That we hiive fixed upon the ])rwse time when the Lord 150 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. Jesus was to be revealed from heaven, and when the punlshnienl spoken of in the text was to be inflicted, is still further evident from what is said in verse 7. " And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed," &c. Not only were those who troubled the Thessalonians to be punished with everlast- ing destruction when the Lord Jesus should be revealed, but the persecuted Thessalonians were to obtain rest at that time. Eest from what ? Why, plainly from the persecutions which they had endured. Now, those who contend that this text relates to a judg- ment day in eternity, must also contend that the Thessalonians were not to obtain rest until that time. But this is contrary to fact. For if they obtained no other rest, they have long since found rest " where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest ; " viz., in their graves. But it may be asked, " Did the Thessalonians obtain rest from their persecutions when the Jews were destroyed ? " We answer, they did. The power of the per- secuting Jews being at that time overthrown, the Christian churches enjoyed a long season of uninterrupted peace and rest. Hence, our Saviour, when addressing his disciples on this very subject, says, Luke 21 : 28, " And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." But that this text has no reference to a future state of existence, is further evident from the following facts : 1. Paul does not say that the persecuting Jews were to be punished with everlasting destruction after death, nor in a future state of existence, nor in another world. 2. Nothing is said in the text, nor in the whole connection, about a resurrection from the dead. 3. Not one word is said, either in the text or context, about a general judg- ment. 4. The whole connection shows that Paul expected that what he predicted here would take place during the natural lives of some of the persons whom he addressed. But it may be asked, " What is meant by the Lord Jesus being ' revealed from heaven in flaming fire ? ' " On this subject, see Chapter X. It is there shown that the term fire is frequently employed in the Scriptures as a figure of God's temporal judgments, and is not once used to signify punishment in another world. Again, it may be asked. " What is meant by everlasting destruction ' from the presence of the Lord ? ' " This expression is rather ambiguous ; and hence, S(juie understand it to signify that the everlasting destruction spoken SCRII'TUUE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 151 of was to come from the Lord, Others, tliat the everlasting dostruction cmisisted in being bhnishcd from the presence of the Ijord. In cither case it can make no difference. If the first opin- ion is the true one, then it signifies that the punishment spolcen ol" was to come from God. If the latter, then this punisluiient con- sisted in being banished, in some sense, from the presence of God. Well, " What sense was this ? " On this subject, see Chapter XIV. It is there shown that this banishment of the Jews from the pros ence of God consisted in their being driven from the land of Judoa, from the city of Jerusalem, and from the holy temple, where God's presence was supposed particularly to dwell. Once more. It may be asked, " What everlasting destruction was it which the Jews were to sufler?" We answer, it was the entire, total, and al)solutc destruction of the Jewish people as a nation. They were driven from their country, and for eighteen hundred years have been de- prived of their civil and ecclesiastical institutions, and have been subject to the laws, institutions, and government of other na- tions. To the views which we have presented on this text we know of but one plausible objection. It has been objected, " How could the Thessalonian Christians, or the Jews living in Thessalonica, be at all concerned or interested in the destruction of Jerusalem, or the dispersion of the Jewish nation, seeing they lived so far from the scene of that event ? " To this we reply, that at the destruction of Jerusalem there was to be a special manifestation of Christ's in- terference in behalf of his followers. The fulfilment of Christ's prediction in relation to that event would establish his claims to be the " Sent of God " beyond the possibility of a doubt. Then, the persecuting power of the Jews was to be overthrown, and the Chris- tians delivered from those cruelties which they had suffered from their hands. Then, the kingdom of" God was to come with power, and Christianity be permanently established in the eartli. Hence, it could not but be a subject of interest to all the Christian churches throughout the then civilized world, wherever such churches had been established. Besides, Jerusalem was destroyed at a time when the Jewish people were partaking of a great national feast in that city ; and, undoubtedly, many Jews from Thessalonica were there some of whom suffered in that destruction ; and all the rest, whether there or at Tke,ssalouica, suffered, in common with their ccuntrv* 152 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION'. men, in becoming a proverb, a by-worJ and an hissing, thioughout the whole earth."^ * It has been furtlicr objected, that " no siich rest as our argument supposes was enjoyed by the prhuitive Christians immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem. On the contrary, they were only delivered from tlie persecutions which they liad endured from the Jews, to suiier still greater persecutions from the Gentiles." In answer to this, I shall state, and undertake to prove, the following his- torical facts, viz. : — 1. The principal part of the persecutions endured by the Christians, from the time of the commencement of the public ministry of Christ to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, was waged by the unbelieving Jews. No matter whether this persecution was waged in Greece, or Rome, or Judea, the Jews were the prime movers and instigators in almost the whole of it. No person conversant with tlie history of the Christian church, contained in the book of Acts, will be disposed to dispute this ; but, if authority is demanded, here it is. Mosheim says, that "So exceedingly great was the fecundity of the Jewish people, that occasionally multitudes of them had been constrained to emigrate from their native country ; and, at the time of Christ's birth, the descendants of Abraham were to be met with in every part of the known world. In all the provinces of the Roman empire, iu particular, they were to be found in great numbers. The .Jews out of Palestine, in the Roman provinces, did not yield to those in Jerusalem, in point of cruelty to the innocent disciples of Christ. AVe learn from the history of the Acts of the Apostles, and other records of unquestionable authority, that they spared no labor, but zealously seized on every occasion, for stimulating the magistrates against the Christians, and setting on the multitude to demand their destruction." — See Moskeim's Commentaries on the Ecclesiastical History of the First Three Centuries, vol. 1, p. 105, and Mosh. Eccl. Hist., vol. 1, p. 69. 2. The first persecution against the Christians, which was authorized by any heathen power, was that under Nero, the Roman emperor, in the year G-I. See Dwight's Dictionary of the J\'ew Testament, p. 150. This was six years before the destruction of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70, when Vespasian was Emperor of Rome. Vespasian reigned nine years, and was succeeded by his son Titus, who reigned two j'ears. Under neither of these emperors was there any persecution against Chris- tians. These facts are so well known as to require no proof. 3. The first persecution against the Christians, after the destruction of Jerusalem, was that under Domitian, the Roman emperor, in the year 94 or U5 ; and this was of but short duration, and was not severe. Fleury says, " The Emperor Domitian persecuted the Christians at the latter end of his reign.^' And, speaking of a certain declaration of the writer of the book of Revelation, to the church of Smyrna, he says, " He encourageth them, and foretelleth that some of them will be in tribulation during the space of ten days, which undoulitedly Jiappened in the reign of Domitian, ■which was short, ami not violent.'' — Flcu. Eccl. Hist., vol. 1, b. 2, p. 151. Tillemont says thatDodvvell thought " this persecution (as it related to the Christians) proceeded no further than banishment, and not to death, nor even to torments." — Till. Eccl. Mem., \ol. 2, p. 41 o. That this was the first persecution after the destruction of Jerusalem is evident from the testi- mony of Euseljius. He says, speaking of Domitian, that he "appointed himself sMCcwer of argu- ment or persuasion he is possessed of. It can only be done by a similar display of God's {)0wer, as was exhibited in the miracles and judgments by which the Jewish religion was established, and by which the Jews, when they fell away from their profession of this religion, were brought to repentance, and their faith in God was renewed. We will close our remarks on this text with the follow- ing extract from Rev. James Peirce. He says : " The common interpretation makes this [the phrase eternal judgment] to refer to the final judgment. I think that the words are to be understood in a very different manner, and krima here seems to be put for temporal judgment The word aionios, which we have rendered eternal, I take to respect not the time to come, but the time past, and to signify ancient, or past long ago. That the word is thus used without any respect to eternity, we may see Rom. 16: 25; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1: 2. See, also, those places in the LXX. Psalm 11: b; Prov. 22 : 28; Jer, lb : 15; Ezek 156 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 36 : 2. According to this account of the words, we may consider tlie Jewish religion as established by the ancient and tremendous judg- ments, of the execution of which the books of Moses give an account, — such as the deluge, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and, more especially, the drowning of Pharaoh and his host in the lied Sea, and perhaps the judgments of Ciod upon the Israelites in the wilderness for their impenitence and unbelief." — See Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles, ^-c, by the late Rev. and learned Mr. Jas. Peirce, of Exon., London, 1733. 14. 2 Peter 2:17. These are wells without water, clouds that are cai ried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved /brewer. Peter was speaking of certain false teachers, probably Judaizing teachers, who privily should introduce heresies into the Christian church, and overthrow the faith of some. He does not say that this " mist of darkness " was reserved for them in a future state of existence, nor that they should suffer this mist of darkness in a future world. On the contrary, he says they shall " bring upon themselves swift destruction." — See verse 1. Again he says, their " judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." — See verse 3. Peter had heard the predictions of our Lord respecting the punishment which was reserved for the unbelieving Jews, and for false professors and false teachers ; and he knew that that punishment, when he wrote, was nigh at hand ; and to this he evidently alludes. If the banishment of the Jews from the land of Judea is called " everlasting punishment," without intending to signify that it is of endless duration, as we have shown to be the fact, with what propriety might the judicial blindness which came upon them be called the " mist of darkness forever ! " 15. Jude 1 : 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. In examining this text, we will first compare it with its parallel in 2 Peter 2 : 4. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. The first question to be considered is, Who or what were these angels ? It has been supposed that tlicy were holy and happy angels of Clod in heaven; but, in consccjuence of their rebelling SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 157 agaiLSt God, after a tremendous conflict in the paradise above, they were thrust out of heaven, and confined in the manner related in these texts. But to this view of the subject we object as tullows : 1. We are not authorized to believe in any such rebellion, and war, and fall of angels from heaven. The Bible gives us no account of this kind, and certainly we could know nothing about it exce[)t by divine revelation. It may be i^retended, by some, that the book of Revelation furnishes such a history ; but no respectable commen- tator on the Bible ever pretended that any such account is contained in the book of Revelation ; and if not tliere, certainly it is nowhere else in the Bible. 2. To suppose that any such war ever happened in heaven, is to suppose that heaven is not that holy, happy place, that it is everywhere represented to be in the Bible. 3. If holy, happy angels in heaven could fall away, what security have we that mankind, when they get to heaven, will not do the same ? Cer- tainly, none at all ; and hence to talk about any certainty of our endless happiness in heaven, is to give a false representation of the subject. 4. The word which is here rendered angels is defined, by all lexicon writers, to signify a messenger, one who brings news, a legate, an agent, the bishop or president of a church. It is, therefore, a name of office, and not of nature. We think it far more rational and scriptural to understand it here of hu/iian mes- sengers, or agents, than o^ super human, or angels of God. 5. The epistle of Jude " is one of those l)ooks the genuineness of which was disputed in the primitive ages, and which, therefore, as Dr. Lanlner well observes, ' ought not to be alleo-ed as affordina; alone sufficient proof of any doctrine.' Grotius ascribes it to a bishop of Jerusa- lem, in the reign of Adrian ; but it is commonly believed to have been written by Judas, otherwise called Lebbeus and Thaddeus, the son of Al[)heus, the brother of James the less, and first cousin of our Lord. The design of the epistle is to guard its readers against the errors and crimes of the Gnostics. The epistle of Jude has aa little evidence, either external or internal, in its favor as any lx)ok of the New Testament." — See Im. Ver., Note. G. The passage in 2 Peter which is parallel to this in Jude, is found in an epistle which is also " of doubtful authority." 7. " From the change of style in the second chapter, this chapter is the most doubtful portion of the epistle." 8. "By those who admit the genuineness of these epistles, the second chapter of Peter is supposed to have been a quo- 14 158 SCRIPTCRE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. tution from some ancient apocryphal book ; and that Jude consulted the epistle of Peter when writing his own ; and that these writers might not mean to give authority to the doctrine, nor to sanction it in tiie least ; but merely allude to it by way of illustration, and to argue with their readers upon known and allowed principles." — See Im. Ver., Note. 9. The connection in which these passages are found, shows that it is quite possible that the writers might have alluded to the spies, or me.'^sengers, who were sent to explore the land of Canaan. See Chapter VI. But what we are more particularly concerned with now, is the meaning of the word everlasting, here applied to the chains with which these angels were bound. Let it be noticed that Peter simply calls them " chains," without saying anything about their being everlasting. The passage in Jude proves, of itself, that the word everlasting is here used in a limited sense. Mark the phrase- ology. " In everlasting chains, under darkness, unto " — here is a limitation of it — " unto the judgment of the great day." Nothing is said about their being punished endlessly after the judgment spoken of; nor is this judgment said to be in another world. For an explanation of the phrase "judgment of the great day," see Chapter VIII. It is there shown that any time of remarkable visitation of punishment upon the wicked is called in the Scriptures a great and terrible day of the Lord, or something to the same import ; and that none of these phrases are used to designate any period of time in a future world. 16. Jude 1 : 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving tlieinselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suifering the vengeance of eternal fire. In the first place, let us compare this with the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2 : G. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an eusample unto those that after should live ungodly. This passage in Jude is supposed by some to teach the endless misery of the inhabitants of the cities spoken of, in a future state of existence. I>ut we caimot adopt this view of the subject for the following reasons : 1. The scripture writers, both of the Old and New Testament, frequently allude to the destruction of Sodom and scnii'Tn;K TKims kxpuessing duration. 159 Gomorrah, yet not a single one of tlicni has given the least intima- tion that the inhabitants of those cities were doomi;d to endless miseiy. In the 19th chapter of Genesis we have a partieular account of this destruction, but not a hint is given that these people were swept oft' from the earth by fire and brimstone, only to endure still worse torments after death. In the 18th chapter of the same book we have an account of Abraham's intercession for that people that they might be spared ; and although he alludes to their extreme danger of being overthrown by the temporal judgments of God, yet he says nothing about their exposure to still greater suffln-ings after those judgments should have been executed. From this fact we infer that either they were not exposed to any such sufferings, or, if they were, Abraham was ignorant of that fact ; or if he was not, he was culpably ivegligent in this respect, and did not act as modern limit- arians and believers in the doctrine of endless misery would have acted under the same circumstances. The fair presumption is, that he had no faith in their exposure to any other sufferings than those which they were to experience on the earth. But it may be said, " These people might have been exposed to misery after death, and yet Abraham and the scrijiture writers have been ignorant of that fact." This is barely possible, but extremely improbable. But, certainly, it will not be disputed that God knew all about this. Well, where has he informed us that these people have received such a tremendous doom as is connnonly supposed ? [When he sent the two destroying angels to warn Lot and his family of the approach- ing destruction, he gave them no instructions to inform them, or the Sodomitas, of any judgment to be executed after death. Now, can it be supposed that God knew of a woe ten thousand times more tremendous than that which consisted in their being swept off from the earth, as with the besom of destruction, and yet neglected to give them any warning of it, or to say one single word concerning it ? In the IGth chapter of Ezekiel, God alludes a number of times to the inhai)itants of Sodom and Gomorrah ; but he gives no inti- mations of any punishment which they experienced, except that which consisted in their being destroyed from off the earthy/ 2. The text itself is entirely silent in regard to any other punishment than that which was inflicted in this life. The "eternal fire" spoken vf, was the fire which destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, 160 SCRIPTUIIE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. and burnt up their inhabitants. In Gen. 19 : 24, 25, we have the following account : " Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah bri?nsto?ie and fire from the Lord out of heaven ; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." If these people did actually suffer a worse calamity than this in the future world, here was the very place to have mentioned it. But no such infor- mation is given. 3. The text in Peter says nothing about " eternal fire," but says that these cities and their inhabitants were " cmi- demned with an overthrow ; " and both Peter and Jude say, that they were " set forth for an exa7n:ple" And Peter adds, that they were " an ensample to those that after should live ungodly.'''' Now, how could their punishment in another world be an example to people living in this ? Certainly they could not see them suffer- ing this punishment ; nor could they know anything about it, except by divine revelation ; and we have seen that no such revelation was given. But the utter destruction of those cities and their inhabit- ants, by fire from God out of heaven, was a visible example to the Jewish people of God's retributive justice, and of his great dis- pleasure against sin. 4. In the 16th chapter of Ezekiel we have a prediction of the return of Sodom and Gomorrah to their former estate. Now, whether this relates to the inhabitants of tliose cities, or to the cities themselves, it proves that the " eternal fire," which burnt up those cities and their inhabitants, cannot be endless in duration. But it may be asked, " How could this fire be called eternal, un- less it is endless in duration?" We answer, in the same way that the fire which burnt on the Jewish altar could be said to burn for- ever. Indeed, it is not only said of this fire " it shall burn for- ever," but it is added, " it shall never go out.'''' This is nowhere said in the Bible of the fire which destroyed the Sodomites. Why, then, should the latter be thought to be endless, and tlie former be allowed to be limited ? But there are several reasons why this fire might be called eternal, without supposing it to be of endless dura- tion. 1. Because it burned till it had utterly destroyed the inhabit- ants of those cities from off the earth, and consumed the cities themselves beyond the possibility of their ever being inhabited or rebuilt by man. 2. Because these cities were built on a sort of bituminous coal, so that this fire continued to burn for many agesi SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. IGl even to the time of the writing of the epistle of Jude. And joma writers tell us, that even after this time smoke and flame was siome- times seen to issue from the site of those cities. 3. This fire might be called eternal., in the same sense as the destruction of otlicr cities and places is called perpetual, everlasting, &c. See Jer. 18 : 15, 16; 23: 40, and 51 : 39; Ezek. 26 : 20, 21, and 35: 9. ]Jut the phrase here rendered eternal fire is puros aionion, the literal rendering of which would be, " the fire of the age," or " the fire of old." The simple declaration of the apostle then is, that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the vengeance of the fire of the age, or age-lasting fire; and no reference is had to any punishment beyond this life. 17. Jude 1 : 13. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame ; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the bhickuess of darkness forever. By comparing this with 2 Peter 2 : 17, it will be seen that the one is parallel with the other ; and that both Peter and Jude are speaking on the same subject, of the same persons, and of the same punishment. Our remarks on 2 Peter 2 : 17, are therefore equally applicable on this text in Jude. It is there shown that no reference is had to punishment in a future state of existence, much less to a punishment which shall never end. 18. Rev. 14 : 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever ; and they have no rest day nor night, wlio worshijj the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. In examining this text, the questions to be considered are — 1. AVho were to be punished in the manner described in this passage ? The connection and the text itself show it was to be those who worshipped " the beast and his image ; " those who received " the mark of the beast in their forehead or in their hand," or those who received " the mark of his name." 2. When were they to be punished ? The text and context show it was to be at the very time when they worshipped the beast. " And they have no rest, day nor night, who icorship the beast and his image." 3. Where were they to be punished ? Why, plainl}^ not in eternity, but in time ; during the continuance of day and night. " And they have no rest, day nor night, who worship the beast and his image." But see verses 9 and 10, " If any man worship the beast and bie 14* 1C2 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATIOX. image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation ; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." Compare this with Rev. 16 : 1, 2, " And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels. Go your ways, and pour out the rids of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth ; and there fell a noisome and GRIEVOUS sore iipon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which icorshipped his imagey This proves beyond all controversy that the punishment spoken of in the text under con- sideration, was inflicted in this world. The beast spoken of in the text is acknowledged on all hands to be a figure of some i'alse object of worship. No one supposes that this beast will exist in another world,. or that he will be worshipped there; and as the punishment of those who worshipped the beast was to be expei'ienced during the time that tliis worship was rendered, hence the text can have no reference to punishment to be inflicted in another world. Sufficient has already been said on this text to show that it aflFords no proof of the doctrine of endless punishment ; but, for the satis- faction of those who may wish to know more on the subject, we ofier the following additional remarks. All the figures employed in this text, and in the context, are frequently employed in the sacred Scriptures to designate punish- ment to be inflicted in this world; but not one of them is used, in a single instance, to designate punishment in another world. 1. We have the word "^re." We have already shown that no term is more frecpiently employed by the sacred writers to represent God's temporal judgments, than the term fire. 2. We have '•'fire and brimstone.'" This phrase is frequently employed for the same pur- pose as the term fire. See Job 18: 15, " Bri?}isto7ie shall be scattered upon his (the wicked man's) habitation." Ps. 11 : 6, " Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimsto?ie, and an horril)Ie tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." Isa. 34: !), " And the streams thereof (of the land of Idumea) shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone^ Ezek. .•} temporal judgments, and that the phrase forever and ever is evi- dently used in a limited sense. "" 20. Rev. 20 : 10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into th» lake of fire .and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. We have seen what the beast here spoken of was, and that he was to go into perdition — that is, be utterly destroyed by the judgments of God. This text shows that the same fate awaited the devil or impostor. The lake of fire and brimstone here signifies precisely the same as perdition, and, so far from being in another world, is expressly declared to be in this. See Rev. 19 : 20, 21 " And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain vnth the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth ; and all the fowls were filled jvith their flesh." In this passage, and in the text under consideration, " the persons who aro eaid to be tormented forever and ever are not real, but figurative. PCIUPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 1()7 arul symhoJ'ic persons — the impostor, the beast, ami the false pophet. The place, therefore, the kind, and the duration of their torment must also be figurative." The meaning seetns to be, that the enemies of Christianity, the advocates of error, and false proph- ets, together with the spirit of wickedness itself, should be over- come and utterly destroyed. The punishment spoken of in the text was to be inflicted, like that upon the "worshippers of the beast," in the place where time is measured by day and night. Of course \t could not be in eternity/ Such are all the texts in the Bible, where the words eternal, everlasting, forever, and forever and ever, are applied to punish- ment. We have not omitted one to our knowledge. We have found these words applied to punishment twenty times ; but in Isa. 33 : 14 ; Jer. 17 : 4 ; Matt. 18 : 8, and 25 : 41 ; Jude 1 : 6, 7 ; and Rev. 14: 11, they are applied to the instrument of punishment; and in Rev. 19 : 3, to the punishment of a place ; so that in reality these words are applied to the punishment of persons only twelve times in the whole Bible — five times in the Old Testament, and seven times in the New. In the Old they are thus applied, once in Job, once in Psalms, once in Jeremiah, once in Malachi, and once in Daniel. In the New, once in Matthew, once in Mark, once in 2 Tliessalonians, once in Hel)rews, once in 2 Peter, once in Jude, and once in Revelation. The word eternal is not applied to tlie punishment of persons in a single instance in the Old Testament, and but twice in the New — once in Mark and once in Hebrews. Tlie word everlasting is thus applied in the Bible four times; twice in the Old Testament, and twice in the New. In the Old it is thus applied, once in Jeremiah, and once in Daniel. In the New, once in IMatthew, and once in 2 Thessalonians. The word forever is applied as above four times in the Bible ; twice in the Old, and twice in the New Testament. In the Old, it is applied in this manner, once in Job, and once in Psalms. In the New, once in 2 Peter, and once in Jude. The phrase forever and ever is applied to the punishment of persons twice in the Bible; once in Psalms, and once in Revelation. Neither of these words is applied to the punishment of persons in either of the following books of the Old Testament : — Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Ruth, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon 168 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. Isaiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Ilosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, nor in Zechariah. Nor are they thus applied in any of the following books of the New Testament : — Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 Peter, nor in 1, 2, and 3 John. Whether the passages in which these words are applied to punishment give the least countenance or support to the doctrine of endless punishment, the reader can judge. SECTION IV. Statement of Facts, showing that the Fact of the Application of the IVords Eternal, Everlasting, SfC, to Punishment, is no Proof of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment. 1. We have seen that the words everlasting, forever, and forever and ever, in the Old Testament, are translated from the Hebrew olim. Taylor, Parkhurst, Stuart, and indeed all lexicon writers, admit that the word olim does not of itself signify an endless dura- tion. In other words, that this is not the radical meaning of the word. Hence, they define it to signify " a duration which is con- cealed ;" " time hidden from man, whether definite or indefinite, whether past or future." 2. These words in the New Testament are translated from the Greek word aio7i and aionios. The authorities referred to above admit that these words are frequently used to express a limited period of time, and that they correspond with the Hebrew olim ; and, also, that in their scripture usage they are synonymous with that term. ' 3. Although the authorities just referred to contend that aton and aionios are sometimes used" to express endless duration, yet of this there is no proof; and although they assert that olim is some- times used to signify endless duration, yet of this there is no proof; and, besides, even they themselves admit that it signifies this, " not fiom tlie proper force of the word, but when the sense of the place requires it, as God and his attributes." But, allowing they are correct in this, — and in our opinion it is a point of but very little importance, — then it will follow that the extent of duration expressed SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRESSING DURATION. 1G9 by these terms must be determined by the nature of the thing to •which they are applied ; and, unless it can be shown that punish- ment is absolutely endless in its nature, the fact of the application of these terms to punishment does not prove the endless duration of that punishment. 4. It is beyond all dispute, that these words are frequently, and in a great variety of ways, used in the Scriptures, both of the Old and the New Testament, to signify limited duration. Out of six. hundred and fifty-two occurrences of oUin, and its corresponding words, in the Old Testament, it is susceptible of the cle'arest demon- stration that in six hundred instances it expresses only limited duration. 5. Our translators have rendered olim, and its corresponding words, by nearly thirty different words and phrases, most of them signifying duration, but varying, as to its extent, from three days to endless duration. /^ 6. It is an indisputable fact that the words olim and aion are used in the Scriptures in the plural number. Now, had the inspired writers understood these words to express endless duration, there would have been no necessity of their using them in the plural number , but, on the contrary, such use of them would be highly improper. .^ 7. These words are not only used in the plural number, but words are added to extend their signification. The literal rendering of Exodus 15 : 18, is, " The Lord shall reign from aion to aion and farther.^'' Dan. 12: 3, "And they that turn many to righteous- ness shall shine as the stars through \\\q- aions and farther .'" Mic. 4:5, " And we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God through the aion and beyond it." Now, if the word aion signifies eternity, then we should be under the necessity of reading these passages thus: — "The Lord shall reign from eternity to eternitjj, and farther." "And they that turn. many to righteousness shall shine as the stars through the eter7iity and farther." " And we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God through the eternity and beyond it." Now, to speak of a period of time beyond eternity, or to speak of one eternity succeeding another, is absurd. Hence, we conclude the scripture writers did not understand these words to signify endless duration. 8. If we understand aion to express endless duration, then we 15 J 70 SCRIPTURE TERMS EXPRFSSi:, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and tliat obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power : when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 2 Tim. 4:1. I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Matt. 26 : 64. Jesus saitli unto him (the high priest), Thou hast said : nevertheless I say unto you. Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. John 14 : 3. And if I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that where I am, there ye may bo also. Verse 28. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye love me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father : for my Father is greater than I. John 21 : 22. Jesus saith unto him (Peter), If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? follow thou me, 1 Cor. 11 : 26. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. Phil. 1 : 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath be- gun a good work in you will perform it until the day {coming) of Jesus Christ. Verse 10. That ye (.saints at Philippi) may approve things that are ex- cellent : that ye may be sincere, and without offence, till the day {coming) of Christ. Phil. 2 : 16. Holding forth the word of life ; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ {coming, ^c). 1 Cor. 1 : 7, 8. So that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. AVho shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye m.ay be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Tim. 6 : 14. That thou keep this commandment without spot, unre- bukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. James 5 : 7, 8. Be patient, tlierefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waitetli for the precious fruits of the etirth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient ; establish your hearts : for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 1 The.ss. 1 : 10. And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which ilelivcred us from tlie wrath to come. 1 Thess. 2 : 113. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ? 1 The.ss. 3:13. To the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ witli all his saints. 1 Thess. 5 : 23. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I ON TUE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 207 pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto tlie coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. '2 Tlioss. o : 5. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient UHiiting for Ciirist {his comi/ig). 2 Tim. 4 : 8. Henceforth there is laid up fur me a crown of righteous- ness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day ; and not to me only, but unto all them, also, tiiat love his appearing. Titus 2: l;5, 14. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious «;»- pcnrt'/fir of the great Gud and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who g-vve (iim- sc'lf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto him- self a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Ileb. 10 : 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another ; and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. Verse 37. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 1 Peter 1 : 7. That the trial of j'our fiiith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, tliough it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, .and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Verse 13. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4 : 12, 13. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you ; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings ; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 2 Thess. 2 : 1,2. Now we beseecli you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troulded, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as tliat the day of Christ is at hand. Heb. 9 : 26 — 28. For then must he (Christ) often have suffered since the foundation of the world {kosmou, the earth) ; but now once in the end of the world {aionon, age) hath he appeared to put away sin, by the sacri- fice of himself. And as it is app(jinted unto men {the men) once to die, but after this tlie judgment {1,-risis, judgment or decision) ; so Christ was once offered ti) bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear tlie second time without sin unto salvation. 1 John 2 : 28. And now, little children, abide in him ; that, wlien he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed befoi-e liim at his coming. 2 Peter 1:16. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. 1 Thess. 5 : 1 — 4. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need tint I write unto you : for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a tliief in the night. For when they shall say Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; ami they sliall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in dai-kness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 2 Peter 3 : 3 — 15. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying. Where is the prom- 'se of his coming ? for since the f ithers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in tlie water ; whereby the world that tlien was, being overflowed with water, perished ; but the heavens and tlia 208 ON THE SECOND COMING OF CUKIST. earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, resei-ved unlo fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness ; but is long-suifering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. I3ut the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ; in the which the heavens sliall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, tiie earth also nnd the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godli- ness ; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in j^eace, without spot, and blameless ; and account that the long-sufferings of our Lord is salvation ; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the Avisdom given unto him, hath written unto you. Jude 1 : 14, lo. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comeih, with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that ai-e ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard 'speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Rev. 1 : 7. Behold, he cometh with clouds : and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Verse 3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written thei-ein ; for the time is at hand. Rev. 2 : 25. But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. Rev. 6 : 12 — 17. And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great eartluiuake ; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood : and the stars of heaven fell untc the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind : and the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together ; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the eai'th, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains ; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the f ice of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand ? Rev. 16 : 13 — 15. And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the f ilse pi'ophet. For they ai-e the spirits of devils, work- ing miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is lie that watohetli, and that keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Rev. 22 : 7 — 12. Beliold, T come quickly : blessed is he that keepeth the Bayings of the prophecy of this book. And I, John, saw these things, and heard them. And when I iiad heard and seen, I fell down to worship be- fore the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Tlien saith he unto me. See thou do it not : for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book ON THE SECOND COMING OP CUKIST. 209 worship God. And lie saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this bocik ; for the time is at hand. lIi; tliat is unjust, let him he unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let liim l)e righteous still ; and he that is holy, let liiui be holy still. And behold, I come quickhj ; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Verse 20. lie which testifieth these things saith. Surely I come quickly: Amen. Even so, come. Lord Jesus. SECTION II. Jliose passages which are generally supposed to refer to Christ's Final Coming at the Resurrection, of the Dead. John 14 : 3. And if I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye maybe also. Acts 1 : 10, 11. And while thoy (his disciples) looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel ; which also said. Ye men of Galilee, why stand j'e gazing up into heaven ? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. rhil. 3 : 20, 21. For our conversation is in heaven ; fi'om whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whei'eby he is able to subdue all things to himself. 1 John 3 : 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God ; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is. 1 Thess. 4: : 13 — 17. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in .Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the com ins: of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Cor. 15 : 21 — 26. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order : Christ the first fruits ; afterward thej' that are Christ's at his coming. Then comcth the end, when he sliall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that sliall be destroyed is death. 1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52. Behold, I show you a mystery ; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump ; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be taised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. IS* 210 ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. SECTION III. Closing Retn.arks on the Coming of Christ. By a careful perusal of the above texts, it will be seen that they not only teach the coming of Christ, but that they speak of him aa coining, expressly and designedly^ for the purpose of executing justice and judgment in the earth. And by comparing the texts on the coming of Christ with those which teach the judgment and end of the world, it will be readily acknowledged that they all stand immediately connected, and all teach the same thing. The same is equally true of those texts which speak of the last day, last times, great day, &c. Whenever and wherever the coming 0/ Christ is mentioned in the Bible (as in Section I., this Chapter), that coming is immediately connected with judgment, which is to be executed in accordance with the works of the creature ; according to the deeds done, &e. From the foregoing facts it appears evident that these four different classes of texts — namely, on the judgment, end of the world, last days, and the coming of Christ — are all nearly related, and signify the same thing. Hence we come to the conclu- sion that the coming of Christ (as taught in these passages) merely signifies his coming to close the legal dispensation, to esta,blish the gospel, and execute justice and judgment in the earth. But as there are various opinions respecting the coming of Christ, and the object of his coming, we will briefly notice the difi'erent periods, as they are taught in the Bible. The first appearance of Christ in the world, so far as we have any knowledge, was his appearance in the flesh, as an infant of days. This coming was predicted by the prophets of God, as the introduc- tion of Messiah on earth. His second appearance must have been in spirit and in power, to the overthrow of his enemies, the destruction of their city, and the final close of legal rites and ceremonies. This coming was not only foretold by the prophets, but pointedly declared hy Christ himself. He declared to his disciples, and the people, that the coming of the Son of Man with power should take place during that generation. See Matt. 16 : 27, 28 ; 25 : 30—34 ; Mark 8 : 38, and 9 : 1. This is the coming referred to in the first section of this chuptcr and which stands immediately connected with j-idgmcnt in the oiir'h ON TUK SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 211 The only place in the Scriptures where the numeral, second, is pre- fixed to the time of Christ's coming, is in Heb. 9 : 28, where the apo^t]e*words it thus : " Unto them that look for him (Christ) shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation." Paul, in this chapter, compares the sacrifice of the high priest, under the law dispensation, with the offering of Christ; and, in conclusion, says, " And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment ; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation." We have already noticed these pas- sages, in our remarks on the judgment, which see. We will, how- ever, briefly notice them here, by giving them their proper reading. " And, as under the Law dispensation it is appointed unto the high priest to die once the year, and, after this, judgment to justification , so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of the many ; and unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second time, without a sin offerins, unto salvation." When Paul wrote this epistle to the Hebrews, Christ had not made his second appearance. The time, however, was then near at hand. The apostle and his brethren were looking for the sudden and powerful coming of Christ, to exe- cute judgment upon that wicked and abandoned generation. The exhortations of the apostles, to their friends and others, show that they expected Christ's second approach. Paul reasoned of right- eousness, of temperance, and of a judgment about to come. Peter could say, " The end of all things is at hand." And John says, " Little children, we know that it is the last times." And when Christ did make his appearance in power, without a sin offering, to the deliverance or salvation of those who looked for him, he, at the same time, was a consuming fire to his enemies. Paul, in 2 Thess. 1 : 6 — 9, says, " Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." This ordeal by fire was at Christ's second coming, and transpired about forty-one years after his resurrection. See remarks on the above passages in this work 212 ON TUE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. Christ warned his disciples to be on a look-out, to be ready; " For the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not." In the parable of the sheep and goats, Mutt. 25, he describes the scene by showing the diftereiit conditions of the obedient and disobedient. To the one it is said, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." To the other it is said, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." See Matt. 25 : 3-i — 41. The scenes above described were all to take place at the time ■when Christ made his second appearance on earth ; when he deliv- ered and rewarded the righteous, but cast off and punished the wicked. Let it be here remembered that those scriptures which teach the judgment, the end of the world, or age, and the second coming of Christ, nW stand connected, and allude to the same time and things ; all of which are to take place on the earth, during the lifetime of men, and in strict accordance with their merit and demerit. We will also state that Dr. Macknight, Dr. Warburton, Bishop Newton, Dr. A. Clarke, and most others who have written on this subject, are unanimous in the opinion that what is strictly termed the second coming of Christ is a figurative coming, namely, in spirit or power ; and that this took place at the destruction of Jerusalem, the abo- lition of the Jewish dispensation, and the establishment of the king- dom of heaven in the earth. That this opinion is correct, we think no well-informed mind will dispute. The words secoiid thne, in relation to this subject, occur in no other passage in the New Testa- ment, excepting Heb. 9 : 28, and which are sufiicient to fix the period, as above stated, beyond a rational doubt. There are other passages, however, in the New Testament, which speak of the coming of Christ, as attended by different circumstan- ces. In Section II., this Chapter, we have arranged those passages which appear to teach the resurrection of the dead, in connection with the personal appearance of our Saviour. The object of this (third) coming appears to be to raise the dead to a state of incorrup- tion, immortality and glory. The first passage we have noticed at the head of this class of Bcriptures, is John 14:3. In the preceding verse Christ says to his disciples, •" In my Father's house there are many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for ON THE SKCOND COMING OF CHIUST. 213 you." Then adds, " And if I go and prepare a place lor you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." In the 28th verse he says, " Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you." These expressions appear to imply that as he was then personally with them, he would in person leave them, and come again in like man- ner. In Acts 1: 10, 11, it is said, "As he (Jesus) went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel ; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." These expressions jiositivcly show that as our Saviour in person left the world, so he in person (in like manner) would return to it again. That Christ has already made his appearance on earth in power, which appearance was called his second coming, we have already shown. But his appearance in "person, as above described, is not as yet made manifest. Hence we must look for another, and a per- sonal coming, of our Saviour on earth. This is the only remaining coining of Christ for which we are authorized to look or expect. We are informed of no other. And here let it be strictly borne in mind that this personal and third coming of our Saviour stands nowhere connected either with judgment or rewards and punish- ments. The class of texts which teach this last coming identifies it as standing immediately connected with the raising of the dead. Paul encourages his Philippian brethren, by informing them that Christ (for whom they looked from heaven) should change their vile bodies, that they might be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. John says, " Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall sea him as he is." 1 John 3 : 2. Paul, 1 Thess. 4 : 13—17, says " But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent {or hinder the rising of) them which are asleep. For the Lord 214 ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. hinioelf shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first [that is, the dead shall rise before the living do). Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord." These passages teach, firstly, that, at the time these instructions were given, Christ was actually in heaven, his risen state. This Paul afiirms in Heb. 9 : 24, " For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true ; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Christ was exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour; he has set down at the right hand of God, having obtained eternal redemption for us. He has ascended to his Father, and is now seated on the throne of righteousness, as mediator and judge of all the earth. From this throne, by his word and spirit, he administers justice and judgment in the earth. This mediatorial throne, or seat, is also his judgment- seat; and from this throne he is represented, in the spirit and power of the gospel, as seated in judgment before the world. Hence the propriety of Paul's expression, 2 Cor. 5 : 10, " For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may. receive the things in body, according to that he hath done, whether good or bad." In this manner Christ sits, in the spirit and power of gospel truth, judging the world in righteousness ; and under this gospel administration every one receives according to that he hath done, whether good or bad. Upon this throne Christ will remain, as mediator and judge, until the great work of reconciling the world to God is accomplished. Hence Peter, in speaking of Christ, says, " Whom the heaven must receive, until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Acts 3 : 21, Paul has similar language in Col. 1 : 20, " And (having made peace through the blood of his cross) by him to reconcile all things to himself: by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." The same apostle has said, in 1 Cor. 15 : 25, 26, " For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." From these testimonies we learn that Christ will keep his position as mediator and judge until he hath subdued and reconciled all things to himself: until he hath ON THE SECOND COMING OF CURIST. 215 finished sin, made an end of transgression, and destr.ycd tlie laot enemy, death. When all this shall have been acconiplisJiod, then will have arrived the period when the sleeping millions of our race, in connection with the living multitudes, shall all realize the rosus citating power of Ilim who is " the resurrection and the life." Then will " the Lord himself descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God " — not to destroy his enemies, or to execute judgment, but to arouse the living and the dead to a state of immortal and unending bliss. When he shall make this personal and last appearance on earth, he will have previously closed his process as mediator and judge, will have subdued and reconciled all to himself, and then only remains to raise and deliver up to God his Father the ransomed world, with his own subjection to him, that God may then be all and in all. When Christ made his second appearance, he is represented as sitting on the throne of his glory, establishing his kingdom, and commencing his reign on earth. But altogether dift'crent is the object of his third or last coming. Then his work will be finished ; the judgment day closed, and the kingdom, which he received of his Father at the commencement of his reign, ready to be resigned back to him, the Great Father and God of all. In the second place, these scriptures confirm what we have already stated. John says, " But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is." This likeness to Christ is effected by the resurrection. See 1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52, "Behold, I show you a myster}- ; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." To the Thessalonians, he says, " Them, also, which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him." " The dead in Christ shall rise first [before the living are changed). Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Paul undoubt- edly wished to have his brethren believe that their departed friends would all rise again to life and happiness ; that death was not one long, eternal sleep, as many of his countrymen actually believed ; he, therefore, labors to convince them that Christ, their risen head» 216 ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. would raise the human family from the sleep of death, that one and all should ainiin meet together, and he forever with the Lord. He informs his Corinthian brethren that the trumpet should sound, and the dead be raised incorruptible ; and that the living should be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trump. Tliat Paul believed (not in a partial but) in a universal resur- rection to holiness and happiness, is evident from 1 Cor, 15 : 22, " For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." All must admit that Adam is the constituent and federal head of the human family. In him all, individually, die. It is also equally admissible, that the same all shall be made alive in Christ. The words, even so, imply that the same all who die in Adam shall, equally and individually, be made alive in Christ, their spiritual head and representative. Man is created " in the image of God." " Christ is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person." Hence, being created in the image of God, we are created in Christ Jesus, as our moral or spiritual head. " The head of every man is Christ." 1 Cor. 11 : 3. Conse- quently, Christ is as truly the moral head of every man, as is Adam our earthly head. And Christ will as certainly reinstate and im- mortalize every man in himself, as it is certain that in Adam all are fallen. But to this it is objected, because of the expression in the 23d verse, where it is said, " But every man in his own order : Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Some suppose " every man in his own order," means {in fact, we have heard it in a sermon) he that dies a sinner, shall be raised a sinner; he that dies a drunkard, shall be raised a drunkard; and he that dies a murderer, shall be raised a murderer, &c. But to this objection we reply, first, in the language of the apostle. " For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." All are made alive in Christ. Therefore, " if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature : old things are passed away : behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5 : 17. From this it appears, that those who are in Christ are actually iicw creatures ; old things are done away, and all things become new. Hence, when all are made alive in him, they must, of necessity, all he new c^eatiires old tilings — that is, sin, all their former vices, evil habits, bad prac- ON THE SKCOND COMINC. OF CUIIIST. 217 tices, &c. — are all done away, annihilated, and gone: the crcaturo is changed, and bears the image of Christ. Hence, Paul says, " And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 1 Cor. 15 : 49. By these facts we learn that all in the earthy image of Adam die, and that the same all (in the resurrection) will be made alive in the heavenly image of Christ. Consequently, all that can be understood by " every man in his own order," is, merely, every man in his own time (or class), and in his own identity. " Christ the first fruits," — that is, Christ as the first fruits of the resurrection, rose first in his own time, and own individual being ; " afterward they that are Christ's at his coming," — that is, when Christ comes to raise the dead, all will then be made alive in Him, but every one in his own identity, or as himself, in his own individual being. Hence, in verse 38, " God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." We think the expression, " But every man in his own order," applies with the same force to those who die, as to those who are made alive. " For as in Adam all die," — that is, not collectively and simultaneously, but every one in his own time and identity, as himself. Thus we die as ourselves, and we shall bu made alive as ourselves, and in the time classed or set off. But supposing our objector should urge his theory, what would the result then be ? He says, if one dies a sinner, he will be raised a sinner, &c. Now, admitting this self-contradictor}'^ theory to be carried out, and the result would be this : every sinner (having died as such), from the period of mother Eve down to the resurrec- tion morn, must be called up from their tombs with the same char- acters, propensities, appetites, and passions which they possessed when they went down to their graves. And how is this ? Why, sinners, liars, extortioners, thieves, drunkards, murderers, and all as such, must be made alive in Christ ; forming parts and parcels of that one body, of which Christ is the head. What kind of a body such would be, and what would be the result, we leave for our opponents to determine. Should we admit that any in the resurrection would be raised in any other condition than alive in Christ, new creatures, fitted for holiness and happiness in him, we destroy, not only the utility, but every object of the resurrection. The apparent and only object of the resurrection is, to immortalize and happify the ransomed world 19 218 ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. of sentient beings, to carry out God's original design, and perfect the work of his own hands. Who will deny the original purpose of God, in ultimately imparting a share of his own perfections to his creatures ? He hath said, " I am God, and there is none else ; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isa. 46: 9, 10. To say that this purpose and pleasure of God will fail is infidelity. To say that God designed a happy end for one, and misery as an end for another, is still worse. See James 3:17," The wisdom that is from above .... is without partiality and without hypocrisy." Ps. 145 : 9, " The Lord is good to all ; and his tender mercies are over all his works." And should we contend that the creature himself, or any other being in the universe of God, will frustrate or defeat his pleasurable purpose and designed end, it would be blasphemous. God is one infinite, holy, undivided being. All wisdom, power, and goodness, are his, and Love is his nature. Man can effect his physical and moral good, by obeying the laws which God has established to govern those principles. But there are no means by which the creature can effect his own resurrection or immortal condition. This exclusively and only be- longs to God. It is not only his prerogative to accomplish it, but his word, his nature, and his oath, bind him to effect it for 'ii'" creatures. Amen. A belief of anything short of universal holiness and happiness in the resurrection state would not only dishonor God, but it must destroy all happiness and consolation in the creature. None can rejoice in that faith which tells of an introduction of feeling, sen- tient beings into a state of unending woe, pain, and death ! And much less could they rejoice when they reflect that such end is the result of this unasked-for existence, and the pleasure of God de- clared from the beginning! Yet it is a fact which cannot be denied, that the end of man (whatever it may be) is, and will be such, and such only, as God designed, even from the beginning. But, as we have already seen that the purposes of God are good, that the end is life in Christ, we find no reason for mourning or lamenting X\.:i purposes of God; but we rejoice "that his counsel will stand, and he will do all his pleasure." Our hopes of future life are based upon the fact that Christ hap ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 219 risen from tlie dead, and is declared to effect the resurrection of man. Paul, after asserting that, " as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive ; " and after declaring that Jesus must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, and destroyed death, the last enemy ; and that, "when all things shall be subdued to Clirist, tlien shall the Son also himself be subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all," he treats more directly of the nature and consequences of the resurrection ; and, after speaking of the different glories of the sun, moon, and stars, says, " So, also, is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption : it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory : it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power : it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." 1 Cor. 15 : 42 — 44. He further says, " For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortalitj'. So when this corruptiltle shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law : but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Verses 53 — 57. Here is our victory, and the foundation of our hopes. The apostle has here given a lively description of the clos- ing scene of Christ's mission on earth. This will be the 6nal con- summation of God's eternal purpose ; " that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, lx)th which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him." Then all who have died in Adam will be made alive in Christ. Then shall the " creation itself be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Then sin and death will be forever destroyed ; tears shall be wiped from all faces ; sorrow and sighing shall have a perpetual end ; and the ransomed world shall sing, " Blessing and honor, glory and power, unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." We have noticed those passages which we think have an impor- tant bearing upon the subject of the resurrection. It may be sup- posed, by some, that we have omitted passages that have an immediate connection with the subject ; and, by others, that John 5 : 29, spcakg 220 ox TUE SECOND COMING OP CHRIST, of a resurrection, which ought to have been noticed. But to the hist we reply, that Christ had no allusion to a literal resurrec- tion in this text. In verse 25, he speaks of a death in which the unbelieving Jews were involved ; and, in the 28tli verse, he repre- sents those, thus involved, as being " in the graves ; " verse 29, that they " shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrec- tion of damnation." The time alluded to is the time of Jerusa- lem's sad catastrophe. See Daniel 12 : 1 — 3, and Matt. 24 : 21, also, 16 : 27, 28, all of which speak of, and identify the time here referred to. The resurrection is a figurative one, showing the wak- ing up, and calling forth, from the moral graves of sin and rebel- lion, that tiation and people to a sense of what they were, and where they were. See Ezek. 87 : 12, 13, " Therefore prophesy and say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God : Behold, my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, my people and brought you up out of your graves." In Dan. 12 : 2, it is said that they shall awake from the dust of the earth, " some to ever- lasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." In the text it is said, " And they shall come forth ; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of danmation." Let it here be borne in mind, that they all come forth, in this rising, the one who has done good, unto life ; the other, who has done evil, unto damnation. Here they receive in proportion to their merit or demerit. The hour was then coming, and soon did it overtake them — even in that genera- tion. Matt. IG: 28. The word anastasin, here rendered resur- rection, simply signifies the act of rising from a sitting or reclining posture, from a seat or the ground, a rising up, a starting up, &c. See DonnegaJi's Lexicon. The word is here applied to the calling forth of the Jews from a state of lethargy and moral death, as we have before shown. See on the judgment, and other places in this work. CHAPTER VIII. ON THE PHRASES THAT DAY, LAST DAY, LAST TIME, GREAT DAY, DAY OF THE LORD, ETC. SECTION I. Tliose pwiioges where the phrases that day, iast day, last days, l.\st TIME, LAST TIMES, GREAT DAY, DAY OF WKATH, DAY OF TIIE LoRD, elc, occur. Ps. 95 : 7, 8. Fox- ho is our Gorl ; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day, if ye Avill hear his voice, harden nut your hearts, as in tlie provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the ■wilderness. Heb. 3 : 8, 9. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness : when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Dent. 82 : 35. To me belongeth vennjeance and recompense ; their foot shall slide in due time : for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make liaste. Zech. 14:9. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth : in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. Zech. 2 : 10, 11. Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion : for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of tiioe, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people : and I will dwell in tlie miilst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts halli sent me unto thee. Isa. 49 : 8. Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee : and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of tlie people. 2 Cor. 6 : 3. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation liave I succored thee : behold, now is the accepted time ; beliold, now is the day of salvation.) John ll) : 26. At that day ye shall ask in ray name ; and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you. 19* 222 ON THE PHRASES LAST DAY, LAST TIME, ETC. John 8 : 56. Your fhther Abraham rejoiced to see my day ; and he saiT it and was glad. Last day. Last days, etc. Isa. 2 : 2. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of, the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall tiow unto it. Micah 4 : 1. But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the moun- tain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the moun- tains, and it shall be exalted above the hills ; and people shall flow unto it. Acts 2:17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I •will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. John 12 : 48. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him : the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 2 Tim. 3 : 1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Heb. 1 : 1, 2. God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all tlimgs, by whom also he made the worlds. 2 Pet. 3 : 3. Knowing this first, that there shall come, in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts. Last time. Last times, etc. 1 Peter 1 : 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last times. Verse 20. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in tliese last times for you, 1 John 2 : 18. Little children, it is the last time ; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists ; whereby we know that it is the last time. Jude 1 : 17, 18. But, belov«>.l, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 1 Peter 1 : 7. But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. Rev. 6 : 17. 1 Thess, 5 : 2, 3. Great day, Joel 2 : 11. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible ; and who can abide it ? Verse 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. Acts 2 : 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. Zeph. 1 : 14. The great day of tlie Lord is near ; it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord. Mai. 4 : 5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the com- ng of //te great and dreadful day of the Lord. Jude 1 : G. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but lefl ON THE PHRASES LAST DAY, LAST TIME, ETC. 223 their own habitation, he hath reserved in evcx'lasting chains under dark ncss, unto the juilgnient of /Ac great day. Kev. 6:17. i'or the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ? Rev. IG : 14. For they are the spirits of devils, woi-king miracles, wliich pjo Ibrtl. unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the 1: attic of that great day of God Almighty. SECTION II. General Remarks on the phrases that day, last day, last days, last TIMES, GREAT DAY, DAY OF WRATH, CtC. It will be seen that the word day, in the Scriptures, is used in a variety of ways to denote any given time or period,, either definite or indefinite. But where it has the definite article, or any defining word, prefixed to define and limit its meaning, we must of necessity look to the context, or general subject of discourse, to learn its mean- ing. In the commencement of the preceding section of passages it will be seen that the day of temptation to the Jews in the wilder- ness is referred to. In the quotations from Zechariah it will be seen that the phrase that daij is limited and confined to the day or kingdom of Christ, which was then future. And in the quotation from John 16 : 26, that day alludes to the same period. Also, chap. 8 : 56, the phrase my day has the same limits. Under the phrases last day, last days, &c., it will be seen, in the quotations from Isa. 2 : 2, and Micah 4:1, that the phrase last days has special reference to the close of the Legal dispensation, when the Jewish rites and ceremonies, with all their national privileges, were about to be closed, and a new order of things established. Peter has clearly defined the time, and illustrated the events, in Acts 2 : 16, 20, " But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughtei-s shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams : and on my servants, and on my hand- maidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit ; and they shall prophesy : and I will show wondei's in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke : the sun shall be tuned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that 224 ON THE PHRASES LAST DAY, LAST TIME, ETC. great and notable day of the Lord come." Peter evidently under- stood the prophet, who!?e words he quoted, to have nad allusion to the time and scenes which were then passing ; the winding up of the Jewish polity and tragedies as a nation, and the planting of the Gospel standard in its stead. This is the same time of trouble and calamity referred to in our remarks on the judgment and destruc- tion of Jerusalem : viz., the introduction of Gospel principles, and the burning up or removing of those things which were, to the utter overthrow and destruction of their city and temple. With regard to the signs which should be presented, the lights of heaven '.•eing darkened, turned to blood, &c., we have no doubt but that they are generally understood to signify the fall and ruin of cities, nations, kingdoms, &c. It appears to have been the custom of the prophets to make use of the like metaphorical expressions to signify the fall or overthrow of any people or nation. See Isa. 13 : 9, 10, and Ezek. 32 : 7, 8. Isaiah is portraying the overthrow of Baby- lon ; Ezekiel, the fearful fall of Egypt ; and, in both instances, the same figure of expression is brought to show their downfall which is used to show the destruction of Jerusalem, And in describing the overthrow of Idumea, we think, if possible, still stronger language is used. Isa. 34 : 4 — G, " And all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll : and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf lalleth oflf from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig-tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven : behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood," &c. By these strong expressions being used by the prophets to show the fall and end of earthly beings and things, we must not expect to find anything more taught, by like expressions, in the New Testament. Such expressions are nowhere used in the Bible to signify the end of the earth or material universe ; but often to show the fall and end of kings, emperors, cities, &c. Peter, in his 2d epistle, chap. 3 ' 12, says, " Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." This can mean no more than the burning up of the Jewish combustibles, and the end of that age, which is precisely what is meant by Joel, as cpioted by Peter in Acts 2 : 16 — 20. The same darkening and putting out ON TUE niKASES LAST DAY, LAST TIME, ETC. 225 of the bj^hts of the firmament, and the same calamity, distress and end, is expressed in Matt. 25 : 29; ]Mark 13 : 24, and Luke 21 : 25, and all allude to the last days, the closing scene and winding up of the Jewish theocracy. We think that Paul's language is sufficient to put an end to all controversy upon the sulijcct. Ileb. 1 : 1,2, " God, who at sun- dry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past to the fathers by the prophets, hath in tJiese last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by wliom also he made the worlds." Ey this use of the phrase last days we see what is meant. No days or time is alluded to beyond that in which Paul and his coadjutors then moved and lived. He prefixes the demon- strative word these to the word days, which so precisely fixes its meaning that no doubts can remain. He also ases the perfect tense of the verb, "hath spoken,'" which shows that God had already spoken to them by his Son ; and that they considered the then passing time the last days, &c. In noticing the arrangement under the phrase last time, &c., it will be seen that the same time, same end and period, is expressed. which is defined by the phrase last days. Peter gives the same definition that Paul has given on the phrase last days. See 1 Peter 1 : 20, " Who verily was foreordained before the founda- tion of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." See also 1 John 2: 18, "Little children, it is the last time." Peter says, 1 Peter 4:7," But the end of all things is at haiid." Let it here be remembered that the final end of the Jewish polity did not take place, or the kingdom of God become fully established, until the temple was burnt, and the last renuiining light of the Jewish priesthood blown out. This time had not then fully come; but it was at hand; and it was the death struggle, the last expir- ing scene ; and is what Peter calls the end of all thi?igs, which was then at hand. This same end of all things is also expressed by the terms great day, the great day of the Lord, the great day of his wrath, &c. ; all pointing to the identical and self-same thing. In Rev. 6 : 17, it is said, " For tlie great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ? " We have already seen that none were able to Btand, save those who, through obedience, made their escape, and were shut up in a retired place among the mountains. 226 ON THE PHRASES LAST DAV, L,AST TIME, ETC. We will here notice the text in Acts 17 : 31, " Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteous- ness, by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." We did not particularly notice this text in our remarks on the judgment, for the reason that it contains nothing but what relates to time, and was about being accomplished. But we here notice the expression, " He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness." We have previously said that the word day was used in a variety of ways in the Scriptures. When any particular time was specified as taking place, either favorably or unfavorably, it was" called the day, a day, great day, &c. Jere- miah, in speaking of the return of Israel from captivity, makes the following expression : " Alas ! for that day is great." See Jer. 30 : 7. Joel, as quoted by Peter, calls the destruction of Jerusa- lem, and the times bordering thereon, " that great aiid notable day of the Lord." See Acts 2 : 20. John, in allusion to the same time, calls it " the great day of his wrath." Rev. 6 : 17. John, in speaking of the feast of tabernacles, uses the following language : " In the last day, that great day of the feast." See John 7 : 37. That a day was appointed, in wliich Jesus Christ was to rule or govern the world in righteousness, none can dispute. A day in Scripture often expresses a long series of years. See Heb. 3 : 8, 9, " Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation in the day of teinp- tation in the wilderJiess, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years." Here we learn that forty years were called the day. See also Deut. 32 : 35. That the period of Messiah's reign is called a day, is evident from Zech. 2 : 11, "And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day (Christ's reign on earth), and shall be my people : and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee." Chapter 13 : 1 — 8, " In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness." See, also, chapter 14 : G— 9 ; Isa. 49 : 8 ; 2 Cor. 6:2; John 16 : 26. Many other passages might be named, but a sufficient number is referred to, to satisfy any rational mind that Christ's reign, or period of judgment in the Gospel, is called a day. The same ON THE PURASES LAST DAY, LAST TIME, ETC. 227 period is sometimes called the hour of his judgment, &c., as in Rev. 14 : 7. It appears evident that the Jews supposed the Messiah should rule and govern the world in righteousness. The Scriptures ex- plicitly teach this doctrine. But where is there a lesson in all the Bible, from beginning to end, that teaches a day of general judg- ment after the resurrection from literal death ? If such a day is not revealed in the Scriptures, neither in the Old nor New Testa- ment, then, when was it revealed or made known to the children of men ? To assume this, and make bold assertions about it, may be easily done, but it is not convincing proof; yet it is all the evidence ■wc have, from any source^ of the common opinion. In the text it reads, " He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness." The word rendered xoorld in this passage, is not kosmos, nor aion, but oikoumenen. This word is generally rendered world in the New Testament, and, prin- cipally, in its meaning, signifies the Roman empire, which included Judea, and most of the then known world. As evidence of this, observe the following passages where the word oikoumenen occurs, and is rendered world. See Luke 2 : 1,4: 5 ; Acts 25 : 5, 19 : 27, 11 : 28. In these passages it evidently alludes to the Roman einpire. And it is quite probable that the same allusion mifht have been had in this text. But if it had, we are quite willing to admit that the day of Christ's reign extencJs further. But, that this day had not then already comm<«iced, we are not willing to ad- mit. Christ was not only alread^; judging by his word and spirit, but he was then about to exei'cise his authority in a special manner. The words, en e mellei krinein (rendered, " in the which he will judge"), simply signify, in the which he is about to judge. And had the text been thus rendered, it would have given its true mean- ing, and probably would have been better understood. We might extend our remarks to much greater length on this subject, but as we only introduced it in consideration of the word day in which God would judge the world, we shall make but few more remarks upon it. Our object was to show that the day in which Christ judges the world not only extends during the Gospel period, but that it had special reference to a time then at hand. CHAPTER IX, ON THE END OF THE WOELD. SECTION I. All the passages in the Bible wherein the phrase End of the World occurs. Matt. 13 : 36 — 42. Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house ; and his disciples came unto him, saying. Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered, and said unto them. He that sowetli the good seed is the Son of Man ; the field is tlie world (A'os- mos) ; the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but the tai-es are tlie children of the wicked one ; the enemy that sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the end of the world {aionos); .and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered, and burned in the fire ; so shall it be in tlie end of this world (aionos). The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gatlier out of his kingdom all things tliat offend, and them wliich do iniquity ; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Verses 47 — 50. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like imto a net that was cast into the sea, and gatliered of every kind : wliich, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered tlie good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the en.d of the ivorld (aionos): the angels shall come forth, and sever the wiclvcd from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnash- ing of teeth. Matt. 24 : 8. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, wlien sliall these things bo ? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (aionos) ? Matt. 28 : 18 — 20. And Jesus came, and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teaoh all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fathei", and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and lo, I am witli you alway, even unto the end of the world (aionos). Amen. 1 Cor. 10 : 11. Now all these tilings happened unto them for ensamplcs; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world (aionon) are come. ON TUE END OF THE WOULD. 229 Ilcb. 9 : 2G. (For then must he (Christ) often have sufiFercd since the foundation of the world) (kosmou); but now once in tlie end of the world (aionoii) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. SECTION II. Remarks on the phrase End of the World. Thousands, yea, undoubtedly, millions, have read the texts in the Ibregoing section, have heard them read and explained, with full confidence of their teaching the end of the material world or uni- verse. But we have to state that such is not the reality. The phrase, end of the joorld, does not teach, or even intimate, any such thing. It does not occur in the Old Testament at all. It only occurs in three books of the New Testament, — Matthew, 1st Co- rinthians, and in Hebrews. It occurs five times in St. Matthew's Gospel, once in 1st Corinthians, and once in Hebrews; in all, it occurs seven times, and only seven, in the whole Bible. For the true signification of the phrase we have only to consult the connection in which it stands, and the true meaning of the word aionos, rendered world. By consulting Matt. 13 : 36—42, it will be found that Clirist was declaring to his disciples the parable of the tares of the field. He says, " He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man ; the field is the world {kosmos) ; the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but the tares are tlie children of the wicked one ; tlie enoniy that sowed them is the devil {diaholos), the harvest is the end of the world [aionos) ; and the reapers are the angels." It appears to have been the style of the sacred writers, in speaking of any consummation for which men may have been said to be ripe, to call it the harvest. Jer. 8: 20; Joel 3: 18. "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe ; come, get you down, for the press is full, the fats overflow ; for the wickedness is great," &c. See, jilso, INIatt. 9 : 37, 38, and Rev. 14 : 15. The question now is. What did Christ mean by the harvest, which he calls the end of the world? In the 38th verse, as already seen, the word rendered world, is kosmos : the proper signifiL-ation of which is the earth ; it also signifies the system of the world, or universe. The word kosmos nowhere stands connected with the 20 230 ON THE END OF THE WORLD. phrase eyid of the world. But, in every instance where the phrase Z7id of the vjorld occurs in the Bible, w^ invariably find the word rendered world to be aioTWS, — the general signification of which is *' time ; a space of time ; life ; lifetime ; the ordinary period of Mian's life ; age ; age of man," &c. See DonnegaiVs Lexicon. But we think the word aioiios, in these texts, is universally acknowledged, by commentators of note, to signify the age or dis- pensation. Then, in (his text, " the harvest is the end of the world," it must signify the end of the Jewish age, or dispensation. The phrase rendered " end of the world " is sunteleia tou aionos, and literally signifies the conclusion of the age. From the forego- ing results we find that the words " end of the world " merely signify the close of the Jewish state. The same expression is made in the 49th verse, and the same end expressed. In verse 50th it is added, " And shall cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." From these two verses we learn that the angels, after having severed the wicked from among the just, cast them into this furnace of fire. The figure, furnace of fire, is also used in the Scriptures to represent temporal calamity and destruction. The bondage of Israel under Pharaoh was described as a furnace. Deut. 4 : 20, " But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt." See, also, 1 Kings 8:51; Isa. 48 : 10 ; Jer. 2 : 4. Thus we see that Christ, in these expressions, signified the distress and destruction of that age, people and nation. And as further proof of the furnace of fire, see Isa. 31 : 9, "And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is hi Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem." By this text we see that Jerusalem was God's furnace, into which the wicked were to be cast at the conclusion of that age. And as further testimony that they were cast into the furnace of fire in Jerusalem, see Ezek. 22 : 18 — 22. " Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross : all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst o^ i\xQ furnace Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jeru- salem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furruice to blow the fire upon it, to melt it, so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will ON TUE END OF THE WOULD. 231 leave you there ami melt you. Yea, I will gather }0u and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and yo shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury itpon you." We think thoro cannot remain a lingering doubt that the furnace of fire was the city of Jerusalem, into which God gathered the Jewish nation, and there melted them in the fire of his wrath. All this took place at the end of the world there described. But it is said, " The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked, cast them into the furnace of fire," &c. The word here rendered angels is aggeloi, and signifies messengers. Now, who could have been the messengers, or instruments, of destruction to the Jewish nation ? The answer is obvious, and can be but one, namely, the Roman armies. Whenever Christ is represented as coming in power to destroy, or to reward, he is represented as being attended by his angels. Matt. 16 : 27, " For the Son of INIan sluiU come in the glory of his Father, with his angels ; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." This is declared, in the next verse, to be during the lifetime of some then living. We further learn who these angels are, in Matt. 24 : 30, 31. " And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven : and then sliall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Now, as the angels, or messengers, in the 31st verse, are said to " gather together his elect," it is evident tliey performed a different service from those who destroyed. In Matt. 16 : 27, it is said, " When the Son of Man shall come with his angels he will reward every man according to their works." Hence, we may look for angels in the company of Christ, who on the one hand administer evil, and on the other good. In Matt. 25 : 31, the angels that come with Christ are called holy. See, also, Mark 8 : 38, 9 : 1 ; Luke 9 : 26, 27. In all these places the coming of Christ with his angels is confined to that generation. In Matt. 2.5 : 34, it is said, " This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." Thus we see ChristV couiing,^n attendance with his angels, to award life to one 232 ON THE END OF THE -SVORLD. and death to the other, was during that age. And now for furtler proof that the Romans were the angels, or messengers, who wero to destroy Christ's enemies, the Jews, see 2 Thess. 1 : 7, 8, " And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." See, also. Matt. 22 : 7, " But when the king heard thereof he was wroth : and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those nmi'derers, and burned up their city." It is clear that these passages allude to the destruction of the Jews and their city, by the Romans. They were the mes- sengers of God's wrath, to administer a just retribution to that untoward generation. A close observer of the Bible is aware that the term angel signifies not only good, but evil messengers ; or those who execute both good and evil. The word angel is not only applied to human beings, but even to inanimate objects; as in the case of Paul, when he says "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger [aggelos) of satan to bufi'et me." 2 Cor. 12 : 7. They are also sometimes called holy, — not because they are so of themselves, but because they execute God's holy commands. See remarks on angels, in this work. The same time and end is expressed in Matt. 24 : 3, where we are informed that the disciples asked the Saviour what should be the sign of his coming, and of the conclusion of the age [sunteleias tou aionos). He speaks of the end of that age, in verses 6. 13, 14, of the same chapter ; and, after pointing them to such signs as would infallibly enable them to discern its approach, he adds, verse 34, " A^erily I say unto you. This geiieration shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled^ On the strength of this testimony — plain, clear, and incontrovertible — we say that the "harvest" took place at the conclusion of the Mosaic age ; and we further state that tliere is not an instance in the New Testament in which the Greek phrase, rendered " end of the world," as in the passage on which we are remarking, has any other signification. It should never be forgotten that " the end of the world " (verses 39, 40), at which the harvest was to take place, was not the end of kosmos. the world, — said to be the field, — but the end of aion, the age, 'vhich signifies the conclusion of the Jewish state. The apostle Paul plainly tells us when the end of the world ox THE END OF THE WORLD. -35 aionon was. He says that it happened in his day. " Upon whou tlie ends of the ages [ta tete ton aionon) are come." 1 Cor. 10 : li. And Christ told his disciples, in Matt. 28 : 20, that he would '^e with them alway, " even unto the end of the aionos" (age). J^e was with them, by word and in spirit, until the full or compl'.te end had come. And as Christianity may be said to have beg m when the Jewish religion ended, so Christ is said to have appeand at the end of the Jewish age. I'aul says, in Ileb. 9 : 20, " I ut now once in the end of the world [sunteleia ton aionon) hath ae appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," Paul savs, " Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared," &c. He here represents the appearance of Christ, and the end of the world, as having already taken place ; though the final scene was not then closed. And as the plural is sometimes used, " the ends of the ages" it is evident that they included the period and end of the apostolic age of miracles with the conclusion of the Jewish age. Wc have now seen that all which is said in the Bible of the end of the world transpired about eighteen hundred years since, and in exact accordance with the time predicted that it should take place. And, lo ! even yet do we see people gazing after some dire omen in the heavens, as betokening the sudden ruin of nations, the crashing wreck of empires and kingdoms, in connection with the immediate conflagration of our terraqueous globe. Yea, how many, in this eventful year of our Lord 1843, ai-e trembling, ]>elshazzar-like, at the most common freaks of nature ; as though their last espiririg breath was about to take its final leap, and their earthly portions, in common with all terrestrial matter, about to be consigned to ojse eternal night ! Yes, ai-e there not thousands, in these (ought to be) happy United States, whose minds [in consequence of one fanatic brain) are now being wrecked in chaos, on the dreadful thought of the immediate sound of the trumpet's blast, and their consignment to one eternal, lasting doom ? Ought these things so to be ? Christ said to his disciples, "Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." But it was certain that he would come in their day, in that generation. And yet people are so palpably blind to daylight facts, that they either will not, or can- not, hear nor understand. Hundreds of years have passed away since the destined period, and yet some in every age are looking, watching, and expecting the sudden end of the universe. 20* 234 ON THE END OF THE WORLD. There are other passages iu the Bible, not connected with the phi-ase end of the world, which, by some, are supposed to teach the end of the material universe. Some of them we have referred to in our remarks on the judgment, and also on the phrase last days. But we will now present a few more passages, the first of which is in Rev. 6 : 12 — 17. " And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake ; and the gun became black as sackcloth of hair ; and the moon became as blood ; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind : and the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together ; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places ; and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains : and said to the mountains and rocks. Fall on us, and hide us froi« the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ? " This language is similar to that in the third chapter of 2 Peter, which we have already explained as relating in particular to the end of the aion, or the passing away of the Jewish heavens and earth. Now we, in the first place, make the inquiry. Is this language used in a literal or in a figurative sense ? If we consider it literal, then we have the following conclusions : First the earth must have been shaken, at least in some parts of it; foi " there was a great earthquake." Second, the earth must have been deprived "of light; for "the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood." And, in the third place, the earth must have accomplished the gi-eatest miracle ever known ; for " the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind." We can conceive the appearance of figs falling to or upon the earth, when furiously driven by the wind; but how to understand the furious beating of the mighty stars of heaven against the (comparatively) small earth, is more than we can conceive of For it is a fact that the earth still kept her balance and motion. It is not said that the earth was destroyed, or that it departed. The mountains or islands were not destroyed, or removed from the earth ; they were only moved out of their ulaces ; while the kin^js of the earth, with the ON THE END OF THE WORLD. 235 many others, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, calling ui)on the same to hide them from the face of liim that sat ujx)!! the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. It is said the heavens departed, but not the earth ; she still stood, not- withstanding her burden of stars, and made a foothold for the four angels, which John soon after saw standing upon her four corners, holding the four winds, that they should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor any green tree. Another difficulty is to be con- sidered. " The heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together." And where was it ? The previous verse tells us that the stars (which constitute the literal heavens) had fallen to the earth. Of course the conclusion must be this : all the mighty bests of the starry heavens rolled together in one confused mass (having lost the power of gravitation), and, finally, lit upon the earth as a resting-place ! This conclusion must, of itself, be perfectly ridicu- lous. Even one of the stars, on a common average, is much larger than the earth, which fact would literally render it impossible ! 13ut, in viewing these passages, and all others of the like kind, in a figurative sense, we have no great diificulty in understanding them. "We have before referred to the language of Joel, as quoted by Peter, and applied to the times in which he lived. See Acts 2 : IG, 19, 20, " But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. ... I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke : the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come." Peter assures us that this language was fulfilled in his days ; yet the earth, the sun and the moon, still remain. Isaiah uses the same language in describing the judgment about to fall upon Idumea. Isa. 34 : 4, 5, " And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rulled together as a scroll ; and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth ofi" from the vine, and as the falling fig from the fig-tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven ; behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment." The events here described have long since been numbered with the past ; yet the heavens and the earth remain. In the text it is said, they called for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, to hide them, &c. But Jesus uses the same language in allusion to the same horrors which should attend the destruction of Jerusalem, 236 ON THE END OF THE WORLD. Luke 23 : 30, " Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills. Cover us." In Luke 21 : '2'2, he says, •' For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." Tlie great day of wrath, in the text, is answered by the days of vcfigeatice, which fell upon the Jewish nation. It is not at all strange that either Christ or John should use such highly figurative language in the above descriptions ; for, as we have seen, it was the style of the Eastern nations, in describ- ing the revolutions in civil or ecclesiastical governments, to use bold and metaphorical expressions. Peter has made use of similar lan- guage in his second epistle, chap. 3 : 7 — 13, which we have noticed in another place. David also tells us, " The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved : he uttered his voice, the earth melted." Whatever else David might have meant by the melting of the earth, he could not have alluded to its literal destruction, for he represents it as already past. In Ps. 97 : 5, he says, " The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord." In Joel 1 : 19, 20, it is said, " Lord, to thee will I cry : for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field ciy also unto thee : for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fii-e hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness." See, also, Deut. 32 : 22 — 25, " For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell (sheol), and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." That the above language is figurative, and equally as strong as any in the New Testament, will not be disputed. There is also another class of texts, which may be supposed to imply the literal destruction of heaven and earth ; some of which we will briefly notice. In Isa. 51 : 6, it is said, " Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneatli : ibr the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth siuill wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like man- ner : but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished." Ps. 102 : 25—27, " Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth : and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure : yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment ; as a vesture shall thou change them, and ON THE END OF TUE AVORLI). 237 they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years sliall have no end." It is agreed, by good critics, that according to the Hebrew idiom, when the respective qualities of two objects are compared, the writer uses a direct affirmation in regard to the one, and an abso lute negation in regard to tlic other. According to this idiom, the Prophet and tlie Psalmist both expressed in strong terms the abid- ing nature of God's goodness and salvation, by declaring that they should remain, though the heavens and the earth should pass away. Paul, in Heb, 1 : 10, 12, quotes the language of David, and pre- serves the same style of expression. And let it here be remem- bered that the language of the New Testament is strongly tinctured with the idiom and style of the Old Testament, or Hebrew writings. The same rule of interpretation in this respect, applies both to the Old and to the New Testament. Matt. 24 : 35, says, " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Here we see the same style, which establishes the certainty of his word, and only signifies that heaven and earth would sooner pass away than his word prove false. In Matt. 5 : 18, it is said, " Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Here it is implied that heaven and earth camiot pass away. The phrase, " till heaven and earth pass away," is evidently a proverbial expression for anything that appears impossible ; for Luke says, chap. 16 : 17, " It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail." That heaven and earth should pass away, or perish, seems impos- sible ; equally impassible is it that the smallest part of the law should fail of being fulfilled. Thus, we have seen from the lan- guage of scripture, there is no evidence of the destruction of the material world or universe. CHAPTER X. ON THE WORD FIRE, AND PHRASES EVERLASTING, ETERNAL, AND UNQUENCHABLE FIRE. SECTION I, 77. ae passages where the word Fire, and the phrases Everlasting, Eter- NAL, and Unquenchable Fire, occur. Deut. 32 : 22 — 25. For a fire is kincllecl in mine anger ; and shall burn unto the lowest hell (shcol), and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them ; I will spend mine arrows upon them. They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction : I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and tlie virgin, the suckling also, with the man of gray hairs. Numb. 21 : 28, 29. For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sdion : it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon. Woe to thee, Moab ! thou art undone, people of Chemosh : he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon, king of the Amorites. Jer. 48 : 45. They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force : but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Silion, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the ci-own of tlie head of the tumultuous ones. Ps. 66 : 10 — 12. For thou, God, hast proved us : thou hast tried us as silver is tried. Thou broughtcst us into the net ; thou laidest affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads ; we went through fire and through water : but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy pl.ice. Ps. 83 : 13 — 15. my God, make them like a wheel ; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burnetii the wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire ; so persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Ps. 'J? : 3 — 5. A fire gocth before him (God), and burneth up his ene- mies round about His li;'htninG;s enlightened the world : the earth saw. FIUE, EA'ERLASTING FIRK, ETC. 2.">9 ami ticinljlcd. Tlie hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the wliole earth. Isa. '.I : I'.), 20. Through the wrath of tlie Lord of hosts is the land dark- ened, and tlie people shall be as the fuel of the fire ; no man sliall sjiai'e liia brother. And he sliall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry ; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied : tliey shall cat every man the flesh of his own arm. Isa. 47 : 14. Behold, they shall be as stubble ; the fii'e shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame : there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. Isa. ()6 : 1"), It). For, behold, tlie Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to i-ender his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by liis sword will the Lord plead with all flesli : and tlie slain of the Lord shall be many. .Jer. 4 : 4. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the fore- skins of your heart, jo men of Judali and inhabitants of Jerusalem ; lest my fury come forth like tire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Jer. 21 : 12. house of David, thus saith tlie Lord : Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the op- pi-cssor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Lam. 2 : 3,4. He hath cut oif in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel : he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. He hath bent his bow like an enemy : he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion : he poured out his fury like fire. I'^zek. 21 : ol, 32. And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee ; I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire ; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land ; thou shalt be no more remembered : for I the Lord have spoken it. Ezek. 22 : 18 — 22. Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross : all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace ; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore, thus saith the Loi'd God ; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore, I will gather you into the midst of .Jerusalem. And as they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it to melt it, so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you and blow upon you in the tire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof .\s silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof ; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you. Mill. 3 : 2, 3. But who may abide the day of his coming ? and who shall Btand when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an oftering in righteousness. Matt. 3 : 10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Matt. 7:19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down , and cast into the fire. 240 FIRE, EVERLASTING FIRE, ETC. Luke 3 : 9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the ti«es : evci-y tree, therefore, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. John 15 : 6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Matt. 3:11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance ; but he that cometh after me is miglitier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Luke o : IG. John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you Avith water : hut one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. JNLuk 9 : 43 — 49. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off : it is better for tliee to enter into life maimed, than, having two hands, to go into hell {Gehenna), into tlie fire that never shall be quenched ; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched And if thine eye oftend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell-fire {Gehenna puros); where their worm dicth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Acts 2 : 3, 4. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like aa of fire, and it sat upon eacli of them. And tliey were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 1 Cor. 3 : 13 — 15. Every man's work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire : and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built tliereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall sufler loss : but he himself shall be saved ; yet so as by fire. 2 Thess. 1 : 7 — 9. And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flam- ing fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : who shall be punished witli everlast- ing destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Heb. 1 : 7. And of the angels he saith. Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. Jaines 3 : 5, 6. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great tilings. Behold, how great a matter a little fire knidloth I And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity : so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature ; and it is set on fire of hell ( Gehenna). 2 Pet. 3 : 7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Verse 12. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Rev. 9 : 17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and tliem that sat on them, liaving breast-plates of fire, and of jacinth and brimstone ; and tlie heads of the horses were as the heads of lions : and out of their moutha issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone. Rev. 20 9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and com- fIKE, EVERLASTING FIRE, ETC. 241 passed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city : and fire came down from God, out of lieaveii, and devoured tliem. L.ini. -1 : 11. The Lord hath accomplished his fury ; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a lire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundation thereof. Zech. 2 : 5. For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her {Jerusalem). Luke 12 : ■i'.l I am come to send tire on the earth ; and what will I, if it be alreadj' kindled ? Ileb. 12 : 2'.). For our God is a consuming fire. Dan. 7 : 0, 10. I beheld till tlie thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like tiie pure wool : his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels aa burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him : thou- sand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand Btood before him : the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Dan. 10 : 6. His body also was like tiie beryl, and his face as the ap- pearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice sf a multitude. EvERT.ASTiNO FiRE. — Matt. 18 : 8. Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foot »fFend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands, or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire {aionion pur, or fire of the as;e). Matt. 25 : 41. Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire {aionion pur), prepared for the devil and his angels. Eternal Fike. — Jude 1 : 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, sufl:ering the vengeance of eternal fire {aionion puros). UxQUENcnABLE FiRE. — Matt. 3:12. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Luke 3:17. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. SECTION II. Brief Remarks on the scripture usage of the word Fire, and the phrases Everlasting, Eternal and UNQCENCHji^LE Fire. It will readily be learned from a careful observance of those scriptures arranged in Section 1 of this Chapter, that the term Jlre is a very common and emblematical expression, denoting severe trials, calamities, and even common afflictions of the peojile, 21 242 FIRE, EVERLASTING FIRE, ETC. called the judgments of God. It will also be seen that the t<'rm fire, in many instances, stands immediately connected with the words rendered hell, such as Sheol, Gehenna, &c., which see in this work. " The above facts are so easily understood, both from the Old and New Testament scriptures, that but very little need be said. The first place in which it is mentioned in the New Testament is Matt. 3 : 10, " And now also the axe is laid unto the roots of the trees : therefore every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." There are other similar passages, which teach the same things, and are understood in the same manner. Under the figure of cutting down trees, and casting them into the fire, in this text, is represented the severe judgment about to fall on the Jewish nation, which was before denominated the vrrath to come. This figure was often used by the prophets, and, consequently, must have been well understood by the Jews in our Saviour's day. See Isa. 10 : 33, 34 ; Jer. 46 : 22, 23 ; Ezek. 31 : 23. We need not oflFer arguments that this is the true application of this and the like passages, inasmuch as there is such a universal agreement on the subject among standard commentators. Ham- mond says, " But now are God's judgments come home to this people, and ready to seize upon the whole nation, and shall actually fall upon every unreformed sinner among you." Par. in loc. Pearce says, " Vengeance is about to be taken upon the Jewish nation." Assembly's Annotations, Poole's Annotations, Lightfoot, and others, make the same application. Clarke says, " The Jewish station is the tree, and the Romans the axe," etc. Kenrick says, " The national calamities with which you are threatened, are no light evils, but such as, if you do not repent, shall be like cutting up the tree by the roots ; for as barren trees, which bring forth no fruit, are hewn down and cast into the fire, so shall it bo with you, if you perform not good works ; your kingdom shall be overthrown, and the inhabitants of the land utterly extirpated." See Paige's Selections. A like application is made of similar passages, by the same authors. There is not, in truth, an instance in the Bible where fire is used to eigiiify punishment' in eternity. In sermons and exhortations a dificront interpretation is often given; but few, however, arc will- ing to risk their reputation for biblical knowledge, by publicly FIRE, EVERLASTING FIRE, ETC. 213 disputing what is so abundantly asserted by the most learned authors. In the second place it will be seen, in the observance of those passages, that by fire is prefigured the truth of God ; which is represented as burning, cleansing, purifying and heating. Sec Mai. 4 : 1, and 3 : 2, 3. By these quotations is learned the burning affliction of the Jewish people, in the day of their distress. Dr. A, Clarke says, " The day cometh that shall burn as an oven, — signi fying tlic destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Aiid all th*: proud, — this is in reference to verse 15, of the preceding cliapter, The day that cometh shall burn them- up, — either by famine, by sword, or by captivity, all these rebels shall be destroyed. It shall leave them neither root nor branch ; — a proverbial expression for total destruction ; neither man nor child shall escape." Com. on Mai. 4 : 1. Thus Clarke apjilies the passage wholly to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. It is also seen, from the same (Mai. 8 : 3), that Christ is represented at that time as sitting " as a refiner and purifier of silver : purifying the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an oflFering in righteousness." The prophet represents the Lord himself as a wall of fire. Zech. 2 : 5, " For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and a glory in the midst of her" {Jerusalem). In Luke 12 : 49, it is said, " I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what will I, if it be already kindled?" Heb. 12: 29, Paul says, "For our God is a consuming fire," From the above remarks are made plain the nature and qualities of this_^re. The properties and qualities of God are indestructible. There are also moral and intellectual properties in man, as parts of God's perfection, or image, which can- not be destroyed. Thus, notwithstanding " God is a consuming ^re," yet, that fire is such that_ it only consumes what stands opposed to its own perfections : it cannot destroy its own qualities or properties. Hence the utility of the apostle's language in 1 Cor. 3 : 13 — 15, " Every man's work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire : and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss : but he himself shall be saved ; yet so as by fire." So we learn that this fire not only consumes wickedness, wicked works, and the 2 14. FIUE, EVKRLASTING FIHE, ETC. iinperfecti(jns of man, but at the same time purifies and saves the suffering sinner. In 2 Thess. 1 : 7 — 9, the apostle speaks of the Lord Jesus " as being revealed from heaven in jlaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : who shall be punished with everlasting {aionion) destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." This revelation by fire, and the destruction of the age, upon those that obeyed not God or the gospel, was the same as expressed in the 24th and 25th chapters of Matt., namely, the destruction of Jerusalem and that people as a nation. The Jews were those who troubled the Thessalonian brethren, and when Christ was revealed in fij-e [his chastejiiyig power), those Jews were punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, — that is, from Jerusalem, — and from the gloryof his power. There was no glory resulting to those wicked Jews ; they had been disobedient, and must receive the fruit of their doings. The violation of every law, whether physical, moral or national, must have its results. The J ews had undoubtedly violated all of those laws ; of course they must suffer accordingly. The time had come ; they were ripe for its result. It is called the destruction of the age [aionion destruction), because that age of people were ripe for the result, and the angels, or messengers [the Romans), were ready to execute it. It took place during that generation. See Matt. 16 : 27, 28. Mark 8 : 88 ; 9 : 1 ; Luke 9 : 26, 27 ; Matt. 23 : 36 ; 24 : 34. Christ is represented as taking vengeance on them, not only because he had warned them of its approach, and cautioned them to be wise and shun its calamities, but because they had utterly refused to give heed to his warnings and instructions, maltreating him as an im- postor and malefactor. Christ, in this ordeal, sat as a refiner. Nothing was consumed or destroyed save the wicked and wickedness. The destruction of the wicked was only literal ; he did not destroy them further than their literal existence was concerned. Nothing is said of following them into eternity. See Luke 13 : 1 — 5, " There were present at that season some that told him of the Gali- leans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus, answering, said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things ? I tell you. Nay ; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise FIRE, EVKRLASTINU FIRE, ETC. 245 perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam foil and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem ? I tell you, Nay ; but except ye repent, ye shall all Ukeivise perish:' Here Christ informed the Jews that, unless they reformed, and gave heed to his advice, t?iey should all likewise perish, — that is, they should peri.sh in like manner as did the Galileans: they lost their earthly existence, and so did the Jews at Jerusalem. It was the natural result of their previous course, while, at the same time, all who heeded Christ's instruction were saved. This fiery catastrophe did not consume the righteous ; they made their escape, and were safe. There are several passages, such as 2 Peter 3 : 7, Rev. 20 : 9. and some others, which relate to the same time, and have the same interpretation. Whenever the term fire is connected with Sheol, or Gehenna, it can have no more than a temporal signification ; for the reason that those places themselves are only temporal, as will be seen in this work. We find at least two instances where the adjective aionion, ren- dered everlasting, is prefixed to the word fiie ; but it is well known that adjectives do not of themselves establish qualities in nouns ; they are only used to express those properties or qualities that are inherent in the subject itself. Hence punishment (which was the object of this fire), being a means and not an end, cannot be affected by aionion, whatever meaning may be attached to it. The truth is, aionion, or everlasting, has no other than a limited signification. See on that word, in this work. In Matt. 18 : 8, and 25 : 41, the phrase everlasting fire occurs, and appears to allude (especially the first, from its parallel in Mark 9 : 43—48) to the fire of Ge- henna, which will be considered under that head. It also appears that the last stands connected with that event. The word evei-last- ing, applied to punishment, and the word eternal, applied to life, in this verse, are both from the same word, and both have the same meaning : the one shall go away into punishment aionion, the other into life aionion. So we see that both words have the same mean- ing, and that neither has an unlimited signification. In Jude 7, the same word occurs, and is prefixed to fire, — rcn- ' dered eternal fu e. Jude is here speaking of Sodom and Gomorrah, with other cities that had given themselves over to wickedness, as being set fo'th for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal 21* 246 FIRE, EVERLASTING FIRE, ETC. fire Although the word aionion, here rendered eternal, has the same sisfnification as above defined, yet it will be seen tliat the phrase, eternal fire, is here used as the iiutrument of punishment. Let that fire last as long as it may, it is not said that they were to suffer eternally, or even as long as the fire might continue to burn. The word eternal is here prefixed to fire, not to the cities or their inhabitants. It is stated that the fire which consumed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah actually continued to burn for more than two thousand years ; but who could be so insane as to suppose that the inhabitants of those cities suflered during that period ? It is imma- terial how long that fire continued to burn on the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah; it is certain that the inhabitants could suffer no longer than life remained. Hence, no shade of an argument can be adduced from this text to favor the unmerciful doctrine of endless misery. In Matt. 3 : 12, and Luke 3 : 17, we have instances where this fire is called unquenchable. It will, however, readily be under- stood that this unquenchable fire stands immediately connected with the axe and the trees that were to be hewn down and cast into the fire ; and also with the baptism which was to be performed with the Holy Ghost and with fire. From the connection of these expressions, it certainly is reasonable to suppose that the same sub- ject is in view, and the same signification given, — with the excep- tion that he here extends his figure in showing favor to the obedi- ent, as well as stern judgment to the disobedient. By gathering his wheat into the garner is signified the deliverance and safety of those who obeyed him, and who were actually safe from all harm in the city of Pella, among the mountains ; while the unbelieving Jews were left to the pitiless fury of the Iloman armies, and the fiery pangs of starvation and death. The severe distress of the Jews was represented by the phrase unquenchable fire, not because the fire would never cease to burn, but because it could not be extinguished, and would continue until the material on which it fed should be destroyed, or until the cause by which it was produced should be entirely removed. Pearce, on this text, says, " In this whole verse the destruction of the Jewish state is expressed in tlie terms of husbandmen ; and by the wheat's being gathered into the garner, seems meant that the 'believers in Jesus should not be involved in the calamity." Ham- FIRE, EVERLAST'Na I'IKE, ETC. 247 mond says, " Tlic burning of this chaff signifies the condition of tho Jews in this life." Cappc refers it to the calamities and destruction of Jerusalem. Kcnrick and Clarke give the same exposition. See their comments in full, Paige's Seleciions. We know of no arguments which can possibly be made to bear against the foregoing conclusions. The^re of God's love and truth will burn, and continue to burn, to all eternity, and that for the good of his creatures. That called the fire of affliction, as cormected with man, will burn until every imperfection is removed, and no longer. CHAPTEK XI. ON THE WOEM THAT DIETII I\01 SECTION I. Tlwse passages ivhere the expressiori tueikworm dieth not may befouna Isa. 66 : 23, 24. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon t( another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worshi{, before me, saith the Lord. And tliey shall go forth, and look upon thr carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me : for their icorm shall not die, neither shall their lire be quenched : and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Mark 'J : 43 — 18. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off ; it is bcttei for thee to enter into life maimed, than, having two hands, to go into hell {Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched ; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenclied. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off ; it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than, having two feet, to bo cast into hell {Gehenna), into tlie fire tliat never shall be quenclied ; where their worm dieth not, and tlie fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, i^luck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God Avith one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell-tire {Gehenna yntros) ; where tlieir worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Foi every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. SECTION II. Brief Remarks on the " TVorni that dieth not.'' The expression, " Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched," is relied on with much confidence, bj the believer in endless misery, as strong proof of tluit doctrine. But for what rciibon we are unable to learn. Sure are we that the scripture ON TUK AVOUM THAT DlliXU NOT. 249 usage of the expression gives no such evidence. It is well known that the tcorm here expressed was represented as in Gehenna; con- sequently, all depends upon the nature, durability and continuance, of that place. Now Gehenna, here rendered hell, is well known to be a word of Hebrew origin, and strictly signifies the lileral valley of Hinnom ; from IIinnom, the owner of the valley, which was on the south-east of the city of Jerusalem, and watered by the brook Kedron. See AspbVs History and Maps. In this valley had been planted the notable idol (worshipped by the Jews), called Moloch. After a lapse of time this iilace was desecrated, and became the receptacle of the filth and offal of the aiiy ; and, as this ofiiil constantly produced worms, hence came the expression ''where their v:orm dieth not ; " and as it became necessary to keep a per- petual fire for the consumption of said ofiFal, came the expression " and the fire is not quenched." Such facts are too well authenti- cated to be disputed by any intelligent or well-informed mind. Both the worms and the fire existed so long as there was a cause to produce them ; but it is well known that, for ages past, both have ceased to exist. This place was sometimes called Tophet, the valley of slaughter, &c. Jer. 7 : 31, and 19 : 6. With these facts in mind, how are we to interpret our Saviour's expression, or how could the Jews have understood him ? They knew all about Gehenna, and its puros, or pur, — fire. Christ knew all about tliis Gehenna, which he presented to the people ; and if he prefigured pain and misery thereby, what time and place did he allude to ? Had he, on any other occasion, or at any time, taught the Jews that there was a Gehnna of fire in eternity ? or that there was any place there prefigiLred hy Gehenna ? No, reader, never adopt such conclusions until you are enabled, by good authority, to point us to such time and to such place. Are you not aware that the only part of man which can exist in eternity is spiritual, immortal, closely connected with Christ, the object which he loved, and for which he died ? And can you sup- pose that Christ meant to signify, by his expression, a direct com- parison between the immortal part of man in eternity and the loath- some worms of the valley of Hinnom ? If so, reflect for a moment, and examine both sides of your figure. If your conclusions ba right, then, all who escape hell and go to heaven (in eternity), must certainly go there halt, maimed and decrepit, — perhaps some with 250 ON THE -WORM I'lIAT DIETII i\OT. one eye, or one limb, and peradventure some without either. These are unavoidable conclusions ; for he says, if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; or, if thy foot offend thee, cut it off; or, if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out ; for it is better for thee to enter halt, maimed, &c., into life, than, having all these members, to be cast into Gehenna fire. Now, whosoever makes choice of the above figure of Gehenna, must also abide by their heaven of decrepitude ; and there is no remedy ; for if Gehenna means an eternal hell, then life means eternal heaven, vice versa. We will now leave the above figure, and inquire after the prob- able meaning of the passage. When Christ made this ex.pression to the Jews, he undoubtedly had his mind on the passage of the prophet. Isa. 66 : 23, 24, " And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they (all flesh) shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me : for their worm sliall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched ; and they shall be an abhor- ring unto all flesh." That the prophet used these words to express temporal judgments, will not be disputed. He speaks of a period in which there were new moons and Sabbath days ; and of a place in which there were fleshly, or corporeal worshippers ; and the worms and_/?re, they went forth to look upon, could not have been in eter- nity, for he says, " they shall look upon the carcasses of the men," and adds, " they shall be an abhorring u7iio all flesh." Now there can be no such thing as carcasses in the eternal world ; neither could those there " be an abhorring unto all flesh ;" for there is neither new moons, Sabbath days, carcasses, flesh, nor icorms, in the eternal and immortal worlds. Hence, Christ could not have used this language to convey any other than the same idea conveyed by the prophet, and understood by the people. When he said to them, it is better to enter halt into life, &c., he could have meant nothing more or less, than they had better forego all their pleasures, gains, unbelief, and whatever served as obsta- cles, and heed his advice, make their escape, and be saved from the distress and ruin suddenly coming upon that people and nation. Thus, all that can possibly be understood by the undying worm, and the Gehenna of fire, is confined to earth, and earthly existence. For further illustrations, see on the word Gehenna in this work. CHAPTER XII. ON THE FUEMCE OF PIEE. SECTION I. TTiose passages where the words Fuenace, Fubnace op Fihe, etc., occur Deut. 4 : 20. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron fxirnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inherit- ance, as ye are this day. 1 Kings 8 : 51. For they be thy people, and thine inheritance which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the/wrnace of iron. Jer. 11 : 4. Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought theoi forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you : so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God. Isa. 31 : 9. And he sliall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his/«rHffce in .Jerusalem. Isa. 48 : 10. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver ; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Ezek. 22 : 18 — 22. Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross : all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace ; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because ye are all become dross, behold, tlierefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it, so will I gatlier you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gatlier you and blow upon you in the fire of my wratli, and ye shall be melted in tlie midst thereof Aa silver is melted in the n>idst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof ; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you. Matt. 13 : 41, 42. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and tbey shall gather out of hie kingdom all things that ofiend, and them which 252 ON TUE FURNACE OF FIllE, do iniquity ; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Verse 50. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall be •wailing and gnashing of teeth. SECTION II. Remarks on the Furnace of Fire. It is commonly thought that by the phrase furnace of fire is signified a place somewhere in the eternal world, in which a large share of the human family will be tortured without end. • The word furnace is, in several instances, used in the Jewish scriptures, to signify literal afflictions and trials of the peo|)le. Furnace of affliction is also used for the same puri)ose. But •wherever those few instances occur, they stand iunuediately con- nected with the temporal concerns of men ; they have no allusion, in any case, beyond the affairs of time. And this is made so j^lain by a careful perusal of the passages themselves, that none can well mistake their meaning. Isaiah makes use of the expression once, in chapter 48: 10, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver ; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." This language was addressed to the Jews in Babylon. He did not say that he had chosen them as the inmates of a furnace of affliction in eternity ; but says, " I have refined thee," " I have chosen thee," &c. It was already done ; they were then in the furnace, by which was signified their bondage under the Chaldeans. Any place of affliction was represented by the prophets under the figures of " fire," " furnace," " furnace of fire," " furnace of affliction," &c. Egypt was called an iron furnace to the Jews, while they were there in affliction. But he had brought tlicm forth " oitt of the furnace;''^ see Deut. 4: 20, also 1 Kings 8: 51. Let it also be remembered that it was his people who were in the furnace, and not a race abandoned to a furnace of the devil in eternity. " For they be thy people, and thine inheritance which thou broughtest forth out of Kgypt, from tlie midst of the furnace of iron," The imperfect tense of the verb here shows that tiiey bad been in, and also brought out of, the furnace. But Matt. 13 ; 41, ON THE FURNACE Oi' FIKE. 253 informs us, that " the Son of Man shall send forth his angels (mes- sengers), and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity ; and shall cast tliem into a furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Here, some future time is expressed, in which they were to be cast into a furnace of fire. The OjUCStion is, first, what tivxe is alluded to ; and, second, what or where was this furnace ? 1. To learn the time when they were to be cast into this furnace, we must observe, that this expression was made by Christ to his disciples, in explanation of the parable of the tares of the field. See verses 3G — 4o. lie firstly informs them that the Son of Man soweth the good seed, which are the children of the kingdom Secondly, " that the field is the woAd [hosmos) ; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the end of the world {aionos, age) ; and the reapers are the angels " {angeloi, messengers). The world which was to have an end here is not kosmos, the field, but aionos, whicli shows that it was the e7id of the Jewish age, or dispensa- tion, when the tares were to be separated and cast into i\\e furnace of fire. Pearce says, verse 40, " End of this icorld : rather end of this age, viz., that of the Jewish dispensation." Verse 41, " Shall send forth his angels : this is spoken, not of what shall happen at the end of the world, but what was to happen at the end of the Jewish state." Hammond and Cappe give in substance the same comment on the passages. The above shows that the time was the end or destruction of the Jewish age ; and that the place or furnace was in Jerusalem. To make this still plainer, see Isa. 31 : 9, " Whose fire is in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem^ This is plain, positive, and deci- sive language. " His furnace is in Jerusalem." It is nowhere said, that God has a furnace in eternity, or that he will ever pre- pare one there; but this furnace, which was future to the time of the expression, actually received those who were to be melted therein, about forty-one years after the ascension of our Saviour. See Ezek. 22 : 18—22. There it is declared that the house of Israel, the Jews, had become dross, and that the Lord would gather them into the midst of Jerusalem, as they gather tin, brass, silver, &c., into the midst of the furnace to melt it. So would ho, the Lord, gather into the furnace, Jerusalem, the Jews; leave 254 ON THE FURNACE OF FIRE. them there, melt them, &c. What can be more plain and definite? This was all literally fulfilled in Jerusalem 1800 years since, in strict accordance with the prediction of our Saviour, in Matt. 13 : 41, 43. What more is necessary to make the subject perfectly plain to every one ? CHAPTER XIII. ON THE LAKE OF FIRE, LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, AND SECOND DEATH. SECTION I. Those passages wherein the phrases Lake op Fire, Lake op Fire and Brimstone, and Second Death, occur. Rev. 20 : 14, 15. And death and licll {hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev. r.) : 20. And tlie beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which lie deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and tliem that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning luilli brimstone. Rev. 20 : 10. And tlie devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev. 21 : 8. But the feartul, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liai's, shall have their part in the lake which, burneth with fire and brimstone ; which is the second death. Second Death. — Rev. 2 : 11. lie that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches ; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Rev. 2') : 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first restirrec- tion ; on such the second death hath no power ; but they shall be priests of God anil of Christ, and shall reign with liiui a thousand years. Verse 14. And deith and hell {hades) were cast into the lake of fire This is the second death. Rev. 21 : 8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with (ire and brimstone, which is the second death 256 ON THE LAKE OF FIRE, ETC SECTION II. Brief Remarks on the foregoing Section. The word Jire, and the phrases everlasting and eternal fire, and the furnace of fire, are all explained in their proper places. In this subject we have the lake of fire and hrimstoiie. Brimstone is well known to be a very ignitible substance, and, when in contact with fire, to produce a most destructive and deadly elfusion. The figure was evidently used to signify the deleterious and pungent consequence of aggravated crime. The expression, lake of fire and brimstone, occurs nowhere in the Bible excepting in the book of Revelation. Fire and brimstone are used as figures in different parts of the Bible, and always represent afflictions and trials in this life. In Job IS : 15, it is said (in speaking of the wicked), " Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation." In Ps. 11:6, it is said, " Upon the wicked he shall rain snare?, fire and brim- stone, and an horrible tempest : this shall be the portion of their cup." Now, no one will suppose that David had an allusion to eternity when he said, " the Lord should rain snares, fire, brimstone, and an horrible tempest upon the wicked ! " Ilis expression was figurative, and to be accomplished in this world. In Isa. 34 : 9, 10, in speaking of the land of Iduraea, it is said, " And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brim- stone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day ; the smoke thereof shall go up for- ever : from generation to generation it shall lie waste ; none shall pass through it forever and ever." Ezekiel, in speaking of the wicked and disobedient, declares that the Lord will send upon them an overflowing rain, and great hail-stones, fire and brimstone. In Rev. 19 : 20, it is said of the beast and false prophet, that " these both were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone." No one can suppose that people can be cast alive into a lake of fire and brimstone, in the spirit-world. And, in 20 : 10, it is said, " The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." Here we have the same lake, and tliosc who are therein shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. If there be day and 7iight in eternity, then must there also be a sun to rise and set, to divide the time and ON THE LAKE OF FIRE, ETC. 257 tell the rolling year, even in eternity ! Let the opinions of men bo what they may, the " lake of fire and brimstone " is confined to this terraqueous globe ; and by no genius of man can it be established as a machine of torture in the eternal world. But it is said that " the fearful, unbelieving, &c., with all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with_;?re and brim- stone ; which, is the second deaths Very true ! It is also said that " death and hell were cast into the lake o^ fire. Tliis is tlie second deaths Eev. 20 ; 14. Also, in 6 : 8, it is said that there was a " pale horse ; and his name that sat upon him was death, and hell followed with him." There was also a "beast with seven heads and ten horns,'' with many other things which might bo named, all of wliich must have a like interpretation. Now, if " death and hell," the " beast and his rider," the " seven heads and ten horns," are used as figures, then, certainly, the lake of fire burn- ing with brimstone, into which the above were cast, must also be a figure, representing the fall or end of the tragedy in which they were then acting. This lake of fire and brimstone is said to be the second death. See llev. 20 : 14, and 21 : 8. Now, as we have abundantly shown that fire, the furnace of fire, and the lake of fire and brimstone, are all confined to this world, and their sufferings endured in this life, so also must the second death be here, in this state of existence, and not in eternity. The phrase second death occurs in only four passages in tlie Bible. Those passages are in Rev. 2: 11, 20: 6, 14, and 21: 8. We have stated, in our remarks on the judgment, that the second death is the tragical end and ruin of the Jewish people and nation. In Rev. 2 : 11, it is said unto the churches, " He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.'" Those who heard and obeyed the instruction given by our Saviour were not hurt, or involved in the ruin which overtook the heedless and unbelieving. It is the opinion of able writers that this scene was called the secorid death, in allusion to the destruction of the second temple, which was demolished at that time. We have no doubt but that the opinion is correct. The destruction of the first and second temples undoubtedly led John, in view of the destruction of the last, to term it the second death. This was not only the second, but the last, with them as a nation. It is not in the power of man to show, from good authority, that any death whatever is to take place, or be suflFered in eternity. 22* CHAPTER XIV THE PHRASES STAND BEFORE THE LORD, STAND BEFORE GOD, APPEAR BEFORE GOD, THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD. SECTION I. Those passages wherein the phrases Stand befoke the Lord, Stanj> BEFORE God, Appear before God, and The presence of the Lord, ^c, occur. Deut. 10 : 8. At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of tlie covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name unto tliis day. Deut. 19 : 17. Then both the men between whom the controversy is shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, ■yvhich shall be in those days. Deut. 29 : 10. Ye stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your ofiScers, with all the men of Israel. 1 Sam. C : 20. And the men of Beth-shemesh said. Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God 7 and to whom shall he go up from us ? 1 Kings 19 : 11. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the jnount before the Lord. And behold, tlie Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the Lord was not in the wind : and after the wind an earthquake ; but the Loi'd was not in the earthquake. 2 Ciiron. 2U : 9. If, when evil comcth upon us, as the swoi'd, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence (for thy nnme is in this house), and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. P^zra 9 : 15. () Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous : for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day : behold, we are before thee in our trespasses l;r we cannot stand befoi'e thee because of this. STAND BEFOllfi TUE LOUD, ETC. 259 Jcr. 7 : 10. And come and stand before vie in 'esence. The mountains flowed down at thy presence. Jer. 4 : 26. I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. Jer. 5 : 22. Fear ye not me ? saith the Lord : will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpet- ual decree, that it cannot pass away ? Jer. 23 : 39. Therefore, behold I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence. Jonah 1 : 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa ; and he found a ship going to Tar- shish : so he paid tlie fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with tliem unto Tarshisli from the presence of the Lord. Zeph. 1 : 7. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand ; for the Lord hath prejjared a sacrifice, lie hath bid his guests. Luke 13 : 26. Tlicn shall ye begin to say. We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and tliou hast taught in our streets. Acts 3 : lit. Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 1 Cor. 1 : 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence {presence of God). 2 Thess. 1 : 9. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. SECTION II. Remarks on the phrases Stand before Gop, Appkar before God, and Presence of the Lord. The passages which we have collected togelhcr, in Section 1 of this Cliapter, from the Bible, in which those phrases occur, require but very little comment. They speak for themselves. If the STAND BKFORE TUK LOUD, ETC. 2G1 reader will carefully consult them, he will see that tlie fcllowing facts are pcrCectly obvious. 1. JMankind are frequently spoken of as standing before God, appearing before God, and as being in the presence of God, when no reference is had to a future world; and, when all of this took place in the present world. 2. It was a coMiniou mode of speech among tlie Hebrews, when anything remarkable took place, or when any particular interposi- tion of divine Providence was manifest, to represent those who saw it, as standing before God, and as being in God's presence. 3. It was supposed by the Jews that God's presence was in a particular manner in the temple of Jcrusiilem, in the city of Jeru- Balem, and in tlie land of Judea. 4. The Jews are spoken of as being in God's presence, when nothing more is meant than that they were in the enjoyment of their national rights and privileges in the land of Judea. And they are spoken of as being cast out from God's presence, when nothing more is meant than that they were banished from the land of Judea, from the temple and holy city, and carried captives to Bab3lon. 5. When, therefore, John saw in a vision, " the dead, small and great, stand before God," Rev. 20 : 12, it by no means follows that he saw them literally stand before God ; nor that this standing before God took place in another world. 6. When it is said of the Jews that they should " be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power," it does not follow that they were to be punished in another world, nor be banished from God's presence there. The following extract from Balfour's Second Inquiry will present this subject in its true light, " By the presence of God, or presence of the Lord, in scripture, is sometimes meant his being everywhere present. Thus, David says, Ps. 139: 7, 8, 'Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell (sheol), behold, thou art there,' &c. Admitting, for argument's sake, that hell is a place of endless punishment, how could the wicked even there be out oi' God's presence ? Yet, in 2 Thess. 1 : 9, the Jews are said to .be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of tfw. 262 STAND BEFORE THE LORD, ETC, Lord. Again ; I find the phrase pi'esence of the Lord, refers to heaven, or the dwelling-place of the Most High. Christ is said to have gone ' into heaven, now to appear in the presence of God for us.' Heb. 9 : 24. And it is said, Luke 1 : 19, 'I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God.' But how could the wicked be punished with everlasting destruction from God's presence in this sense ? For surely no one will say that they were ever in heaven, and like Gabriel stood in the presence of God. But, again, the phrase face of God, or presence of the Lord, refers to some places where people went to worship him, and where he met with and manifested himself to them. Thus Jacob, at Penuel, Gen. 32 : 30, says, ' I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.' See Job 1 : 6 — 12, and 2 : 1 — 7, for examples of the same phrase, presence of the Lord. Unless there was some particular place where God was manifested in the days of Cain, how could it be said, 'and Cain went oni from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod (or vagabond, as in the margin), in the cast of Eden ? ' Gen. 4:16; and verse 14, it is added by Cain, ' Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth ; and from thy face shall I be hid.' " It is very evident that the presence of the Lord was in a pecu- liar manner among the children of Israel. See Ex. 33 : 14 — 17 ; compare Isa. 63: 9, and Ps. 51 : 11. The tabernacle in the wil- derness and the temple at Jerusalem were considered by the Jews as the peculiar residence of Jehovah. There he abode, and there they performed all their religious services to him. Jehovah M'as the God of the Jews ; their land his land, and the temple there was considered the place of his immediate presence. In the temple at Jerusalem, God is said to dwell between the cherubims. Ps. 80. The show bread placed there is called ' the loaves of the presence or faces.' And, viewed in this light, the following texts have great beauty and force. ' Let us come before his presence with thanks- giving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.' 'Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing. Glory and honor are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.' Ps. 95 : 2, and 100 : 2 • 1 Cliron. 16 : 27. But that the land of Judea, and particularly the temple, was considered by the Jews as the place of God's peculiar presence, is manifest from Jonah 1:3,' But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish, from tho STAND BEFORE THE LORD, ETC. 263 presence of the Lord.' Where he believed the Lord's presence to lie. we learn from chap. 2 : 4, ' I am cast out of thy si^ht ; liut I will look again toward thy holy temple.' In ^lort, whether the Jews were in their own land, or in captivity, when they prayed or jierformed acts of worship to their God, their thoughts and their IJices were directed towards their temple at Jerusalem. See, in proof of this, Dan. 6: 10; 1 Kings 8; Ps. 5: 7. " But there are still some passages which deserve our particular notice, becau.se they clearly decide what is the meaning of the phrase, presence of the Lord. The first is, 2 Kings 13 : 23, ' And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast them from his presence as yet.'' This was spoken of the Jews; and just notice, that God speaks of destroying them^ and casting thevi from his presence. What he here says, that as yet, he would not do to this people, in the following passage we find that he did do. 2 Kings 24 : 20, ' For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his "presence, that Zede- kiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.' The same is repeated, Jer. 52 : 3. God's presence was enjoyed by the Jews in Judea, and in their temple service. To be cast out of God's presence, is to be banished from Judea into captivity, and from all the privi- leges which the Jews enjoyed in their land, and temple worship. Tliis was the same as destroying them. They were thus destroyed or cast out of God's presence for seventy years in their captivity at Babylon. But they were brought back from this captivity, and again enjoyed God's presence in their own land. At the time Paul wrote the words in Thessalonians, the time was drawing near when they were to be again cast out of God's presence, and dispersed among all nations. Paul adopts the very language of the above passages, used in speaking of their former captivity, to describe the judgments of God which awaited them in their being cast out of their land, their city and temple destroyed, and they destroyed with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. The Jews now are just as certainly destroyed from the presence of the Lord, as they were during the seventy years' captivity in Babylon. IIow, then, can any man afiirm that Paul meant, by this phrase, either annihilation or endless misery ^ If the Scriptures are allowed 264 STAND BEFORE TUE LORD, ETC. to interpret themselves, Paul only describes the temporal destruc- tion and banishment of the Jews, and in the very language by which the prophets had described their former punishments. It is added by the apostle, 'and from the glory of his power j' or, as some ren- der it, ' his glorious power.' Should this be understood of Jehovah, the God of Israel, it is certain his glorious power was displayed among the Jews. Should it be understood of Christ, it agrees with •what is said of him ; for at the destruction of Jerusalem he is said to have come in the glory of his Father ; and he was then to be seen coming with power and great glory. Matt. 16 : 27, and 24: 30" CHAPTER XV. ON THE PHrxASES KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, KINGDOM OF GOD, A KINGDOM, THE KINGDOM, ETC. SECTION I. ^11 the passages in the Bible wherein the phrase Kingdom op God occurs. Dan. 2 : 44. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Matt. 6 : 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- ness ; and all these things [food and clothing] shall be added unto you. Matt. 12 : 28. _ But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kini^dom of God is come unto you. Matt. 21 : 43. Therefore, say I unto you [the chief priests and elders], The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bring- ing forth the fruits thereof Mark 1 : 14, 15. Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand , repent ye, and believe the gospel. Mark 10 : 14, 15. But when Jesus saw it [that his disciples rebuked them that brouglit little children unto him], lie was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer tlie little children to come unto me, and forl)id them not ; for of sucli is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. iSIark 12 : 34. And when Jesus saw that he [the scribe] answered dis- creetly, he said unto him. Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. McU-k 15 : 43. Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, which 23 266 ON THE PHRASE KINGDOM OV GOD, ETC, also Avaited for the kingdo?n. of God, came and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. Luke 4 : 43. And he said unto them, I must preach Ike kingdom of God to other cities also : for tlierefore am I sent. Luke 6 : 20. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Bles- sed be ye poor ; for yours is ike kingdom of God. Luke y : G-. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is iit for the kingdom of God. Luke 10:9. And heal the sick that are therein ; and say unto them. The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. Verse 11. Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe oif against you : notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. Luke 13 : 28, 2'J. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from tlie west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. Luke 17 : 20, 21. And when he [Christ] was demanded of the Phari- sees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said. The kingdom of God cometh not with observation : neither sliall they say, Lo, here ! or lo, there ! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 18 : 16, 17. But Jesus called them unto him, and stiid. Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, AVhosoever shall not receive the kingdom, of God as a little child, shall in no wise enter therein. Verse 2'.). And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, Tliere is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or childi-en, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in thia present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. Luke 22 : 16. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof [the passover], until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. John 3 : 3. Jesus answered and said unto him [Nicodemus], Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Rom. 14 : 17, 18. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ; but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things [righteousness and peace] serveth Christ, is acceptable to God and appi'oved of men. 1 Cor. 4 : 20. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Cor. 6 : 9 — 11. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God 1 Be not deceived ; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor i)liets were until Jolin : since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. Acts 8 : 12. But when they believed Philip, preaching the things con- cerning . And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging ; to whom he expounded and testified the 268 ON THE PHRASE KINGDOM OF GOD, ETC. kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the projihets, from morning till evening. Verse 31. Preaching Ike kingdom of God, ami teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbid ding him [Paul]. Acts 1 : o. To whom also he [Christ] showed himself alive after hi? passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts lU : 8. And he [Paul] went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concern- ing the kingdom of God. Acts 14 : 22. [Paul and Barnabas] confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. Mark 10 : 2o. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his dis- ciples. How hardly shaU they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! John 3 : 5. Jesus answered. Verily, verily, I say unto thee [Nicode mus] , Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Col. 4:11. These only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Matt. 21 : 31. The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. SECTION II. All the passages in the Bible wherein the phrase Kingdom of Heaveh occurs. Matt. 3:1,2. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wildei-ness of Judea. And saying. Repent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. 4:17. From that time [when he had left Nazareth and dwelt in Capernaum after .John's imprisonment], Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. 10 : 7. And as ye go [his disciples], preach, saying, The kingdom of hcdi'en is at hand. Matt. 5 : 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Verse 10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Ver.se I'J. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least command- ments, and shall teacli men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Verse 20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 7 : 21. Not every one tliat saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ON THE rilRASE KINGDOM OF GOD, ETC. 269 Ilntt. 8 : 11, 12. And I sny unto yon. That many sliall come from the cast ami west, ami shall sit down with Alir.iliaiii, ami Isaac, and Jacob, in the kitif;doin of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness : tiierc shall bo weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt. 11 : 11,12. Verily I say unto you, Among them that arc born of ■women, there hatli not risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwith- standing, ho that Is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And fnim the ilays of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven surt'ereth violence, and tlie vicileut take it by force. Matt, lo : 11. lie answered, and said unto them [his disciples] , Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Verses 24, 25. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his tield : hut while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. Verse ol. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The king- dom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Verse 33. Another parable spake he unto them ; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Verses 44, 45. Again, The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a tielil ; the which when a man liatli found he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth andselletb all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, The king- dom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man seeking goodly peails. Verses 47, 48. Again, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind : which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. Verse 52. Then said he unto them, Therefoi-e every scribe which is instructed into the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an house- holder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Matt. IG : lU. And I will give unto thee [Peter] the keys of the king- dom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matt. 18 : 1 — 3. At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, say- ing, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven 1 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, ami said, Verily I say unto you. Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Verse 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. Matt. 20 : 1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vinej'ard. Mitt. 22 : 1 — 3. And .Jesus answered, and spake unto them again, by parables, and said. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding ; and they would not come. M.vtt. 23 : 13. But woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Matt. 25 : 1. Then shall the kingdom, of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom 23* 270 ON THE PHRASE KINGDOM OF GOD, ETC. Verse 14, For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them hia goods SECTION III. Those passages in the Bible wherein the phrases The Kingdom, A KiNa« DOM, EVEKLASTING KINGDOM, etC, OCCUr. Dan. 7 : 27. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, ivhose kingdom is a7i everlasting kingdom, and all do- minions shall serve and obey him. Matt. 13 : 19. AVhen any one heareth the woixl of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and casteth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way- Bide. Verse 38. The field is the world ; the good seed are tlie children of the kingdom; but the tares ai-e the children of the wicked one. Matt, 25 : 34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared fo- you from the foundation of the world. Mark 11 : 10. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord : hosanna in the highest. Luke 12: 31, 32. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God ; and all these things [food and raiment] shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 19 : 12. He said, therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to I'eceive for himself a kingdom, and to return. Luke 22 : 29. And I [Christ], appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me. John 18 : 36. Jesus answered. My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, tliun would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews ; but now is my kingdom not from hence. 1 Cor. 15 : 24. Then cometh the end when he [Christ] shall have deliv- ered up the kingdom to God, even the Father : when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. Col. 1:13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kinfj^dom, of his dear Son. 2 Tim. 4 : 18. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom : to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Heb. 12 : 28. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be move : '2\K But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost luith never forgiveness, but is in danger o( eternal damnation. .loha T) : "Jli. And shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of dam nation- limn. 3 : 8. And not rather (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say). Let us do evil that good may come? whose dam- nation is just. Rom. 18 : 2. Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that resist, shall i-eceive to themselves dam- nation. I Cor. 1 1 : 20. For he that eateth and drinketli unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 1 Tim. 5 : 12. Having damnation, because they have cast otf their first filth. 2 Peter 2 : 3. And through covetousncss shall they [false teachers'], with feigned words, make merchandise of you : whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. Damned. — IMark Ki : IG. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved : but he that believeth not sliall be damned. Rom. 14 : 2.3. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith : for whatsoever is not of faith, is sin. 2 Thess. 2 : 11, 12. And for this cause [rejecting the truth'\ God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie ; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in un- righteousness. Condemnation. — .John 3 : IG — 19. For God so loved the world, tliat he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shouM not perish, but have everlasting life For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned : but he that believeth not is condemned already ; because he hath not believed in the n;ime of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. .John •') : 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death unto life. Rom. T) : IH. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation ; but the free gift is of many otFences U7ito justification. Verse 18. Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation ; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gifl came upon all men unto justification of life. Rom. 8 : 1 — 3. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus liath made me free from the law 288 DOCTRINE OF SALTATION AND DAMNATION of sin and deatli. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. 1 Cor. 11 : 32 — 34. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with tlie world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home ; that ye come not together unto condem- nation. And the rest will I set in order when I come. 2 Cor. 3 : 9. For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 1 Tim. 3 : 6. Not a novice, lest, being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil. James 3 : 1. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. James 5 : 12. But let your yea be yea ; and your nay, nay ; lest ye fall into condemnation. Jude 1 : 4. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 6 : 37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged : condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven. John 8 : 10, 11. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her. Woman, wliere are those thine accusers ? hath no man condemned thee ? She said. No man. Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee : go, and sin no more. Titus 3 : 10, 11. A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject ; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. 2 Peter 2 : 6. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly. SECTION III. Remarks on the Bible doctrine of Salvation and Damnation. These remarks are designed to show the contrast between the opinions of men on this subject, and the plain teachings of the Bible. 1. We will speak of salvation. 2. Of damnation. I. Of Salvation. — The common opinion on this subject is, first, That Jesus Christ came to this world to save mankind in another ; second, That the salvation of the Gospel consists in being saved from the penalty of God's law; from deserved punishment; and from an endless hell, or place of misery, in a future state of existence. But to all of these opinions we oppose the following objections, viz. 1. It is nowhere said, in the Bible, that Jesus Christ came to this world to save mankind in another. On the contrary, he him- DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. 280 self says, that he came " to seek and to sove that which was lost." Luke rj : 10 ; Matt. 18 : 11. Not that which was in danger of being lost, nor that which was liable to be lost, but that which was already lost. In Luke 4:18, 10, he tells us that he came to ' preach the Gospel to the poor ; to heal the broken-hearted, to preach de- liverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.' He also affirms that he came to do the will of God, John 6 : 38 ; and to bear witness to the truth, John 18: 37. But he nowhere informs us that he came to save any man from any danger to which he was exposed in another world. 2. The Bible nowhere informs us that salvation consists in being saved from the penalty of God's law, nor from deserved punishment, nor from a place of endless misery. On the contrary, the salvation of the gospel consists in being saved from darkness, from unbelief, from sin and all its attendant evil consequences. John 12 : 46, " I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." Gal. 1:4, " Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, ac- cording to the will of God and our Father." Titus 2: 14, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Matt. 1 : 21, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins." — As mankind have mistaken the nature of salvation, so they have been mistaken in regard to the means by which it is effected. It has been supposed that this salvation is effected by Christ's suffering the penalty due to the sinner, and bearing in his own person the punishment which the guilty only were deserving of. But where could mankind learn such opinions? Certainly not from the Bible; for that nowhere informs us that Jesus suffered the penalty of any law of God whatever ; nor that he suffered any punishment which was due to our sins. That Jesus suffered in consequence of our sins is undoubtedly true. But how this could exonerate us from blame, or clear us from guilt, is more than any rational man can possibly understand. How, then, is this salvation effected ? Answer, by simply believing the truth. Mankind, in consequence of sin, have become "alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance which is in them " Eph. 4 : 18. They are lost in the labyrinths of 25 290 DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. Bin and transgression. Luke 19 : 10. They are ignorant of God. of his character, and of his purposes concerning the final destiny of the human race. 1 Cor. 1 : 21. Jesus came with a message of love, of grace, and of salvation. He came to reveal the true charac- ter of God, and to make known his purposes. He came to bear witness to the truth. By believing this truth we exercise a faith which " works by love and purifies the heart," Gal. 5:6; and we have a hope imparted to us, which enables us to " purify ourselves, even as God is pure." 1 John 3 : 3. By believing this truth we come into the possession of a true knowledge of God, " whom to know is life eternal." John 17 : 3. Jesus came to preach the Gos- pel, and those who believe this Gospel find it to be the '■'■ paioer of God unto }> dvation.^'' Rom. 1 : 16. To be saved, is to be redeemed from the bondage of sin, to be born again, and to be made free. All this is efiected by the moral power and influence of divine truth. Hence, says our Saviour, John 8: 32, "Ye shall know the truth, and the tmth shall make you free.''' Hence, Jesus prayed for his dis- ciples, John 17 : 17, " Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17 : 19, " And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified thraiLgh the truth.'''' We learn from this that even sanctification is produced by the influence of truth upon the hearts and minds of the children of men. 1 Peter 1 : 22, 23, " Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another, with a pure heart fervently : being bor7i again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." 1 John 5:1, "Whoso- ever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God." As mankind have been mistaken in regard to the nature of salva- tion, and in relation to the means by which it is effected, so they have been mistaken in regard to its extent. It has been generally supposed that this salvation will be confined to a very few. But the Bible inforir)a us th;it Jesus came to save the world, John 3: 17; and he is repeatedly and expressly called the " Saviour of the world." Of God it is said, 1 Tim. 4: 10, "Who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe." And it is said of him, 1 Tim. 2 : 4, " Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowl- edge of the truth." We have seen that there is a moral power in truth, which renders it capable of saving all who believe it. When, DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. 291 therefore, God's will is accomplished, and all men are brought to the knowledge of the truth, all men will be saved. Jesus says, in John 6 : 45, " It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." When all arc taught of God, all will be taught the truth ; even that truth wliich maketh free ; and all will be saved by its mighty power. But, although God is the prospective Saviour of all men, yet he is the special Saviour of those that believe now. The difference be- tween the believer and the unbeliever is simply this : the believer is saved ; the unbeliever is to be saved. God is the special Saviour of believers because believers are saved now. They enjoy a salva- tion which the unbelievers know not of Hence, they are spoken of in the Bible as being already saved. Luke 7 : 50, " Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." Hom. 8 : 24, "For we are saved by hope." 1 Cor. 1 : IS, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God." 1 Cor. 15 : 2, " By which [the Gospel] also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you." 2 Cur. 2 : 15, " For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in tlicm that are saved, and in them that perish." Eph. 2: 5, "By grace ye are saved." Eph. 2:8, " For by grace are ye saved." Titus 3:5, " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." 2 Tim. 1:9, " Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." Eph. 1 : 11, " In whom also we fiave obtained an inheritance" &c. Eph. 1 : 3, " Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heaveidy places in Christ." Eph. 2: 1, "And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." Eph. 2 : (5, " And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Rev. 21 : 24, " And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it" [the holy city, by which is signified the Gospel dispensation]. 1 Peter 1 : 9, '■'■ Receivi7ig the end o^ your faith, even the salvation of your souls." Gal. 3:9, " They which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Heb. 4 : 3, "We which have believed do enter into rest." In John 5: 24, believers are said to be in the possession of everlasting life; and in Rom 8: 1, it is said, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." In Rom. 8 : 2, believers are said 292 DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. to be "free from the law of sin and death;" and in Col. 1 : 13, they arc said to be " delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." On the other hand, unbelievers are said to be " condemned," to be " dead in tres- passes and sins," and to be " without hope, and without God in the world ;" as we shall now show. II. Of Damnation. — Damnation is supposed by many to consist in being sent to a place of misery after death, called hell. But to this opinion we object as follows : 1. The Bible nowhere gives any such definition of the word dam- nation. The original word rendered damnation is in many places rendered judge, judged, punishment, condemn, condemned, and con- demnation. It occurs frequently in the New Testament, but is not used in a single instance to signify punishment in another world. 2. It is contrary to the definition which the scripture writers themselves give of this term. Paul says, Rom. 5 : 18, "Therefore, as by the oSence of one judgment came upon all men to condemna- tion ; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." The word which is here rendered condemnation is the same that is rendered damnation in every instance where that word occurs in the New Testament. Now, Paul Bays, in this text, that damnation had actually come on all men ; but certainly all men had not gone to a place of endless misery, called hell. On the contrary, millions of the human race were at that very time alive, and on the earth. If, therefore, they were damned at all, it must have been here, in this present world. Again, if Paul' used the word eondenmation here to signify endless misery, then he represents that this misery had come upon all men. But this was contrary to fact. Besides, if endless misery had come on all men. how could it be followed by the free gift of justification unto life? Certainly there would be no room for it. And as Paul says this free gift came after the eondenmation, hence, he did not use the original word which is rendered damnation in the New Testament, to signify endless damnation, nor any other damnation than that which is experienced in this life. Our Saviour frequently used the words eondenmation and damnation ; but he nowhere says that any man, or any set of men, would be damned in a future state of ex- istence. On the contrary, he defines the word thus : John 3 : 19, " And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. 293 and men loved darkness rather than light, because their dceffs wcro evil." And of the unbeliever he atiiruis, John 3: 18, "He that believeth not is condemned already ; because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Again he says, John 9 : 39, " For judgment am I come into the world," and in John 12; 31, "Now is i\\e judginent of this world." Peter says, 1 Pot 4 : 17, " For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God." John the Revelator says, Rev. 14: 6, 7, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlast- ing gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice. Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judg- ment is come." The word which in these texts is rendered judgment is the same that is rendered damned and damnation in the New Testament. Jesus came into the world, then, to execute damnation ; not in another world, but here. The hour of damnation had come in the days of John. The damnation of the world commenced eigh- teen hundred years ago, and first began at the house of God. Paul speaks of damnation in this world, but says not a word about dam- nation anywhere else. He speaks of some " whose danmation is just." Rom. 3 : 8. Of some who ate and drank damnation. 1 Cor. 11 : 29. Of some who were experiencing damnation. 1 Tim 5 : 12. Jude speaks of some who were ordained to experience the condemnation they were tlien in. Jude 1 : 4. And Peter speaks of some " whose damnation slumbered not." 2 Peter 2 : 3. INIark 16 : 16, has long been considered a standing proof of the doctrine of damnation in a future world. We will now close with an examination of this text, trusting that our remarks on it will make the Bible doctrine of damnation perfectly plain. This text reads thus : Mark 16 : 16, " He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned." The questions to be considered are : 1. What is it that we are required to believe, the belief of which is necessary to salvation ? 2. What is the nature of the salvation promised to the believer and where is it to be experienced ? 3. What is the nature of the damnation threatened to the unbeliever, and where is it to be expe- rienced, and how long ? 1. What must we believe ? Ask the Calvinist, the Arminian 25* 294 DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. and the Universalist, what we must believe, and they will all tell you, and tell you very truly, too, and in the language of Scripture, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Ask them if our simply believing that there was such a person as Jesus Christ will be sufficient, and they will all tell you no. And they will assign as a reason for this, that a man may believe that there was such a person, and at the same time believe him to have bee» an impostor. So far, then, these three classes of Christians, embrac- ing all who profess the Christian name, are perfectly agreed. And if you ask. What then must we believe about Jesus Christ ? they will tell you that every man is required to believe that Jesus Christ is his Saviour. But if you push your inquiries a little further, and ask, as an individual. Is Jesus Christ my Saviour ? you have now arrived to a point on which the Calvinist will diiFer from the Armin- ian, the Arminian from the Calvinist, and the Universalist from both. If you put the question to the Calvinist, Is Jesus my Sa- viour ? if he answers in consistency with his creed, he must tell you Yes, if you are one of the elect. Before you can believe that Jesus is your Saviour, then, you must believe something anterior to this, and that is, that you are one of the elect. But what evidence can be presented to the mind of the sinner which will enable him to believe that he is one of the elect ? No man but a Pharisee can possibly believe this. That man's organ of self-esteem must reach nigh unto heaven, who can believe that he is selected, out of the great mass of mankind, as one of God's chosen favorites. Hence, upon the principles of Calvinism, there are no grounds of belief. All belief which is worthy of the name, is regulated by evidence. But, in this case, no evidence can possibly be presented to the mind of any rational man, which will enable him to believe. Besides, if the individual is one of the elect, he will be saved whether he believes Christ is his Saviour or not ; and if he is not one of the elect, if he believes he is his Saviour, he believes a lie. Of course. in this case, his faith cannot save him. If he was reprobated to damnation before the foundation of the world, of course he will not be damned for not believing that Jesus is his Saviour. If you ask the Arminian, Is Jesus Christ my Saviour ? he must tell you No, not unless you believe that he is. Hence, he requires you to make truth as you go along. Jesus, he tells you, is not your Saviour now, but, by believing that he is, you can convert him DOCTfUNE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATIOX. 2*J5 into your Saviour. But if Jesus is not your Saviour, why should you bo required to believe that he is ? If he is not your Saviour, why should you be damned for believing that he is not ? If he is not your Saviour, how can j'our believing that he is make him so ? If he is your Saviour, and you believe he is not, you believe a lie. If he is not your Saviour, and you believe he is not, you believe the truth. According to this theory, then, we are required to believe that which is false, in order to be saved ; and, by believing that falsehood, we convert it into truth. Again, according to this the- ory. God saves us for believing a lie, and damns us for believing the truth. If you ask the Universalist what you must believe in order to be saved, he will tell you to believe the Gospel. In the verse imme- diatel}' preceding the text, our Lord says to his disciples, " Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Then follows the text, " He that believeth," &g. He that believeth what ? Evidently the Gospel, which the disciples were commissioned to preach to every creature. But he that truly believes in Jesus will of course believe his Gospel. Hence, the Universalist will tell you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the propitiation " for the sins of the whole world ; " who " tasted death for every man ;" and "who gave himself a ransom for all." He will tell you to believe in Jesus, who is the Saviour of the world ; and to believe in God, " Avho is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe." He will tell you to believe that Jesus Christ is your Saviour ; and to believe it, because it is true. 2. What is the nature of the salvation promised to the believer ? We have already shown that it is a salvation from ignorance, dark- ness, unbelief and sin. Well, where is it to be experienced ? An- swer, in the place where, and at the time when, faith is exercised. This is abundantly proved in our remarks on salvation, and requires no further proof here. 3. What is the nature of the damnation threatened to the unbe- liever ? It is a sense of conscious condemnation, to be involved in ignorance of God's character ; to be in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity ; to be involved in moral death, to be dead ic trespasses and sins, and to be without hope and without God in the world. Well, where is this damnation to be experienced ? Like the salvation of the believer, the damnation of the unbeliever must 296 DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND DAMNATION. be experienced in the place wliere, and at the time when, mankind are unbelievers. Again, how long must this danniation be experi- enced ? x\nswer, just as long as the unbelief continues, and no longer. Perhaps one-half or more of the believers in Christ now were once unbelievers. Paul himself was once a noted unbeliever, and while he was so he was damned. This is sufficiently evident from the feelings and disposition which he manifested. No man can possess the Pharisaic, bigoted and murderous disposition of Saul of Tarsus, without being damned. That man is sufficiently damned who can harbor such feelings in his bosom. While Paul was an unbeliever, therefore, he was damned ; but the moment he exercised faith in the Gospel, that moment his damnation ceased. Now, as we have shown that God's will is that all men shall be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth ; when that will is accom- plished, there will be no unbelievers among men, for all shall know God from the least unto the greatest. Unbelief, which is the cause of damnation, will be removed ; and damnation, which is the effect, will cease with the cause that produced it. Dr. Campbell says on this text, that the word damned " is not a just version of the Greek word. The term damned, with us (he says), relates solely to the doom which shall be pronounced upon the wicked at the last day. This cannot be affirmed, in truth, of the Greek katakrino, which corresponds exactly to the English word condemn." To the same import is the testimony of Home, Cappe, and others. CHAPTER XVIII. ON THE CASE OF JUDAS. SECTION I Those passages which show the case of Judas. Acts 1 : 16 — 20. ISIen and brethren, this scripture must neetls han been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and hath obtained part of this ministry. Now tliis man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and, falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem, insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue Aceldama, that is to say, the field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein ; and his bishopric let another take. Ps. 41 : 9. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. John 13 : 18. I speak not of you all ; I know whom I have chosen : but that the scripture may be fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Matt. "2(3 : 24. The Son of Man goeth, as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Mark 14 : 21. The Son of Man indeed goeth, as it is written of him : but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! good were it for that man if he had never been born. John 17 : 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name : those that thou gavcst me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Acts 1 : 25. That he may take part of this ministi-y and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. John 6 : 70. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ? 298 ON THE CASE OF JUDAS. Matt. 26 : 14 — 16. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, Tvent unto the chief priests, and said unto them, what will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto }ou ? and they covenanted with him Ibr thirty pieces of Bilver. And from that time lie sought opportunity to betray him. Verses 47 — 50. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude, with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying. Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fist. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said. Hail, Master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him. Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. John 13:2. And supper being ended [the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him]. Verses 26, 27. Jesus answered. He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after tlie sop, Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him. That thou doest, do quickly. Matt. 27 : 3 — 5. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I liave sinned, in tliat I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, AVhat is that to us ? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. SECTION II. Closing Remarks, and a Statement of Facts concerning Judai People who have been trained to a belief in the doctrine of end- less misery are in the habit of referring to the case of Judas to pr^ve the truth of their doctrine. But we ask them candidly to consider, first, the object and end of Christ's mission on earth ; the object of which is universally acknowledged to be the salvation of man from sin and death. Could Christ have accomplished that end, without yielding up his life, in sacrifice, on the cross ? And could he have been delivered up and crucified, without the proper means to eifect it ? Certainly not. And if God purposed to save man by the death of his Son, did he not also determine the means by which his death should be brought about ? See Acts 4 : 26—28. "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Ilcrod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together ON THE CASE of' jduas. 299 *br tx, do whatsoever thy hand and thy coimsel determined before to be do7ic." Sec also Acts 2 : 23. " Him {Christ) being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." From these facts we learn, that the whole process of the delivering up, the counsel, and death of Christ, were all previously determined by the hand and counsel of God. Can we, then, suppose that any part of it could have been subverted or set aside by man ? Or can we conclude that Judas must be endlessly miserable, for being instrumental in the accomplishment of that end, which God had designed ? Certainly not. Peter says, " Ilim being delivered by the doterniiiiate counsel and foreknowledge of God." Judas delivered him up to the counsel of the Jews ; of course, the act which Judas performed was de- termined of God. Now, to suppose that Judas must be made misera- ble without end, miserable without the means of reforming from the error of his ways ; for that which must have been performed, or God's purposes baffled, and the world lost ! we think is darkening to the character of God, and degrading to his purposes. Could either of the disciples have viewed the purpose and plan of God, iu saving the world, in its proper light; and, seeing no one to step ibr- ward as a means, he had volunteered his services as a means in that fearful tragedy, would he not rather have immortalized than de- graded his name ? But, as we have no probable evidence that the above was the case with Judas, we must suppose him to have been influenced by some other motive, which [equally effected the purpose of God, but] in its nature and operations greatly fended to blacken and degrade his character. But as God overrules means to effect his own purposes, and eventually superintended the great and memor- able events with which Judas stood connected, docs it not betray a weakness, and an unphilosophical mind in man, to say that God's purposes are so mystified, his plans so deranged, that he eventually must, yea will, eternally damn any of his creatures for the part they may have acted in the drama of life ? Does not God overrule all things for good ? And will he not overrule even that event, for the ultimate good of Judas ? Our Saviour, when upon the cross, prayed for the whole band of his murderers and offenders, saying, " father, forgive them, for they knew not what they do." Are not the prayers of our Saviour, all, eventually and effectually, answered Most certainly, if his own words be true. He says to his Father 300 ox THE* CASE OF JUDAS. I thank thee that thou hast heard me : and I knew that thou hearest me always. John 11 : 42. But it is said Judas was " the son of perdition" [ill fortune\. Does this show that Judas is or will be eterimlly lost ? No. Judas was a man of loss and ill fortune. He was lost to the apostleship and ministry, in which he had pre- viously shared. He was considered a traitor, and abandoned by the church, and by the world. Son of perdition, is a Hebraism, signi fying one that is lost, or a man of ill fortune. All this Judas effectually and sufficiently experienced in this world. Judas was also called a devil {diabolos); that is, an opposer or untrue. But •will this eternally damn him ? Christ says to Peter, Matt. 16 : 23, " Get behind me, Satan : thou art an offence unto me," &c. Yet no one supposes that Peter is forever lost. But it is said. Matt. 26 : 24, " it had been good for that man if he had not been born." These words are not strictly and literally to be interpreted, as they were a proverbial form of speech among the Jews ; and every one ought to know that proverbs are not to be literally taken. Dr. Clarke shows the above to be correct. At the end of chap. 1, in Acts, he also says, " The utmost that can be said of the case of Judas is this : he committed a heinous act of sin and ingratitude, but he repented and did what he could to undo his wicked act ; he had committed the sin that involves the death of the body ; but who can say (if m.ercy was offered to Christ's murderers, . . . ) that the same mercy could not be extended to wretched Judas ? " He further states that the chief priests were actually more guilty than Judas ; and if mercy could have been extended to them (which the Dr. admits was), then Judas did not die out of its reach. " And I contend further " (says the Dr.), " that there is no positive evidence of the final damnation of Judas in the sacred text." See Paige's Selections. Jeremiah cursed the day in which he was born. He says, " Cursed be the day wherein I was born : let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed," &c. See Jer. 20 : 14 — 18. Pious Job also says, " Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness ; let not the light shine upon it," &c. See Job 3 : 1 — 12. Now, no one will contend that righteous Jeremiah, or pious Job, have gone to an endless hell; yet they curse the day of their birth, and contend that it would liave been good had they not been born. But it is 8aid, Judas " hanged himself," Matt. 27 : 5, " And he cast down ON THE CASE OF JUDAS. 301 the pieces of silver in the temple and departctl, and went and hanged himself." This expression appears to contradict what is said in Acts 1 : 18, "Now this man [Judas] purchased a field with the re- ward of iniquity ; and, falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." This account of his end is evidently correct. There is no evidence that Judas hung himself, or that he took his own life in any way. The difficulty is witli the expression, " hanged himself," in IMatthew. The Greek word apegxato, rendered " hanged himself," has not of necessity that sig- nification. It appears to have the following meaning: "he [Judas] went out, being snffncated, or sfravgled iviik grief. Campbell renders it " utranghd hi?nself ;" and says " it may be rendered, tvas stcffocated." Wakefield's version is, " was choked with anguish." Clarke says, " it may be rendered, teas strangled." This harmonizes the two passages, and removes the apparent difficulty. Judas was evidently mortified and grieved to excess. In verses 3, 4, it is said, that " when he saw that he [Chrlstl was condemned, he repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said. What is that to us? see thou to that." Upon hearing this answer, Judas cast down the pieces of silver and went out, not only repenting, but with such highly-grieved, mortified, and wounded feelings, that he was completely suffocated and choked with grief, to that degree, that he actually fell headlong, bursting asunder, and tlius expiring in a moment of grief, repentance, and agony. What more pitiable could his condition have been ? and what stronger evide^ice of sorrow and compunction could have been manifested ? and he, who feels to pursue and follow him, even into eternity, and further torment him there, must be destitute of all sympathy, and even humanity itself. The motive of Judas in be- traying, or delivering up Christ to the Jews, could not have been for the purpose of having him crucified. Judas knew that his Master possessed the power of delivering himself from his enemies, and this he had often seen him perform ; but he might have felt somewhat avaricious, and designed the money for his own individual use, but more probably (as he was their treasurer, carried the bag, &c.) that he designed it for the use of the fraternity, or the benefit of the church. But when he saw the result, he was disappointed; he saw that he had misjudged, and was chagrined, mortified, grieved, and 26 302 ON THE CASE OB' JDDAS. repentant. What more could he have done, on learning his own frailty and misdoings? But is is said by the unreflecting, that Judas has gone to an end- less hell, because of the expression in Acts 1 : 25, " that he might go to his own place." Admitting this phrase to allude to Judas, and what does it prove ? Certainly, not that he has gone to an end- less hell ; for no such place is defined or taught in the Bible. And if it were, it was not pointed to as the place of Judas ; for " his own place" could signify no more than to his former state or condition ; or, if applied to his death, could imply no more than that he had gone to the state of the dead in general ; independently of either rewards or punishments ; as is evidently taught in Eccl. 3 : 20, " All go unto one place ; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." But it is thought by some of the best Partialist writers, that the expression, " his own place," does not allude to Judas at all ; but to Matthias. Dr. Hammond, Priestly, and others, are of that opinion. Dr. Clarke says, " Should the 25th verse be urged against this pos- sihiUtij (i. e., of the salvation of Judas), because it is there said that Judas fell from his ministry and apostleship, that he might go to his own place, and that this plojce is hell, I answer (1), it remains to be proved that this place means hell ; and (2), it is not clear that the words are spoken of Judas at all, but of Matthias ; his own place meaning that vacancy in the apostolate to which he was then elected." Paige's Selections. The Apostles appeared to be anxious to fill the vacancy, in the loss of Judas. They made choice of two, Justus and Matthias. They then prayed — (not that the Lord would damn Judas — but) that the Lord would show them which of the two should succeed in filling the vacancy ; that he (the chosen one) might go to his own place. All the arguments which are brought forward to prove the endless torment of Judas do utterly fail. We might as well, in reality, undertake to prove the endless ruin of any other man, as that of Judas. Hundreds have been more wicked than Judas, of whom it is believed that they are now in heaven. Judas was wicked, and, like every other sinner, suffered in proportion to the nature and demerit of his crime. In the last place, let us consider, briefly, the more favorable part jf his history. Judas was one of the twelve apostles ; and in com* ON THE CASE OF JUDAS. 303 rnon with all the other apnstlos, he received tlie power of working iiiinvclcs, as evidence of his divine appointincnt to the apostlcship. Wo have no reason to doubt his zeal, or distrust his faitlifulness and assiduity, at least until the time of the betrayal. Long before Judas had transgressed, and before any other than Judas was known as filling his place, Christ, in answer to Peter, said, " Verily I say unto you, tliat ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man sliall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel," Matt. 19 : 28. Christ must here have alluded to the twelve, of which Judas was one, and who also had followed Christ in the regeneration, and was to sit upon one of the twelve thro7ies. The following facts may now be stated. 1st. Judas was actually one of the twelve apostles, and chosen as such, by Christ himself. 2d. That for a long time, at least, he was as true to his trust, and acted his part in as good faith, as did any other apostle. 3d. That the j)art he took in tlie betray- ing of Christ was the part for which God had raised him up, and that which was predetermined by the counsel of Heaven. 4th. That notwithstanding he was a sinner, yet, tliat no man ever left the world manifesting greater sorroin for sin, more compunction of heart, deeper contrition, or more regret for offences, than did Judas. 5th. That there is no sJiade of evidence that Judas will be eternally miserable. 6th. That, in common with all transgressors, he suf- fered in this world the just demerit of all his crimes. 7th. That the last account of him is, he had gone the way of all the earth — he was dead : and if any one can give a further or better account of him, we will kindly receive it. CHAPTER XIX. BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST SECTION I. Those passages wherein the expression. Blasphemy against thk HoLt Ghost, occurs. Matt. 12 : 31, 32. Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and Masphcmy shall be forgiven unto men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketli a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever Bpeaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world [f/io/ii], neither in the world [or as^e] to come. Mark 3 : 28 — 30. Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever tliey shall blaspheme but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgive', ness, but is in danger of eternal damnation [^aioniou kriseos'] ; because they said, he hath an unclean spirit. SECTION II. Remarks on the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. The subject of the " blasphemy against the Holy Ghost " is often brought as an insurmountable objection to the doctrine of universal holiness and happiness. In the first place, we will inquire, upon the admission that the above texts teach the doctrine of endlesa misery, how many can possibly be exposed to that state ? Christ, in the first place, positively affirms that " all manner of pin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men." " Verily I say BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. 305 unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blas- phemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme :" or, whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. See those passages in the preceding Section. Now it is positively declared by him who cannot lie, that all manner of sins and blas- phemies, wherewith soever tlic sons of men shall blaspheme, shall he forgiven them : but whosoever speaketh or blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come. Among all the sins and blasphemies ever perpetrated on earth, or any which may be conunitted in all coming time, there is but one solitary exception ; viz., the sin against the Holy Ghost. Header, how many suppose you ever committed this sin ? When this question is settled, we have data from which to determine how many will eventually suffer endless misery. What shall we do with all the wicked rebels, from Cain down to the period of our Saviour ? For the Holy Ghost was not presented, either for man to receive or reject, until the day of miracles by Christ. And what shall we do with all the wicked unbelievers, drunkards, mur- derers and revilers, from Christ's day down to the present period ? And how shall we dispose of all the blasphemous infidels and athe- ists., from the beginning of the world until now ? For all manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto men, with one ex- ception. Upon the premises we have admitted the only result is this : none ever were, or ever can be, sent to hell, save those very few of the Jews who stood by, saw Christ work miracles and accused him of doing the same by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. It is not possible to involve any others, for all, excepting those, ^^ shall be forgiven." In Mark 3 : 22, it is said, "And the Scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils casteth he out devils." The sole found- ation and only reason why our Saviour made the expression, " he that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness," is based in this verse and in the expression, " by the prince of devils casteth he out devils." As evidence of this, observe the 30th verse ; after having stated the result of their expression (which was sin against the Holy Ghost), he adds, " Because they said. He bath an unclean spirit." This solves the problem why the expres- sion, "sin against the Holy Ghost," was made at all ; and neces- sarily confines that si?i to the very few who had the privilege of 26* 306 BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST, Feeing him perform those miracles by the power of God, and at tha same time attributed it to the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. This is the only conclusion to which we possibly can arrive. Hence, upon the admission of the common opinion of this subject, it proves too much for those who adopt it. It would reduce their hell to a mere speck, and its inmates to a simple unit. It would also overstock heaven with millions on millions of those which they sup- pose to be only ill and hell deserving. In Mark it is said of him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, that he " hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." Now, there is no language here expressed that alludos to eternity. It is simpl}' signitied, that such an one would not be likely to receive forgiveness or amendment in that age ; con- sequently would be in danger of the judgment or condemnation coming upon them. They actually were in danger of (aioniou kriseos) the judgment of that age, which was certain to overtake all the hardened, lieedless and disobedient. Matthew says that such an one shall not be forgiven in this world {aioni) or in that to come. Pearce, on this subject, says, " Neither in this world, &c. Rather, neither in this age nor in the age to come ; that is, neither in this age when the law of Moses subsists, nor in that also wlien the kingdom of heaven, which is at hand, shidl succeed to it. Tliis is a strong way of expressing how diffi- cult a thing it was for such a sinner to obtain pardon, , , . Christ does not say to him that blasphemeth and repenteth, but to him that blasphemeth ; and, therelbre, he means to him that continueth in his blasphemy, for with God there is no sin that is unpardona- ble." Wakefield says, "age; aioni ; ihaX \s, i^Q Jewish dispe7i- sation, which was then in being, nor the Christian, which was going to be established." Clarke says, " Neither in this world, &c. Thougli I follow the common translation, yet I am fully satisfied the meaning of the word is, neither in this dispensation, viz., the Jewish, nor in that which is to come, viz., the Christian." The Dr. also says, under the same head, that " when our Lord Bays that such a sin hath no forgiveness, he is to be understood that the body shall be destroyed, as under the Jewish dispensation ; while mercy may be extended to the soul." He also adds, "The punishment of presumptuous sins under the Jewish law, to which our Lord evidently alludes, certainly did not extend to the damna- BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE nOI.V GHOST. 307 tion of the soul, though the body was destroyed ; therefore, I think tliat though there was no such forgiveness to be extended to this crime as to absolve the man from the punishment ol" temporal death, yet, on repentance, mercy might be extended to the soul, and every sin may be repented of" under the (Jospel dispensation." Com. in loc. See Paige's Selections. The foregoing quotations are sufficient to show that Partialist commentators themselves, do not suppose that the sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable ; or, that the doctrine of endless misery is taught thereby. The fact is this, their blasphemy was a slander- ous reproach against Christ and the power by which he cast out demons (cured diseased) ; and the nature of this crime was so ma- lignant, that justly they deserved strict condemnation, either under the administration of that age or that to come, the Gospel. Such was the turpitude of their hearts, that they were actually in danger of remaining unmoved, and consequently of suffering the conniion calamity of their age and nation, as a just retribution of their slanderous and malignant conduct. No intimations are here or anywhere else given, that God will eternally cast off or damn any one. Neither is there such a sentence as " i\\Q finally impeni- tent," in all the word of God. CHAPTER XX. TRINCIPAL ARGUMENTS IN PAYOR OF UNIVEHSALISM, ETC. A brief Statement of the Principal Arguments in favor of Universalism ; also. Objections to those Arguments, and Replies to those Objections. We shall only state these arguments, objections, &c., in brief, and leave the reader to carry out the reasoning. We argue the truth of the doctrine of universal salvation from, — 1. The NATURE, CHARACTER and ATTRIBUTES of GoD. The ?iature of God is Love. This love is infinite in degree, unlimited in extent, and endless in duratian. It therefore extends to every sentient being that ever did, does now, or ever will, exist in the universe. In character, God is kind, good, benevolent, merciful and just. God's attributes are omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, infi- nite wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy and truth. Every quality, characteristic and attribute of God, is under the supreme control and direction of goodness or love. God is the primary cause of all things. He is, therefore, the author of man's existence ; and, con- sequently, his Creator. God never acts without a design. He must, therefore, have had some design in creating man, God is impartial. He has, therefore, the same design in creating all men, that he had in creating the first man. God is good ; and no good being can act with a bad design. The design which he had in creating man, and the design which he has in creating all men, must therefore be good. To create beings for misery, would be to create ARGDMENTS IN FAVOR OF UNIVERSALISM. 309 them with a bad design. To create beings for happiness, would be to create them with a good design. Therefore, God created man for happiness; and the existence which he conferred upon him, he designed to be, on the whole, a blessing and not a curse. OiUECTiON. — " This reasoning is a priori, and a priori reasoning on this subject is inadmissible ; inasmuch, as by a regular process of a priori reasoning from the nature and character of God, we should come to the conclusion that God would have excluded all evil from the universe. But this he has not done ; therefore, a priori reasoning from the attributes of God is inconclusive, and extremely fallacious." Answkr. — It is not true that a course of a priori reasoning from the attributes of God would lead us to the conclusion that he would have excluded all evil from the universe. Let us see. God is the only infinite being in the universe. Only one infinite being can exist in the universe. God is the only standard of absolute perfection in the universe. God cannot create a being equal to himself. If, therefore, he creates beings at all, he must create them inferior to himself. Well, just in proportion as they are inferior to himself, just in that proportion they must fall short of perfection ; and just in proportion as they fall short of perfection, just in that proportion they must partake of imperfection. Imper- fection is an evil ; and, as imperfection exists necessarily, hence God could not exclude all evil from the universe. To this it may be replied, that " according to this reasoning, evil exists necessarily, and if the present existence of evil can be recon- ciled with the divine benevolence, the endless existence of evil can be as well and as easily reconciled with that benevolence." An- swer : — The evil of imperfection undoubtedly exists necessarily, but it by no means follows that all evil exists necessarily. This subject has been involved in a great deal of obscurity and confusion, in consequence of the habit which philosophers and divines have fallen into, of classing all evils under one general head. Now, the fact is, that there are three different kinds of evils in the world. 1. Those which exist necessarily. 2. Those which exist by per- mission or apjiointment of God, for wise and benevolent purposes. 3. Those which may be said to be of our own procuring. Those of the first class must exist to a greater or less extent, as long as created beings are in existence, though they may constantly be 310 ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OP UNIVERSALISM. growing less and less. For instance, man can never be as powerful as God ; he can never be as wise as God, nor can he ever be as good as God, Yet, he may be, throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, constantly approximating towards the perfections of God but, after all, he will never attain to the point of absolute perfec- tion. Those evils which exist by permission or appointment of God for wise and benevolent purposes, will of course be removed when the benevolent object of their existence is attained. Those which are of our own procuring will grow less and less as mankind pro- gress in knowledge, wisdom and virtue. To suppose that any evils which are under God's control exist as an erid (which they must, if they exist endlessly), is to impeach the goodness and lienevolence of God. To suppose that those evils exist as a means of accom- plishing more good than could otherwise be brought about (which is undoubtedly true), is to suppose that they are limited and finite ; and that they will eventually terminate in the good, to accomplish which, they exist. But it will be said. " God has been just as good in all time past as he is now, and he is just as good now as he ever will be ; and as he has in time past, and does now permit evil to exist, therefore, we have no proof but that such will always con- tinue to be the case." Answer : — If we admit this reasoning to be correct, we have only to carry it out, and we overthrow the brightest hopes of all [n'ofessing Christians. For instance. Chris- tians hope to be eventually delivered from the power and dominion of sin ; but, as they are subject to sin now, therefore they always will be. Chi'istians hope to be delivered from the bondage of cor- ruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God ; but, as they are subject to the bondage of corruption now, therefore they always will be. Christians hope to be placed, eventually, beyond the reach of death ; but, as they are subject to death now, therefore they always will be. Christians hope to be placed beyond the reach of pain, sickness and sorrow ; but, as they are subject to these evils now, therefore they always will be. If the present existence of sin, sorrow, sickness and pain, can be reconciled with the divine benevolence, then, according to the mode of reasoning adopted by the objector, the endless existence of these evils can as well and as easily be reconciled with that benevolence. And, if the present existence of any evil which is under God's control proves that evil will exist endlessly, then the same argument will prove the endlesi ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF UNIVERSALFSM. 811 existence of all evils uhich have ever been seen, felt or cxpcriencod, by man. In that case, what becomes of the hopes an-l expectations of all benevolent and good men ? Again, this reasoning comes in contact with the plain declarations of the Bible. Sin is an evil, and it exists now ; but the Bible instructs us to "behold the Lamb of God which laketh aii:ay the sin of the world." It assures u9 that Christ will "finish the transgression and make «?« end of sin." Death is an evil, and it reigns triumphant over man now ; but th(, Bible declares that " death shall be swallowed up in victory ;" and that " the last enemy, death, shall be destroyed." Sorrow, sickness and pain, are evils, and they are experienced in a greater or less degree by all now ; but the Bible affirms that the period will arrive when " there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there he any more pain.''^ Man is a strange com- pound of good and evil, and who can doubt that God designed his present existence to be a mixed state of good and evil, pleasure and pain, happiness and misery ? He who doubts this must doubt the evidence of his own senses. If God did not desiijfn this, one thins; is certain, he has been most wofully disappointed. In view of the above considerations, it evidently appears that man is a progressive being ; that the present is oidy the incipient stage of his existence, and that he is destined to rise higher and higher in the scale of intellectual and moral improvement, and approximate nearer and nearer to the perfections of his Creator. 2. We argue the truth of Universalism from the nature of man. Man is a physical, intellectual and moral being. He respects virtue, whether he practises it or not. He instinctively loves happiness and dreads misery. He is a progressive being, and is susceptible of very great cultivation, refinement and improvement. This being the nature of man, the period must eventually arrive when he will have learned, by his own experience, what course of conduct his own in- terest dictates to him to pursue ; and, from his love of ha[)piness and dread of misery, he will practise virtue on the one hand, and avoid the practice of vice on the other. Besides, sin in man has its origin in the flesh, or in his animal nature, and this animal nature is destined to be destroyed. Nothing but the spiritual nature of man can survive the tomb. Hence, in a future state of existence be will be free from those passions, appetites and desires, which 312 ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF UNIVERSALISM. in this world lead him astray and entice him from the path of virtue. 3. From the nature of sin and misery. Sin and misery are inseparably connected. Sin is a cause, and misery the cfioct. Sin being an act of a finite being, is, tlierefore, finite and limited. Of course, the efiect must be limited also. Sin tends to misery, and misery to the death of the miserable. Therefore, sin and misery, instead of possessing a self-perpetuating power, carry with them the seeds of their own dissolution. Hence, sin and misery must event ually be brought to an end. 4. From the nature of holiness and happiness. These also are inseparably connected. And both are qualities of the Deity ; hence, they possess a self-perpetuating power, and are, therefore, ever- tnduring in their nature. 5. From the nature and object of punishment. Punishment fcignifies correction. And correction signifies to reform and make better. It is prospective, and not retrospective. It is not revenge. It is not cruelty. It is not vindictive, but parental ; and the fact of its being inflicted is a proof of the goodness of the Being who inflicts it, rather than an objection against it. 6. From the direct and positive teachings of the Bible. Our arguments from the Bible will be arranged under distinct heads. 1st. The doctrine of Universalism is based on the promises of God. Gen. 3 : 15, " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This language was addressed to the serpent, and this serpent is evidently an emblematic repre- sentation of the lusts, passions and desires of mankind. The seed of the serpent is sin. James 1 : 15, " Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it hringeth forth sin." James 4: 1, "From whence come wars and figliting, among you ? come they not hence, even of your own lusts that war in your members ? " A bruise upon the heel of man is not mortal, but a bruise upon the head of the serpent produces death. This text, then, plainly teaches that although man will receive an injury from the influence of his pas- sions, appetites and desires, yet the seed of the woman will heal the wound, and destroy the cause which inflicted it. It is acknowledged that by the " seed of the woman," here, is meant Jesus Christ ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF UNIVERSALISM. 313 Well, Christ is to destroy the serpent or devil and all his works. 1 John 3: 8, "For this purpose the Son of man was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the deviV Ilcb. 2 : 14, 15, " Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same ; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Who or what has the power of death ? Answer : James 1 : 15, " Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." God promised to Abraham that he would bless all mankind in his seed. Gen. 12 : 3, " And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 22 : 18, "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." This promise was renewed to Isaac and Jacob, Gen. 26 : 4, and 28 : 14. Objection 1. — "These promises are on conditions; and, unless these conditions are complied with on the part of the creature, the promised blessing will not be conferred." Answer. — No conditions are either expressed or implied in these promises. If there were any conditions about it, God knew it ; and he would not have promised in this unconditional manner, unless he had foreseen that all the conditions on which hung suspended the fulfilment of the promises would be complied with on the part of all who are included in the promise. Objection 2. — " These promises relate only to temporal bless- ings, to be conferred on )nankind in this life." Answer. — Thousands and millions of the human family have livee " new covenant," Heb. 8 : 8. Said to be " better than the old, ' Ileb. 8 : G. To be founded on better promises, Heb. 8 : 6. Said to be " the ministration, not of condemnation and death, but of life and peace," 2 Cur. 3 : 6—11. If this is a correct representation of the Gospel, certainly such a glorious system could not reveal nor contain the doctrine of unmerciful wrath and never-ending cruelty. 13. From the character, conduct and teachings, of Jesus Clirist. He was the great founder of the Christian religion. He was benev- olent, and even mindful of the physical wants of man, Mark 8 : 1 9. He was tender-hearted and sympathizing. He wept at the grave of Lazarus, John 11 : 35 ; raised the widow's son, Luke 7 . 12 15 ; healed the physical maladies of men, Matt. 12: 10 — 13; and mourned and wept over Jerusalem, Matt. 23 : 37—39, and Luke 19 : 41. He was mild, forgiving and forbearing — to Peter, who denied him, Luke 22 : Gl, 62 ; to Thomas, who would noi believe him, John 20 : 24—29 ; to the woman taken in adultery, John 8 : 3 — 11. He taught that we must love and forgive our enemies. Matt. 5 : 44, and 6 : 14, 15. He taught that we must fori^ive, not seven times only, but seventy times seven, Matt. 18 : 21, 22. He prayed for his enemies and murderers, Luke 23 : 34. And, at last, he freely offered up his life as a sacrifice on the altar of humanity. The whole conduct, and character, and disposition, and teacliiiigs, of Jesus was in accordance with the spirit of univer- sal love and benevolence. He was actuated by none of the spirit of reveno-e, wrath or cruelty. How, then, can it be supposed that he believed and taught the cruel and unmerciful doctrine of endless hell torments ? 14. From the influence which the Gospel exerts upon the char- acter, conduct and feelings, of its recipients. What a mighty and an astonishing change it wrought in Paul ! His partial and exclu- sive sentiments and feelings were exchanged for the utmost liber- ality of opinion and feeling. The Gospel changed his enmity to love, his bigotry to charity, and his Partialism to Universalism. It wrought the same happy change in all who received its truths into i?40 ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OP UNIVERSALISM. good and honest hearts. A belief in the Partialist God, and in the Partiidist doctrine, could never have produced such efl'ects. Hence, Partialism is not the doctrine of the Gospel. 15. From J:.he nature of God's law and its requirements of man. It is the great law of love. It requires that we love God with all our soul, might, mind and strength, and our fellow-men as ourselves, Matt. 22 : 36 — 40. But how can we love God in the manner re- quired, unless he is a lovely being ? And how can he be a lovely being, and at the same time inflict unending pain upon his own helpless and dependent offspring ? Again, how can we love our fellow-men as ourselves, if we believe God hates a portion of them ? \Ye are bound to imitate God. We are commanded to imitate him as dear children, Eph. 5 : 1. If, therefore, God hates a part of mankind, we are bound to do so likewise. The very fact, then, that we are required to love our fellow-men, universally, proves that God loves all, and will do good to all. 16. From the effects which the Gospel produced on those wlio believed it. They were saved, Rom. 8 : 24, and 1 Cor. 1 : 18 , they were blessed. Gal. 3:9; they had peace and joy in believing, Rom. 15: 13; they were enabled to rejoice with joy unspeak- able and full of glory, 1 Peter 1:8: their joy was full, John 15 : 11 ; and they entered into rest, Heb. 4:3. A belief in a partial God and in a partial salvation could not produce such effects Nothing short of a belief in God as the Father, Friend and Saviour, of all mankind, could do it. 17. From wliat the Scriptures teach respecting faith. It is the substance of things hoped for, Heb. 11 : 1 ; and it works by love, and purifies the heart, Gal. 5 : 6. But no man can hope for end- less misery to be true ; and, hence, that doctrine is not the sub- stance of things hoped for. Therefore, a faith in that is not the faith of the Gospel. AH hope for the truth of Univcrsalism ; hence, Universalism is the substance of things hoped for, and, therefore, a faith in Universalism is the faith of the Gospel. Again, Partialism, or a faith in the doctrine of endless misery, does not work by love, but by fear; hence, it is not Gospel faith. But Universalism does work by love, and not by fear; therefore, to believe in Universalism is to believe the Gospel. Once more ; a belief in Partialism does not purify the heart, but serves rather to harden it and to blunt the finer feelings of human nature ; hence, it is not the true faith. ARGDMENTS IN FAVOR OP ONIVERSALISM. 341 Univcrsalism does purify the heart and beget a principle there of uuivcr.'^al benevolence and philanthroiiy to man ; therefore it is the true faith. 18. From what the Scriptures teach respecting hope. It enables its possessor to purify himself even as God is pure. 1 John 3 : 3, It is an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. Ileb. 6 : 19 On the purifying nature of this hope the remarks made above on faith will apply equally as well here. They need not, therefore, be repeated. This hope is called "an anchor of the soul, both sj^re and steadfast." ]>ut how could it be so if the thing hoped for depended on the fickleness of man ? Man is too frail, and erring, and helpless a being to found such a hope upon. And nothing short of a belief in God as the Saviour of all, and the absolute cer- tainty of the accomplishment of the thing hoped for, could impart a hope to man which would be as an anchor to his soul, both sure and steadfast. 19. From what the Bible teaches respecting the confidence which we ought to repose in God. 'We are repeatedly commanded to trust in God. To do so, is enjoined upon us as a sacred and imperioua duty. Prov. 3 : 5, " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart." Ps. 62 : 8, " Trust iu him at all times, ye people ; pour out your heart before him : God is a refuge for us." Ps. 40 : 4, " Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust." Prov. 29 : 25, " Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." Isa. 20: 4, "Trust ye in the Lord forever." Ps. 9: 10, "They that know thy name will put their trust in thee." Job 13: 15, "Though he slay me yet will I trust in him." In Job 22 : 21, we are required to " make ourselves acquainted with God, and be at peace." Jesus enjoins upon us to repose the most unlimited trust in Gid, and to take no anxious thought for the future. Matt. 6 : 25 — 34. But if God is as he is sometimes represented to be by the believers in endless misery, how could we trust in him ? And if that doctrine is true, how could we help being anxious in regard to the future ? The fact is, nothing but a belief in the universal paternity of God, and that he is the Friend of all, will enable us to repose that trust in him which he requires at our hands. 20. From what the Scriptures teach respecting prayer. We are commanded to pray for all men, 1 Tim. 2:1; to pray for our ene- mies, even for those who despitefully use us, and persecute us, Matt. 29* 342 ARGUMENTS IN FATOR OF DNIVERSALISM. 5 : 44 to pray in faith ; for we are told that whatsoever is not of faith is sin, E.om. 14 : 23 ; to lift up holy hands and pray without wrath and doubting, 1 Tim. 2 : 8. But how can we pray in faith for the salvation of all men, unless we believe that all will be saved ? And why pray for all men if God has determined that some shall not be saved, or if we believe that all will not be saved ? The fact that we are required to pray for all men, and to do so in faith, noth- ing doubting, is a strong proof of the doctrine for the truth of which we are contending. 21. Finally, we infer the truth of this doctrine from the fact that it is in accordance with the highest and holiest desiies and expecta- tions of all benevolently disposed and good men ; and that the oppo- site doctrine does violence to the intellectual powers of man, and ia repugnant to the better feelings of his nature. Just in proportion as the feelings of mankind become refined and elevated, and as their intellectual powers are cultivated, and light and knowledge increase, just in that proportion will this doctrine spread and prevail. CHAPTER XXI OBJECTIONS TO THE DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. 1. It makes God the author of an infinite evil. Misery is evil. The idea of misery infinite in duration presupposes the idea of infi- nite evil. No finite being can be the cause of an infinite evil. God is the only infinite being in the univei'se. If, therefore, infi- nite evil does actually exist, its existence must be referred to God. But to suppose God to be the author of an infinite evil, is to suppose that he is infinitely evil himself 2. It impeaches some of the most glorious attributes of the Deity. If it be said that this evil is something which God did not foresee, wish, will, desire, appoint, permit, intend nor purpose, then his wis- dom, foreknowledge and omniscience, are expressly denied. If it be said that he foresaw this evil, but could not prevent it, this impeaches his power, his goodness, justice, mercy and benevolence ; because, to all those whom he created, knowing that their existence would be an endless curse, he is neither good, just, merciful nor benevolent. If it be said that this evil is something which he did actually will, wivsh, desire, purpose and appoint, this not only impeaches his good- ness, justice, mercy and benevolence, but it makes him as malignant as malignity itself ; — a perfect monster in cruelty, and as much worse than a Caligula or a Nero, or even the fabled god of hell, as he possesses more power than they to do mischief, to inflict pain and misery. 344 DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. 3. It teaches that our present existence is one of extnuii^ hazard so much so, that no rational man could possibly choose to exist ur der such circumstances. It has been taught by the believers in thi- doctrine that ninety-nine out of every hundred of the human fami- ly would suflfer endless misery ; and, indeed, if there is any truth in their general theory, this seems to be a necessary conclusion. Every man who is born into the world, therefore, stands ninety-nine chances of being endlessly miserable, to one of being endlessly hap- py. Now, suppose a narrow bridge erected over a deep chasm or gulf. On the opposite side there is a fine country, a healthy cli- mate, and everything which can be conducive to the happiness of man. On this side we must experience the same toils, deprivations and sufferincrs, which fall to the lot of man in this life. We are anxious to cross this gulf and better our condition. We approach to the brink of the gulf, and propose crossing the bridge. We are informed that we are at perfect liberty to do so ; but says our in- formant, " before you attempt the passage, I feel in duty bound to inform you, that although thousands have attempted to cross this bridge, yet ninety-nine out of every hundred fail in the attempt, fall from the bridge, and are dashed to pieces in the chasm below." What rational man, under these circumstances, would be willing to attempt the passage ? Not one. No — we should choose rather to remain where we were, than to run such an awful hazard. And yet this falls infinitely short of being a parallel case to that of the other. In the one case we only run the risk of our lives. lu the other we run the risk of being endlessly miserable, when the chances are as ninety-nine to one against us. What rational man would not rather choose to sleep the quiet sleep of non-existence, than to receive existence on such terms, and run such a desperate chance ? 4. If, as is contended by the advocates of this doctrine, man is the procuring cause of this misery, then it makes infinite conse- quences flow from finite causes, wiiich is altogether unphilosopliical. 5. It carries the consequences of men's actions altogether beyond the sphere in which they act; and involves the absurd idea, that we can sow our seed in one field, and I'oap the harvest in another. Man, by his sins, only injures himself and his fellow-men, " by destroying his own internal peace, and their external happiness." lie cannot injure Cod, nor any being superior to himself. His DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. 345 actions do not affect the inhabitants of the moon, nor of any of the planotiii-j worlds, nor of any in any part of God's universe except those living in this world. Why, then, should it be supposed that the consequences of his actions can extend beyond the present world, to which all of his actions are confined ? 6. The doctrine, as it is held by Arniinians, makes man the arbi- ter of his own destiny, and suspends an eternity of weal, or an eternity of woe, upon his own actions. Now, we appeal to every rational man, and ask if this is not too important a trust to be committed to so frail a being as man ? Man, in his very best estate, is a frail child of mortality. He is extremely liable to err, and is surrounded with temptations on every hand. He is born into the world entirely ignorant and helpless, and all that he ever knows he is obliged to learn. The very first that he knows of himself, he is as he is, and he cannot help it. The very first sensations he ex- periences are those of appetite and want. He is very frequently placed (unavoidably by himself) under circumstances which are un- favorable to the development and cultivation of his moral nature. He is not unfrequently corrupted in his very youth by the teachings and examples of his fellow-beings. Now, to suppose that such a being is made the arbiter of his own eternal destiny, by Him who created him, is such a reflection on the wisdom and goodness of God, that we see not how the idea can be harbored for a single moment. Man manifests but little wisdom in the management of his temporal affairs. Can it be supposed then that he would manage his eternal interests any better ? 7. It charges God with cruelty. It accuses him of inflicting pain upon his creatures with no good object in view ; that is, in ref- erence to those upon whom it is inflicted. It needs no am-ument to prove that endless punishment can result in no good to the punished. If it be said that this misery is inflicted for the purpose of vindi- cating God's glory, justice, and his law ; then we ask, — Cannot God's glory, justice and law, be vindicated only at the expense of the endless misery of millions and millions of his own children ? Who would not rather think that no such being as God exists ? The remark of Plutarch will apply here. " I had rather," says he, " that men would say that no such man as Plutarch ever existed, than to have them say, there was one Plutarch who devoured hia own children as soon and as fast as they were born into the world," 346 DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. Suppose you see a father inflicting punishment upon one of his chil clren ; he continues to lay on stripe after stripe, until the shrieks and cries of the unfortunate child cause your blood to chill in your very veins. You ask the father why he inflicts such severe punish- ment. He tells you, to vindicate his own parental authority, and the law which he has established for the regulation of the conduct of his children. You ask again, But have you no other object in view ? Do you not intend the good of your child ? He tells you, no ; his only object is to vindicate his law. Now, suppose that father to have the power to perpetuate the existence of that child through endless duration ; and that you ask him if he intends that the punishment which he is inflicting shall ever cease. He answers, no ; and informs you that he intends to perpetuate the existence of his child through eternity, and make him a monument of his eter- nal wrath and displeasure ; and all to vindicate his own authority, honor and law. What would you think of the glory, and honor, and authority, and law, of such a parent as this ? Why, the voice of insulted humanity would cry out and brand such a father with infamy. And every rational man would say that he was undeserv- ing the name of parent. How, then, can we attribute such a char- acter, and such conduct, to the God of heaven, as to suppose that he will inflict such pain upon his creatures as can never result in any good ? 8. It can result in no good to any being or beings in the uni- verse ; and is, therefore, not only useless, but infinitely worse than useless. 9. No such penalty was ever annexed to any known law given by God to man. 10. God never threatened any man, nor any set of men, with any such punishment. 11. No such punishment was ever threatened to man, by any prophet, priest or king, mentioned in the Bible. 12. No person mentioned either in the Old or New Testament ever expressed any fears of suffering such misery. 13. No person mentioned in the Bible ever prayed to God to be saved from such misery. 14. It originated among the heathen. Of course it had its ori- gin among those nations that enjoyed no revelation from God; and is, therefore, a mere chimera of the human imagination. DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. 347 15. It has a direct tendency to call out the very worst passions of human nature ; to blunt the finer feelings of the same, and to foster a spirit of pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, pharisaism, exclusivencss, vindicfivcness, cruelty, partialis^m, malice, malignity, revenge and persecution. In proof of tliis, we have only to appeal to tl>c history of the conduct of those who have believed this doc- trine. The Jews of ancient times, if they did not believe this doctrine, at least believed in a partial God; and this made them partial and exclusive in their feelings. Hence they despised and persecuted every other nation on earth. And if they have been despised and persecuted in turn, it has always been by those of the same partial views as themselves. The Jews of our Saviour's time believed the doctrine of endless misery, having learned it from the heathen ; and, under the influence of the feelings engendered by it, they persecuted the disciples of Christ from city to city, imbrued their hands in the innocent blood, and crucified the Son of God. Under the influence of this doctrine, and acting upon the belief that tlie Mahouiedans were the enemies of God, and were hated by him, the crusaders waged an exterminating war of many years against them, and millions and millions of lives were destroyed in the con- test. Under the influence of the spirit of the same doctrine, Peter the Hermit raised an army of 600,000 men, and marched to Jeru- salem to wrest the " holy land " from the grasp of the infidel Turk. And what a righteous retribution awaited them ! They left their bones to bleach on the plains of Palestine, and their blood flowed freely to fatten the soil of that country. Under the same influence the Catholics have martyred thousands of innocent victims, and they too have been persecuted from the same cause. Under the influence of the same views men have instituted the inquisition, the wheel, the rack, and the torture. They have tied their fellow-men to the stake, and destroyed them with fagot and flame. They have whipped Baptists, and hung harmless and peaceable Quakers. They have kindled the fires of Smithfield, and plunged tlie dagger into the hearts of sixty thousand innocent victims in one day. In fine, this doctrine has filled the world with carnage and blood for more than eighteen hundred years; and it is high time that it was ban- ished from the world. A doctrine of such a tendency never proceeded from a God of truth and love. 16. It has driven thousands to despair, madness, suicide, and 348 DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. deatn. This fact is so notorious that it requires no proof. Th» newspapers teem with accounts of this kind almost every week. 17. It does violence to the reasoning powers of man, and is ab- horrent to the better feelings of his nature. 18. All human observation and experience are directly arrayed against it. God has so guarded the interests of his creatures here, that pain cannot be endured, beyond such a point, without termi- nating in the death of the sufferer. Can we then suppose that he will ever perpetuate the existence of his creatures only to make them miserable ? 19. It teaches that God will raise myriads of human beings from the quiet sleep of death, and the slumbers of the grave, and const! tute them immortal, for no other purpose but to make them end lessly miserable. Of course this makes the doctrine of the resur rection a subject of dread and fear, rather than of hope and joy. 20. It teaches that the divine justice is of such a nature that it can never be satisfied ; for what is always doing, will, of course, never be done. 21. If, as has been taught by some of the advocates of endless misery, every sin deserves endless punishment, and if endless pun- ishment consists in inflicting all the pain upon the wicked which their natures will be capable of enduring, then this doctrine renders it utterly impossible for God himself to punish any individual for more than one sin. Of course all other sins were committed with perfect impunity. How, then, is God's justice to be vindicated? 22. It teaches that God's law will eternally be violated ; and, of course, never fulfilled. Hence, it comes in contact with the testi- mony of Jesus Christ. Matt. 5 : 18. 23. The doctrine, as held by Arniinians, teaches that God has been bafHcd in his design in creating man ; and, of course, that there is a power in the universe which is superior to God himself. 24. The same theory teaches that God has been made the subject of pain and misery by his own creatures ; and that that misery can never end. Disappointment implies uneasiness ; and uneasiness im- plies pain and misery. If, therefore, God has been disappointed in the grand and glorious object which he had in view in creating man, that disap[)ointinent must be a source of unhappincss to him ; and if he is to be eternally disappointed, he nuist be eternally miserable. 25. It teaches that if God was infinitely malignant and cruel, it DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. 349 could not bo worse for a large portion of his sentient creatures than it actuiilly will be ; while, at the same time, tlie aJvoctites of this doctrine say that God is infinitely benignant, benevolent and good. A more palpable contradiction in terms cannot well be imagined nor conceived. 26. It is directly calculated to destroy the confidence of man in the Bible as a revelation from God, and is no doubt the principal cause of nine-tenths of the infidelity which prevails in our world. 27. It has a direct tendency to bar the exercise of that trust and confidence which we ought to repose in God, and which is so neces- sary to our well-being and happiness in life. 28. It has its origin in hatred. If all mankind had loved each other as they love themselves, no one would ever have dreamed that any man was in danger of suifering endless misery. Ask the be- liever in this dpctrine if he believes his parents will sufier such misery, and he will tell you, no. Ask if he believes his brothers, his sisters, his wife, his children, or his friends, will suflfcr such misery, and he will answer, no. Even if any of these have died without making any profession of religion, and even without any hope for themselves, still he will express at least a faint hope that they will not be made endlessly miserable. But why all this ? Ah, he loves his parents, brothers, sisters, wife, children, and friends, and is willing that they should go to heaven and be happy. But you ask him if he believes that that man who has greatly injured him will suffer such misery, and his answer will be, " yes ; hell was made for just such characters as he." This shows that the doctrine originated in hatred ; and that " hell is built on spite." We ought to strongly suspect and distrust a doctrine which origi- nates from such a source. 29. It gives to man the tremendous power of fixing the destiny of his fellow-man, either for weal or woe, through the ceaseless ages of eternity. What a chance for the exercise of malice and revenge docs this doctrine give to man ! Let us suppose the case of an indi- vidual who is a worthy and respectable man ; — he has, however, made no profession of religion, nor experienced that miraculous change which is supposed to be necessary in order to entitle him to salvation. lie is forty years of age ; if he lives to be fifty, he will experience this change and be saved. An individual, of the very worst character, imbibes a hatred toward this man, and, instigated 30 350 DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. by tlie spirit of revenge, murders him. The murderer is arrested, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be hung. Wliile confined in prison, awaiting the day of execution, he is visited by the pious clergy. They pray with him, exhort him to repentance, and finally, through their instrumentality, he is truly converted. On the day of execution he is swung upon the gallows, and his happy spirit is wafted to the realms of bliss. While there, he looks over the bat- tlements of heaven, and sees the man whom he murdered on earth writhing in the agonies of hell. Now, let us suppose that this mur- derer, if he had not committed this crime, would never have repent- ed, but would have died in his sins and went to hell. Is it not plain that, in this case, the act of murder has been the means of sending a man to hell, who would have otherwise went to heaven ; and of sending another to heaven, who otherwise would have went to hell ? What a tremendous power is this to commit to erring man ! 30. The doctrine of endless hell torments is built on poetry, para- bles, metaphors, figures of speech, fancy and imagination. The heated imagination of the ancient poets first conceived the idea of endless torture. And the advocates of the doctrine at the present day, so far as they rely upon the Bible to prove it, appeal to the parables, metaphors and figures, which abound in that book, rather than to any plain, positive or direct testimony. 31. It teaches, that not only millions and millions' of human beings, who have lived and died in our world, will be made endlessly miserable, but that millions and millions yet unborn, will, if thej exist, become the subjects of the same misery. Now, in reference to those yet unborn, there is but one way to prevent their being endlessly miserable. Proclaim universal celibacy, — cease to propa- gate the human species, — and of course you will cease to be instru- mental in bringing beings into existence to be plunged beneath the li(piid fires of hell's sulphurous flames. Benevolence, justice and humanity, lift up their voice and demand that this course be pursued by every rational man. A doctrine, from which such conclusions can be legitimately drawn, cannot possibly be true, but must inevita- bly be false. 32. It teaches that God has annexed a penalty to his law, which, if inflicted, will produce the very thing which the law was designed to prevent. It will not be disputed that the law was designed to prevent misery and to promote happiness. This design is accom- DOCTRINE OF ENDLESS MISERY. 351 pUshed in so far as it prevents disobedience and secures obedience. But if, when it is violated, it inflicts endless misery on the transgres- sor, then the design of the law is completely thwarted by its own penalty. It nuiy be said that, "allowing the penalty to be limited misery, yet, if the penalty is suffered, the design of the law is de- feated as well as in the other case." We reply, if the object in infliL-tiiig the penalty is to prevent transgression and enforce obedience, then the design of the penalty is in harmony with the design of the law. On this principle we avoid the monstrous absurdity which is evidently involved in the idea that an infinite penalty is annexed to the law. 33. It teaches that God has annexed a penalty to his law, which, if inflicted, will forever prevent a large number of its Subjects from complying with its requirements. The law demands obedience. It always did and always will require this of all men. But, if God dooms any portion of mankind to endless spiritual death, then it will be impossible for such ever to obey the law. 34. It teaches that God's law rests and is satisfied with the infliction of its penalty. Now, if this is the nature of God's law, then, as "all have sinned," the law would be just as well satisfied with the endless sin, rebellion and misery, of all mankind, as with their obedience. A most singular law such would be surely. 3.^. It teaches that God has annexed a penalty to his law, which, if inflicted, would be a greater evil than the transgression of the aw. That transgression of the law produces misery we admit. But, then, that misery is finite and limited, it being the eflFect of a finite and limited cause. Now, if God inflicts endless misery on the transgressor, then it will be seen at once that the remedy is infinite- ly worse than the disease. 36. It teaches that God's law is directly arrayed against his promises. God has promised to bless all mankind in Christ, the seed of Abraham. Acts 3 : 25. This blessing consists in turning men from iniquity and saving them from sin. Acts 3 : 26, Now, the doctrine of endless misery teaches that God's law will continue to be violated and trampled under foot, by a large portion of its sub- jects, throughout all coming time. How, then, can God's promises ever be fulfilled ? How absurd to suppose that God has involved himself in a dilemma like this ' 352 DOCTRINE OP ENDLESS MISERY. 37. A doctrine so repugnant to reason, so directly opposed to the dictates of benevolence, humanity and justice, cannot be believed by any well-regulated and well-balanced mind. Hence, the wise and good of all ages, whenever and wherever this doctrine has been known, have rejected it. CHAPTER XXII ON THE AUTIIOEITY OP THE APOSTOLIC AND CHPISTIAN PATHEIIS. Those early converts to Christianity, who distinguished themselves in defending and publicly teaching the Christian religion, and who lived before the year 120, and who by possibility might have associ- ated with some of Christ's apostles or evangelists, are called the "Apostolic Fathers." Those who succeeded them, and lived after the year 120, up to the time of the establishment of Popery, are called the " Christian Fathers." In the various controversies, on religious points of doctrine, which have agitated the Christian church, the disputants have been in the habit of appealing to the authority of these fathers. In the course of the controversy between Univer- salists and Limitarians, the authority of these men has sometimes been appealed to as sufficient to settle the point in dispute. Both parties have appealed to their opinions with great confidence ; as if ■what they believed and taught was a matter of great consequence. Now, it appears to us that more importance has been attached to the question, What did the Apostolic and Christian Fathers think, and how did they believe ? than it is really deserving of. A few of our reasons for so thinking will now be given. 1st. We will speak of the Apostolic Fathers. 2d. Of the Christian Fathers. I. The Apostolic Fathers are Clemens, Eomanus, Ignatius, Poly- carp, Papius, Barnabas, and Ilermas. These are all whose writings have come down to us. That their opinions are deserving of but little weis^jht, is evident from the following facts : 1. There is no 30* 354 THE iPOSTOLIC AND CHRISTIAN FATHERS. proof that either of them ever associated with any of Christ's apostles or evangelists. If they did, one thing is certain, they have not in their writings mentioned one of the historians of Christ. See Dod- welVs Diss, on Irenus. 2. It is said that Clemens and Ignatius were acquainted with the apostles ; and that Polycarp was the dis- ciple of John ; but of this there is no direct proof Allowing it to be true, however, all this might be, and yet they not learn anything from the apostles respecting the great point in dispute now between Limitarians and Universalists. The circumstances of times then made it necessary that the doctrine that Jesus was the true Messiah, and the Sent of God, should be the prominent and fundamental doc- trine taught ; and but little was said about anything else. Besides, the writings of Clemens, Ignatius and Polycarp, afford no proof of the doctrine of endless misery. It is thought that they believed in a limited resurrection, and that none except the righteous would be raised from the dead. If so, they held an opinion at variance with that taught by the apostle Paul ; and, of course, could not have learned it either from hun or from the teachings of Christ. 3. The writings of these men prove that they were " men of but little learn- ing ; and, for the most part, of as little judgment; and whoever reads them, expecting to find them either instructive or edifying, will rise from their perusal in disappointment, if not with disgust." The epistle of Clemens is the best of them all, and " contiuns but one instance of those absurd allegories which abo2ind in the succeeding fathers." The writings of Ignatius "contain some puerile conceits, betray a fondness for the Eastern fables concerning the angelic world, and are filled with earnest injunctions of the most unreserved sab- mission of reaso?i,/ait/z a?ii ^?-ac.