ETERNAL PUNISHMENT AND DIVINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6824, 1 October 1883, Page 6

ETERNAL PUNISHMENT AND DIVINE

• BENEVOLENCE. At the Pitt-street Wesleyan Church last evening, the Rev. A.; Reid delivered aaer* mon on "Is ttio eternal punishment of the wicked consistent with the Divine benevolence ?" The Church ••wait crowded. : • Tbo text chosen waa Mfttfrew rsveh., 46V., "And these shall go'away into everlasting punishment; but- the. righteous into life eternal;" ■ ' ■ ' ■

The Bey. Mr. Reid said the subject of the punishment of the wicked had lately occupied very largely the attention of the Auckland community, and it seemed to him that he owed, to some extent, a fuller explanation of what he held respecting that solsum, that appalling subject, tban had been furniuhed to his congregation. And what he had to say that evening was not to be taken an supplementary to the discussion that had recently taken "place, but might be rather regarded as preliminary, inasmuch as it would be an attempt to set forth what was held on the subject of the punishment of the. wicked by the majority of the Protestant chnrches. The question of the duration of the punishment of the wicked had been the subjact of very widespread and anxious thought among Christian people, and pulpit and Press had been extensively engaged in "attempts to solve the appalling mystery of the eternal fate of the finally impenitent. Two theories obtained among those who denied the doctrine of eternal. One of those was known as universalism, or the restoration theory, and tanght that, in the long ages of the future, through process of suffering and discipline of longer or shorter duration, all emnera would eventually be brought into a state of salvation, and than Christ would, in the fullest sense of the term, be the Saviour of all men. The-second theory denied the natural immortality of man, limited the possession of this bie»sing to true believers in Christ only, and doomed all others, after resurrection and a period of suffering proportioned to the varied degrees of sinfulness, to extinction of being, or annihilation of body spirit. They were warranted to regard eacli of these theories as an effort to justify the ways of God to man, and to deliver tbe Divine administration from the imputation of unnecessary severity, or rather, of wanton cruelty, which seemed inseparable from the commonly-received dogma of eternal punishment. In discussing the question' it was necessary to deal with the Scriptural teaching on the subject and the argument from reason or the nature of things. Jesus Christ was the most emphatic teacher of the doctrine of the eternal suffering of the finally impenitent. He, the loving Saviour, was the most appalling preacher of the horrors of perdition. The significance of that it was impossible to over-estimate. On behalf of those very sinners whose very doom he pronounced he endured the unutterable anguish of Geths'emane and Calvary. .His compassion led him to submit to extremest suffering that He might, if possible, reclaim them from bib, and it was He who pronounced sentence which men ventured to stigmatise as horrible in its malevolence. The candid enquirer, instead of impugning the justice of the sentence would, under the circumstances, though he was unable to understand, believe that the sentence must be inevitable—that no more lenient course was possible. The perpetuation of sin and suffering was in perfect keeping with another mystery respecting which ! there could be no scepticism, viz., the introduction and present continuance of sin and suffering among men; Why did God permit I sin at all ? Of course the reply was to hand, the best they could say in explanation, that! freedom of choice was essential to moral I character. The possibility of evil was essential to probation. Standing outside of the creative sphere of God, and knowing Him to be omnipotent and - perfect .in benevolence, and having the state of this world as it had been and was described, their-friends would have predicted the history, impossible as being wholly repugnant to the principles of the Divine Government. Yet here it was, and it had been, a scene of wrong, and cruelty, tyranny, brutality, . carnage, super- lust, poverty, disease, and death; - and though God. had in person visited the world for the purpose of rectifying- existing evils, not more than one-fourth of' the population knew and believed the fact. Had they predicted such a state of things prior to the creation of Adam, the arguments of their friends would have buried them deep in the chaos as the enemies of God and the order of things. Set all had come to pass, and they lived in its midst; "Explain tome," said Archbishop Whately, " the beginning of dvil and I will undertake to explain its eternal duration." The difficulty lay in its first toleration; that being fact, the other might follow. Jesus said it would. Suffering could only be alleviated or terminated by the termination of sin. As long as man sinned he must suffer: sin was its own punishment. To escape punishment man must get converted. Men determined their own happiness by their obedience to the Divine law. After some further remarks, Rev. Mr. Reid said : It is taken by many for granted that by the othodox creed we are compelled to believe that the bodies of the wicked after resurrection will be of flesh and blood like those whichwe now possess, and that these are to be tormented in literal fire through aU eternity. People have deemed themselves bound to believe this as the teaching of Ihei Bible, and there are now persons godly and righteous who would regard as heresy of a grave nature, any teaching which impugned the truth of either of these views. Thoughtful Christians have been haunted with questionings as to the loving God and Father of men appointing punishment so horrible to be endured by weak, sinful men, and it was felt that for any earthly sovereign to inflict punishment of so fearful a nature as that of the popular hell, would subject him to universal execration, How then was it possible to believe that the loving Saviour who gave his life for these very sinners, should consign them to such a doom, of which there could be no possible alleviation, from which there could be no reformation, and which existed apparently for the sole object of being tormented? Prom the earliest days of Church history, such questionings have obtained, and a variety of solutions of the difficulty have been suggested. Conditional immortality offers this relief by teaching the sinners annihilation. Universalism, or the theory of restoration, deals effectually with the difficulty by teaching that all will, aa the result of the penal fires, be saved. Our objection to both is that they contradict Scripture teaching. We waive their consideration in the light of Bible teaching just now and proceed to inquire respecting the theory of the eternal punishment of the wicked : whether it is necessarily associated with the dogma of a body of flesh, such as we have, none being tormented eternally in material fire. So far as we know, Holy Scripture says nothing whatever respecting the nature of the resurrection of the bodies of the finally impenitent. The bodies of the righteous are to be "spiritual," like the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Mesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." Is it not then a fair inference that the bodies of the wicked will be spiritual bodies?. The fire into which the wicked are to depart is the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. These are spiritual essences. They are not flesh and blood. Seeing that the sinners of men are to share in their ppnishment, is it not a fair deduction that in nature they are similar identical ? Suppose you contend for bodies of flesh and blood, and literal fire, as we know it, then you must perforce abandon the idea of etecnal punishment. Less than a day would suffice to secure the annihilation of the body. But you contend that the body of flesh has been rendered indestructible. Will you give as your proof that it will be so? If indestructible, then the fire has lost its power : that is, it is no longer fire— not literal fire. Driven from his position, our orthodox friend will perhaps take refuge in the plea of the body being spiritual, and the fire being literal. Can material fire destroy or cause pain to a spiritual nature? No man dare answer'in tbe affirmative. Thus the doctrine of eternal punishment of a material body in material fire or of a spiritual body in material fire is self-destructive. You are compelled to alter the nature of the body or the fire—that is s you must make them something totally different to what they are, and therefore are. shut up to the conclusion that the body is spiritual and the fire figurative or symbolie. This body then, which ie immaterial aid fitted for the new conditions of existence together, with the spirit of the man goes sjway into evorlaeting punishment, represented by fire. _ That their condition is most unhappy admits not of a doubt. The recollection of what they have lost and the craving for what is ho longer attainable will eater their,

bringasfircßitter pangsof remorse, andycarn~ ing for that which they are forever debarred, make them the subjects of intense eofferieg, tut there ia no unnecessary cruelty. • The pain is self-authoriued, the reaping of what they sowed in opposition to l the'command and entr»aty of God. It is terrible, but it ir just. "The consequences off-baffling Divine meroy cannot but be appallingly disastrous. Bat the sinner has only himself to blame. God is still the God of love. Hia jostice remains unsullied. The Bufferings are end- / If as—ai- nioo. Iβ it capable of any modifies- / tion? Here we enter the domain of specula. tion._ But ia there room left for ns to imagine any possible alleviation of the woe ©£ which the inhabitants ot hell are the subjects ? The Rev. Mr. Reid then said that in unswer to this was suggested likening the state of the fieally impenitent to prisoners condemned for life, who with fixed limitations were still trust' d as moral and responsible agents,- and accordingly as they behaved themselves ia harmony with their environments, so wari their condition more or less tolerable—imprisoned, immaterial beings eternally shut out from the kingdom of Christ and G.od. ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL: DfTEKES CISG CEREMONY. Yesterday (Sunday) being the solemnity of the Feast of Onr Lady of Mercy, special services were held at St. Patrick's Cathedral. At eleven o'clock High idass was celebrated by the Very Rev. Father Walter Macaoaald (Adm.), the musical portion o:F the service being spiritedly rendered by the choir, under the direction of the Rev. Father L< niban, the tones of whose rich and powerful tenor voice were heard to more than ns»',al advantage. It was at three o'clock in the afternoon, however, tiu.t the ceremony of the day (being the renewal of the baptismal vows of the children) took place, and those who hud the pleasure of being present are not likely to soon forget the spectacle witnessed on .the occasion. Notwithstanding the gloomy state of the weather, boih children and parents assembled in large numbers. His Lordship the Right Rev. Dr. Luck, 0.5.8., Very Rev. Father Walter Macdonald (Adm. ot Sγ. Patrick's), Very Rev. Father Downey,, 0.5.8., and Rev. Father Lenihan were pre-' , sent in the sanctuary, while a large number of the parents and .friends of the children ■ occupies seats in tbegallery. A few minutes after the hour named (the catechetical instructious ot the boys under' the direction of the Christian Doctrine Society having been, concluded), a procession from St. Patricks Convent Schopia, consisting of the various religious sodalities, under the care of the Sisters of Mercy, entered the cathedral. First carae the Guard of Honour of the Blessed Sacrament, headed by a richly worked emblematic banner; then followed, the Children" of Mary, prettily dressed: in white, with blue cipes and white wreaths and veils, and carrying lighted tapers, 'also preceded by a banner, being followed ia turn by the orphan children of Mount St. Mary's (Ponsonby), neatly dressed in'.blue dresses and white hoods, and the young lady boarders at the Convent, the whole forming. . • a very pleasing effect. The children\(to the number of some 400) having been seated, His Lordship the Bishop, after reading the usual form of the vows, gave an interesting, address, reminding the children.of the promises made on their behalf at the baptismal font, and which;' they themselves were then assembled to renew., Jje.advi3ed them *».■ reflect often on their baptisinal.engagemente, and not to be led away what he might term a wild love of pleasure, which he was sorry to say was noticeable among young people of the present day," .\JEIe counselled them to be modemte in theii? pleasures as in other things. Very Rev. Father Macdonald "■' then addressed'a few words to those present, thanking the good Sisters of Mercy and the members of the Christian -Doctrine Society for their attention to the children, and the members of the congr* gation.rfor their kind presence on the '.occasion. Benediction. o£ the Blessed Sacrament was then given, and several hymns Having been sung, Miss Artelia Lynch presiding at theharmoninai, the ceremony concluded, all departing highly gratified at the success of the day's proceedings. - . •

BISHOP LUCK AT ST. JOHN'S, PARNELL. Bishop Luck held a confirmation service at - John's Church, Parnell, yeiiterday. There was a very large attendance, many being unable to tied - more than standing room. His Lordship was assisted by Monsignore Fynes and Father Downey, ot St. Benedict's Church, Newton. Thure were 67 candidates for the sacrament, of whom 42 were girls and women and the remainder boys and men.; His Lordship addressed those who were' confirmed, explainicg the principles of the sacrament he had just administered, and was listened to with earnest attention, In the evening there was again a very large congregation. The visit to the parish was a pastoral visit in accordance with the Bishop's duties to examine into the temporilities as well as the spiritualities of the parish. His Lordship gave ai general discourse last night on a nnmber o£ subjects. He adverted to the falling off which had Saken place in these days from the old spirit which governed the Church, and alluded to mixed marriages and civil contracts instead of marriage, which he pointed out was a Sairement of the Church. He alludeT to the results, which affected not only the persons thus married but more especially their offspring. He then adverted to the subject of education, and advised those attending the pnblic schools to be diligent in their attendance at the Sunday-schools, and to obtain all the religious education possible from their clergy and teachers. He then referred to the cemetery. On goiug through it, he was taken aback by noticing the inscriptions on the tombstones, which merely recorded the death of the deceased and the date, and pointed out that in Catholic countries it was ; the rale to have on the stone some snch inscription as this, " Uf your charity, pray for the soul, &c," and hoped they would now begin to do as had been the custom in the qlden time, and follow the teaching of the Ghurch. Further, with regard to dead relations, it appeared to rale here that when a friend was buried that was the end, but jhe urged that it was a doctrine of tho iChurch to pray for the dead. It was the custom to give an offering of 5s when a Mass for the dead was celebrated, but this was not the price of a Mass, He said he had examined the books of the parish, and' found that the affairs of the parish were in a Dinah better state than when Father Fynes took charge ten years ago. He gave Monsigriore Fynes full credit and praise for the manner in which the affairs had been conducted, and also gave a fall meed of praise to the Sisters of Mercy for their devotion to their duties as teachers. f THEATRE SERVICES.' \ -■ ' Notwithstanding the various services held every Sunday evening, the service in the Theatre Royal is well sustained. There was a large attendance last night. Mr. Thomas Buddie, hon. secretary of the Y.M.C.A., presided. Addresses were 5 delivered by the Rev. David Whytock, Baptist minister, and Mr. W. Bamford, Evangelist.