shared, and that endlessly, by those who manifestly do not deserve to be rendered thus miserable.

1

The Scriptures, in special and in general terms, exhort to the exercise of sympathy with our fellows; as, "Remember those who are in bonds, . . . and those who suffer adversity;" "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." Such sympathy is demanded by the law of love, which law, being based in the nature of God, is authoritative in all worlds. If, therefore, it is the duty of a Christian to sympathize with human suffering while in this earthly state, it must be equally his duty to do so after having passed into the celestial state.

But law or no law, duty or not a duty, the truly benevolent, whether they express their feelings or not, always do sympathize with others in their joys and their sorrows, as did Jesus, the dear Son of God. It is natural for such to do so, even as it was for Him. Perhaps they could not easily refrain from it, if they would; and we may be quite certain that they would not, if they could ever so easily.

There is a feeling extant in our world, a good expression of which is, "Let me be saved- I ask no more." The existence of this feeling is perhaps a principal reason why the endless punishment of all has seldom or never been in a direct manner taught. Give it its due. The after-death state, as all agree, is to be a state of happiness to some. But if those " some are governed by the spirit of Christ, and not by unmixed, unmitigated selfishness, they cannot possibly be very happy, if also they see it to be a fact that others are perfectly and irremediably miserable. Nor this alone. If such misery is actually seen to be endless, the

1 Hebrew xiii. 3; Rom. xii. 15.

perception of this fact can not but induce in the happy a degree of positive misery. And the greater and more abundant their benevolence, the greater and more abundant their misery; and this state of things must continue, too, as long as that continues which calls forth their sympathies. If, then, some are to be endlessly miserable, all will be so. The dividing of the child would have been fatal to the true mother's half, as well as to the other.

It is therefore argued, here, that the endless punishment of any of mankind is improbable to the last degree, seeing that it would involve in a like calamity all who possess the spirit of Christ. If the punishment, however severe, were seen to be terminable in good, the case would be radically different.

ENDLESS

CHAPTER XIX.

PUNISHMENT

CONCLUDED.

VI. There are a considerable number of Scripture texts in which the doctrine of endless punishment seems expressly negatived; as in the following:

"The Lord will not cast off forever: But though He cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Lam. iii. 31-33.

In this passage, we are first instructed as to what the Lord will not do. he will not cast off for ever. In the second place, we learn what He will dohe will exercise compassion to an extent commensurate with his many mercies. Thirdly, we are told, in express terms, why He will do the latter and will not do the former - he does not afflict willingly, that is, from taking pleasure in it; nor does he grieve mankind for the mere purpose of grieving them. And observe. It is no select class or classes of human beings concerning whom the above denials and affirmations are made. The prophet expressly mentions "the children of men," that is, the race in general. Observe also, that he is not treating of national judgments, but of God's dealings with mankind in an individual capacity. See the context: "It is good for a man that he

bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he had borne it," &c.

The advocates of the doctrine in question contend that, in the Bible, the expression "for ever," when applied to punishment, imports a strictly endless duration. Now if it has this sense here, then are we certified, by Divine authority, that no one will be cast off for an endless duration n; hence the doctrine of endless punishment is not from God.

It is clearly a fact, however, that, in some Scripture texts, the word rendered "ever" signifies an age or indefinite period; a long, or seemingly long space of time. (See Chap. vi. of this work.) Yet if it has this sense in the passage before us, the doctrine in question is none the less negatived; -it is, in fact, negatived all the more strongly ;since if the compassions and mercies of God will not admit of His casting off any one for even an age, most certainly he will not cast off for an endless duration.

A somewhat similar passage occurs in the Book of Psalms. The writer tells of having been greatly "troubled" upon a certain subject-so troubled that (, to use his own expressions,) his eyes were held waking, his spirit was overwhelmed, and he could not even speak. And what so troubled him? Answer, he had been revolving in his own mind -, so it appears, the following preeminently important moral questions:

"Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will He be favorable no more?

Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath He in anger shut up his tender mercies? Psalms lxxvii. 7-9.

No wonder the Psalmist was troubled when such questions haunted his mind; that is, provided he had an idea that their true answer could be an affirmative; and especially so, if by " for ever" he understood an endless duration. In these times, it is no unheard-of thing for persons to become insane over this subject.

But what conclusion did Asaph come to at last? He immediately adds, (and let all ponder these instructive words,) " And I said, This is my infirmity." Yea, verily, it was an infirmity, a-pitiable weakness, to even suppose, apprehensively, that any person could be morally cast off for ever, in even an indefinite sense; since, according to the writer's own showing, in order for God to thus cast off, during even an indefinite period, not only must His ever-enduring mercy be "clean gone for ever," but He must also let his promise "fail for ever[and] more," which failure would suppose, at the least, an everlasting violation of good faith!

In an other passage, "the High and Lofty One who inhabited eternity," declares through the prophet thus:

"I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." Isa. lvii. 15.

In the Scriptures, by a figure of speech, punishment is often represented as resulting from Divine wrath, anger, indignation, or vengeance, called forth by human wickedness. Of this, the text just cited is an example, as is also the verse following it: "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him," &c. Indeed, in some instances, wrath, or the like, appears to be used metonymically for punishment or retribution; as where an apostle mentions treasuring up " wrath against the day of wrath;" (rightly, a day ;)