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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too lerge to be entirely included in one exposure ara filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Las cartas, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent *tre filmte A des taux de rMuctlon difftrents. Lorsque le document eet trnp grand pour Atra reproduit en un seul cliche. 11 est film* A partir de Tangle supArleur gauche, de gauche i droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le ncmbre d'imagas nAcessaira. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 -Si,j«^^,:v.uji?^- ^0V\ SCOTJ4 PROVINCE HOUSE -X-K 7 v' v/ < THE COMING OF CHRIST, END OF THE WORLD AND EVERLASTING PUNISHRflENT. ^ S^txmtin, PREACHED IN HALIFAX. N07A SCOTIA. 27 JUNE, 1858. BT BEV. N. GUNNISON. FUDLI8HRD FOB THE 8PKCIAI BEfrePIT 07 All, 8INCRRE INQIIIRIBS A CHRISTIAN TKUTU, AND COMMENDED TO TUB ATTENTiOS OF AU. BELIETEBS IN THE DOQHA OF ENDLISa MISKBT ! HALIFAX, N. 8. JAMES BOWES A SONS, PRINTERS, 6 BARRINOTON STREET. 1868. " tim nS J or 4 r^-: \C\^ 1 Depart fro anpls — Mat the rii{hU><)ii!i TlIKSE doctrine c tion after and burn a large pt the argun to come. We wc and mean truth, an " who spa The se will be pi the earth, calling ai they hav< " closing condition last text, has refert doom. On a s inquire ii those sini Let us ca named in " For thirsty ai ' .:■' *!mmfci ;T| *Tiaji^!3WMf;-S ^etiuou* DepJCPt from me ve corned into evorlastinn Are, prepared for the ilcvil and hi« inpls — Matt. xxv."41. And these shaJI go away into evei lasting punishment ; but he righteoiia into Mfc eternuJ. — M. TllKSE texts have been often quoted in proof of the loctrine of a future judgment day, and an unmerciful retribu- tion after this earth sliall have been dashed from its orbit and burnt to ashes ! Indeed, they are, to-day, considered, by 1 large portion of the Christian Church, as the very citadel of the argument for the doctrine of immortal pains in the world to come. We would therefore, come to the inquiry as to their import and meaning with caution and a sincere desire to know the truth, and understand all the lessons of our Divine teacher, "who spake as never man spake before." The sentence, " Depart ye cursed," &c., it is contended, will bo jn-onounced at the last judgment by the Judge of all the earth, upon all who have not been careful to make their calling and election sure by works of righteousness which they have done — which Avorks are supposed to consist in " closing in with the overtures of mercy and accepting the conditions of pardon." — And the declaration contained in the last text, " These shall go away into everlasting punishment," has reference to the same class, and to the same terrible doom. On a subject of so much importance, we would particularly inquire into the precise nature of the charges made against those sinners who were to be tried at such a terrible Court ! Let us carefully examine the case, and see what crimes are named in the indictment. " For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat ; I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink ; I was a sn-anger and ye I t? .;: 4 RKRMOV. took me not in ; naked and yv clotlicd me not ; sick and in prison and ye visited me not." These are tlie crimes speci- fied — not over-acts of wickedness — bvjt, a ii('? of tlie (hath of Christ, the Apostle says : "Now once in the < ml of' ihr irmld hath he appeared to put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself." Heb. ix. 26. It is seen at once that the tliree (lue.stions have reference to contem])oraneous i-ven s. 'J'he destroyiii;,' of tlie temple, — castinj; off the Jews, — end of the world, or a^'e, were sim- ultaneous events. Let this hv home in mind, while we ])ro- cced with the discourse that follows in answer to these questions. First, then, thf» Saviour cautions them to he careful aj^ainst deception, assuring them that there will he n any wlio will claim to be the Christ, and will deceive many. Then he tells them there shall be wars, famines and pestilences in divers places, which shall be but the bc^innin;.,' of sorrows. — Matt. xxlv. T), 8. He {^003 on and gives ihem sign after sign, and tells them vlidt to do, and nlin-r. to go, and vlien to flee out of the city to escape the terrible evils that shall come upon it ; and although he could not tell them the prec isc day and hour when he should come and the temple be thrown down, yet he eovdd be thus definite, that it should all take place during that generation. " Verily I say unto you, this ijeneration shall not ])ass away till all th.esc things shall be fulfilled." (verse 81.) The twenty-fourth chapter entire, from the fifth verse, is devoted to careful warnings against deception, encourage- ments to perseverance and steadfastness in their profession, and in enumerating and pointing out the signs that should precede the event of his coming. And it is a remarkable fact that the early Christians, to the number of many thousands, did observe those signs, and fol- lowed the instructions of their master, and left the city, and escaped the general overthrow. And it is also remarkable that the Jewish historian Josephus, without any knowledge of Christ's instructions to his followers, should mention very many of the facts as taking place which Christ named as the signs of his coming. In fact, nearly every sign that Chi.st named is mentioned by the historian of that overthrow, and Ihe escape and preservation of the Christians minutely de- tailed in perfect correspondence with his warnings and in- structions. 'ti-si*; r^ s: RMON. 9 Tv But wc will pass to the twenty-fifth chapter, which com- nuinccs w itli the wonl ''I'lini" — at liot titnc — the time already spoken of — tlie time inquired about by hi.s disciples — the time of his coming and the end of the aj^e — " shall the kin^,'dom of heaven he likined unto ten viij^rins which took their hunps and went forth to meet the l)ridegroom. Ami five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were fooli.sh took no oil in their lamps," ^Vc. This parable was evidently desi^'ned to show the disciples the risults to tlu m of watihfulness on the one hand, and of carelessness ami indifference on the other. Those who observed his instructions and were prepared for the event.s would be ready to nuet them, \\hile the careless would not watch the sij^ns a« they come alon<^, and woulil therefore be overtaken l)y tlie devastatin<^ scour}ije. lie a^ain enforces watclifulness. "Watch, tlierefore, for ye know neither the day nor tiie liour wherein the Son of Man cometh." Then he coiitiiuies with another parable, representing him- self as a man travelling into a far country ; but before leaving, he calleth his servants to him, and delivereth to them his goods, to each according to his ability ; and after u time he returneth, and calleth them to an aecoimt of their steward- ship, and those who made good use of his money were com- mended and advanced in responsibility, but those who had wasted or squandered their lord's money were cast out and reduced to want and beggary. Matt. xxv. 14, 30. This parable was designed to impress their minds with the importance of being earnest in his cause, and to do all that he had instructed them to do, — not only to uat'li, \}\xt to n>orh' also. He was about to be crucified ; but a few days would elapse before he should leave them, and he would leave his cause in their hands : yet after a while he would come again, and approbate all who continued faithful, but the unfaithful, like the vmwatchful disciple, would be cast out and experience darkness and fear. About forty years after these parables were spoken, Christ came in the glory of his Father, and reckoned with his servants. All who had been watchful and true to the end, — all who for forty years endured a.^d suffered persecution, and still remained uncompromisingly his dis- ciples, were saved from the woes and wretchedness that came upon that once proud city ; but those who became T ^fw-- 10 SERMON. impatient under their trials, and despaired of his rominf^, and forsook his cause, were not prep^^red for the event, an 1 hence miserably perished. Tlius fur Christ spoke to his disciples directly of what should be the results of his coming, and of tlie entl of the Jewish polity to them personally ; and the parables we have glanced at were designed to imnrcss upon their minds the necessity of watching the signs he had pointed out, and of following his instructions strictly, though it might be a very long time for them to watch and wait. Rut now, at the conclusion of liis discourse to them, he enlarges upon the subject, and points out to them the results of his coming, not to the disciplet, L/uly, but to tlie world at large. " AVhen the Son of Man shall come '"— 31 st verse — (the coming they had inquireil about, and the signs of which he had so minutely given then.,) "then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations ; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth liis sheep from the goats," Aic. The design of this parable is as evident as the design of those tliat precede it, which I have already considered. It was to show the disciples that, while the true and faithful Christians should be exalted above persecutions and trials, which ever attended their profession and attachment to his name and cause, — the unbelieving and self-righteous Jews, false Christians and unfaithful followers, should be punished with utter destruction. We are ver} confident that this is the general intent and meaning of this parable. And that history confirms this view of the subject cannot be a question. Within forty years from the time Jesus uttered the parable, the Jewish nation was overthrown by the Romans, their city destroyed, and the people reduced to servitude and degradation ; and for nearly two thousand years they have remained a dispersed and despised people — a hissing and reproach throughout the earth. At the same time the Christians, who had watched the signs, and escaped to the mountains, as directed by their Master, entered into the enjoyment of their faith, and in- creased day by day in the knowledge of God and Christ, •• wliich is eternal life.'' We will now leave the general subject of our Saviour's SERMON. II instructions, and notice some of the terms of tlio sentence pronounced upon the wicked Jews, with the remark, in pass- ing, that the key to the exphmation of many of the parables of the New Testament, especially the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke xvi. 19, ;J1, and of the second death in Rev. xx. 11, 15, is furnished the inquirer by the explana- tion of the parable to which you havf» just i^iven attention. They all refer to the same events, and the explanation of one will sufjf^ost to your minds the meaninj^ of all. They were to "depart into everlastin}» fire" in one text». and " fjo away into everlasting punishment " in tiie other. No one will question the perfect harmony of these different expressions. "Everlasting tire" and "everlasting punish- ment" mean one and the same thing. Now, is there any- thing in the term "fire" or "punishment" that necessarily connects those wicked criminals with any other existence than the present ? Surely not. We have no knowledge of "///v;" or "punishment" only as pertaining to this world. To those, then, who apply our subject to future and im- mortal scenes, the wliole rests upon the word " (!verlasting." Hut they should know that this word is not reliable, for its signification is determined by the nature of tlie thing to which it is applied, the same as the word great. There is the same dilferenee in meaning of the term " everlasting," when applied to God and the priesthood of Aaron, as there is in the meaning of the word " great," when applied to a moun- tain and to a grain of sand. The nature of punishment determines the meaning of the word "everlasting," when applied to punishment. The design of punishment is rorrertion. Heb. xii. .'3-12. When that is produced it ceases, having accomplished its object, and the " everlasting punishment " comes to an end, as ab- solutely as the "everlasting covenant" with the Jews and the " everlasting priesthood of Aaron " did when they had accomplished their mission. There is to be "an afterwards" of " righteousness and peace" to this "everlasting punish- ment." So the Scriptures abundantly testify. But, do I hear the familiar objection : " Eternal life " is put in contrast with "everlasting punishment," — so, if the punishment be limited to this world, the "life" must be limited to this world also : or, in popular phraseology, " if vou destrov hdl. vou destrov heaven also, for everlasting and eternal h-wc the same meaning. [ ^Yi »* u SUBMON. We might answer this objection by saying that punish- ment, in its nature and design, is limited, and all the adjec- tives in the language cannot make it anything else, — while life, spiritual life, may be endless ; and hence the meaning of the same adjective may be greatly modified, as when applied to G )d an.l to the hills of Judea. ]?ut I will not leave the objection with this answer alone, for it might not satisfy the inquirer's mind. I will therefore frankly htate that neither part of the text has any reference at all to an immortal state of existence. The phrase "eter- nal life " is not the phrase in the New Testament by which an immortal and endless existence is set forth. " Eternal life" is rather the life of /'citVA and j)ear<' that we enjoy here in this world, in hope of immortality beyond the grave. .Tesus saith : " lie that heareth my word and believeth in Him th.it sent me halh everlastinq life."' Again : *' This is eternal ///V to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent.' John xvii. 3. Thus, we learn that *'■ eternal lift'" is enjoyed in t]^ world, where the " everlasting punishment '" is suffered. Once more. It is said this " everlasting fire was prepai*ed for (he devil and his angels." Yes, and "the kingdon*'" which the righteous were " to inherit " was " prepared for tliem from the foundation of the world."' Now, all this lan- guage is metaphorical — parabolic. The truth is behind the imagery. You who are conversant with the New Testament know that the phrase " Kingdom of God," or " heaven," signi- fies the reign of Christ on earth, through his Gospel. The Jews were in this Kingdom, but Christ told them that it should be taken from them and given to a nation who should bring forth the fruits of the same. Matt. xxi. 43. Ir tlie Divine Council, this Kingdom or Gospel had always been designed for them, though they received it at so late a period. The phrase "prepared," &c., refers, in a general way, to the purposes of God, that the Gentiles should receive the benefits of the Gospel through the casting out of the Jews. The phrase " prepared for the devil and his angels "* is a part of the metaphor, chosen to set forth the fore- ordainings of God, &c. But the devil and his angels — who are they? I know he is a conspicuous character in the religious world, and some creeds would not be worth a farthing without him. Bu! who '• \ SERMOIf. n 18 this august personage, for whom this pit of fire was pre- pared ? Let me say to you that the terms Devil. Satan, ike, are terms used to personify evil, or to represent a person of evil propensities and passions — the depraved appetites and lusts. Kve was tempted of the devil, or her own lusts. Christ wa< tempted by the devil, just a* Eve was — that is, by an earthly ambition. The strict idea of a devil is oppo- sition — contention — strife — an adversary. The idea of a personal devil is not learned from the Scrip- tures. Thic comes entirely from paganism. The ancient Persians believed in two omnipotent spirits — one good, the other evil. Milton, in his poetic drama, revived this Persian idea, and fiom this poetic caricature of a pagan superstition Christians get their doctrine of a great soul-destroying, omnip- otent devil, who has frequently defeated the Creator, and once spoiled his fair creation. It is altogether a heathen doctrine, and finds not the least support from the Bible. In the metaphor of our text, our Saviour personifies the spirit of evil, which predominated in the hearts of those who obeyed not the Gospel. Xothing more is meant by the term devil in the Scriptures. We are sometimes accused of nolt believing in the existence of a personal omnipotent and omnipresent devil ; and for this reason we are cast out of the "evangeli- cal (?) Church." We call ourselves Christians, and hence reject all doctrines that are eminently heathen. Yet we would not deprive our neighbors of one of their deities ! If they find the Persian doctrine of an omnipotent evil spirit so necessary to their good behaviour and the discipline of their Church, we would not take from them the motive power of their religious life. But, for ourselves, we prefer to believe that all the devil wc have to fear is within our own hearts ; and it is there we would seek to exorcise the evil spirit. Again. The unbelieving Jews have been, as a people, suffering tliis everlasting punishment for nearly two thousand years, and the Christians have enjoyed their gospel privileges' for the same length of time ; and although we see no indica- tions that their punishment shall come to a speedy termina- tion, yet Christ intimated to them, while weeping over their impending fate, on the same day that he addressed his dis- ciples in the language of our texts, that the time should come when they should be delivered from their long punishment- 14 8EBM0X. •♦ 3ehol(l !" says he, "your house is left unto you desolate, and ye shall not see me henceforth until ye shall say. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." — Matt, xxiii. 39. This declaration implies that, in the dispensation of the fullness of time, the Deliverer shall come to this people, and turn away their ungodliness, and so all Israel shall be saved. Paul takes up this declaration of the Saviour, and in a masterly argument shows that the easting away of the Jews •was the means, in the hands of God, of bringing in the Gen- tiles. '• If," says he, " the fall of them be the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness ? For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the worhl, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead ?. . .For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceit, that blindness in part is happened unto Israel v til the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved." Kom. ii. Thus we have the testimony of Paul and the declaration of Chrisi that those very people who were sent away into " ever- lasting punishment" are yet to say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." And here we leave the subject with you, asking you to search the Scriptures daily to learn the lessons contained in them, and to find that faith which was once delivered to the saints, and which is powerful in its operations ujion the motives and intents of the heart. And may the great Head of the Church preserve and keep us from error and superstition, and ultimately bring us all to *he realization of that immortal life which is revealed in His most holy Word, Amen. \ O^L KOTE. ''il iR \ I As the word " everlasting" ia the hinge upon which the doctrine of " endlesH punishment " is made to turn, I would refer the reader to & few texts where the word is used in reference to things of a limited duration, to show tiiat the term is not good evidence in proof of a doc- trine so unreasonable as this confesseilly is. In Gen. xvT' 8, xlviii. 4, xlix. 20, the land of Canaan is called an "everlasting;" possession to the Jews, and yet the Jews have not owned a foot of land, there for many generations. In Numb. xxv. 13, the priesthood of Aaron in called an " everlasting priesthood," and yet it pai^aed away when Christ established the new priesthood. Ileb. vii. 11, V2. See also Lev. xvi. 34. It is well linown that learned Theologians of all sects, allow that the words " evcrhifting luid eternal" are frequently used in a limited sense. Whatlcy, Crmlcn, Prof. Stuart, and a host of others, all believei-s in the dogma of enilless punishment, agree in defining these word; .o mean " a long and indctinite period of time." No reliance, then, t m be put upon this " indefinate" adjective, in proof of a dogma, so abhorrent to all the better feelings and instincts of our souls ! We now ctill upon the advocates of the doctrine in r' -siM