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'^*r • iii Future Punishment. r* . A Synopsis of Sermons on the FINAL STATE i OF THE UNGODLV, :-#: Texts:— I Pet, iv: 17; 8 Thee* 1: 8 9 •What shall U the end »>f thcni that obey not the Gospel of:Qodr iPet., IV: 17. PETERS AWFUL QUE8TIOK. 'What ahall be the telua, end, ultimate destiny, U8Ul> t>r result 7' Telo9 dnnutes the limit at which athing oeaSHS to be,- but alwiiya, the eiH of •Dine Hci iH»nae, apocJally referrioff to I the p'r'o?!*, defnitily, whom thedestuiy hv'^fallp; in thia Cnae, the issue of the tinnl jiiaved liian, what ! 1 RI«yer tfansHtea the first clausu of this verse, 'For it is the tune of the beyin- nini? of the jiida;inent. i.e., in which tho judKment is beni.inlng," and aaya the sense ia : "If 0'>d dr»ea not exempt, us, the memheraof His honao (tlia family), from judgment, but permita it to take its : bogiuaing at iu,how ahould the unbeliev- 1 era be exempted^' Hue John III: 18. Qod certainly Iries and teata the char- acter of hia «iwn people, i.e., 'the house of CVd,' *u»,' elsjewiipre apoken of aa 'the apijcitual house,' 'thcj church of the living God,' 'whose iniVUBe ^ are we,' etc. Thia trial or teatitiff,!.^., judgment, 'niuat be- i{in at the housje «if God.* 'Judgment,' i e., condemnutjion of wrong, the decision wbich tine pasaJmon the faults of othera, antt denotea a judgment unfavorable to thoae concernod, a judgment involving punishment ; here,it menna the execution of judffMient as displayed in the infiiction of p\ini«rhment, the final' judgment in ita graduni development. To the righteous, these jutigiiienta or punishmenta are for purpi^at-B «tf; cliaatenirg and purifying — (Hftb. XII : 0) Judgment though be.-, ginning 'ui the hout-e of God' doea not end there, but paaaea o'.i to tho 'ungodly * and sinner.' Christiana ruUer only the brginniiig of the judgment, not its cloae ; it may be delayed to the Unbelieyera, but it will come and be completed by tha Ben* tenoe of cimdemnation, at the laat great day. 'The ungodly and ainner' may proa- ptr in thia world and die honored by inen, but what ahall t he end Jrt) ? 'If thV ' rtghteoua ia scarcely aaved, where shall ; (he ungodly and sinner appear?' Ob where ! The qneation is one that demands an emphatic negative anawer.ie., he wilt not be able to upprar, at all, in the judg- ment before Gi'id If God deala thus in judument with his own penjle, 'what shall he the final lot or fate of them that obey not tho goapi'l of God V What tw- fi^liluestions I V^ ho-cananawirth^m? PXUl's TF.ilKIBlE ANSWER f Peter aska the qucaM'ona. Paul at- tempta an anBW«r m 2 Theaa I : 8,9. 'Jtteaderiog veDgeanpe toHiieiit t^ut iuiow m -^ r i :?: <« not Ood, rad to them that db«y not th« goapel of our Lord J«iu«; who •hall suirar puniahroent, even eternal deatruotiun from the face of the Lord and from t^e glory of Hia might.' R. V. Paul anawera, but hia ahawer leavea ua in the dark, it ia only th^ aimple »tate. ment of a fact. He airoply aaya, that they •that knoir not God' and 'that obey not the fl[Oap«l/ •■hail luffdr puniahnient.'and thatthvpuniahment ia'eternal daatruotion from the face of the Lord and from the glory of HiB might.' But what U that? -They *ahall auffer puniahment,'i.e.,pay the penalty, judicially aatiafy the right by nnderxoing iuatice, atone for or make reparation by aatiafactory compenaation. Thia puniahmont ia the penalty U> right, a comp^naation to juatic(>,and the apostle deolarea it to bo *«ternal deatruotion;' not deatruction htfwev<>f in the aenae of abao- lute annihilation or final roatot-ation, but deatruotion intbeaenae of ruin or loaa, Here deatruotion clearly moana the 1.088 or A iJkn or buusxdnebs after death, ie.,iimean8 future hiiaery.— The word in itaelf toeana aeparation, i.e., a diaaolution of component parte, » aep- aration from that which la needful to the normal condition of a thing or the per- fection Of ita exiatence, which ia clearly brought out in the text hf 'deatruction from.'— The tneaningia that the puniah- ifient auffered, ia eternal separation frob the face of the Lord, and from the glt/ty which is a ereation of Hia power. Eternal baniahment from Ood and glory4-But whatia that? Oh, ainner, what is etetUal baniahment from Ood ! Oh, ungc^ly 1 what ia eternal aepAration from the i^ory of God? tVhat worda of thought can reach it 7 What tongue can sp^akj it ? All the Apostlea could do, was to aak the question and atate th« fact— Even ^hrist could not draw the curtain and reveal the reality. He only could use resem- blanees by which we may glance at it— Oh that men realiged the tanrih^ re ality I TBM IKO SHALL BR KTIRNAL PUMSHMBKT. I The olear teaching of scripture is an in< terniediate state.for b jth the believer and the unbeliever, between death and the resurrection, aa diatinot from the final state of heaven and hell, that foll«')wa after the general judgment. Paul aaid, Acts XXI V : 16, 'there shall be a resur- rection both of the just and unjust.' And Christ said, Jno. V : 28 20. 'Marvel not at this, for the hour cometh in which all that are in the tombs shall hear His voice and ahall come forth ; they that have done go(>d. unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done (praolised) evil unto the resurrection of judgment (condemnation or damnation).' PCNIBHMINT ArriR JCDOMBNT Prom this it is very olear that the gen- erajjudgment not only follows the res- urrectidn, but that the fulneas of re- ward, or of punishment does not come until after the sentence of that judgment IS passdd. The Apostle saya in 2nd Cor. V : 10, 'For we mUat all be made mani- fest (appear) before the judgment seat of Christ ; that sach one nisy receive the things di^ne in the. body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.' The sinner is in punishment in the intermediate state as shown in Luke XVl : 23-28, but the finality &s to degree of punishment, could not come until the consummation of all things at the end of the Gospel *tiisp«^sation— Not until the effeet of the sinner's sins were manifest- ed, not only in himself, but in; every in- dividual of the race that could be effected by them, could he be judged and punish- ed. — Nut until the r«8ult of his life waa fully realized in its relation to the king- dom of God, was the sinner perfectly ripe for the final harveat- Not until then could there be a final judgment as to the full measure of hiff punishment 'One sinner destrrtyeth much Kood,' Eco IX t 18. 'And th a t man p e rish e d not alone in of thttM atarnal things. ■AJ. his iniquity.' Josh. XXII : 20. i,Lf INHIHieNT ANDMLT IVIpBNT. Til* prinbipU uf r«w*rcl« for voluntary ^^iiodii0M,*nd ot punitltratnt orvuluntary badnuM, is •elf-evidont to th« human miud, and inh«r«nt in human ountoienof). This principle i« in harmony with the rightn«M of thinKt, and the lawa of na- ture, a« wel! at, of nr*^: In material nature, whoever tranagreiaei ita laws, ia punished by nature, with aufferinK. Aa wu Have ahown, the punishnienta of the wioked.like the rewards of the rifrhteoua, are necessarily in the futur* state. This fact of future punishmrnt is also in har- mony with the laws of our physical life ; the old man fret{.uently suffers the pen-' alty of youthful transKressions, and the violation, in boyhood, of the laws of his phyaioiil constitution. This was Job's experience, aa expressed in chap. XIII ; 20,^ t^ot thou writeat bitter thiuKS against me, and makeat me to inherit the '^ iniquities of my youth/ ■^ ' Jt there be a pt^rsonal Ood whj exer- *' oises moral government over man, if man'a am (violation of moral law) de- ' serves punishment, and if roan's life oon- tinues after death, then, there miist be a - future state of retribution or punishment. This principle of moral retribution is an* •logous to the principle of material retri- bution. RETttlBCTION IN MAT(7RAL kiUOION. Natural, aa well as revealed religion, cre- ates the expectation and belief in a retri- buti(f>n of some kind, ia the next life, for wn^g doin|{. Every religion has, not otily, its future state of eternal blessed- ness, but also of eternal misery. Whence came these convictions, but from a com- . moil conscience and from the orieinal fountain of teaching to the ancestral fam- ily of the race. Stiripture revelation did not originate these doctrines or beliefs, it has simply thrown light upon them. 2Tim. — 1:10. As in the case of the ex- istunce of Ood, the) Scriptures assume the fa c t of iinmor^lity . a nd tell u s whence annihilation,^ it may be well to em- pbaaiss the idea of man's If ATITKAL 0R\ INMKKCNT IMMOHTALITY. Man ss man, in his creation as well as rudeniptioii, stands out as distinct, and above all other 'living creature.' Of the latter, (}i>d safd :— 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind.' Oen. I: 24; but «.f the former Uod said: 'Lot us make man in our iniagt^ afterour likeness.' V: 2G, Literally, 'Let us cauae to be made the red soil, earthy, or material one, into our species or essential nature, according to our manifestation.' From this, we see that Qod's purpoflu was to take preexisting matter, perhaps or- ganized animal life, and caiiaa it to take unto itself HiH 0|rn nature (image) and reproduce His own moral character (like' ness), that He mii(ht have,not enl y a re- preKontativeof His authority, but a man* ifestation of Uis moral nature and char* acter, in this materinl world: Man, 'fortned of the duit of the nuund,* 'be- came a livinr soiil,' not MmIib distinct creative fiat, 'Lei there bv^*' in all else of creation, but by g generative act, 'and the Lord God * * breathed into his nostrilsthe breath of life(orlives.)' In this is clearly set forth the idea that the human physicAl,'is connected with and brought nut of previoui nature or na- tures, and that the human body was not a creation de-nihilo. *AnUa, aelf- revealing aoul. Man, like God, thua became a diatinct peraonaiily,and able to aay, *I am' and *I will.' He ia God-born, of the God-apeciea, aa to waaencei of na- ture. He ia God'a oth^lr-^arlf in mani featation, i.e , he ia > THE NATURAL CHILD 'fit OOD. 'God ia our father' by'«a(ur« iia well aa by grace. Man naturally, hut condition - ally, ia a limited and ahad^wed divinity aa to apiritual nature. 'Foir thou haat made him but little lower! than God.' Pa. VIII; B, R. V. Man, aato hia mater- ial nature, was God-made, but aa to hia immaterial, waa God-born. Hi^ coming into eziatance waa a diatinot creauve act ; it waa the creatien of a new ape ipiea that up did not azist. OlearlT then, man oonsiata of the material body related tu earth, an- imal aoul related to univeraal life, and divine apirit related to the u'.ernal God. The body and aodi ar» not naturally in theniaelvea immortal. God provided. cm' ditional immortality for the hody,f hr<>u;ih 'the tree of life' in K'len ; Gen. U; I); III; 22; and for the aoul unooiiditionul immortality through the in>ir£|th(pd apir- it Job XXXlII; 4. 'The apirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty giveth nielit^.' The apirit ia the vital principle that directly quickena the aoul with ita own immortnl exiatenc«, and indirectly animatea the body, througli the aoul, with vitality. The apirit ia TUB BA/TIONAL FAHT vV MAN, the power by which he feel8,tliinka,willtt, decide*, and upon which the apirit of God oxerta ita influence. The aoul niay tiave ahape, featurea Ae., corretpr^ndiiig to ita body, but the apirit ia Bimole eaaencn, poai«aaed of the p<atle aayn in 2 IC<>r. V; I, denth ia disanlution \if 'tiie I earthly httuneof our tabornacle, or boditv I franie.' After doatK the apiritinl nnture I of man ia tio longer rpoken of in Scrip- ture ua Bouj ill oontin«t to bcdy. but w» apirit in contrHiat with Ai>K(-la. Btb XII; 22, 23; Acta XXIII; 8. Asahown. the apiritual' nature, poaaeaainK a natural and inherent i'nmi>rtality,C!innot;, at death piai intfV a atite of uno'tunciousneaa, or into that 4)f Boul al^epirig, but aa Ohiiak nipreaenta, is ininii'diat'ijly in a Rtnte of pleaaare or pain. Si'« Luke XVt:22— 24 ; XXIII: 43. From ' tlteae, we aee that conacioua immortal exiitence, ap- pliea to both the wicked and thn right- eous, and annihilation to neither, aa an immortal spirit cannot be placed in a con- ditional state of existence, or destrn^t^d absolutely. Scripture aoknowledgea, till the time of the inspiration of apirit from spirit, into organised ^ninial life, as the true immortality, a eontin- uuus individual spiritual existence, ■■¥ pdtMMingoonNoiouuiaM and ImptrUbftbil' iij. 1m. Ufi : S4, lUv. itv : 11, etc. OONDinOirAb IMMOHTALITT OM AIIHIfllL4 A TtUN oan t«u mura applr tu nail, lb»n to th« ilvTil •lid hia«ni(ila, th« oonMioUS, •(ri«tua;{ea maaiiinK apirit, paucke to n«ph($h, aaoh tueaniiiflc aoul, ih^ol to haJet and g-Mnna t > tartarot. Thd He*)reir «A■■!' •' (^^ patfofjing ii#M«r, all aanaar •! rofa«o, tho doad b«dA«iia(.aaiaial« mmi •( aabafUd oriBi- iW»b„a|Mi.ar ovovptysf that ooold dofllo tl^J^oly.Mty. FiflM voro kopt eon- •lM»ilf b«r«i9S to oonaama all tbla AUk, and tk«i pratottt tbo aif Icob boooming tainted bf tiM potrofaotioa and roudor tha.oiir uninhabiublo, honoo it oaoio to bootUad 'tba gabonna (hall) of firo.' (Malt. V; W.) bacanao th« ttroa wara al- wayi borniag. Tbua, It ajau eamo to bo aMd« aa tba natocal ayoibol of pooaltj, and appltad to tha poolabnant tolluwiog a lifa of am. It was tha popular o»proi- flon for tba 'ball' 'prapsntd for tha dofil and bia angala,' and «ai« M not aa maraly aoDoiutuodatiog tbom- •alvaa ta a popiUar vxpreaaion, but aa baliaf ing in ao actual atata of Blaary fur tba loat. Tbay oaad tho tarm to daalgMla tba placo of tha damn«d and aa a ajnbol of da? onring jodgnant fira. Tha pama gabanna waa traaaforrad to that part of Badaa in which tba wiokad aoibr paaiahqiant aftM daatb ; bit 'ga* hanaa' b aaad la diatinotion froaa *had|p' wban aithar tba tormaata of hall itaalf,or tha idaa of a halliak lam)aat,ia to ba ax* praaaad. Oehanpa ta claarly rapraaantad hf Obriat aa tha iniaga of tha plaoa of Of arlaating paaiahaMnt, daabtlaaa on ao- aoaat of ita aTar-bamiog ftraa. Raad Malt. V: »» »» 9Pi X: 88; XTUI: 9; XXJJI: !•♦ M; Mk. IX. 43, tf, 47; Lakt.XIl;*; Jm. lU; ». Froia of tho ftttaro aUta (ooithar of baa? an nut hail) 'du ffrr, not knowing th«Hcri|>lur«ta, nor tba puwor of Uod.' (kl«lt. XXU:2U ) Tba Obriatian, In oomiaun |ith all roll* glona.toaohM tba aiiatanoa of th«iaa atatoa of fttiura bappinaaa and ntMry, but un* Ilka otbar raligieaa.ti? «a mm a kiiowUdga of tho aharaatar of tbaao ataioa. ft«Vai«iT10M DOia HOT BI'raUTTHI rACT ov vi'Tuaa ura, aniy aar kaawlodga of it, and our oppor* tuoitj to mako tho worat or boat of it. ObaiMianity aa a rallRion 4itco*cra and prooUtoia aalvation to . tba world, not dainaatiun. Tba knowladga uf tho Qua* pal doaanot a«nd mora to hall and fewor to baavan, tut tha rovaraa. 1 ba (luipwl du«i not propoao to damn anjr body. It i* a lifa-boat Uunchod upon tho tamptfttuotia aaa of lifa to ra««ua tho ahipwruokod. Naithar tha lifo-buit nor thiwa who man itoraata tha atorni,likt>wU(i,n«ithvr Iho Cloapal lior thoae who proclaim it, crttato tho hall whioh tha wiokad niuko fur thviu- •alvaa.but olf^r to helo pooplu to kuup from it. It ia a lamp in thu handa of Jaaua and Hia fullowvi» giving light anU anoouragamanton ilia waj to Uenven, and inakinK uiurw lura and nubatautiul Elyaiuuj, ih« hoavan of Mythology ; Ht tba aaaia tiaia,it ia a ajcnal, lo warn tha wickad, diacuuiaK* all it can from tho ^ waya uf ain,and prevent aa many aa poa- aible from going to hall. \fVithout a Onriatian ravalaticm, ruTi^BB uri wovu) axiHT all tbb bamk, bat wa oould have no knowlodKa or aaauranea of it, at beat it would offer to ua a dim hope or a dark tatror 17«itlier did Obriatian revelation create the fact or idaaofatemal puniahuant in the future Btata» for, to the Greek and Romart tha puniahment of tha inipioua in Tart' araa waa aternal, being repreaenled bj anob mytholugiea aa the valture preying witbaat eaaaing on tha Hrer of Tityua,by I»ion ixad on a porpataally revoltin g aad.Biaay alM p W iH* M » a M^a Ikal tlify^wHiMiy wt «MiJtaav aolhiag wheal, by Tantalaa paaiahad by inaati- ablalkifat^ataadingiaa fooI af iratar I rV- «p iM th.« «hin which duwad ««»y whin* •v«r h* •it*iinpi«itl to liriuh it, liy Hiayph Its rulUiiff • •tun* to the twp of • hill, which nci •oonar rMoha4 the au^mit than it rulivd bkok tu ih« botUxn, fttid by lh« DAti«iat, arv frwai ihM luviiig hpa M Utiu who Mtuu fr«in hvavao, to aav* ua fr«ui thw p/>Mibility Aitti eoBa<«i|u<«ucM iil ■ that piiiiiahmitiit. (8«e Phil. 11 : H, 7, (). R. V. andparttllcl paaaagaa ) Uia laiiRuai(» wiM nut in«r« iigurna uf rhatorio, hut lb* hoiiuai, Hunoiiotimaat of awful facta, The Unguaga nay b«t ttgurativ*. it is truip, but • tigar« alwaya iinpliaa a httttity which in thia c«a« ia iiiur» tsrrihlu lima t'ltj H, ind«a«rib»bly inor* tarribU than any pictartja thut may b« drawn by languaga or painted on canvaaa. Hia iinaK^ry of lb« puRiahment of th« wirk«J la oouchad in th« atrunsfat p;maibla t««rui«. Wv niiy apacuUte aa to bo'lily puiiiahmant and maturial iiru,}«t it niuat be home in mind that tha piiniabtacMta of h«ll follow th« rMurractiou and juJgiuent, and iuuat bo auoh puniahnionta aa will apply not only tothespirik nature but to tha iu- C'lrruptibit, immortal body, {it* I Cor. XV : 62 04) for the rusi^rreoUd sinnar will have a apiritual body (1 Oor. XV : il). thouRh, not lika the aatnta, agloridedbody (Phil. Ill : |1.) The punishment of che intermediate atate it natural, and applieaonly to theapirit.but the puniahment of hell ia penal, i.e. (he endurance of a aentence aflixed after due trial and judgment,and must apply to the whole man-^boily, aonl and ipiriU It •Iso nuat be obaerved that nMirly all the dMoriplioiu in the New TsatMii«Bt,«f the ' punlahmanti of tha lu«t,rafMr to the*'biial atate, ' with pethane the aingla aiti«)ptiaaia for a rtaiigien.and theaofxiat without any writ- ten revelation. Aa alreadf ahown,th«Uuly ttoriptur««a do but r«v«««l or aliod lixbt on theurvat facia of iiuuioi-talttf and the fa- tOreaute They are the light houae, hut not theticaan nor theahin, and eiiat for thu teinpeat toaa«*d iiiHrinvr. Aa the gram mar ' ayatematiiua, not oreatva langaagt*, ao the Bible foruiulatea the graat principlea^ of moral reUtione : aa the former b^omita an authority for tUti propur ubm of wordt in )he oiiliatruction of a aentoncu, au the Utter la the linal arbiter in aacertaiiiing the nature*^ and acta of Qod in relation to man, and the dutiee and reaponaibilitiea of man in relation to (»od. Turn the full light of Qod'a word upon the fact of future puiiialiiiient, and what • aaith it 7 Oontininii ouraelvea mainly to the N. T 8criptur«R,let ua examine TUffTKAOHINoVr JOHN TUB BaPTIHT. In Matt, til; I, he apeaka of future pua^ iahmant aa 'the wrath to come,' which refora not to Qod'k wrath in general, in wfcl^h He ttanda oppoaad to man a diau- ' bedienoe, and to hit obduracy in retiat- ing (he Ootpel, and in whjch He manifettt Hit wrath by ptiniahing the tin; but to Ood't bearing towardt the ungodly at the end of tha d it pont a t i o n o f gr a c e , whioh, at the latt or judgment dir, will be ez- hibitod io pMwltiM. It it the diyina ■■ <*■•; -^^, JudKoiettt upon ain in lU final oonium mation. 'The wr»th to com** it 'the wnthofOpd/ the •otive outguinK of the involuntarily roused feeling* of '^fod againat the wioked, the effeot of which ia the terf .reverae of aalvatibn, 4 and finally etoludea from redemption. The impulaea or emotiona of wrath arf the very oppoaite of thoee of love. *'^o vengeanee ia ao ter- rible aa the vengaanoe of inaulted, rvjeet- ed, ill^rcquited, out-raged love. 'The wrath tfroome' ia not merely the wrath of faati«e, bat the awful wrath of abuaed grace and merey, the wrath of divine love tranaformed to divine vengeanee; it ia not ezoited oir nncontroUed paaaion, bat like the working of intelligent loTe, la tha eseroiae of a mature reaolution of the #ill. • *'The wrath to oome" ia "the great day of hi* wrath" (Rev. VI : 17) the day ^n which the wrath of Ood will be made ibanifeet in the puniahment of the wicked, the laat day in the preaent diapenaa' ion, the day in which Ohriat will return from heaven, raiae tne deiMl, hold the final judgmentand perfect Uia Kingdom, the day in Whieh Ood will execute terrible judgment upon Hia adveraariea. Ood'a wrath belonga to the end of the diapen- aation of grace and ia the iDfliotiun of a penalty, and ia attributed to Qhriat aa Meaaianie judge. 'Hiawrath'ia'the wrath of the lamb*. (Rev yi; lt>,) Divine wrath i» an awful man- ifeatation of divine love and divine right- eduaneaa from which a preaent ehange of heart manifeated by 'fruit worthy of re- pentance,^ ia the only way of fleeing. See 1 Tlieaa. i; 10, Y ; 9, aftd Jtiom. V; 9. There i% no ppaaible theory of Future Probation or Final Restoration in the Soripturea hert quoted, neither in Mattv III; 7, nor in Rev. VI; 12—17, bat a eonacioua and final aeparation from Ood and^ezcluaion from the Meaaiah'a king- dom, 'the kingdom of heaven.' In v*. 10 and 12 *tho wrath to'ooma' i* tat forth by the aaoetio prophet, who heralded the ebming of Ohriat, under the image of 'the axe laid unto the root of the tieea,' the 'fan in hia hand' winnowing 'the chatT from'th* wheat', and the 'unquenchable fire' burning 'the chaff* and 'every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit.' Inthe Baat, treea are valued not for' or- namental purpoeea, but for utility, and fruit treea only aa they are productive of 'good fruit.' The tMtiren tree or^the one prodiioing evil fruit, ia conaidercd a cum- berer of the ground, and the huabaiid- man literally lay* hia axe, not among the ieavea or braiiche* to prune, but at the root (or individual, organic deatructioo. The evidence of aalvation waa not by nataral deacent from Abraham, but by actually bringing forth the good fruit of righieolianeaa of life, i.e., 'the fruit uf the Spirit.' 'Ever; (individual) tree there- fore that bringeth not forth good fruit (i e. each wortbleaa tree) ia (not, will be) hewn down (by the axe of death) and caat into the tire, (uf perdition).' Tbia •ertainly ahjwa exclusiun from 'the king- dom of hMivan' of which John waa apeak - ing, and conaignment to a place of aufler- *ing, Reading it literally, 'is being hewn down,and bt'iag oast into the fire,'impliea ' the iniidtion of panishment iuamediately after d^th and not after judgment. It ianow, in coarae of inevitable accom> pliahment, in harmony with the natural laWa of Qod'a.dealinga with the uaelesa in all Hia kingdoma. Brother, examine your "^ aalf ih view of the coming wrath and know are you' bringing forth 'frait worthy of repentance.' The eaatern farmer had a circular, elevatad,hard or paved apace on hia farm, where the grain waa trcdden out of the atrtiw by oxen or horaea. After taking away the atraw he tiiok the winnowing fan, a large wooden fork or ahovel, and threw the mingled wheat and chaff' up againat the wind, which blew away the , ' }■■ chaff and the grain fbll to the floor. He continued thia until ha 'thoronghly .\ ■M- ..^i*-'' of 'Ui« ■,' tba • ohair nohftble 7 tra* for or- f. »nd live uf h« one • cum- ubaiid' ing the Kt the uotioD. lot by >u£ by uit of i uf the therM- I fruit »aib«) i) and tbie e kinii* •peak- ■uffer- ( hdwn implies ' liately t. It acoom- natural Bileas in eynur /^ h Mid 'fruit roiilar, 8 farm, of the taking . (lowing It And aff up ty the , elMnaed his threshing-fleor.' TwprsTent the oh Aff, broken straw and nther refuse from flying back into the grain, s fire was kept eenstaatly bamiiigen the windward side daring the winnowinir, in the flame of which these were consumed. The fiflCttre is doubtless, that uf the se|Niration of the righteous from the unrighteous, by the Holy CHiftst just spoken ef by John, as preparatory to everlasting rewards and penishments. Nohee, the fan (the Oospel of Christ), the hand (the Holy Spirit,) the floor (the, Jewish Church, the Christian dispense tien,) and the wheat (the righteous) are emphatically spoken of as the winnow«r's (Christ); but the ehafl[ (the wicked, the worthleea, the unfit for heaven) as not His. Tht) aeparatien hV« indicated is nut the sain* M jp.f v 10,ihat'immediatcly follows upon death, but this separation follows after the harvest, at' the final judgment. The grain and chaff had grown together, they were mingled m the threnhing,but were separated by the winnowing. The growing, threshing, and winnowing were all dona to **gather the (clean, pure, xood) wheat into His garner, (heavenly inheritance), "Luke III: 17. "But the chaff He will burn dp with unquenchable fire" The clufff is separated from the wheat fur the good ef the wheat and not for its ovrn sake, it is of no use but for burning, and the wheat cannot teach its full value and use, until the chaff be sefmrated from it ; in , like :manner,this life is a uixtnre, but the full value of righteousness will be realiaed in the next, when the chaff ef narighteoas- ness is perfectly winnowed out. One ef the chief elementki ef heatenly Iife,is that all evil is excluded. As the granary re- presents the final heaven, so doubtless the "unquenchable fire" represents the final hell er gehenna. Those who d# Bet love the SaViour, who reject Him, and do not d e light » r wi s h t o b e in his ser v i c e. The flgura ef burning the chaff with un- quenchable fire is against all theories of restoration and annihilaticn. If the sin- ner will at any distant age be delivered from bill or at judgment cease to .jixist, then the word, 'unquenchable' is oieaning- At the grain winnowing, the fire never ceaa«d until it had eonsummed the chaff, and was therefore to the chaff, in this sense, unquenchable. The word a«- 6Mto»here translated, "unquenchable" means inextinguishable,i o.,fire perpetual and of itself and not t« be extinguish- when that cast into it- is consnmmed. In the figure b«fore us"the unquenchable irt" is the wrath of God against sin, and in( iU very nature is eternal and must continue to burn s* long as evil exists ; "the chaff" is the incorruptible, spiritual body, and immortal spirit of the resur- reoted,individaal sianer.and can never be consumed. Plainly then "Ihe wn*th to come" is not only separatiotf ef ^he worthless from the oseful, but the cons cious suffering ef the indestructibW per- sonality in an inexcingiiishable flaiue of torment. Sach was John's conception of hell. Net that it is a place fdrever flam- ing but as Wheden says ; "hell is the penal condition of the oenaemned, sin- ner, and the fire th(6 penal essence itself ; hell has nu existence save, m • penalty for guilt" . ^ Mf dear friend let one who loves year ieul earnestly ask : are you wheat or eh4ff ? When the wind of 'Hhe great day of His wrath haa eeme" will you "be able to stand t" In (hat great da>, to you, "what will b« the end er final result ?" CVRIST'S PUtSONAL UACHUiOS. No higher author can be quoted touch- ing the final sUte of the wicked than Christ ; in facthe is the only ane that •ver "Ungh* them as having anther- ity." We will therefore enquire, first. a what saith Jesus to the question, "What shall the end be," rather than, "what saith ths scriptures?" Taking His teaeh- r. He 'onghly are chaff and have the pnvilege of separa- tion from Him and his people forever. 10 begin ing in its ehronological order, w« wUhth* , MaU. V : 22.-"Th« hdl of fir«." In Tenesl7 to 20 inclasiv«t OhrMt li>yB down the general principle! of government in Hia Kingdom, in their reletiun to the older Uw of God, ii prectiied under Judftiem, with the piiritoee of thowinic that the kingdom of heaven is a fulfilment uf the law of Moeea. Thia, he illuatratea by e«»mplea from the decal'gue. given in va. 21-37 ; the firat example beinvthe law' asainat murder, va. 21-26, upon irhioh He pleoea * deeper, higher and moreapiritualaigni- iitthce. murder, He aaid, ^la of the heart, it is not the outward act, but the paaaion or deure that prompta it. Hav- ing defined, "Thou ahalt not kill," in a ' apiritual and moral 8en8e,aa unholy aiiger, H» neat proceeda to affix the penalty for murdera committed by the heart, "the iutenae spirituality of all Chriat's teaching makes a man what hia heart ia," aays Dr. Job. Parker. *'Il is no use for the hand to be able to uplift itself and ahow that it ia without one drop of blood upon it-^the question ia. How many murders haa the heart committed?" V^Whnsoever hateth his brother is a mUrdenir." I John UI: 1ft. ^ In affixing the penalty for murder in Christ's kingdom, notice the transition.in Ts. 21 and 22, from the Mtisaie law, en- forced by temporal puniebmente,ii3flicted by *'the judgment"^ (local courts) and "the Ojuncil' (supreme court), to the spiritual law, enforced by the judgmento of Oud. The terms '•jadgmeut,"*'G lun- cil" and ♦•hell-fire" are used figuratively to indicate ~ Diouis or nWISBMBHT inthe future world, according to shades of difference in gutlt. Jesus,intha examples given, does not refer to murder itpelf or ■^B — irmrj — TT-r-^^- -. . : : — : any acts of violence, but to unrighteous anger aad varying outbumta of paaaion in ■paech* iUiuMttipgdiffi^rint degree* (^ criminaMtv, accurdini to the mslignily of the disposition from which they pro- ceed. Observe, ssys Lymsn Abbott ; "That the o->mpsri>on of ju'g'iient, a>unoil, and httlt fire indicates that futu- re punishment is adjusted seonrding to the sin of the oondeuined ; also, these two verses illustrate (he meaning of ih^ general principle laid down in i^erse 17 " Lmhlfoot says ; *-TUat adjustment of piiniKhmt^nt is graded esacitlyacoiirding to tbesin,i.e.,to urjust anger the just anger and judgment ofOod, to public reproach a nublic trial, and hell-fire to thst cen- sure tha^ . adjudgeth another thither." Atfordsays, the sense is, "there were smoPg theJewsthlfee well known degrees of guilt, coming respectively under the cognisance of the local and aupreme dourta, (judgment and council'). And after Iheae is set the Gehenna bf fire, the end of the malefactor, who«e corpee, thrown out in the valley of Hinnom, was devoured by the ifrorui or the flsme. Similarly^ in the spiritual kingdom of Christ, shsll the sins even of thought and word be brought mto jadgnient and punished, each sccording t«> its degree of guilt, but even the least of them bvfore no less a tribunal than the judgiuiint seat of Christ. . The most iuiporUnt thing to keep in mmd b, that there ia no diatinct- ion of kind between tbeae puniehments, only ot degree. In the thing compsred, the 'judgment' inflicted death by tho ■word, the 'council,' death by atonirg, and the disgrace of the 'Gehenna < f fire' followed as an intensification of the hor- rors of death ; but the punishment ia one and the same— df a/A Soalao is the sub ject of the Mmi'itudevall ^^« puuislim^nts are spirit usl; all result in eternal dt-a h; but with various degre* s (the nsture of which is as yet hidden from ui>) as the degrees of guilt hsve been." Subsff onya, ♦'It is dear from the passHKO that there / V are different devreea of guilt, and that even the germ of ain in the heart con-. demns before God, The sin is not in the ■ ■ - ■■ • ligniif y pro- bbott ; {nient, tfutu- ng to iif th3 ^ ' ' • 17" ant of . ; . ding to ' tftnger proaoh t cen- lither." • men ' ~ drgiwea er the upreme And iP)», the 1 cbrpee, >ni, was flaiine. DJoni of {{htaod \ nt and egrte of bvftire •sht seat < hiuK to diatioct' thnients, ■ . Bipared, by ihp stonirg, . a < f fire' the hor- nt ia one the «ub ' iahmvnts ' / aldfah; / ature of / 1 aa the / baff onya, / at there/ ind that latt con- .. v__^ lot ia the 11 word or act as suob, but in the iiiutive and spirit*' In our conception of future punishment, we must not. inkke tho uiih- takeof tliinkioK ot all thn wioki'diWithHut distinction, heiriK rndiftdriintly cast int<» hell. and t^ni^uriuK the same penalty The principle of degrees of puniihiuvnt is recngnived aot only httre, but aluu in Luke X(I: 47, 48. Matt. Xl": 21 24 Aa the rewards and enjoyuiHuta of the riichtecus in dlurr, are represeuted as '*une star differeth fn)n) another 8tar"s<», we mayassunie,wiUihe penal lieS and suf- f erinna of this wicked differ, probably no two being thesanie. It follows, there- fore« aa Whedon aays, that 'Our Lord here does threaten a p«nalty for sin in a future Witrld. T^. it penalty is strictly jurlicial, and not a mere natural eonae* quence of sin. It is a poaitive infliction by the hand of. divine jaiticd. The degree of intenMit]'(n« t the duration) i that punish- ment la adjusted to the grade of the sin." TH> JPUNISHkBNT 18 KTBaNAL DEATH as a penalty, without distinction between venial or mortal ains, except,as to degrees in the severity of the punishment. Ftoni ^ all this,it is evident, that "be not angry" and "do no inbrder," are not contrary to-, or diffareiit friiiu each other, but that the Utter ia a development from and completion of the former; the guilt not bifing in the aol but in the feelings which prdrnpt the act-, the degree of guilt (ilii). being enhanced by the outward expresor ion of anger, either in word or act. Ueuce, alio, the principles of strict jus- tice would require messurns of penalty, not in kind, or measure of duration," but ingrade. or dt-gree of tornient. We ahiiuld not lose sight <>f the fitct that all the eztiniples used b/ Christ were cases of spiritual «vrong-Joihg, and could nttt be tried by human courts, or nroved by human liws ; they could only be tried by spi r jtual la w s, in "the)0.juncir' Of the kmedoni of heaven, and "the judgment" ad miniBtrated according to the code of divioe rt-tribution ; theretuivi ihd> puu- ishment ■ ' MtTMT BB MPIHITUAL AN1> ETIiRNAL. That there is no forgivuneitA r>r t.in in » future staU) of existence, isupiiartnt fi<'iit the illustrative euforceaifnt of the prin- ciple enunciated in vs. 21, 22, by the commands of vs. 23, 24. and of 25. 2G The whole teaching proceeds upon tha aasumption that thet-o is forgiveiienn for spiritual murder, hut that the presi»rit life is the time, and the only tiuie, to utivk and obtain that forgiveness. Mark tho use of ihe w<»rd «noA:o«, "in dangt;r of," lit, "held fast by. bound, subji-ct t'»," here, "liable to,"i e .liability to the pnn- ishmept to ba imposed t>y (he. tribunHi, extending in penal consequences, e von as far as, being cast "into the Uehenua of fire " Liability to punishment however, as the consequence of sill, does not neces- sarily iipply suffering ihe panisbment. There may be ja mitigation of the sen- tence, and herein .the law and teuchjpg of Christ diffured from the law and teaching of Moses. , The conditions upon which the mitiga- tion of the spntenod may be obtaiqipd are set forth, /r«<, in "If therefore thou art . fferii'g thy gift at the altars Ac." vs. 23, 24 The principle is reconciliation to |i|^nan, then reconciliation to 6«td. See IJohn IV: 7,8 and '20,21. "Obedience is better than sacrifice." Christ's languaite iinpliea the urgency of the case, and the importance of immediate and speedy ac- tion. An after-death forgivenesa is not implied here, t)ut t- A "NOW* voROiviNBss, (2 Cob. vi : 2), "whilia thou art going to bfaurch," or "art ensaged in daily worship." The urgency of present action in relation to the si.i of heart-murder, is bianifest in the litU>e sought * whiles thou art in- the way wi^h Hi*.", "^ thou art going with thine advofsary before the magistrate, on th*^ way give diligoneo to bo quit of him" Tho spiritual applieation of *Hn tho Way" I and "art going" must refer In tho former, to present human relationship, and in tho latter, to ouf. present probational life, but in neither,!!© . ATTER-DBATH OFJORTUNITIES. oBoo, withoct delay, '«loet haply" ir- romediablo rosBlts follow, for then know- oat not the day that "tho advarsary will deliTor thee to the jndce,(bf death)an(l, tho JBdro deUier thee to the ofieer (of iustiee), and thou bo east int«|^the priion (of hell)." , in both instances, *'lest hap- ly" is prohibitory, moaning "lost at any time," "lest perchance," and refers to "agree" in Matt, and "be quit" in Luke, indicatiqg,in each, the parposo of settle- ment or reconciliation "quickly," "as* thou art going," '/on the way." From the above, it is apparent that when the time of punishment has eome, it is too late fur reconciliation; we must infer fr^m "thou shaltby ho means come out thenee, till Chou have paid the last farthing.or the Tory last mite," the end-' lessaessof the punishment Canon Farrarsays, ^'If it be asked, 'can this ever bo paid V the auswerof course is, M^r as tW^parable iseoneerned, 4t de- pen«la;]a^rely oi| whether the debt he great oramall.'' But if it be araerted that no man's debt to Qnd^ whi';h he has incurred by bis sins, however, 'common toman.'can noTor-be paid by him, »» are at leas*- permitted to fiiidhrpp in the thought, that Christ has paid our debt for us. (Matt. XX: 26,lTiBi.Il: 6) " Ye*, there is a aonse in which Christ has be- oeino' ■ , ■ .-^.v ■ , ■■•■■/ ovm *»AH8oic-niic«,V but not in the sense of. the paymoht of a debt. Luirw (ransom) in Matt. XXl 88, If ark 1 : 46, and anli-l«d, *it de- debt he anserted '!h he hHB 'common hin», we • pp in the ir debt for 6)" YeB, (; h»* be- of. the Luirw Ifark X: iTivi. II : the wbrdi I liot Mean the price' >, i.e., what ir. At ap- D« that He ■uMtitute i crifio e , f e r - '■"■ ■ ■ • • I " t — . , ' — '—' — . . m'lihtUberalehiinaelf from th* miiery and penalty of bia gailt. But, thottch Chriet beoaine a alave, and died a slave's denth for others, yet their freedom (rum bondaceis conditioned upon their acoept- inv, libtfrtf, aooordiiig to the terms of de- liverance . Paul says, (1 f im 11 : 6), "Christ irave himaelf a ranatm (Aw^er ponton) for all, ' i e ,on nccnuntof, lor the advantage or benefit *-i 'all lopn,' bf Ace for the i»enefit of the wholu laee Ohrint says, (Msf. XX^ 28, Mk. X: 46^ of the Son of mantthat "He |Ume to give His life a ransom (anMpo/fon) fur many,? i e., instead of^ in place of >any'; hence fon the many who approprislte the result by faith. In these two paaiui|;ef, a clear distinction is made between the provn- ion of tslva*i«n and the acceptance of salvaiion. It ia i . fEOVIDiP FOft AUtt AC« .BPtKI) BT MANY. Tti9 only hope, / that Oauop Farrnr therefore can /find, is that w liich comes from a present ' acoaptanoe of the offer, and now /believing 'unto re found, call ye upon Bim while He is near,' is God's time, and "Let the wicked forsaku bu way, and the unri(tht euus man his ..huu|{hts ; and let him re- turn ualo the LcrJ,,aiid He will have mercy upon hiui ; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" are Oud's terms. Is IV: 0,7. The prac- tical^ lesstiii then is, that the forgive- ni-ss ('f God and nun should now oe 8<>&(iht, in urder to avert the coqseqden- ces of ihir wrong doing, before* it be ever- lastingly too late. Will it ever be pos- sil'le for the siiiQe^^ who haa 'nefl[]ectMl his prubatiunal oppt^ri^nlty and cornea uorepentaot and uiiforxiven to the di- verury (the broken law of God)t Evi- ently, in Christ's view, *TaB DiBT CAK HBVM M FAID. The removal of the guilt of sin from him «f ho is in this prison, was impossible; the termination of punishment could- never be reached. He makea this view emphatic by His solemn assertion,' 'verily 1 >ay unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till Ac' The inference drawti is,not the finality of the condition of punishnient,but the non finality, which will be apparent from the following con> siderations. (1). The punisnment though it i|i limited in the sentence in its teriua, is endless in fact, inasmuch as the debtor is bankrupt,and the court will (jermit no escape until the very smallest conse- quence of our breach of the law has bean discharged. Comp. Chap. XVIII: 23— 34. Aiforrd says,' these words imply no future liberation, 'because i he debt can never be discharged.' (2) Punishment does not pay the debt of sin -Salvation is not procured by anything-^ the sii ner can do, suffer, or phy. The linner has no surplus righteousness, or works of super- er «gir.i'in, w'th which to cancel the debt of sin, and no amount of tormentendured can compensate fur the wrcng done a- uainst the laws of the Kmgdom of hea- ven (3) Christ is not teaching the for- \{ivenuss of Sins, through the suffering of the 8innar,but through reconciliaticil be* twern the offender and the offended. Neither is Ho teaching the. possibility, hut rather the impossibility, of such re* cnciliatiim being secured at any future time,whether in this life or the next. He exhorts that the settlement be made before the coiirt is reached; 'quickly' to mak* ^*^ ^^ ^'^^ ^°'"' °r prt^tion, to secure the mercy of God, 'lest' endlaM punishment) not future forgivonoM. should sudd^^nly follow. The absolute a ' b'tndaffe ■elves, pre- y sin-slave vine tribunal, to pay the last brthing or mite of the debt of sin- (here especially anger, the source of murder) to the ad- V necessity of immediate forgiveneM n the emphatic idea of ,the illustration. To-day if ye shall hear Hit voice, _ iiard*'^ •nuMt jour hnarti.' H»b IV: 7- H"' •r, art thou rtf6<»rieil«d to Ood ond iii«!«.' to th« law of tliine uMrn cuuBciunce '/ So not prooraatiuate (hit moat iuiportuut vl all mattcn. •■■ WI8B to-dat; 't» madmbmto DirBR;' ia fiair of lh« peMible outburat of dtfiae wrath at any moment. *Lnit at any tiuie, ' but thai time an un • kaown tiihe, thpa be east into eternal eondemi' tholaw and iu deep underlymK princi- pi A; by showinK, by His own life, that the end or object of the law is the devel- opment of a perfect character; and by Kirinx the power of obedienee, through a chfnKe of htort, thus enablini; the sin- ner to obey the law spoiitaneoiiKly, from free will and desire, and without any fear or restraint Aa «rith murder so with adultery, Ohrist's interpretation of the law ttaeed the criaie ^PKB TO THB Hiumr, : . and eondemiied the looking with adult- erous desire, as virtually comaiitting the act. That is, Christ held as really and morally jjuilty, the one who willingly in* — dttlged the geusual fe e ling, and pe rmitted the evil imaginatioa. if lacking oppor- tupity, or restraint by fear or shame pre- ▼•atod.the oatwacd act,Clud sees the act of the itiiH|{iiiAtit)nand oondemis it, as a viuiuiiuii of the law. As intoDreted by Ohritr, the penalty forthiahesit.or uorsl violation, is to . *BB OAST IHTO HBLt,' Vs. 29 and SO;, not that there in no dif> ference in guilt, between the permitting' of an evil imagination and the actual overt tin. The evident meaning of vs.29 and 30 is, that Christ felcthat the terrible- nets of eterfiiil torment was so creat,that it were better to sacrifice anything, no matter hew necessary for th' 'hell- fire.' The forcefulpest of Ch^iBt'* mean- ing will be real iaed in the thuruughness and unconditional character of the telf- denial^ 'pluck it out', 'cut it o£F,' 'c<«tt it from thee', lest any meiuber however itT- ticeable, or nny pli-ature hotfover inno- cent, may brinn a temptation that ouca- aiuns sin. - In the original, 'oflind tlieti' ' or 'cause thee t<> stumblu' iMoaiis 'entice thee to sin,' 'allure thee to dettiuciion'^ 'tempt or entrap thee to ruin ' Christ. tays in effect, "Lest thou' be cast into hnll/ not "hly give u.p the siuiTuI act, but make an unconditional self-denial «f recovery. and in the visii;! of J i'i:i. Rjy . XX: 14 15; XXI: 8; and XXII: 15 It should be notdfi, that in the exaim pies tvhiob Christ i|seB to illustrate the ^^..' /V .% le ■pirUiialohftraotcr of the l«w in Bto KiiiRdoin, have their •pplieation in the tItneM for present oiticenahip in thet Kingdom. Hie thought in, 'the kinKdom of heaven is at hend\ that He » now en- gSKect in eeUblishing it in this world; that oitiienahip ooni»te not in mure ab ■tinence from forbidden deeds, or cbe- dienoe by outward oonetraint or mechani oal oonformity to written law, but in « •FOMTAMIOlDI, MFimiTVAt BIBTIO, growing out of a heart-feU love to Qod and man. 'Fir I say nnto yon, th*t ex- oept your righteousneas ihall e&eeed ^excel) the righteoueneaa of the aflribea and Phariieea, ye shall in no wiMi enter into the kingdom of heaven', in this world, and consequently cannot in the^ world to come. Clearly then, He refers to a present kingdom, and to present ad- mission end oiticenship in that kingdom, -* tfnd not to any after-death experience or posi-mortem salvation. If spiritual dis obedience excludes from the kingdom of grace end of glory,now »nd furever.what hope IS there for those who are disobed- i«nt in act, and in life ? If eternal death in hell he ***»• •^*' °' thein*, who become citixens in Christ's kingdom, and 'obey not theiiospel of God' in its highestand spiritual sense, 'what shall be the end of them thayrefuse belief and obedience in the Oospif of God* and never become members bf His kingdom ? The Sermon on the mount sets forth thecharAoter of the kingdom of heaven KlirOPOIf or UOBTtOVSMBSS, and may be divided into four general di- visions. ng. All such selfish religious actors HAVl TH« HYPOCBinS BEWAKD. v.. 2.B,i6.- ^r-: ■■ ■■■^■:/' :>■ Chief among the great glories of a true religiouslif e and of works^of righteousness done from a pure, unselfish motive, is not citizeilahip in the . kiogdom of heaven, but 'reward with your Father.' ^ / ampl< - . T hat is, ou r Hea v enly Fathe r has w ages reserved or a waiting ttiose who are .do- ing their righteousness, Solely, for the glory of God. But those who do their r^htttuusness fur public applause, 'have \ i; no rtiw^rd mtli yuur Fathar.' Not, that thttjr liavo NO rMward, fiir OhrUt irnt oitly djclkre* that thuy baT« a ritward, but tH|i'(h«y h iv» r*iouiv«d their reward.' Obaurvu,that *th»'y h»v« th«*ir reward' tneana literally, *that they have rvooived thfir raward in full', i r.« public ap plautH ia the reward they avek and all the rf wiird they will ever get. The *■>■ ^ / ampl«>a i(ir<>n are a cuntraat uf renl apir* /' itUal life with mere formal aervice.of the rawarda uf oar Heavtnly Father with tha mwarda cf men, and of ibe rewarda of tiiue with iht) rewarda of eternity. Only righteoua deeda,froui riuht mutivM* will ri'ceive an/ reward wilhU<>d;iliu» the ful- neaa of ri'WHrd can opiy b« iPeoeivod in thn filial heaven, after judgment. S»e Mitt.XVl: 27; am.. 11: Oi20or. Vrlb; Riv XXII: 12. Men inuat beatow their rewards in this life, and thoatt who aeek auch WMgnii, receive ihe abort lived praiae bf iiiAa; that in their henven, but it in-aa a brear^h which vaniaheth and their hea- ven ia g me'— K'>nn, forever., Chri*t'a teaching ia,not that auch aelfith right eim^ineaK, merely reaulta in a Iom of re w^rJa in !ieiveii,bu^ that it reaulta in the iuaa of He.'iten itaulf. THK aYPOOUin'S HKWAttp III HBLl. SfeMiitt XXIII: IS.XXtTrSl; Oomp Rjv. XXI: 8, XXII: 15 Uia teuchi.ig i«,th«t *yM ahall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven, fxcept your right eitlKnena exceed this external righteoiimemi of the Sjribea and PliariRoea.'- Though re/irdii*g tliemselvea oa followera nfQod, yet thi^y h ive not rjullf eiitered ii to the kingdom of heaven, and ahould therefore 'take heed' and enter now, 'elae ye have no reward with yuur Father which ia iii heaven.' Notice, it ia not 've have no rew irJ,' neit hor "no reward from, (or'*.»f ) y lur ^ithdr,' but itii 'no rewarU with vourFt'her' They received their hiie ( >r orjiyour Father' and 'ra^ard with your Father.' The full ruwurd uf PhaiiMiti ii. righte4iua. See B'^c. XII: 14, SLouu XIV: 12, 2 Cor. V: 10, G»l. VI: 7, CI. Ill: 24. 26, Rttv. XXII: 12. Fur tha unrighteoua and the mere formaliat, tha reward ia enduianceuf a bual leparation from 'your Father which la in heaven,' with all that that aigntllea and indudea, na awfully net forth by Chriat in the •Djpartfrom Bl#,' of Matt. VII: 23/ XXV: 41, Luke 3^11: 27 The reward of the truly righteoua ia "KKWAHD WITH YOUH. FATHER whlcn ii in heaven." R. V. 'With yoiir Fathei',' lit., 'in the place whore y-jur Father ia.in the aociety uf yo'ur Father*. In the original "with," ("of," in, An,) ia/jora. foll(>wed by the dative, aignifying aomethiiig ia or ia done in the immediaM vicinity of atmie one, i.e., ly the aidei^j- near by, in the preaenoe of, in one'a houae, in one'a aocietv. Hence the reward ia laid up with Qud in heaven, and the reWarded will onjoy it in the manaiona nf 'My Father'a houae, 'jn hea- venly aociety with our Father. In theae practical examplea df applied rtligion, there certainly ia no offer of a future pro* bation or linal restoration. Chrint pliinly < declareathat the reaulta aru finally fixed foreternity.hy the kind of rightvuuaneaa ddne in this life. Hidwordaare empha- ti3. 'Take heed * * '■* * %l8e ye lia^no rewitrd,' "Verily I aay un'.o you tl|Hhave received th^r reward*. H Olay TrKbuU.in tha SSll!ihei,aaya: There's hII the difference here between aelling srain and planting.' Selling grain for caah. you gtft your return at once. Pl.nnt« 'have in the prenent payment vt a puraonal re putation, all that they aouKht, and Inn* the p!iyin«>nc of Uuavenly reward. Mark tUo diatiuotiuA betfreen 'reward froiu '•^^T ' ing grain, yuu look for your return in th"*!>'* lift!, fur • in«M of pottMffe, or tr* yi>« «oie^ii^uiitu tli« Spirit, tn«t y<>u in*y of tlk» Hpirit r«iip tttflMnl lif«> f >K iiat thall th« hartett Im t In th« fourth divlsiun of Hia Mrmon, He Mta forth ' QUW TO BIOOXB OVILORBI* 09 OOP. the ii«H)MD*ity of which hat b«fin iiupreaatxi in tliw 3ri diviaiou by ■uoh ddolaraMtmi, trthortiitioiii and ooiumanda, M *y« cannot aervo God and ,^ amnion' '8rf«lt ye iirat tho k 114 loiii of O mI, and Hia halite I jtneaa' 'Firat oatt out tliu beam out of t'lin • own eye.' The Iwu conditiona of beouminR ohildreo of Ood, and entering ihd liinKdoin of heuTen,ar<', (1) Prayer of faith inOod aa yourr.tiher. OliV VII: 7 -la. (i) 8-ptraloi from the wurld and obedionce to your FailierV iiiltruutiooa, and warniusa. vn 13—27- In theae oi>nditi«Hi»,it ia auuned t)iaten tranoj into Ohript'a liintidoiu ia c< n 'i- tional, anl contir.gitt upon a'l i-lie terma, being O'inipliid with in ihia life Ouriainly, aeukius 'he kirigdom of Cod ia firfet, in order of time, anH in oidur of importance. Throu4'iout theMermoi^f Ohriat deala with two olaiS'a yf ol||rac- tdra in thii life, and^aadgna theau to two different ptacea or oondiMoiia in the fu- tore life The central idea of thiraermoii, ia the preavntkinadtiiluof heaven cneariti, not the future kingdom of hea ven in eternity. A kingdom m*d^ up i>f Qi id-like men, of which God, oar Father, :i8 king, i.e., A VAMIbT UNOD >M, UNDBB A VAlSSR KINO. WITH CHILDBI Jf-iiORJBCr^. In va 13,l4,tl)ere ia evidently tfte idea of an encloaure, aa the Hiaia »f the Bgure The Kingiom of heaven, ia aomething to be entered into, aomethin^ that rrquiren effort, and aaorifioe to obtain. The con dition of obedience, followa dlnae .upon unoe of immediate action. The im- •g«iT. i* hit of e 'atiaii ('inr ow) gate,' • little door, ill a 'wiiif (oro^d) gnte,' ihe gMneral city gatea,and of tlu t • f a'broad (*p.'toioua) WKy,' nguUr thoroughfare*, ihiongfd with crowd*, and in it a 'narrow ( jonipreaM'd) way,' a company of travfl* lara, or»wded by the throng The'narrow way' of the kii>gdom of heaven, iain the 'hroad wav' of the kingduma of thia world. Notice, the Miarrow way' ia not the kingdom of 'eternal life,' but Ivadelh (into it, an I the 'broad wny' ia not the kinifdom ol 'eternal deatruotiori,' but leodjth thereto Alao notice, the gate li not pikcejt at the • nl of the way, but at the begirp'ng, yn opening into it. The exhortatiiSffhia, 'enter' the narrow way of Ohriat i*iT life and du)y, by thealrttiglt g tte of ielf 'denial, and aepaia'ion from the wifrld. The eahortation, 'enter ve in by the narrow van I, i^ach b« ginning with for' (bvcausf ),- in which thu wide niUe . and broad way are oontruated with the atrait gate and narrow way, to illui* trate'ihe entrance to, and di a iHV of n life of *in, na comptrt'd with n life of righteouaneaa The iktiortalion ia giv- an na if addreaaed to ih'oi>|^ who are in the briiad way, with the pu*poae of Ivad* ing them to foraiike the 'many thai • n'er ill the broad way of deatruo'i lii by the wide gate,'- and f an 'th^ ffw iliat find the attraitened way of lift>, ly the nar* row gate.' There curely can be no other meaning taken out « f thia exhortati< n, and the reawma aaaigned for acting in ao uordance with it, than that "f aalvation, aa a fact of thn pv0it;nt. and o ly, • f to iinnne- diate aeti>n,'the narrow gate' to the^one, only r'g'it entrarcn, and 'the 8tniit«>^)pd way' t.i the kingdom of hraven on t-arth. rhich luada to 'life, 'the kirglomof hea- v< n in glory. All wl o d • not 'enter in tb«* of the prayer of f:uth. and op«na j by the narrow ga*e,* remain in the br«»ad with ian •sborutiun, iuiplyiiig the impor- way 'that leadeth to destruction.' Re- 1» M«flili«r,U <■ • f «t« within • fii(«, • «•/ witliiii • «ay,biit not »(!«>■( iii«tiun witlitn • dottiirttiun At th«r« it t g«t« or an- trtittt i.tn«, tliu d«ttruo titn whioh o«Diitit in th« lott ut 'lift' •ttrntl. It itequivtianttotterntlmitrrjr, I • , thti lo( of thiita tiolu'ltd from thj PmuI in nur tex>, 2 Thttt I: 9. Tlitm, tliu w«>rd ii oUtkritt, dvsimoiion iu tli« tvntt of ru u; livrt it iAopo/cto, t tfcronger tiid more uittintiTtf word, motninK ditti ruc- tion, in ilie tnntM of utttr l, inUrad < f becoming what he might have been, it lodt and ruined. It mutt be burnt in mind, that according to the O 'tpel oonovptlon, ■TIBIAL Urm BCOIXS ON BABTH, just at to in at one twoomflt united to O iriat by faith, and oonvertuly, thote are in t,he WMjUf eternal dettruotiOTi(ioM of Htunial lit ) wh't are n 't aorual par- ttkertof •alviUion; t« Ihein it belonitt to perith, i e , tu be o >nMKued to eterjial niitery. .Tno. MI: 3tt. 8i me. explain 'narrow way' at refer- rina to 'the Way' which early becadpe a r^ittinctive tppAltation r>f thn Chrittinn rpliffi'tn. (S'w AoU IX: 2; XIX: 0.23; XXIV; 14 R V );aod ^broad w ay.' t o a gt^neral thorouKhfare that led to that place outtide the city wallt, whvre the vff^il, and rtffute .->f the city were burned, U9.tgth$mtk. Tbert it • •UUtiog tig- nifloanee in thia tipltnttion. quite In harmony with O'irltt't tetohingt, which teeiiit to be borne out by what fulluwt. The HtreiiKth ofHt* Hxhortttion rutu not to much upon ihe d ff^renve in the ohtrao< ler .f th* two wtyt, tt the di(r.ir«noe in ">^ thtdttiination. But He n.tk«'tihediirti- \ Hiioe in the dettination to depend entire- ly upon the prettnt enterini, and not upon tome tutit qui-nt ehMiKe. So in> tent it H«t upon enforcing thit thought thttht tiuiili for'h A woMD or oAim m, in vt. W-20. At if he had taid : "M.»^ ^ iuiporiant it it that 'ye »nter iu by the niirniw gate,' now, and for a oertaiiitr be in 'the wwy that h aileth to (eternal) liftf.'tu 1 rem iiiit|]iere,yemutttliereforebe on your gunrd tgainu any Kuidjt thtt would not lead yuu to the narrow gate, or that Would turn you atide from thw narrow way, when once you have en» tt>red upon it. I not only warn you a* gaintt the widogtte, and Ihe broad way, but Ngain«t any teauhert whote liwt, or tt'tchingii might lead thereto " 'BkWtre of falte prophelt', not only conttint a caution, but it a ctution from unexpected dtnger, to avo^d which, imiaeditte, not future action it called for. Fellow traveller tu the bar of Ood, have you entered by (he narrjw gUa of prayer and repentance into the kirglom of hearten? Are you noW walking in the narrow way of fnith and obedience that leadeth unto life in Oliritt now, tnd with yonr Father in hetven heretfier? In which Way ara you travelling? Where will the journey terminate? "What after death fur me f«nkalnt t Celettialjoye, or helllth pilot, ~ Tj All eteraltr I" ' 'DBrABT rR M MB, YB T«AT WoBK IVX* QU ITY^' ■ v -23. What mean thete terrible wordt, rendered more terrible whrn we think who it wat that apake them? To whom are they applied ? Witett wiU tbej be ut * Urtdt Why w»«8 nl| p».«|'niii >«kI t Wh«ii ? if. timl d»j' «•! liu»» Ju.l«iu«i»«— Towbuiuf r-lM pr..ph«u/ (••Mb«f») whuM llvo will iinl bwiir thf fruit imi «>l vt: 10 -20 'Ewry «>iie ihat dtxtih mil lh« will uf my r.llivir.' And tf-ry »«• that b««Mlh th«M MTiiii* uf niiD», •ndUoethihrm H«l * Br whoiu I '1/ Jmus, whom you h»v« known by M«ai« on'y, now your Saviour, th«uyourJud|<«. Meaning t Tliat, ••»«ry lw« ihat brlut «th not forth g«M.d (luit, it h» wn down, •nd«Miiutoih«ai«.* Whyt'I in«v«r kn«w you,' broauMs Hi AuMU»tln» tay*. •ya na»ar k.iaw -m»'. H«# «i«ly •• k»»«'» n who alio knowa« •ipatimantally. (8«a Jno X; 14,16, and 9 Tim. H: W) Whyt Baoauaa ya ara workart of ioiiiuH i , \i t •K^ i^ ., , - „ ., , , * ,\ f'notwHhalandinii that 'ja ir»|iliaal.«l \ (taorthl) by my nvno, and bj my name \«astuut davila (damona), ard by n>y name did many mightj worka (ptaar" )• )tmunoa»tttinly beiipparent t« atrary ^iibiaaaad mind, that fcha pa«Mf(<>, vt 21 -1-28, aliowa oonol^iiively, that mera pro f aaaion and outwaAworka will n.t giv. aaturanoa in juilgin^lnt, and adui^aaion ••• «l»Wy. That tha only pawpoH to eteriiul bliaa, ia praotital obadivnoa in tha dail} doinga of M)i> prea«nt life, •pringmi. from J|k L •▼« or O DvMOT i'BAll ' r HILL, i^ciurocNl Ileal 1 laeaaoc and ual by (I • , thi#«"ih, i by »*m» aatt..* drUa out damoua.^iwid by uiaaut uf Thy iiauia . do many miKhiy worka ^ And tti«ii will 1 profeaa (i.e., dtdare Mpenl) ) to tliem (nthapreana of nieu and \>ik< I*. Mail XXV: 31 --32). I neier knew yoM (t.e , I h*va never reo »f(i»isifd tou a* lieiutf m» (llaoiplea. aliboURb you hitva •lont all theae thinf(«, with my niuna upon your lipa, yet your heart waa far ^^ frmu III* ): depart from ma, ('.a., lake youraaltea away fr« m ma, ya wer« n'»t of f^ inv kingdom in tim««. and oannot now enter it in ateriiii)). becauaa ye araihoaa that work iniquity, (i.«„ all ibk wfiM , • hat you bava done, ara to you •■ If iliry"* had been woika if unri«hteouenaM,theta- furp you, Itliil^bave OHat oul dini«na, be- .», uttopKl Ui whtdh l'>y« ariket f;pj^ knowledge bet ween > Ocid^and the enjoy * life, ^ninmi'it with U A free, and mnre lit pa*a)tlca ^vill make thia 'N ot Wery one whi>(wHlini) eaiili lo meOia., ia now aayintf to iiie)L ril.lonl. aball ^ter into the kingdom of lieavfi (wbicb I am to let up in tb« fuiun ) ; but, (lmon((tt thoae who do tbia) only I.e Hbo d^iea (i.e., irno v doinv) the will • t my Father who ia in baaven. Many ahall ■ky tome ia that (oreat) day (the day of jadgmintVLoftl, Lnrd, did we not pm pba^^a , preaob ♦rndtMol), by Tl-y naiM :lt.e.t bymcaua of Tby uami.), and ioi df UibjPV^l at heart, muni d« (mrt from mr aa iP'^oii wvre yourntlvfi, ite- mona, M»tt: XXV: 41) '" \i.»urcil'y their WO' ka of in'qul'y relaiu to the earthly life, and ihouuh the Hadea < xiat* anea it paaaad through, tliey o.*me to judgnuut unr«'p*>niai.t, to rtoeivu con- demnalinn for lbt.ee worka. They wera MOTCHBiaryiV TIMF, 1BEY CA^^UT UEIN ■IlltMITY. Lyman A^tt Mya on 'di partj 'Ood bow HDidea even with tl| that la niny lead them to (Rom. II: 4 ) He ail! tinn them from him fur ever. (2 TlieH. !;» )' And be aava on va. 21—23 : *(>mipare with thia entire puangf, XllI: 1-3, and obterve ^.^ the only raarnKa aleie Cliii»t ^ Itftrially deacril»ea the judgment accue, the judgment ia pot'rayed aa drp'odent upon the couiae ufilnil} lJfi',(MHti XXV: 31-40); and that the aentrncf^ aa r*- corded in Rev. XXll: 11. 12, iaaaimt^le fi»in«. eta'nally and irreveiatl ly, «.f the oharaster formid heia ' pha - inoe. aepurnta 1/^" Cor. *&Bpaii; — fr wm- -nte^ "ta- ^t-m thia II vine < it mei ocraci princi they 1 Kreati Meaai would all na Hia w and g apiriti tratoa 1 •»y» '• that p tic and impctaiivi'i ard lo- ingap'iken 'in that diiy,' C(>nveya thp tr'ea. n it ui>ly of final anl ettinal 8epir» u.ija fttm Cbriat, but impUca a diiiarti wae »l thoae in Hii to oni '"W^^- f %• w BttI vbtl It tkil wm to atmi* pUo* |)Uo« wham than* it nu ChrUt 7 WHaI <■ that plaoti wliirh is nindu (h« •>kk)« of worksra nf MA|U|i|y < la it not h«ll \ In thwMw|iqt|B|iBiy,' a«. .ml •««)« pHtWt lA •tartw) Mtf Atioo. ' JUjrniAn khhoiX Mjr* i "th« phrftf* *kintdtfm of IHMvcn', or Xhm •ynunymout phrMa *kinHdum nf (}odi,' ia th« (ii)«p«U navrr mcanii th« vi«iblt» •itvmAl, orgAnio ohurah, and rMraly, H' !▼•?• the futur* auu in oontnuit with thi« preMn't, hut thin r«ii(n <>f Ood in th« individual aoul, or in the mioimanitjr. " •opurnle leH. !:»)' 21—23: puaHKf, I ubaerve It) CliiiKt ent acuuv, drprndeiit iHti XXV: ♦•j aa re ia aiiiiiit;le ly, of the ■ f mphtt - frd lo- nve^a tho inal aepir* a di|iiirt- I d.mbt Ihat Christ did th«rtoln olrarly I Jmus taught htith J««a and Omtilaa in Hia day that it iraa nnoaaMry ti> ohMkga thdir viii#t of truth, their oone«i»tiona wf <}'Ml and His kingdom, and theit moml purposes oono«rning Ufa, in ord«ff to a riuht apprahsnsion and tru« Mitipng of the kingdom of Ood. Matt III: % IV: 17 In Uk« in«nn*r, !t may he iwoes* ary for many of us to rhanRe pre-aon' (MMved notions tif *th« kinutlom of heaven' and littiiffstakably teaoh the faut of a bfll), and the certainty of the punish- ment of the wicked in that hetl. The whole discourse is a most aulenin and tdfireot appeal In the conscience of every man to enter 'the kingdom of heaven' ae a means of t,hu present salvation of thesoul; •nd a B«*ttiiigaforth the terrible oonse<|uen oes of not entering 'the kingdom' ss a l<»ss of the soul ,in any hope of anlvatiun |n state of exiatenoe. If this be not the ob> jeotivtf point in His preaohin(( then the Sermon ia ineuninglesn. We shall see this mure forcibly if we have a true con- oeptioH of the phrase "KIMtiUOMOIc IIBAVMN," and its e«|UivAlent 'Kint(d«>ni of Ood,' as used by Qjkrist. The expntssion means mHw kingdom which is ol heavenly or di- vine origin and nature Tn the Jews, it meant the direct rule ot Oi*d, the the- ocracy or God-Rovernuient ; and relying, principally upon the pntptiedes ofDaniel, they were expecting • kingdom of the Kreatest felicity, which Oad, through the Messiah would set up, and in it thi>y would bvnr nwny forerer and ever over hell, without „ h,.inK,..fily.tho place of future blosaed- some future „„„ b.,yon«l this lift-. That is, we iniast InAiiitosee in that expression than \ A PLArlt AND STATR Of llIK ni4i>, 'who die in the L«ird,' Ixjt rather tli Messianic kingdom on farth, the preseni state of salvation, Fi-oim .Tno^ III: 3,6, it is very evidont that this kingdom ih a spiritual kinKdom, and cannot be seen and eiitere J 'except a man be born again,' but that it may berealized.and must been- tere4 nuw,is apparent fyim vs. 14 -17. The kingdom of heaven ia in this world, but not of it; it originated in heaven, it enda in heaven; the kingdom on earth and the kingdom in heaven are one. It is "Tirn KiKouoM or CHRI8T aHi> of ood," (Ephs. V: 6), becauae Christ as God, is all nations of the world. Tesus, as was founder and king. Christ came into thia His wont, took up these well-knowawdrda and gave thetn a new, deep and varied spiritual signiticance, which he illus- trates throughout His teaching. Thayer says : 'His employs the phrase to. indicate that perfect order (>f things which He world to establish the kingdom among men, by providing for present citizenship and securing present subjects. 'Our Father.'it ia^ 'Thy kingdom' iia which *Thy wilt is done on earil^,aa it is in haa- ven.' It/is the consummstion of the wae about to eiitablish, in Which, all those of every nation who shuuld -believe in Him, were to bo gathered together in- to one aociety, dedicated, and intimately Father's/will in the heart of the indivi- d^ial oflifeaven, only a change of our location in the kingdom; the kingdom in th6 hea- ^nly state is but the complement «>f the Jjiugdoifi in the earthly state^here it is -' iiiauguratiJn. there it is cmipletion its entrance is by repentance, nob by pun ishment, and Christ's emphatic impara tive, 'Repent ye,' indicates that the' re- pentance must be now. IN HBMBN WHEN TOU ARE DBA0, means heaven in tie heart and life, while you live. It U the kingdom of righteous- ness and truth, in the soul of him 'that deeththewillof my Father which is in heaven.' The kingdom of heaven whieh Christ exhorts us to enter inta,w o »ta<*, and not afloMy location has nothina to -.dowithit, only as to degrees of enjoy- ment and perfection of blessedness. HeU, He always presenU as the result of a loss of the present heavenly state, and i hot because of exclusion from a future heavenly place, this u evident from the symbol which He uses at the condu- ■ ' . ... — : — „ — *^ — ill.— i-^tj. — kX,^ tical application that, solemnly, applies the whole sermon.not only toall teachers, but to each hearer. VU : 84--*27. •Every one therefore which heareth these _ words of mine.' The contrast is^etween the mere hearer and the doer; Obedionoe toOhrist's words is the only means of ad- mission t3, and of safety in 'the kingdom of heaven.' There must be a doing that springs from htlieoing 'opo" '^* ^*^^'' Christ Jesus. 1 Cor. Ill: U. Every, one that would not fall through'the raina of thU life's afaiotions, 'the floods' of worldly, and satantc tempUtions, and •the winds' of the final judgment, must not only hear, bat do 'chese siayings of mine,' just uttered throughout the Ser- mon. HILL IB HKAVBN IN KUIN8. The question of ten asked^ with anxiety, is: 'Are we sure that tce*shain)e admit- ted to heaven Vas if there were no pos- siDle means of knowing, for a certainty, note. We can know by examining the foundation on which we are building. None are shut out from heaven arbitrari- ly, but aS the result of individual action. I Bich man is a builder, and js building a taansion in, *nd for himielf 'that eter- nally shall stand,' or a structure, that ■hall become a ruin forever. The sta- bility of each building depends not en- tirely upon the structure, but upon the foundation. The question therefore should not be, 'Shall I, at death, enter heaven?' but 'Has heaven entered my heart?'; not Shall I be admitted into ht^aven in the sweet by and by '? but 'Am 1 admitted now ?' ThiU is the bur- den of th« Whole sermon no striicingl? enforced by His closing illustration. The contrast is between a wise and a foolish man, not betwe* a goodand a bad man ; and the wisdom and folly was manifest- ed not m thebuUding.bttt in the choice of foundation. The result of their equal of hearing, e qual liberty in ■M S8 !y, mppliei liMohers, t tretbtbttie _ Obeclionoe tarts of md- a kingdom doing tlit^t the rock,' BSvery . ti'tbe rains' floods' of tions, and lent, mast BisyingB of It the Set- h . anxiety, Il>e idmit- 8re no pos- k certainty, imininK the re baildinK< en arbitrari- idual action. I building a 'that eter- kcture, that The sta- id 8 not eii- it upon the )n therefore death, enter entered my Imitted into id by'? , but iit is l.he bor- \o Btriicingly Btration. The ind a foolish ad a bad man ; was manifest- n the choice of [ their equal lal liberty in ■i ■ -^ ■i - I ■ ^ ■ "Every one therefore, wbioh hearetb these irords of Mine, and doeth tbem« shall be likened unto a wise man, which built his house upon the rock * '■'* * # # ; and |t fell not; be- cause it was foiinded upon the rook, ihd. every one that' hearetb these words of Mine, and doeih them not, shall be lik- ened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the aand. * * . * * . ♦ ; and itfeH',tknd the ruin of that house was great.' 'Jomp.Lukeyi: 46—49. Why 'was the fall thereof ' yrea Oh l^hat a picture ! Is this not hell Enough ? Is aot this a future punish- ment ? Is not the whole Scene a picture of the 'destruction' of v. 13 in contrast with 'the life' uf v. 14, and of the Mes- sianic "judgment described jyn Matt XXV: 31 — 46? Can any one find in these words any support for future probation, final restoration, or annihilation ? Will not any honest man wh ; is only seeking the plain teaching of Qhrist, admit that an eternal loss of heaven is therein set forth unconditionally and absolutely ? The ruin is a finality, and .certainly results from building on a wrong foundation during a prelieikt state of trial, hence there can be no future probation. Be- ing a finality of result there TT •L' — TT- ■^"■' '«? we Tou building on the right foundiition? Oan yoo ■•y, (Hie epirit bearing wit- aeu with yuure,) "OnOhriit, the Solid Rook letand; And ell beeide ii ■hifting Band." The Sermon on the Mount ira« an in- auguml addreia.A speech from the throue« in which the principles and policy of the kingdom of heaven is fully anhoonced. Future Punishment, as tho consequence of failure to enter the heavenly kingdom, is one of the inherent principles of teaoh- ing.and an avowed policy of government. Having declared the fact of future pun- ishment, in hell, what follows in parable and illustration,is an explanation of that fact. As previously observed, this can only be broufrht tu our minds by simili- tudes, therefore let us carefully collect these vivid pictures drawn by the Divine Arlist. In Matt. Vlil: 12, puuishment in hell, as in contrast with the joy of heaven is spoken of as being "oast forth into thb outkr dakknbss: there shall be the weeping and gnuBhing of teeih,"i.e.,oa86 forth into thedurkuess outside the house in which the banquet is i{oing on: and there shall be, in that dark- nes«,a feeling of sorrow and rage on ac- count of the rejection. In v. 11, 'the kingdom of heaven' is likened to the so- ciety, joy and festivity of a feast in a brilliantly lighted banqneting-house. The fate of those who are excluded from the kingdom is represented in vs. 12, as the very opposite of enjoying such a feast, but as being cast out to wander, during the chillj night, in the narrow, filthy, totallif dark streets, exposed to robbers and dogs. The 'outer darkness,' is an image bt the deep honor of hell,and 'the ' weeping and gnashing of teeth' of the uttev despair of a sotil excluded from heaven. The representation is not of some degree of future punishment, but panies such exclusion. Lyman Abbott says: 'For the most part the Bible re- presentations of future punishment are of a fixity in a state df sib, (ftiv. XXII: 11, R. v.), and of banishment from the presence of God, (2 Thess. I: 9, R. V.) In til R. v., notice the article,, 'the,' of the original, before 'outer darkness,' and before 'weeping and gn^hing of teeth' which is ignored in the A. V. This emphatically indicates a positive locality to hell, 'rrow of Ohrtot*. loving, weeping heart, pipnojin- oed a dark doom, in order thatth'atdoom mi«htnot be fulfilled. The denunciation. werebeoauM of a preMut rejection, of the ' Goepel, Which to clearly brought out m Luke X: 1—16 efpecially in 'he that rejeoteth you rejeoteth Me; and he thatrejecteth Me rejeoteth Him that MUtMe.' *He be«an to, upbraid the . citie.,' When .u^oient wamib« and .uflS- cientopportunity had been given to lead them, to repent of their iin.. !iln the — ' . . i refer- when the people of every place on the earth, and in «Very period of it. htotory, will be judged according to the opportunitie. and privilege, of the individual. Thia evidenced by 'it .haU be more tolerable » * * * in the day 'of judgment, than for thee,' of v.. 22, 24 and Matt. X: 15. In the comjMuruwn of Ohoraain and Beth- iaida With Tyre and Sidon, and Caper- naum with Sodom and Gk>morrah there M no thought of po^rible repenUnce for theM ancient people, in hade.,but rather the thoujrht .that, in the judgment.they ;iriU .tand relatively a. they did in the "day of their probational opportunity. TheM oitie., eepecially Sodom, were uMd eratton 1 Think of th e terrib le being denied by Chrtot.. •*wo» xnrao itata,'* beoauM they repented not.' Matt. XI: .YMBOl. OF BTaENAIi WBATH. V See Jude v. 7, Rev. XX: 10, U, XXI: 8. '^hefireyrain that had deatroyed the dtieeof-theplainin'atokeof fire' to set forth a. the vuible emblem of that hell- (^ which, all jwho reject the oipportunity. D, were uied EULTH. V , U, XXI:8. itroyed the i Ere' iBMt >f thathell- the oi^or- »i 'i for some, but for all the people that re? fused to repent and act up to ihdr light; not partial or limited punishment aa to time, but differenee in severity as to in- tensity of suffering, based upon tlie de- gree of guilt, the degree of guilt being ac- cording to the privilege snJ9y«d. (Luke XII; 47, 48, Rom. U: 6-23). The punishment is a penalty affixed af twr ■ judging; the merits of each case. It is character, not privilege, that takes to heaven and saves from helL *And thou, Oapecnaum, shalt thou be exalted to hea^ ven ?' because of thy privileges— Nay ! but because of such privileges, nejfcleoted, 'thou Shalt be brought down to* hades,' i.e., to the invisible or lower world in the sensei of desolation. The meaning is not changed by the A. v., "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven", i e., raised to the highest privilege of a possible heaven by being the residence of Ohrist (Matt, ix: 1) and principal scene of His ministry, "thou shall be brought down to hell" (hades, the abode of the dead)"i.e., thou shalt beopme a dead city, a heap of ruins. The coiidemnation of this place is typtqd of the judgment that awaits the peopl^ tor refusing to repent at .the preitibfaing and mighty works of Jesus. IITBKBNOB TO CHRIST IS «■ 8IK OV . •'/ : . :8iir8.; Eternal punidiment is not nkerely the penalty of bestial profligacy, of foul sodomy, of active opposition to Christ, or of wilful denial of (}od« but the conse- quence of aoareless non-teoceptance or de- liberate rejection of a revelation i^om God to that- individual noul. "The worst sinners are not the doers of the worst things, but the sinners against the dearest light, who know all about Jesus, and care nothing for it alt."-'i>r. ifb- Laren. "The guilt of rejecting the Gas^ pel is marked by Christ as greater than that of moralitttpurity of life. Neither secular nor sacred histoiry contains a re- Coid of immorality and vice more loath- some and Aikg^ant, than that of the cities of the plain, (Gen *vm: 20, xix: 4--13); but Ohrist pronounces a heavier woe against those that refuse the proffer of the Gospel, because the rtfusal t* accept he^ont it aAaKe>« more tolerable ♦ ^n the day of judgment,' the future tense refers to Mom, already judged and destroyed, »»d not to the upbraided cities. Also, that tue decisions of the iudament will turn, not upon what they havfe done in the interroljdiate state, but on their experiences, purposes, charactera in ihe present lifejand these decisions are BASBi) ON A COMPABATIVB JUDOMBNT, 'more tolerable -f.^ me unto Me that ye might have hie. TTe If the iisuea of final judgment be the an- nihilation of the wicked, where th^ ia ■ aaa«B9VVW«vrKa ^^» w»«»^ ,-..— — — — y there any chance for 4|Dgreea of suffering in puniihment, aa suggested by fmore tolerable than for thee.' There cah be no comparative degrees of suffering in annihilation, these can only be in o^ae of continuous existence after 'that, great dvf.' ■ I . ■^V.. " woB tmTo thbb; i*fp«NTrBhT MAijr! 'Howbeit I say wito you, it shall bejmore tolerable for the land of Sodom iij the da^of judgment, than for thee.' 'The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment With this generation, and . shall condemn it.' See Matt. XII: 40-42, Jno. XV: 22-25, Jaa. IV: 17. jWhat more could be done for you thanhaijbeen done ? Wherein have you been neUect- ed ? What exctfse can you ^v& at judg- ment that you repented not? Will you then assign any reason why a rejeotur of the Gospel should not hear Him saV 'de- 1 part from Me ?' Oh that His upbnjiding 1 voice might never fall upon our ean|. Oh that upbraiding look ! May we nev^r see it when we behold Him on that day. See Jno. XlXt 37/Ilev. I: 7. Matt XII: 31, 32, and Mk. Ill :|28- 30, most positively assert that the^e is a sinf or which there is absolutely n6 par- don^ not even in this life much lei» in the future life.; 'hath never forgive^ness, R. V. An vH\\ not,' says every impenitent. ^Neilhet is there any support here^^ for ^e idea thfit eternal punishment la annihilation. but is guilty of eternal sin.' eternal sin implies AN BTEKNAi, SINMEB, and an eternal uiniier must certainW im- ply eternal punishment for that sinoer. The devil and his angels are examples of eternal sinners, and human wickepeBB is represented as becoming in like jman- j ner perpetual, and aa a consequence, subject to like perpetual puuishmetit.— See Rev. XIV : 9-11, XX : 10. Matt XXV: 41. ■;'. -.; ;['. ■ This lan guage is most definitely emphatic agamst any idea of universal salvatioln or final restoration, as the time include<|l in at grtAt bejmors iri the ■ •The..- iri the nd ahall 40-42, What haibeen nesleot* »t judg- mn you jeotir of naaj 'de- phraiding earl. Oh never see hat day. [il: 28— th0re is )lynopat- n 4eM in irgivenem^ L. V. An tainly ini' kt ninaer. tamplBB of trickeonesB L like inan- nB«qu^nce, isbme^t.T- 10. Matt ly emppatic i which there is no forgivaaeep oo?«f« the whole period of the aoari e&iitMioe. All other aim are forgivable, but in aooor- danoe with alt b« justified, and by thy vanona points of defence thpu shalt be condemned,' 'in the day of judgment. ' : The acquittal,or the oondemnation,in the Mesfiauio judgident, will be based upon 'thy words' or defence, because they are" the natural outcome of disposition, the idioators of the heart. / It is, thervfore, not only the words of the works, as such, that are to be judsedf, but the true na* ture, or real inner man, behind them. It is the heart life that fixes the character of the sentence. It is man in' hie essential essence or nature that is brought to judgment. It the tree is good the fruit will be good, not otherwise. You oanoot make the fruit aood and thus make the tree good. The corrupt nature must beeome good, in order that man may become *the good man,' who, 'out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things' which shall at the last not be condemned^ Remember Christ's words, 'I say unt t you, that every idle (insincere, unprofit- able, harmful, pernicious) word (^pres- sion) that men shall speak,they shaUgive account thereof (defend it) in the day of judgment.' Lyman Abbott says : 'By our words we are writing the history of our lives and preparing the records for the judgment day.' 'Out of tihine own mouth,' as the channel of the heart, 'will I judKC thee, thou wicked servant.' Luke XIX: 22, see also Job XV: 6. In the Parable of the Tares (Matt. XIII: 24-30, 36—43) Christ plainly divides mankind into two, find only two classes, 'the good seed are the children Mf the kingdom; but the taries are the children of' the wicked one.' It is also evident that the parablp was spoken to shv)w the final destiny of the wicked 'the tares' •are gathered up and burned with fire.' The iiarable teaches the PUNISHMBNT, NOT CONVBKSION OF SPreBBS alvatio|n or adudi m in a future state, and that punishment inflicted for the violation of law,in Which Jr: • i. t ♦ the offendw d«Mnrw whaUvar he ««ifbn, not M diioipluiei but m vmaaXij ; 'they abaXL B»ther ont of Hie kingdom ell thiof^e thet oeoee BtambUiigt end them thet do iniqaity, end ehell oeet them inte the fnnuMe of flfo.' It $l»o ehowe the ipering mer^ of Ood in this probetionery ege, (akm). 'Let both grow together until the herveet/ thet motivee of redemption mey leed the nnner to repentance. The aaina graeiona inflaeooea come tothetarea that eome to the wheat; henoe in the oaae . of the children ci the devil and the chil- dren of God, the difference in thia world (otot) la not ineradicabW. 'The itreat gulf which begina on earth beoomea im- peaaableonly at death.' -^fr6oM. 'We are not to Buppoae that the wheat can never beoome taree, or th» tarea wheat ; thia would be to contradict the parpoae of Him who willeth not the death of a ., ainner, bat rather that he d^ould be'con- ybrted and Utc; and thia graoioua par- poae ahinea through the Oonoinand, 'Let both grow together until tM hanreat.'— The parable alio teaphea that there ia a final day, 'the haTveat' ; a final eriaiain human hiatory, 'ao ahaU it the end of the world'; • ■ AM HOtTB Of rmAK SBPARATIOif of the.wicked from the righteooa,. 'gather out of Hia kingdom all thinga that cauae .atUmbling ♦ * * * Then ahall the nghteoua ahine forth aa the aun in the kingdom of their * Father." The aeparation ia a aeparation of peraona and not of thinga, and made not for the pur- poae of puniahinsi or tormenting the wicked,but for the ^ory of the nghteoua. The aplendor of the life oil God'a chil' dren ia hindered or obscured ' by 'the children of the wicked one/ who are not only 'them that do iniquity,' but nll'that cauae atumbling*' i'.a. , thM lead othera to light, or diaplay of aplendor. (See Ooh lU: 4; Rom. VIII: 18; Prov. lY: 18, XXY: 4, 6; Dan. XII: S). Though there u an intermingling of the evil and the good during development, yet therf ia a aeparation at maturity which be- oomea permanent,by a complete and final exoluaiou of the wioked from the king* dom of heaven. 'Gather up firat the %re8, and bind them in bundlea to burn them.' 'Aa, therefttre, the tarea are gathered up and .burned with fire; ao ahall it be in the end of the world (or age). Note, the final aoparation ia 'in the time of harveat,' 'and ^ ' '' .■. ■.■ - j_ THB HARVaST !• THB BirD uV TBI WORID,' i.e., the cloaing of the agp preceding the Meaaiah'a second coming. The harveat fa an image of the conaummation of the preaent probational period, and aymbol* iaea the ingathering of God 'a elect, 'gath- er the wheat into my bam.' (See Uev. XIV: 16, 16). From thia parable it ia evident that Ohriat believed in a personal devil at Hta enemy, 'the enemy that aowed them ia the devil;' in the peraon- ality of evil, 'the tarea are the aona of the evil one;' and in a real 'hell for the wicked, 'ahall cast them into the furnace of fire.' That there ia a particular local- ity whe|e God diaplaya Hia wrath against devila, and the damned of the ' human family ia confirmed by Pa. IX: 17; Matt. V: ao, X; 28, XIII: iH);Mk. IX: 43— 48; ia Pet., II: 4; Rev. XX: 3, 10. 'The tarea are gathered and burned in the fire,' to prevent them from apreading and de- atroying (rood graiiii which waa all they were fit for. (Matt. lU: 10, VII: 19; Jho. XV: 0). In like manner the pun- iahment of the wicked ia not for their cor- rection but to keep unrighteouaneaa from apreading and to prevent iniquity from destroying' all the good. Jf«yer oalla ain. The hindennir elementa beinic re- move4, there wiU be a diaplay of glory in the Meaaiah'a future kingdom, 'then ahall the righteoua ahine forth,' i.e., buret into attentiun to the buBt that A;aa«tot not Jka<- akcAtiai is the word translated 'burned,' and meana'are aet on fire.' He 8a|a: 'No doubi the tarea are coiuunuMf. by ^'^fire (v. tjT 3m Qiih IV: 18, Though •vil ftod •t iharf bieh be- •nd ilual he king* 6nt the la to bum tarm are I fire; so rorld (or t M 'in WOBID,' ding the 6 harvest n of the ■ymbol* lot, 'gath< lee KeY. evident personal imy that I person- sons of for the e furnace liar local- th agftinst 9 ' hunun 17: Matt. ::43— 48; B. /The a the fire,' [and de- all they VII: 19; the pun- ■ their cor- iness from lity from eyer calls 30); still the point of comparison does not lie la their being eomntntd, bul in the faot of their b4i$^f $et onftn—tk faet which is intended to illustrate the everlasting punishment now beginning to overtake the wicked in Gehenna.' Christ, not only believed in a real hell, but also that it was "a rVRKAoa or nai." Says TS-eneh: ((Fearful words indeed land the imsge, it it be an inM^(e, at all events borniwed fi^m the most dreadful and painful form of death in use among man.' For Scripture references to this nruel mode of puni«hment,see Oen. XXXVIII: 84;2 8am. XII: 31; Jer. XXIX: 22; Dan. Ill: 6, XI: 33; and 1 Our. XIII: 3. This method of torture was in vogue in the time of Ohnst, and has been prac- tised as a means of (MfMoution st differ-i enc times during the Ohristian eria. This dreadful punishment by fire was Hot'prsc- tised by the Jews,yet as the above Scrip- ture quoftiktions prove, they were not un- acquainted with that most fearful of all forms of death. It is that fi»rm of suffer- ing which is referred to here as the imaijnem^militud«a, andnot thiu«a ! Fire no more repreaenta God'fc Writh, than the picture of fire itaelf rapr0aent8 ita heat." John Locke ■lya : ••Everything within themaelTea, and averyt) inff externally to themaaWea will produce the utnioat tcr- ture that their naturea ar» oathable Of auataining." Evidently, Ohriat not only believed in a •hellof fire', i,e.,«pl»M "f actual ex- ternal torment, but in the endurance of roan^ivk mraBNio. HumRiMo. by the loat, which He deacribed aa *'the weeping, and wailing, and goaahing of te«th.'—Thia iaan oft repeated eipreaaioD of OhriatW (aee v. 60 of thia chap, and chana. Vm : 12. XXII : 13, XXIV : 51, XXV: 30, alao Luke XIII : 28.) which, taken with the article, ignored in A; v., ahowa it to have been a quotation or ^eH known figure indicating the abid- ing ^miaery of infernal punbhmeht. The Oambridge Bible aaya. the exprea- aion meuia *'thal wailing and gnaahing of teeth, which you apieak of." It not only where-,. v« wailing" aa a aign of pain and grief felt, l*«., weeping bacauaa of the intanaa pain and grief endured. Brugmoa meana a *gnaahing of th« teeth"aa in rage, but hare with modonton addl4, danotaa extreip* anouiah and utter deapair. Dantin aaya in JS!(pfMWon<2/TA« JI^Mon>"tha grinding of the teeth and tha uttanog of piercing ahriaka give relief in ah agony of pain." The iigura indiMtea not only an intenaity . of auffering, but a auffaring aooompaiUad with deapair. The acriptura no repreaenta that thoaa who are wicked ^' here, will be happy hereafter, but on tha contrary, tha vary reveraa. In tha pie- ture before ua, there ia nut oiily tha aepar* ation of the wicked from the righteoua and thtoir complete uxoluaidii from h«aven, but th«iv fpllowa the exqluaieJQ|||k. apecial auffering that evidence! a aenM of * . II(TOIJIK4BIJI PAIN Airn rifVTTBIIABLI iowi. . The i^uniahm^ntaof the wicked which arise from within themaelvea muat, to an in- tellectual creature like man, be more terrible to endure than any puniabroent from without. A Continual aenae of ain, conatant anguiah of mind, an abiding re* morae of onnacience, eternal envy, malice an^ revenge in the heart, and everlaating despair of the aoul, will form the char acteristica of eternal punishment. These are represented by the terms, 'blaokneaa and darkneaa ;' 'the worm that dieth not,' *the weepins and wailing and the gnaah- ing of teeth.' A a the spiritual la the ° superior part df man, so the punishment which the apul will have to endure, must necessarily be of the moat intense char- aoteir. In the uipreaaion under oonaider- ation there ia implied not only the en- durance of pain but the auffering from loaa of what might have been gained, without xf pain." intensity* DinpanlMl ., • wiukad ^* lut on tilt th« pio" the iMpar* tif hteoot tti h««vcn, VVABLI rhich Arise 'i mu in- be more ibisbment ise uf sill, tidioff !re- ry, mslioe verlastinR Lhe otisr t. These 'blaokness iieth not/ le guMh- isl u the inifthment nre, must nse ohaf' ■ ijonsider- the en- ring from m gained, iioik. If WM mere-' the ^nd lination of ight have some consolation in his lot ; not M how- e?er, his tormniita arv aolf-iafltotml, TUB UMituam^uABi^a riUB or sBi.r hb- rRQAOU will *'h«st the furnsoe one -seven tinitta moro than it ws« wont to b« )i«»tt«l." The unciMHing lin|{ than misery. When the IVst. soul realiies that every attempt tt^ards happiness is absolute failure, and wheii^ with the ceaseluas exeroise of unhappy thouKhtr,ther<> is always coupled the fevl- insr, **itmiKhth<*vjj been different," ••! baveoi^y myself to bUmPi "the misery be- ooiuea intensiBed beyond description. This will indeed oauae "the weoping or wailing and the vnashiiig of teeth." Tlie punishment described under this figure is not mere remorse tt ooiHpuno- ^tion of conacieqce. If remorse of con- science be the punishment for sin then the more msn sina the less ho i* pun- iahed, and Koing to hell would deliver him entirely. Experience in sin ^hows that remorse diminishes as crime increas- es, and^^that the effect of sin is to harden, and finally, absolutely to destroy j^he con science. The description is that/ of the internal paiigs of a oonsciencelesi man. The parable of the seine or jdrag-net, Vs. 47— 50i characterized by Ohrysostom "a TBRRIRLB PAKABLb/" is not a mere repetition of the/parable of the tares. The •' tares " shoWed the hln drances in the Icingdom of Christ by the present intermixture of the bad with the good. And that the bad originated from the evil one. The "diug-net" showed the final consummation of Christ's work 'at thd end of the world or jage,' and the final separation that will /take place in Mrthly or d«Vi>lopm«ht forin of the king- dom, the latter the perfeot or cumpletad ford. The stress in both |{«)s on the clear distihotum between the evil and the good/ but while the destiny r.f the rights •oua is p>»8«'d «»ver lightly, the fate of the wicked is cniphasiiied. They . are parsbltts of warning, and aa (Jregory the Oreat says*rather to be trembled at than expounded.' Into the sea of time, the Oospel net is oast and gathers tiumanity *of every kind (tjfnog, spectes)" to the sh re (.r otartiity, when the angels. Who accompany Christ at judgment, (Matt. XXV: 31), will separate the good, (kala, pleasing, beautiful, i.e., excellent in na- ture and oharaoteristics, and thirefore well adapted to its ends.applied to thingH- which answer the purpose for which they were created), from the bad (napra, pu- trid, unfit for use). The good (useful) are 'gathered into vessels, but the bad (useless) they oast away." (Bee enutner- Btion of yesselii4n Matt. Xllf: 30; Jno XW; 2; Luke XVI; 9; Heb. XI: 10, 12. >2; Rev. IH: 12. Also Jno VI: 37, XH: 31. XV: 9; Mk. IV: 11; Gol. IV: ^, as example* of the line of .- separation drawn between the righteous and unrighteous). As above shown, ^BBPVL AND U8BLB8S in the kingdom of heaven is the ground of distinction ii^ the final separation. Other parables had Illustrated the power of the Gospel to change the bad or iMefeM t«i the good orwa^Mi, but this shows the fact that those who remain useless, be- cause of the perversity of their owii will, must of necessiiy be 'cast away.' Herein is depicted no hope for future annihilation or final restoratiipn, but a fixed condition of suffering after 'the end.' The very fact, that the Wicke^ have mingled with the righteous and enjoyed equal priyilegea wit h tht i im , w il l but a dd to their *b- the whole human race, tJt the judgment, 'sever the wicked from ^mong the righi- eous.' Thepointsofyiew of the two parables are diirerent;/the former is the eternal anguish and misery. Being in the net was nothing, moral purity and spiritual usefulness are the characteris- tics which ensure feeing gathered into •',fSt{'. •i. GM'a vmmU in thtt rtmI *»?.' '^^ •a««U thftU oooi« forth, wid —vt th« wlck«d from •mong th« right««iw, ana •hall oMt th«iii Ac/ •• in •. 48. ThU awfol dtwription .»f (Kni'i «n»l ol^»n»ing of Hi• at th« end of th* WMrld,' Of pr«««nt di«p««»tion, m In t 40. Th« tnd of Uin« ta but th# b«. ginning of •UmitT; lh« oion or age •h»n IM tod^d, not so with m»n, h« will live on. but it wUl bo an •ftor-judgniont Ufo. • Mporatod !*<•» oil with tf II, and go• bMl, but •ng«Ho oyen thall diooruninate botween thorn wid doUbormUly •»errr tho wicMd from omong tho rightooui.' Tho Uroo moy bo oonowklod in the whcot »nd tho hU hkldoo by tho good, but o»oh kind to m«do known and an ootual iopar- .tlon Uko. plwe; *•<> ■<»»»i ** *»• •' '**• and of tho world,' charaotor wiU bo ro- voalod and judged, and a aoparation, In- falUblo and abKilute, final and irrovoro- lbl«, uke pl»oe. It will ihon bo found "that 'thoy aro not all I»rael wh.» ar« of , laraol,' but that 'tho Lord kpow»th them that aro Hii ' Nominal Chriitian or f«»rmal profeator, do you graap the reality of final judg- mont/ Do you realiso that wo must bo partioip*tora in it« oolomn fcnd awful .cones? Oh,thero will be a separation "in the lait day," What aball it be? Chriot regarded holl M a dreadful rfclity and uted the moat forcible figure* of pain and penalty to .ymbolioothe apirituM tor- ments of tho lo*. Whatever may betKo tUto that in any way correspond* to Hit tiibm and would have lAvod them, but thoy would not. Tho anguish Cwooplng or wailing') and ra«* ('gnashing of teeth) of tho sinner, will not tf against (lod or Uis church but against hiiiiself, because ohhosolfinfllotodloM. 'Why will ye dio, O house of Israel 1' THI rARAiUOf T«aUWMiRt!irUI, HiRV ANT. Matt, xviil ; 23-30, illustrau s tho duty, nature and motive of forgiveiiena. Peter was anilous to know tho principle of forgiveness, not in the eternal World, but in the present Kingd >m of Kr40u, which Ohriit by this parable showed to bo, like tho forgiveness wo need from 0»d, witK«Ut Umilation. The code of His King- dom Is that he who ue«*^s purdon, must be willing to grant absolute bardon. It is a Kingdom of unlimited fortttveneis, founded upon the forgiveness of Ood, "therefore" neither the unforgiven nor tho unforgiving can abide in i^ Dr. Joafph Parker hai tho f"llo«rinK hemil^tio note on this psrable. ' * I -Tho Kingdom of Heaven recognises individual ruponiibility, -'a certain King, whio" would make a reckoning' with his vanta;' 2~isa Kingdom of ii««c«,-^>his lord commanded him to ho s<»ld 3— is a Kingdom of merti/. —'the 1/ird of that servant waa moved with oomyawsitm ;' 4— The Kingdom of heaven tcaones that ho who has boon forgiven should forgive, —'Thou wicked servant, * / * •hould- est not thou also h*vo had mercy on thy toUow-stfrvant, even a* 1 /(ad mercy on thee?;' 6— 'That haviiigyfailod in mercy will have rect>urse to aUsolute justice^- 'hislord wa« wroth, ai/u delivcfed him to the tormentors, tily he should pay all that was due.'" The ' 'reckopinj^ with '>i« serf ants," doos not refer ttVthe finol judgment as in Malt xxv: 1)9; 2. Oor. v: 10. nor to the closing of /ur earthly stewardship as / description, it must be fearful in the ex- treme. 1 pray you do not loose sight of the faoU, that the lost might have boon MV«d Chriit bled.for them, wept otot in Luke x vi : ^. But rather to the * 'tettUni; accounta," /ad with "all the world" when all were fu/nd "under the judgment (oon- domnati(/h)of Ciod," "for all havosiaBod/' ■■/./: 4,- to, but f tMth) (Jo«l or will ye IBRVANT, M* duty, >. P«i«r luiptii of I World, if HtM^ti, •ml to btt. im Gixl, iia KiiiK* uti, mutt rdnn. It stive nttis, of OimJ, [iveii luir fuUoMruiK '•l-Thtt nciividual hit Hce, — i>!ii» old, iKo., le lord uf tnmnuutn ;' nflm th»t furgivt», * ihuuld- Qf on thy maroy on in in«roy red him to Id pay ftll ' Ber?auti," dffhivnt M LO. nor to rsrdahip at Rom. in: 10. aa, r: V.,ilio J no. iU: If, Rom. li, a. Od.J^; la, orlofclM "rMkopi- inK," which God holdt witb individualt •t variout tim«^ in lii«by variout uioantt to bring th«i|K to a conacloutntt* of tin. Oth«rwit« t)io unmaroiful tarvant had no opportunity to uiurcittt aithnr forgivuiiAM or nunC^trgivunoM toward hit /allows Tha abyya faot takon in aonn«otion with pHtarV (|u«fltion and Ohntt't an«w«r, va. , 91, Sy.thowithat •.haapplicationof ihupar- ablirit til tli« apiiit of forHivviiuta which rtfoouid oXMrdta tioward • bruihur tin* tngtg*ii:tt ua, IU thit Ufa, i.H.ti/onr -Widuefe in "the Kingdom of heaven," /| /whitih Ohritt it now totting up in thit world, und not to tome aftur death for- giv«ui|t or rettoration potaibilitiM. — Ohritt her«» and etatmhureooniparettin to a debt whioh the debtor it unable to ^ay, wkethvr the tin bugriwtoramtll, "forai- inuch at he had not whurewith to p*y." (Han Luke xvii: 41, 42, alto Matt. v:2d) Thill tervniitwat a compluto bankrupt, hu wi %n be told out abtolutely. In like mlinner.fvery tinner ia a hnpelaat debtor •>toId under tin" (Rom. vii: 14; 1. Kgt Xxl: 20, 26), from whioh w« may bo ran- /tomed, not by the ' vwAL syrrtaiNti or »innbh or h4vioi;r, \ butbythttforgivenettufGodiuChrittJeiut yLukei: 74,76;Rom. vi? 17, 18 ) Yerte 26 tvprvaentt the tervaiit at acknowledging hit indebtednett (oonfette^ ttn),anda8 ex- pretfling the detire to make ail right (re penfcanoe toward Ood). The earoettnett and tincerity ot hit penitence it expreti- ed by the impenect tento of ''worahipped" denotinx repetition of act or peniateoco in action. Edtraheim taya, "Thit bit of hitti ry from real life pointa the letton, that a man*a ttrict dessert before Qod it utter, hojmlena, and eternal rvin mdloas,^^ The parable it a picture of Oriental des- potiam, under which an iiitolvent debtor Ift i a utt e rly at the m e rcy of hit c r editor.and CO II id be arbitrarily and com pletely'aold out' both himaelf and family be aold into per- petU^ bondage, thua beitm placed beyond ••Jl opportumiiaa «f paying lli« d«bl^ "" TkiacuatoniaMmaat uoe lime to hav» pravailad under Jawiah law, but wilh ihia differanoo, a ralaaaw oaina in the year at , JubiUa, lo the a«rvant. however, '.hero ia MO promiae of futur* liberation, he flaarlj ptraooataa the eternal puniah- ment of the wicked'. (See Lev. ««v: 30, 41; Ex xxi: 22, SKga. iv:i; Neh. ''I 7, 8! It, 1: 1; Amoi ii: 6, vlH, 6). E'^ery tinner, like ihe terv»nt,it ameuable to the law of riKht, and juaiioe d«inanda "pByiiuMit to be niadtt. " TWi»unh the »le of (he bankrupt't elTecU and' family doea not clear ttia d«ot, y«i tb« erwlilor Um ." • he right to enMroe hit oUim to the ut-. niott extent. In like manner the enforce nient of the "eternal death" pepaltj agalnal the linnor it no ,-,1 «X)MPBNilA.TJON TO OOD FOR TH» I>BW Of .■•. •!«,•. PttWfahment it not p»ym*i\t for the f^u lit of our failure to dftcharae our duty to Ood and man, nor forour wilful tranagrea- aio)ja of divine and human lawa, but it aiinply the voice of divine juatioe apeak- iiig in terrible tonoa a^ainat the enormity of tin. The mai^nitade of tin ia repre- aented in the parable by the almuat incaltiulable debt of ten thoutand talenta varioualy ettimatpd at from' tl2,000,bOO, to $16,000, (XX), An amount utterly impoaaiblu 6f-|)ayment. The idea IB not to repreaent the guilt of particular tinful acta, but rather that the natural man whether fiit debt be rdpretented by "ten thoiitand talunti," or "ah hundred p^nca,' by "Ave hundred p«ni(;» or fifty,"^ iadhin- tolvent debtor and )iaa notihint^ with Which to pay, i e., to mBke himaelf right ' with Ood. We thoilld not allow the repreten- tation of ain M dtobb to'tietray ua iato re- Kardihisr tin by mathei^atical iSlildutation, either in the abttract or in the ooncrdte. i Jfoht ia a failure to diacharge an ohiiga- tjbn or du'iy, or ii that Which one peraon owet to unother for tervioe rendered, and when apt>lied ti> bin impliet the peraohal- he"«e«h>i(/ orld" when ment-(oon- ,vetiQB«d»" ■•//:: 96 llty not only of the dabtot but the cwd- tor. TbU id«ft of debt m applied to sin, inolttdee ., FAUUKIS AS WBU. AS WAOKra-DOIVOH* **sine c^ omiMion" •bd*'uns of oommis tion." Whenwe Uy our livee »lon^ wde the obiigations of the Moral Uw, and mea- ■are op to the dntyof love to God ar.d aeiithbor, then the best of ui will find An nndiiohatged debt of aueh magnitude tluit we can nevet pay it. But when we re* member our relation to Qod, Hia lore to '^ na and all that He haa done for na, that our.mOtiyea have not been for the c(lory of God, that 9ur liyea hare been an indif- ference to divine love, and that everv sin jm against the nature and throne of God and eternid in it^consequenoes, it is then . tBat we will realize that we cannot pay the debt of sin. In this parable there ■tands over against the enormous debt of ■in, in striking oon^nst, the mercy of God manifested in the eompleU f&rffive- nuaoftJu rinner. Ttiis debtor thinks 'if he only has a chance' he can wipe out this debt," have patience ^ith me and I will pay thee all." He attempta "justification by works." So men oft timea think to pay offthed%btof sinby righteous acta, but our not aoing farther into debt, (sin) never paid past aooumulations. He ao« knowledged the> justice of the claim and wiedfor mercy, but acknowledgementa :,of debt, (sin) and promises tio pay (to be better) never bancelled an obligation. *' We can never atone fur oar sins. The debt of sin is not only hopelessly great, V bat hopelessly irremoveable." West- tiiinUier Teacher. Observe, that in this oontnat, that which standa out moat pro- ' mjnently, is that God is not set on the ponishnient of the unner, but rather upon the forgiveneae of his una. It is not compensation for wrong doing that He aeeks, bat The lervant'a crj for respite and promise to dear the det>t, was taken as a willing desire to be right with his "lord," who, "being moved with compassion, re- leased him, and fon^ave him the debt." Notice the answer is unconditional, free and complete, and surpassing the request. It was perfect remission,, full pardon, ab- solute forgiveness, ^so notice, it was through the King's ooinpsssion that the whole debt wss unconditionally remitted and the servant let go free. This is be- yond question a picture of divine compM--. sion forgiving the sins of the sinner, who truely desires the pardon of past sins and 'heart-rightness with God. Christ evidently designs to teach by means of this parable, the principle, not only of divine and human foi^ivenesa in His Kincrdom, but also the fearful con- demnation awaiting an unforgiving and unforgiven soul. This latter is presented not, as a principle in the divine gf^vem- ment, but as a consequence of human action. We have already seen tl^^t either the original debt of siut or the indebtednesB ot personal transgres- sions, nq matter when the k-eokoning takes place or however small the accumulations of sin, becomes an account, forever be- yond the possibility of human payment. (Ps. XL : 12)— Therefore the SIMNBRSONLY HOPB IS IN k FOBOIVBNBSS, granted i(ratuitously by God, the Fathefc This fall, free, unconditional pardon or remission of the debt,~ is the essen^ of the principle* of the divine forgiveness as herein taught by Ohrist; and also the principle upon which human forgiveness should proceed. God always anticipates human needs and makes full provision for human wants, but our enjoyment of these provisions is entirely contingent upon our right seeking and true accept- ance^f them. The action of the king showed that he waa both willing and desirous to forgive the servant's debt, upon the umple condition that the servan t was truly anxious to pay his master in full. In like manner forgiveness is ready for us, and God is willing to grant it. And He will, the moment we really desire «: it, I. e., ««raMtly repent (confcMOur mm and wbh them blutted out from the heai t and Ufe, knd long to be right with Ood,) and do truly receive it« i.e.| ezeroiee faith in Ohriat (faith ia thaok fully accept- ing the gittn of our Father's love). For- giveneM ie not according to man's deser- Tings but according to the fulness of divine love and God's boundless grace. Hence on the goapel faith-prinoiple, the repentant sinner's duty is to put forth the hand of faith and take the blessing already prepared for him— then aoi> aRANn ▲ rvLt roKOtvSMBw. The sinner needs 'r et bargain with the Ix>rd or wait fcr the consideration of his case, but having repented, besimplv ac cepts forgiveness— his obligation Is remit- ted, his nfff nee put away and his past wrong forgiven. Be is regarded by God as if innocent i.»,V as if never having had any Wrdng feehng or desire, and never having done a wrong thing— See Luke vii ; 42. Lit. "When thej were unable (had it not in their power) to pay, he freely forgave (renntted by free grace and favor) them both." A pivotal pr nciple in a sinncr'iu>ardon, on the human side,is the duty of forgive- ness, in fact, our very salvation is made to depend upon It. TBS VMQCAUFIBD COKPITIOX OF OUR BXiKO roRQtvur is "For if ye forgive men their trespasses,^ your Heavenly Father will also forgive yoo. But if ye forgive Dot men their trespasses, neither will your Father for- give your trepanes," (Matt, vi; 14, 16.) This b Christ's elucidation of 'And for- give OS our debts, as (in the inanner in which) we alio have forgiven our debtors." The Lord's prsyer aasumes that we hare forgiven and continue to exercise the spirit of forgiveness, when we a k Ood .. , ' % ■ ' — — — — - • solutely put awsy the wrong so that the wrong-doer is entirely released from its burden— (See Matt, v ; 23, 124). "He *hat cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself ; for every man has need to be forgiven.*' —lA>rd ffcrbert. The parent's heart is ready tn forgive a child, but cannot, in iustice to either himself or child, graht pardon until the child seeks in a spirit that harmoniaes with the parent's, andde* . aires to forgive and be totfgl^m. So with God and the sinner, the heavenly Father's a-.tion is eohtingent upon his desires, and upon the state of his heart. Upon the part of the oflbnded ^ — - . FORGIVBKKSS 18 A MEKTAL ATTITUDB toward the offender, but aa a comoleted act it must be accepted in a right spirit by said offender ; hence the wr:>nged one may exercise the loving spirit of. foigive- ness and the wrong doer not enjoy the fact of forgiveness. Forgiveness is apart butpotthe wholeof saivatioo.: Itisthegate- way not to a properly poaseasion or eter- nal location, but to a state of being and privilege of grace. Its enjoyment how ever ia entirely dependent upon exercis- ing a forgiving spirit sad accepting and continuing in God's fomiviug love. These thoughts prepare fheway for the consideration of the second reckoning with thU servsAt. An important qoes. tion arises, to what does *releaced him, and foi^iikve him the debt (loan)? refer? Poes itlrfler to that foigiveneas of the race through Christ Jesus, whereby all bom into the wtirld are guiltless J (Bom. V : 16, 18). Or to that reatission of peri sonal aina which is granted any sinner upon exercising repentance and faith? (Rom. vii; 24 26). Perhaps to both, though the parable is generally interpret- e«? as referring to the latter, thus placing^ the servant in the position of a'*backsUd- " er." to forgive us ; this il indicated by the aoriat of aphekam^, "have forgiven,' ahcwiiig that he who is wronged has ab- ^me tbere are, who regard the servant aa representing forgiven men, who though having professedly accepted forgive- new yet continue in the in»nife»tation of. an iinforsiving spirifii I can undewtand how divine forgiveneftsi may he forfeited hy perpistent baokaliding of wilful ijef uaal, but cannot uudel-Biand a per«oa exper- iencing Gk»d'aforgiveiie8> without exeircit- log homan fprgiveueM^^ It leetna to me that Ohrist's te^hibg ia that an upfpr^ ftivuig apirit is an unforgiven spirit; thereiore thp forgiveness of the servant's' .debt ofust refer to the uncouditional of- fer of free salintion to every individual of the race. Th«! servanb was kjnofeaaor but not a i>o««e.wor of "Pure rel gion and undefiled before our God and Father." God's spirit and offer of forgiveness rijns parallel with our earthly exUtence and is not an isulatod act; therefore our lives should be lives of continual forgiveness. The lesson specially tatiKht is that FOROIVBNE88 CANNOT BE FORGIVENESS, until both parties to the transaction are of the same fotgivirit? spirit. It is a^tand- ing rebuke agamst that f6rm of Phari- saism which believes a man: is forgiven of God, because he believes he is forgiven. For God to grant forgiveness to an un- repentant sinner, would be- contrary to the divine restoratidn-principle of the plan of salvafion. (Ropi. viii : 29). Go4 shows, by, the parable,, that He is in the cotistant exercise of a forji;ivinjj spirit to- ward every sinner, but that he who re- fuses to exercise the same spirit really re- fusesAio accept forgiVenesv, and therefore cannot enter intcTHis Kingdom. 'As certainly as theris is no Kingdom of God withputthe forgiveness which we receive, ao certainly there is no Kingdom of God witjhout the forgiveness which we bestow.^ —Draseke, One leading truth must be kept, in mind, that tliis sieirvant lost the benefit (^ forgiveness, because he refustid to exercise the spirit of forgiveness. He did not truly foirgive, because he bad not truly r epented, thus — - ' ;" . . — , BE MAKES FORGIVENESS INOPERATiyE. Arnoi iMys, 'He haAot been converted; he has only been frightened.' Notice, 'that aervant went out' volubtarily, was pot ofist out, (John XV : 46), because he was not in harmony with and of th»iiame' spirit as his lord, and sought an oppor- tunity for exercising his own merciless spiritt His conduct was governed by strict justice rather than loving mercy. He thereby replaces himself in the rela- tion of unyieldiug justice to his own debt, rather than under the principle of lovingmeroy. (Matt. vii :2, 12;MW. iv :24). Ohrist) herein shows that the evidence of ' divine forgivenena. to us, is the exercise of huq^an forgivanliiB by us. If, as this ser- vaKit doe8,-a man prove thata fprgivenees huis been given him by God which he has not accepted, then he remains as if no forgiveness had been 'granted. Pardon proclaimed bv the Eleavenly Father, but not received in spirit by the sinning child; is null and void. Tha unmerciful servant did not acknowledge that his felloW'Ser- vant'd debt wat the king's arbitrary det^ree. placed the servant in the same relation to his lord as if np pardon had been offered. SittVith the sinner, when God offers' to caiiCel his sins. He includes the sin of an unforgiving spirit toward bis fellcws. And if the sinner conditio^nally pardoned, refuse to exercise the condition of mercy tow^rif others, but chof^ses justice ih»tead, he thereby ahuts himself put from the pphere of proffeiej grace and renders' di- virte foi^ivenem iniponibln. He. exchidpH hintsdf/rotn the kingdinn of H^i'ba by non-acceptance of the terms, or by viola- ting them after havint{ iofnce accepted. Note further, the odniequencB of such fiirfelture of pardon. Itia not a mere ex- clusion,' (a leaving; uf the debt standing), but an actual enforcement of law upon ttie principles of strict justice without any regard to mm-cy. The unforgiving deb- tor is suTnmoned into the presence.of his merciful creditor and a final reckoning had. Xlie basis of reckoning this time however, was not upon the idebt, but upon the fpint he had manifested. Ood does not forarivp sin to HUve usfrom hell, but tc develop within us tha divine spirit, b brint;ing us into personal relation witj Himself, thus placing us ON god's OVVN MORAL' LEV^L. (Eph. i : 5; Jdo. xvii : 22). The serva|rt is r.ovir treated not ai a debtor; hxxi as a criminal, *Thou wicked servant' ; wicke4 (criminal) because of the unmeiftiful spirit manifested. The ground upon^which Christ bases our dutj^of forgivenessis, T forgave thee all that debt, becaiisp thou besougbtest me; .shouldest not tho^ also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee ?' (IVtatt: vi : l'^4 E. V)." 'The euilt which Ke(fhe ser- vant) IS charged with is,>not that needing wto'ty hetefused to show it, but that pav- ing receieed mercy he remaitis' ui)mercifi\I still (C<)inp. I Jno. iv ; 11).^ -^Trench: To that burning question, *shjyilcfe»t not thou also had mercy,' he had no answer. VVhatcould' he say 1 Tlie king n6w ceas- es to be accreditor and bmcoQies a JQdge ; he is liolongef 'moved with compassion,' but 'was wroth,' r. «.,' was provoked to manifest his opposition to the servant's disol^edience . aiid obduracy by.punisb- ing thie same. Tliis tiinib, the servant' makes iio^ plea, not even expressing a de- IB •and delivi^rediiim to the tormentors,, till he shouWpRV all that was dfue." In like manner, /Gr>d has shojwn mercy to as- in putting iway Ihe sins of the world^ by Christ /Jesus, but if we appreciate not that meruy and do not appropriate that forgivybnesa, What ! Is there imy thing awaiting us but the coining of the Messi- aiio/judginelit, our hopeless condemna- tion, and final 'dtiluterarnQe to Uie toir- m^itors (torturers). ih Geh'enit»? There othing here that sounds' like future 'obation. / * _ . tow LONO WILL THE PUNIHHMJENt LAST, hich now takes the plsce of proclaimed pardon? I'he parable answers, Hill he shouldpay all that was due* In v. 26, he IS declared a bankrupt,^ 'forasmuch as- he has not wherewith' to ^ji' thefeforai he .most lie in prison, on the inereiless ^ rack of the tormentors',' until with .noth- ing, he, p«y'$15,OOO,i00O, which certainly ipeant endless iinpWsonmentand ceaseless torture. It js true,' thaV 'till he. should p.ay all that was- 'due' marks a limit of time when- the punishment may end, 'and . if a possibility of payment was implied the'encCniightcome. But how can a prison- er earn^ thijs' money? Or ft 'he has not', how can the » inquisitor [| rack compel the revealing of concealed Hoards or wring the money from compas»(Md(te friends ? ■ Trench says,' 't.he phralse is proverbial,' ancft all which it signifi^es is, that the ch fender s^alLuow' taste of the ejitreme'ri- gof of thelaw; shall have Justice Without .merpy ; and always paying,shall yetoevfer have paid off his debt.' As applied to the sinner . who has refused or rejected reconciliation with Gody and thus made his fin worse thaik the original debt; it must mean ' ■:, -■ ' : »• ■ PBBPETDAli SVFFBRIjNq INBTBEKAX IMPKI- , ' SONMSNT.,. ' The torturing 'till be should pay air, certiinly impUes a oimscious > . eire o^ payment, and to the king as judge IS left no other possible oouree than en- forcement f}i the former sentence, v 25, exiatoi^e in the eternal pri8r)n and is therefore opposed to rtstorr ation and annihilation theories.— ^^6o/< 1 Mtri, *Thi« Mrtainly does not tm- pltt it nithpr negttivM, the idMof futur* . nttontion. If (fadiw *he fin»lity nl ^ the iMt jaflgment, And the hopaliiuneM J of • futuie retton^on fur {h<«» who, by their conduct in thii h'fe, have oMt ftWAy . God's in«roy/ *Tbii oonditipn, ftir the •inner (i. e., payinont of hiadobt taOod), ie the atrongeetpuMible weyof exptewing the «TerUuitiog doratii 'U of his punish' ment. '— Tnnch. 'Unt iF. thou psyest ♦ * * * I must V>elieve thst He is allud- ing tQ the punuhmout which Is ceiled eternal. '-;rilu^«fut«. 'that -is to say perpetually,for he will never pay it off.'— Chry$6ttom FlumplreKet in these ^tur- mentors,' 'whatever suffering lies beyond the grave.' 'TheUngUAge of the parable seems to proceed oh these two anuiup- tions ; that sufferiog neither expiates guilt, nur in itself amends the guilty ^ and tluU a» sin has incurred a debt which can never be discharged, iw ih^ banishment, or rather the lose end misery of it will be •nd\9*$.'—E(kralkvn. This ought to be '' settled by ' ciikist's wjuunMQ appuoation;- '80 shall ftho my heavenly Father do i|n-' ' to 70a, it ye fo^ife not every one hi* brother from^our hearts.' All ihiais in harmony with divipe love. To forgive the ineurrigible would he to make him worse rather than bettei-. The uprepen- tant, for 'the safety of the world, inust be poniehed. Foiglviog othffji is not the ground but the test of our forgiveneas. ^Hewhodoeffnotfondve, shuts iKith his town hands the gi^te ef divine mercy agaiul himself ,'— Justine, ^ut forgiven^ m«8t be *fh»in yunr Jidivts' and not a men a&tr of the lips. ' Qoicl helpe us «11 1 : BCay we each be able to repeat theXtord's 'Pfiiyer sincerely, in spirit and in^trigith^ ''witii emphf^ oa *aa.we hav* fcmdven.' Hie sdfiahn^ of human "^iure prs' vents us getting a clear insight into the ,es»ebceof sin. Many there are whose conception of sin centres upon their per- sonal relation to Ood. When the question 'Where is thy brother?' ispresssd home they reply, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' Men have not learned that Ood, the Father, identifies himiwlf with man, the child, that wrung »gainst the child is em against the Father, and that we are en" denined not only fur our ojrn personal sins biit for temptiiiK othen to ais. Christ taught in Me'tt. XVIII: U-9; Mk. IX: 42-48; Luke, XVlI: i-2: that 'whojjo shall offend (cause , to stumble) one of these little ones,'does thereby reject Him; InrQhrist's estimation; ' DEATH 18 BBTnCB THAN U» to one thst i« sinning or that is causing others to sin, even death ^y that, swift andjernjble method of capital punish- ment practised by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, *Itis better (profitsble) fur him that a great millstone should be hanged abj^ut bis neck,and tha£ he should be sunk in the depth (>^f the sea. ' Jfejj«r thinks that* 'punishment of ilea/Ato which the man in questioniias become liable, is intended to represent the loss of •fer/ia^ life.' This is without doubt correct,frdm whet follows in vs. 8, (^ Christ certainly did not mean that death, as a means of annihilation or finid restoration, waa a belter thing than life to ^ a singer, but rather than become a teinpter to,or sedu* cer of others, to evil and thus become a stndmurtkrert it is infinitely better to die ., the most ignoble death. The idea is, do t sin tjr entice others to sin, it is better die shamefully than to do (sitfaer. Kor oee it leasep the responsibility bceaiiiie ptatioQS ace unavoidable^ as humah life is now eoibtitut^^ in i^Me vo^M* 'I^ may be true as some assert, *that the sei of temptation, is iniiaite', yet Cbinst doe* not pronounce the voeTtgainst'the indi- ' '* sM ■•■:':/ 1^1 ''J ,■1 ■ ;i ■ ', 1 '.J '■'-J ;'.-•.• f.\ ,, • ',' .v;'. . ,N. ■ '"v'« 4". "»•' ', ■ ,;/■ , ' ■ ■ f : >. ■ • \ *^ ■ ■" ;'-'■■'' :■ a \ . >yl E-^ ■ (••I 1. 1 ^ V *, '■■■'.. «■ ■■.■■• IT: \ \-- • • n 'v-' ■ ■ * i' ■ '/. " ■■ " ': 'K-i ■'■ "^ ■' •»'■ • ' fji, '• * ■» >■ .'I* V ■V * '1 ¥ , \ ;■■ r~;.j ■■':,* ,. ;.;.<«•. . '.,'■ ■. ^" -', • : ■^*,'.'' '■ .» • ■ vidual who'does not *stretigtben his bar&~ of relf-relianoe that hefmight be enabled to resist triumphaiitly,' biit against/ ' \ r . .S"" >a. i-^v-'^'v^.'-'s'^^^'^ 'v'' V/is. ., «b>«n >;. : ■ ■ 1 P": i'-t- *'rtUi$UiK BT WHOM TWB TIMPtATtOM OOMBTH." T«»I*ti^k mftii'. lDLake,H(t Myi^'Ifc ii in- poajiible buit th«t oocMions of stumbliDg ' thould come ; but woe vii^to bim, throuRb •whbmtheirxjomei'Ohmt madetb^me ap- plication of thiB pvinoiple to His (own be- trajal, Matt XXVl: 2<, 'TLe Son of Man goetb, even aa it i« writ^n of Him :. but woe unto that maa tbroughwhom tbe Son of Man i* betrayed ! ctpod were it for that man if he had n their consequences he must justly be piinished for them. Hence Ohrist said of Hu betrayer, . , "f "WOB dNTO THAT MAN. '^ - , It was not thei pronouncement of. s tht<'atuiliig,^but tbeaad statement of a terrible fact, from a loyim;, broken heart who felt more the consequence to Judas than to Himself. ' Judaa wfw not a- trait- or boMttse God forsaw ii; Dut God foresaw it because v .liidas would-be BO.* -r-Okryattom, 'OffNiGea and oriines must come, not because God hai ordained them, but becaclte in the nature of ain they cannot but .come, as fruit must come o0 a tree; but woe Mo the man who deliberately plans and bas- tenji, these wicked work«.'-Pen-- pdi* if'paaidiVMktof UiaiB wm to b« follow v«d bj U* baal nd«aiptioD, mm! his glerio vm rMlkiikm At last of tho imago ofQod *'— -^^^'^ 'Ana so it ia impoa- •iUo tLurt^ IM tM* OTOv bo raatorod to Di- tino lav or. For if af tor milliooa of yoan hoaaoon^to'Mi otomity of happlnaoa, hoia AoIwtriP^oor in iho balanoo of oz- iitaMO.'— Ifikdow. 'Thia ia of ton urged ■a OMi of th« moat oogont argumonta in proof of'the oUmitj of futare poniah- jjnanta, boMuaair bowaver tboy migbt ba IMToloiifad, if chef wore over to have an •lid,aiiah an axiatonoo wonld atill bo prefer- ablo to noMntitj'—'J.i^mmder. Aa man'a wiU, not God'a aoToreignitf, ii theoauae* Mnn Tinmft Alio fensAnK abi km* for 1^0 oonaequenpaa of their aotaandi giiiltyof the moat awful aina^ Sinnioff it wMknoMi but tempting ia devilish. It ia a fiend'a boatneaa to lead othera into ain; it ia the deTil'a work. InMat]^. XTIII:?, tho 'woe unto the worid? ai|id ^woo unto that man' are both 8pol|en ^n . Borrow, the former in view of thip- etil whioh will feaolt to the Vorld, an^ the latter in view of the heavy penalty^ thit will fall upon the oflTender. Thia penalty will ooMie iipon every man who putalevil withili the reach of men ; uot^ that| he oompel* men to do evil, but that he pm- vidaache means for ainnhig, or inducea them to ato. The dovil never foroec| a ' inan to evil. What more devilish thing can b« done than to wreck an immorls 1 aotdf Shall not the man therefore, wno ia'gniltgr of aaoh a heinoua crime, aumr B penalty itaaquallir guilty with devilaf Thia «B8 tha woe (liat Ohriat saw awaii- ing all intentional tempters, hence tl warning advice of ya. 8— 9 He so ui d er ato o d huwaii nature, that H e kne ^at before we can bo6ome a cause oi temptation W othora there must be aottfoe of temptation in ourselves and otuaelvea ; in other worda a man mual JllBT«i*tt«n belote he will lead othera tol fali Thtoretorei leat ire ahopld commit /*-. the double ain of oaraelYea falling andf'*^ eaoaing othera to fall^ • * * ' "^ OOT OFF, ntoK. otrr, oiar awav :> ' the moat innocent pleaauro or the BCNii; > uaefnl exeroiae, if ita uae be an oooaaioB>' of atnmbkng to yourself or othera. (Fof < ' a fuller consideration see on Matt. V: 99. ^ —32, pagea 14, 15). This terrible warn- ing ia spoken in love. It ia love'a danger signal. He makes the li|ht as bright af possible, and ringa the alarm 'm\ loudly aa in His power, whtfn he announ* cl. ees the final doom; 'to be oast into a hell of fire,' 'to be oast into eternal fire. ' ^ Ohriat realized the consequences of sin to ', be eternal and the punishment for sin ter«v rible and everlasting. Better to forego the brief pleasures of ain in the present life, than to lose the eternal pleasui^suf heaven - in the life tooime, tsttgH't Jdsus. Upon .; this principle Moses acted. (Heb. Xl*.' 24-^6.) Mark givea a more emphatic descrip- tion of the 'woe\ awaiting the lost sinner ": in the thrice repeated 'to be cast into hell' (Gehenna),' 'where the worm dieth not and the fire iB not queiiehed.' It ia B quotation from Is. LXVI: 24 And applied * to transgreaaors. Qehenna or the vall^ ' of Hinnom waa used as the Jewiah repre- ! sentaticm ot^the place of future puniah- , m«fnt. The fires in the literal Qehenna^ ~! might be temporary because of want of '^^ fuel, but 'hell fire' ^never shall be queo- ' died,' it is 'the unquenchable fire.*- So- V alao worma die when the caroaasei are- eonaumed, buj^ of the wicked 'their worm diethnot.' Notioei the differenoe in thB> eip'reaaiona. .: " . ; fv'..*:' ■' '•■■'^ **tHltlt WOBIf " AJrO "THB IBUS/* ^-^ the one referato paniahment that wjl}> ^ arisB from their own nature, the speoiai- agoni s e o f suffering ; the other to Buffet'- > % " •< ' >. I*,' . ■» h^ "•> h - t ' f . ■ ■.. ■•'*.■ ", ■«' ;■■ '•:; ^f. ''»■ ' s :■ !, ,- I , ings iaflioted firom without^ th^^ general deaoription <^ the place. *Their worm' v dieth not, ' r^fera to Uii» punithment Uiat, /. * iT they will feel within themaelvea. Ther > 'worm' of remqrae will prey upon the, BOol with bitter refleotimaa M irhBt iir,,^^^ migh loata fioi'i endiii from diemi graoi( ly pi thoFi of thai niaist 4ffiard wge,i an un grava fire IS ward pfisoi fio tui iog tl qu«no the i queno V which liverai of spii eziste raaton ^ Wh< and wi gent b aU iti Such a pltte n oflnfi hear.' The man, 1 —112 tional that O be . pu Labon raspon Ohriati rihcgrB giveT' ^5, W' > v.* f '?*'•-'' «» ». » .mrt •/■■"•"> K • * .'& •ndT* r< ,•.'«' ittgtr'' ;■.»■, t •»-; ■■••^. ■ heU lre.'':'V iii to , 1 tor«v .* TflgO lie, ftven- XI: orip- Dner 1 \. heU' not ii '"*' . lied* . llw - pre- ish-v' ''-^ leo- ;' ; ,_ are- -v, •• orm ■■ ' th»>-' . ■: •/■■ :■ !, ,- t. wilL erai'.';^ >;•::' •ti»;-. might have beeini^thoughtc of happioeae loat and of miaety jaatly inoarred. 'Dieth fioi' lit * oomwB i£pt>0 an end, ' a never ending interai^' torment, inaeparaUe from man's thought and memory. 'Son re^- diember' that thbo migheat have been graoioualy saved, but are now rightaous- , ly punished, beoause of thy oonteippt of the Father'a love, because of thy rejeetion r' of the Bon's •aorifioe, and beoause of thy ; ; reaistanMof the Spirit's strivinns.Thein- ^^ «ard passions of envy, hatred, shame, i r4ge,nialioe,revenK0, and despair shall be an undying worm th^t will for, ever ag* gravate the misery of the lost suul. 'The fire IS nof^^'quenohed,' refers to the out- ward torture that will be infliotud in the pifison house of hell. A direct and speci- fic turment is here implied aa complete- iog the m'sary of the lust. *The un- quitnohable fire, ' as in contrsit with the the flames of Hinnum that may be quenched, „synib >lize^ a suffering from ' V which, there would and oould be no de- liverance, . > A COMPLm fil8TRt70TION of apiritual life, not annihilation of spirit . existence, after which there can be no restoration. V\rhose imai^ination otu picture the woe ' and wretohednesa of an immortal, intelli- gent being, totally misetablo in itself and ' aU itf reUtiona aiii'aaanciations forever. Such a state of unmixed woe and oom- pltte misiry ii that deaortbad by the lips ■'■ of Infinite L^ve. 'Take heed how ye ■-.hear.'.. ' ^ :''■ ■' The parable of The Wicked Unaband- man, Matt. XXI : 33 -46 ; Mark XIl : .^I-IS ; Luke XX : 9—19, t«aohea na- tional aoequntability to God, and ahows ' that Gkidlesa and unfaithful nations shall be .puniahed. In the parable of the tratad that the ■ TUT or PiBTT 18 rmannoi, mot nMXM* Jesua' tMk|al>lea had hitherto been ooih* passionate- and merciful, deaigned to arouae the oonscience and lead to repent- ance ; but no|r they become condemning, designed to convince df personal guilt and prepare for judgment. Li^ce Nathan, He compels them to convict themaelvea and pr(mounuuBent$>noe,but unlike David they did not repen a^therefore could not be forgiven. 'The pUlblioans and harlota (flagrant sionern) who, afterwarda repent- ed themsulves(regretted it) and went, are nowgoins; into the kingdofn of Qod be<^ fore you (orthodox moraliata), who aaid, I go, Sir, and went not ; did not even repent (regrettisd not) yourpelvea after- wards in order that ye might believe.' 'But what think ye?A mjun had two aona. Here, us in Luke XV : 11 , the human l^ioe is divided into two great moral divi- sionsof men,soiis of one father. Both are 8on8,aa a fatherGod oates for both and both may 'enter into His kingdom. 'Whether of the twain did the *ill of his father V Thou whether ot the twain will enter into the kingdom ? 'The firs«.^"^^^yf Because Laborera, (Matt. XX : 1-^1|| individual responsibility is set forth in the call to OhYiatian woift. ' Oo ye jdso bto the )rihcgra«d, and whataoever ia i^ht I will givvTOtt'' And in the parable of the ^S^ (MJItt. XXI : 28--S2) la'illaa OOI> IS ▲ KB8PBCTCB or OHAIUOTKB. not of persons. (See Deu, X : 17 ; 2 Ohr. XIX : 7 ; Job XXXIV ' 19 ; Acta X 34-36 ; Rom. II : 11 ; Gal. II : 6 Col III : 5 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 17). ^ The only aoeept'ible excuse that can be" given for not being at Work in the Father'a vme- yard, ia, no opportunity for labor— '^Be- cauie no niui hath hired ue; ' But God is cqntmually going f^fth t« "Mr* rawaid of work "aoM. neither is hell Jott t)M punUhmrai of liiui oummittod, bat both mt* th« r*- •olu of • lit* lived, the ohereeter formed. Qoeilty, not qoeotity, of irork wm the principle of the peyment of wsffea to the kborertin the Yineyerd. 'Not, how io«oh heet thoa donef but, whet ert thou nowt wUl be the greet queetlon of the leai d»T.'-- i'Vwicik. Rigbteoue menhood, notmeehenioal Mrrioe, ii Ood'e purpoie to eelTetion. Netionel eooounUbility l^roweoot of Individuel reeponiibUity, m theee three perebleithow. They also thow thet judgment oomee to eech,— to the n»- tioa in time, to the indiiridael in eternity * —thet the nnfeithful nation will now be deetroynd end the indiTidnel be doomed to eUnud puniihment. 'The kiORdom of Ood ehell be Uken away from ydu, ,• * « « will scatter him aa duet* Mark yon, in Matt iXl :3a-44, THB MLr-FEONOUNOBD SBNTBNCB, ('He will miaerably destroy those miser- able men, "nd will let out the Tiueyard unto other husbandmen, which shall ren- der him the fruits in their seasons') is . not enforced until loving mercy and di- vine oompasaion are exhausted upon the Ipet child who has ^ed the cup of his in- iquity. It U not because God rejects the Bioner that he is finally lost to His kini^ dom, but because the sinner rejects Qod and all Hie messengers, even to the Spn of His love, 'The stone which the build- er rejected.' In rejecting Ohrist, sin- ben bring about their own rejection, not beoeufee of God's purpose but in spite of it. and th« atoiie that would have become the took of their salvation^ becomes a atone of stumbling and destruction, 'And , he thet f alletb on this stone (i.e., who- eyer, duriUK probation, is offended at v^ii^.' -f ,'y poiiibaity of i^ttofftlioft to tiltat, or individual. For how can it be otherwise if a will not let God save him 7 To refuse t« receive Ohrist into our hearts and submit to Him in our lives is to expel ^im fro«»<. our vineyard which he has bought witit Hia own blood— Let us beware lest we too become the oruoiflers of Jeeus, and that the kw of God be executed agcdntt us instead of /or us. From the rejection of the Son, Ohrlsi proceeds co consider the rejection of the Gospel, in the parable of the Weddin| Feast, ^t. XXII : 1-14. In the pii* . able of the Wicked Husbandmen Re deals with the Jews as a nation, the aot iras a joint conspiracy, but tn the Wed- ding Feast, with them as individuals, BAOH ACTS roil HHfani^, and each individual is judged by himsetf. The nation,as well as the individual, cuts itself off from the offered salvation of God. Two methods of self -destruction are shown : First, by refusing the invi- tation ; Second, by partially complying with the conditions . of the invitation. The plan of salvation is that all are 'bid- dehVend/kbe purpose of the Gospel is that all shall be 'called'— vs. 3, 4. God's will is the salvation of the race by the Salvation of each individual. If it can b«> said that God ever rejects any one, it is only after such an one has repeatedly re- jected bim. We reject God 'when we refuse His invitations. -^(1) By deliberate act of the will, *^And they would not.' (d'jdf neglect and indifference, they made light of it, and went their waya'. (3) By violent oppoeition, *the rest laid hold on his BerVjantrep«red for the company. The King inip«oted hw gueett before the leeftt.began, and found the aoli^ary man in tha crowd who waa not fitted ^or the oeoaaidn. 'He ^aw there a man which had not on the , wedd%c gwrnent,' but had come in h^a own olothaa, thue inaolt* Ing the king, #ho made a free provUion of garment!, ind tha gueaU who were properly attired. The reference ia doubt- laiB to the ^nal judgment. JVDQMBMV STAKM AT TUB niKMHOLO of the entrance 'to the roarriagd aupper of the U^b.' The wedding garment is, doubtleW, *the righteoua acta of the aainU' (^bt. XIX : 8, 9), which reaulu from riihteouaneaa of the heart (Matt. V: S ; Heo. XII : 14). Thta gaeet rep- reaents a deliberate repudiation and rejection of God'a plan and (Nroviaion for aalWtion and a rabititution of a man's owh goodness. 'Exoept a man b« born a|^ain he cannot see the kingdom of Qod'. He may enter the churoh. but will be Stopped at the gate of haaven. In auawer to the king's question, 'How oameat t^oa in hither not haTing a wedding^tfmant Y 'He waa speechless', gagged or muxtiUd ; he had no self- defence. Hu old defence, thai be was aa good aa many Ohristiana,' was gona^ and "ill* 4t ■i ' and (be sinner. The Kliic «Mne, saw Mid qoaationed his gueet. thagneet waa personally oonfiatad, and aanienced jand the whole tenor of «onf iolion and seo^ ence turned «ip«l;^:^;,;„„^ „,;.,,,, „.'■>;■ ■ ■IS uuiviouAi. FiBMirAi osiiuoniB. Although like those who refused the flnl inviteUon, he lacked that iighteousoaai» which fits one to life in the kingdom of hosTen, yet he preauoted to accept the invitation and found, when tco Ute, that • mere acceptance doe* not secura the deaired end . Like thoae who refused tha invitation, he is rejected of Ood and destroyed. 'Bind him hand and foot', •a a criminal, that he may not eacape the purposed punishment. 'Oaat him oat into outer darkness' —^The i* »KaU y» with Buoh ohMMton m y« now har* ^Mft^ tht judgment that oonaigns to Go- honna t How if you |>«niit in your »vil ways, oan yon aoaapo tha oondainiiatory penalty that ftaally aantenooa to tha pun- takoMnt ftnd aaffaringa of hall? Thia quaationiaan axampla of a method of making atronK afflrmaticna and ia aqui?a- ladi to 'Ya oannot with auoh a spirit aa f poaaaaa aaoapa tha final judgmant that i»ill oondamn yoa to hall.' *Wh«refora ya witnaai to yburaalvea.' Hara again wa muab oall attention to tha fact that thia awful denunciation waa not AftBItKARY niVIMI FIAT, hut waa a merciful warning of the natur- .■1, iif«Maary, and inoTitable oonaequenoe of thair preaant aourae of living. In ae?era woida, but with oompaiaion^te tones, Ohriiit ahowa them what they are forcin«t Ood to do. lo ▼§• 34—36, with Mnder ■adnaas. He deolarea that notwithstand iog eoming paraaoutiona, aoourgins, oruoi- filion and death, He will continue Hia Iw^in M in the past, that they may have wrery opportunity to *eacape the oondemnation of hell,' The true pur- poaa of dhrlat in the atem lanKUAga t^ thai awful danunoiation is manifetted in the loving, melting words of v. 37. 'How often would I have leathered thy ohiMreo to((«ther, even as a hen g^thef|th her ohiokans under her wingar Tllse ara tkh» pitying, Ipoglng worJ/l of thit love that never faileth. It is tho deep w^il at the woandad heart of (^od pouring itaetf |M»— ■— ^ II m i n i Il l I I I ! i i il ii ." '■l "i • piled Ills tAfa and fhmA Rha ii a Havionr. It is not beoanaa the love of Ood fat ? ' In Matt XXIV, XXV» OhriRt'diwoiir-; seson , ■;*•'* ^'J'-: ',} , vuiuflVDATi . '^r\-'y enjoining the duty of watohfutnaai, 1^ XXIV : 42-61, because of the coming judgment. He teaches the lesson of watchfulness by the illustration of ' tha faithful and wise servant ' whom Ha pro- nonnoee ' bleaaed ' and * set him over all that he hath'. Agam ha et^uroea tha duty of watchtulneaa by aa 'evil servant' who abuses and aegleota his privilege, aftar tha manner of all proorastinators. He acted on tha time-enough>yat principle, saying ' in hi* heart, 'my lord tarrietb.' Notice, the inward motive fqr that servant's tyranny and prodigality waa in 'Hy lord delay- eth his coming.' H« never purposed not b«ing ready when his lord did coma. Bo, with multitudea they expect to ba prepared to die when death ooroes. ' Tha lord of that servant shall coma in a day when ha expecteth not, and in an hour when he kuoweth not.' No time for preparation then, no opportunity for ra* formation,^ The oommg is suddenly, un- expeotedly and without warning, and to the unfaithful, self-indulgent, sensual sarvaot is followed with terrible and final CONUBIOTATIOM AMD PCNIflHlfBMT. 'Shall out him aaondar (rather ha ahall be cut up 1^ aeovrgiag; aee ihaigin of R. v.), and appoint his portion with tha bypuorites. 'He is sepisratad .., ■% ' '!'f' * , • W 1 ■ *. ■ ,.V • ; . forth through hiuna^ liesh and ^leeoh. ' Andya would nc^." The only reiaon why * AH theae shf4 come upon this gen- eration ' and that they shall not escape ' the judgment ol help is that they des- from saiAts and allotted a place with hypooritea, which he really is at heart though professing to be a servant. < Ha said 'My lord, but neither loved not obeyed (Rev. XXI: 8, 87, XXII: 16, U ti a' > oi i\ •V, -t'-v 4 ■/..■ «,^-.: '■ M h '■M ,.:. ■% ' 'im '■J 'TD« ^ U |J^'' K i MMI. VIII ! It, XIII : «•, SO, XXII : 19, XXV: 80. Thta piakur* •howi M »h«l UQVAUlifnlnwM and unpf*pftr««in««« U»d to • hxpooriU'i hell. —8m Malt- XXIII: 39. To d«aul« ih« bitUrfwt •ijonf ^nd oqnvulaluns of pdn and .nm«, Christ r«- PmU the phrMw, ' th«r« shall b« th« WMpingand gnashing of leath.' Ha tharaby axpr«M«a tha oondition 'with tha hypoorltaa' aa a living in auffaring with- out hopa of ranaining tha favor of Ood. Friand, which ol thaaa tarfant* U a pio- tara of you ? ' Ba ya aU> raady.' •Watch tharafora, for ya know not on what day your Lord oomath.' 'Taka ya haad, watoh.and pray ; for y« know not whan tha tima la.' • What I iay unto yuo I lay unto all, Watch. ' Chap. XXy ia deaoriptlira of tha judg- ment, and by Ita two parablaa and ona pictorial ileaoriptlun m«keB life to b«||ot wo much ft preparation for death •■ a l-lltAmATloi^ fO» flHAL jtwmwiT. By tha Tan Virgins, ▼•. 1-13. Christ vapraaants profesaing ChrwteMns. in their individual spiritual condition. Here aa avarywhare Ha makes two classes, and only two. In this p»rable, He shows that on« does not need to be a real hypo- crite or yet openly Vtoked in order to be excluded from tlie kingdom of Heaven. The'wite' represent those who poslest an ' Inward, abiding, growing faith and love that is being continually fed by the Holy Spirit A reUK^on sufficient for any emergeaoy, that fails not under trial, • taraptaiion or sorrow, and that iw al* ways prepared and ready for the eomihgoftlie Brideuroom. The 'fool- ish ' a,re n it neglecters of religton, but such aa are iuAuenoad by stroiig impulse, •irtmaed lBiiiotion,or fear pf audden death, and who under such influenoaa ezperi- ianca religion and begin a Christian life. ^.. to m»k% Mil* iha aipaelad . 1 m I I ' ll I ii raady for hla obming; but in fo«illah virgina, because thky him at onoe, did not maka provision fot ha coming of the bridegroom. How derail" ful la tha ainf al heai«,and how azettaaa can be made to Justify oarelesanssa III «•!•' tera of raligion. •And at midnight * ♦• Behold tha bridegrm oomalh' at a tima whan leaat likely to be prepared, and whan nol watching In eip<>ctaricy. 'They all aroaa and triBmad thair iMopa,' but FEotiaaioi* witilow FrtWMiflar is useless. 'Whila the foolish went away to buy oil, the bridegroom came ; and tKey that were ready went in with him to the Miarnaga feaat.' Tha foollah rir- l^na now, become earnest In seekiiMt tha oil of tha Holy Spirit, but it ia a fright- ened eameatnesa, all in vain. Notice, Hhey that were raady,' at tha time of hia poming, %i«nt ii;i with tha bridegroom, •And the door woa shut' to all ot^iers, 'aa much for tha seourlty and Joy, without interruption, of thoaa withiti, as far the lasting exdation of Uidtb irithoui (Gen. VII : Itf, Rev. Ill : 12).'— Ti^wcA. 'AfterwMd came a'ao Uie other virgins,' but with-^ut any evidanca of having oh' tainad oil. They bope to obtain admis- sion without it, and cry. 'Lord, Lord,^ open to 'u9.' 'They, came looking for mercy, when now it was time for jodg- xnvai.'—Augnttim. 'But ha answered and said,Verily,(moat emphatically) I aay unto you. I know you not, (do not rteog- nize you •• brideamtids).' To tha unpra- pared.Obrist willsayya would not know me by living faith, or fMOgnita ma by works of righteousness, hence I cannot now re* oaive you. 'They are ezoludad by no ex^mal or arbitrary .barrier,as the galea Th#ir faligi6n ia anparficiol and tranaiant, 4nd though keeping oompany with the * wiaa' thof do not grow in grace but be- ~eQma mar* fprnaliati. In tha preoiling ptmbla, the wicked servant took advan of hea i^ eh a r e r ep re sent e d as alwiya open, but br their own nature and spirit. (See Rev. XXI : 25, tj :y-AhhoU. The door that ohttt in tha prepared,' alio iMliil oui { tW unprepared, forever ■% •^- ■ -.■ ■■ -■» h/^^ \K,v^,: ■vJ i'' \/A'-^ iMMflipailtodimb «f» iwM olh«r w»y, Mrf WlWMA •IffiviBfto wiMyt^, Mid «tiliaf«gita 'WImm oiiMtli«mMt«»of Hm iMiM* it risMi «p, mmI biah abut th« door ' to th« aw* Mtkor, to th* on* Vke 4oMi vot Mt«r *« the sknik gate, end to ftb* MM wbo driayi, 'H« shiOl wkj, I t«II yott, I kuow Boft whaiMii ?• »• ; d«- part froa ■«, all f workw* of iniqaitj. "RitM ahatt bo tbo waoping and Knaahini of toftb, vboa 70 abdll ■•• i^bfabaa, u4 liwao and Jioob, and all tbo pro- pliilB ia t^o Ungdom of Odd and your- aalvMoaat forth without." The leaion fat tia aaeh ia *^Wai«b thor^oro" in read- Iniaa raafly to die ia f«ady to lire. Be- irarelaat tiie door ia dint to ua^ leat we aire oaat out. Oood daainia do not aaTe» there ia no way bat the one way, delayed ripentanoa ia no repentanoe. The all importanjt qneation ia not what We have been or era i^oing to be, but what mto we itowt "wiae" or **fooliah" Tir- Arewi There ia nothing in tbia parable on whieh to build a hope of a future pro* batton or of final raatoration,it doaea by a hoIdSngup of that repeated fneture of aisilicuig canaed by the conaeioUaneaa of the KNat and eternal loaa of thoae who were ao nigh aa even to get a gljinpae of the kii«doin and tot .■-■■y[, : 'yom-rauiman tie'airant. "y. Ohfiat oontittuea to aet forth the - Manward-and-hunan-duty aide of **Watahtherefoqi" in the parable of the Udenta, T8. i4-4M).'^ He faaa al^nirn that to watoh tndy, our life muat bit poffally ,faMlM*ktinuaUf rii^fc, that our leligion , iJMnk be poaaeaaed of a apiritual reality. BbBaxtahowa that we m^ifc^ba aore ttaa a uaM petaonifieaUott ofmtiopence. aamMHwhl i le Muat e f idenee uaai ii^ tta. Thaene tflflildl oondemnedaa a "al^fia apd «|»iBid aerrait" beoauae an^'«iiiH(o0«Mil#,Mr: vant." He waa unprofitable b a^» ni » he ' abaolutely OMde no attempl . to \m9Kif or ioeroaae whi^t waa entraated to . hiai. Uaelaaaneaa touan ia wiekednaaa in .the aightofOod. It ia a aelfiahnaaa that alwayaleada to a at If-deatnfctive. dry- rot, aee fa. 88— W. We are not. only to ' watoh and be ready but to be empleyed durinff the time of waitibg uaingtheleaat ^ talent, Le^, gift or endowment. The'f aame efrndemoation ia Tiiuted on thi un- profitahla aftrrant aa on the guaat without a wedding garment, on the hypooritea and on workera of iniquii^. He ia '^eaafc , out" from all farther meana of divine favor and from the life and glory of the divine prttaenoe. And he la not only east out, but he ia falmfteM— v. S8. 'Tbke therefore the talent from him and give it unto him which hath ton talenta", be> cauae he baa forfeited it by not uaing it forme. Thetalent had been beatowed aa a truat not aa a gilt; he waa, called tv aoeount for ita uae. Scimm W. a ain aii ' well aa muttt«, tiegUet aa tndy aa diaobf dUnee. Hia auffering waa iatenfified not Only by huloin of reward butby loaa of hia talent, and aeeipg another prufit by hia loM. The key of thia parablol .ia in the worda, I-: "iTxnomABui annTAMT.*' The leaaon tought, iaduty to Odd and obligation to man, that we are judged, not ao mueh by ihe graee we leeaive, aa l^trliit we uae. But loaa ia not the whole of thia ^^alothful" aeivant^ 4oMn. Itia loaa aiboompanied with pam land auf- fering. Onoe more Ohriat annotttteea the eternal funeral knell. "And ioaat ya out the unpKoiitable aervaat into the tfntar '.If -i<»5 'i. •< I. '.J'-. ^^'^- fWw ''%K Hf m'fm' J . ^1 . "i . 3odand jvdfivd, not ihe (loom, md Mf- iMMatho t yaoot 10 win, has «ome. He u nolonger pod as Father to them. Observe, while the righteous {y. 34) are blessed of the Father,the unright- eous are not cursed of God, they are under a tdf-induced curse, cursed as a conse- quenee of their own sins, the righteous hiA a kingdom prepared from the founda- tion of the world, but the unrighteous or pM«d,iif|fbt tlwm. brt lot lh« hiiai«d>;ik«]r had b«wii« .^ ^th (hem In ikeb tba, and wfra foM shai«ta with tha»4n their gilll, ^m most oonaeqaatttlf become shaWtt of their punishment. Qod^wrided irtj- deemer, not a heU, for maa ; <>od^ purpose was a HeaTcn for all. He madciio other arrangemento for mankind. Men go to hell because they make themschrea un- fit for HeaTcn. Men are U«t because God cannot help Himaelf. / That there should be an eternal punish mentfor disinherited children p Msiofrothcfir e pre - . IBB D»Vlt AMD HUi AHOBM none deny. Why then should there oe. objection to men who ally themselres with devils receiving like penalty and joining them in their habitaUon 1 . "And angels which kept hot their first estate* but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under ^^'^^ unto the judgement of the great day."-r. Jtt«Ie, 6. , . 11 Peter II : 4— "For if God spared not anvels irhen they sinned, but cast them down to heU (Tartarus) and committed them to pito (chains) of datknes8» to be reiervod unto judgment." . In Moh oase,the punishment of the fal- len an«eb is used ss a precedent or exam- ple, to prove or illustrate the certainty oi punishment upon evil doers and neglectera *of sidvation. From Ohrist's words we have 8eenthatthepunishmentoftheeeiito.be thesameasthatof thefallett angeU The chaiMter of hell's inhaWtantoisasoertain. ed from Rev.XXlI: 8-"Butfojf the fear- ful, and unbelieving, and abominaWf, and murderers, and fomidttors, and sorcer- ers, and idolateul. and all Uara. their part ■hall be iu the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which iathe second death. ' And from XXU : 16-" Without are the doga, and the sorcerers* and the for- nicatora. and the murderers and the idoU aters(covetousness is idolatory) aud every one that loveth and maketh a lie. " Th« final sentence of the ju^ment ii •^ V- ■:s!^'■-^"^ Miv ' i r7j.* -■ '"*'/ vV f>A ».'»• tpmiiX , yMlihnent, 1>at the fli^<^^«nMlIife. " The tzibao- |^hl^'^1^y^i^ii|b;;r(''tbf dtoiMpiu ftiid -the A^inigni reuMon in foroe anlfl' thejr m jadi The eontrsat isendless and boundless misery with endless i^nd boundless life. No one thinks of dispat - tng etemij life. Ko logio lean get 'rid of a Kke penod of etcraal death. ^ Briirlaet' ingness is fixed^by ah irreTOoablesentenoe to each, lliere is no Hray of escape from the terrfUe force of these terrible words of JTeeui. 'Infinite, perfect and infallible ' love spoke these wonjl^ of warning to us poOT ^nnnerp. Shall *we .heed them? Ohrtat who was ironderfully apt choice of flares haa set before us thW penal ■offerings of the lost under variDu«'aspectte; dl of which convey the idea of intolerable internal and external puiii«hittent.Tke mosteuitable word which He oen choose to describe, the period of this awlol fuffnring are''ererlasting" "atmnal ii«" ^*' eternal punishment". What does it mean^ |t means *eternit7.' Hoiw long w ing^firef Who- among %u »haU choeB wUh eperUuting kmtdngtr'^luu^k S3:Xi, " Infiaite reus ia tomcat shall I speai, And ncTcr, NKVER. NEVER, find the cad? Ah ! mast I.dwell ia torturing despair As many years as atoms in the air ? When thoe; are spent, as many thbuiands more As grains ef saiul as crowd the ebbing sbutt^ When these are gone, as maay to ensue As stemsof- grass, on hills pnd dales that grew; 'When these are done, as many left behind As leaVes'of forest, shaken with the wind; When fhes f , , JH - *%^ ^^^F^^^p^'f^^^' • ',,* •;»i '"Sr?^ >^-' ^.ij #•■" ,.*.'( f u . :^ii P4g«l, lilo«loBiii,4UiliB«»— ln»trti«)l«fUr**deiwlii.' ^, — ,„^2ii F«ff«S, 2MloolamD.^01uai||« •»w«»''"td •*», to «^."*^ J^^^T^J^,. "2? ,;T .\rflo«ldb««ilto*rf/'Wi««»ei»»««^to"ic(»iiWb6<|^^ Omi* 00*1- ■asflWraMii."' 1>«M 8. 1st oolttnm. Jod liM.-X)hMiM •* or " to/or. In 7th lia»»oBit iMua%»Mn ••V"to/,|o i|i^'a:20. PI«»itl»#«p»ina»ftM''pbp»^ '* '■ to n»d ^'ooniMotod with. Mid." " ^ ■■.:.: , :-*--i' ,>.... n:..%i. V v. - ..-'i ■<% .: ■ Pime4» l«toolu«ii.l2th;^w.A«,hw«« "V io«w» tomA "•» obwrr*d". M «<*• ' ttttitt, eth'Im«.'uiDito(miMa After **proTided.' '^- . ii«i''»ii4«'i6|nid in/' id»)onUt*W' before "•Mh'' in SOlh line, to rM»^ , eeoh"; (3d hyphen •Iter *• be,". nSndeolunm. "^ pUi fi- lat'eolvmiw-CniMige the period efter " fire " to e comma. Ut Mae «tfa . oolumi»3H|M !Vneither " "npr " to either or. change ••effect" m 2nA.eol- ' Page 9, ?Qd eol3Bp|iiiiteo>amv after '* r*iarreoted " and after, •' ondemne^r" Pi^ 10, let oolomri^^-Oiiiteoninia after " tranution:" iitand eolunin change^'ihalV' to «iery. '\a P*ge 29, 2nd column.— Change'*' idicitois" to ♦•tndic^for*." ^^ V ^;^^ PMce 32, 2nd column— Change ••their" in 19th line to Mure, P«e34, 1st column.— Change ••realise." ••symbolise/' and ''loose/' to |!kilfw, . symbolizsMad lose, and "shall" in the 21sUine to wW,. In 2nd^co)umn (*ange the period after2 Cor. V:ltf and Luke XVf :2.to a comma and "But U>but. Pan 36. 1st eolnma.— Insert a semi-calon after "sold out" ind insert ceuW after •• faaily," ia read *' family could be sold." In 2nd column, ohsnge comma after '* jubilee " to period and •' to " to •• To." , Page3B,2iHicol«afti.— qhange/'truely"to''«ni(y." <1 ^ ~ .■-.•■■ ■! , . '' 'I- 'Xi V. diMg* "dMCJUtf4biMtlkl > » •••aa"*tonMl'*Hi«(oi||ii;MtM ith0mmmi: in Um 16 fnm bottom «rh«o •!(»»*' ni ■ VM»60/lft ooif«R.--^toii^Vv^pM««'^iitlinir7 tor^^ lino T^^' g^from bottom to «H)rit. .-,-;.■. ' .; iV- •■;rV.;'*^^ . /f_. ;■■■;;• . *' '' Hei«iuoi^aflMt»pi»Mradaail«wip«i^6r«^iPti4indtfa«|k«o^r^^^ |MMitoi^j|eem not to bavo ozeroiaod neddful caro incorraQtiontt biMradalladatloBtlMi'^ ^otha moire importMtefran aii4 boiM the readers will be oa)(^ to note them. Mf deaire haabeen to aeoare a trathf al and KelpfufiattrpreitetiaB of Ood'i Word upon tbia aWfulaiibjeot, and hopetbi^t toiifbatanc^of cbuof(btand arKumentJ baveiv*: ^aifooeed^ * ■- A. M. PHILLIPftr ^' N. 3 — May be had byffldreMing Rev. A. If . PhUUpa, II Ave'hue Place, i'oMiito. at 10 ecnta eaek or ||n||p per d-^zan.^ Alio a sermqn by H* PhiUipa, on **FutureProbatioaV'«t5cenk8l|tfj* three fo(10 centa or tweWe for 26 oenta. Both are foranleat^hoMeithodiat jiook B^tt^. ' , , '• ■»^- ) • --^ .: J '.■!.- ? ,:../■.::-;;;;■;;-; ( it ."\ --■:-.■-:-- ■ .':v ^''.- r"*' '^■ »* '0-: ■ ■ ■'■'-'■ . •'. '/ ♦• , ■* ., ?• ■' '■..,■'■■■. ' • ',; -i- ' t.' . '^':^:' f ■ ' /:•■;:.. ■.'■; * 1 i'--.-\ ..,: ,. ■■■■.^ :-i "v-:lii4i-,v V " -■■ •'^.: ■ A*V ■ ■ , ^ ■: .J''- . • ■■■*'■ :.-.t- ■^ ,, . 1^ • ■, ' HL' *■■ <■■ r ' ■1 L. 4 - ■■■»■■ * 1 v • A' * ■ ■ . i" .>.V:r. j'^ »^ S : ■''*^i, ^