We have received a communication on the deeply solemn subject of eternal punishment, from a person whose initials are " C. D. S.," and who would seem to be the exponent of the feelings of a very numerous class. Our correspondent does not, by any means, write as an objector, or a caviler, but as an honest enquirer; and we arc not sorry to be called upon to bear a clear and decided testimony on a point of such grave moment. He asks us to let him know <' what the Holy Ghost has taught us on the subject," and we cheerfully comply.
We believe the word of God most clearly and fully teaches the eternity of punishment. The word which is rendered " everlasting," or " eternal," occurs about seventy times in the New Testament. We shall give some examples. « To be cast into everlasting fire." (Matt, xviii. 8.) " That I may have eternal life." (Matt. 19:1616And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16).) " These shall go away into everlasting punishment." (Matt. 25:4646And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46).) And in the same verse, " The righteous into life eternal.'' " Is in danger of eternal damnation." (Mark 3:2929But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: (Mark 3:29).) " They may receive you into everlasting habitations." (Luke 14:99And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. (Luke 14:9).) " In the world to come life everlasting." (Luke 18:3939And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (Luke 18:39).) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." (John 3:15, 16, 36; 5:2115That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:15‑16)
36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)
21For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (John 5:21).) "The commandment of the everlasting God." (Rom. 16:2323Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother. (Romans 16:23).) " An exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (2 Cor. 4:1717For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (2 Corinthians 4:17).) " The things which are not seen are eternal."' (Ver. 18.) "An house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'' (Chap. v. 1.) " They shall be punished with everlasting destruction." (2 Thess. 1:99Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Thessalonians 1:9).) "Hath given us everlasting consolation." (Chap. ii. 16.) "In Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Tim. 2:1010Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10).) " The author of eternal salvation." (Heb. 5:99And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9).) " Having obtained eternal redemption." (Chap. ix. 12.) " Who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God." (Ver. 14.) " The promise of eternal inheritance." (Ver. 16.) "Called us unto Ids eternal glory." (1 Pet. 5:1010But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10).) " Into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior." (2 Pet. 1:1111For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:11).) "This is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:2020And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20).) " Suffering the vengeance of eternal five." (Jude 77Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7).)
Now, we are aware that the opposers of the doctrine of eternal punishment endeavor to prove that the word everlasting does not mean everlasting in the Greek: and this is one reason why we have quoted such a number of passages in which the Greek word αιώνιος, (aionios,) occurs, and in which the Holy Ghost applies it in such a variety of ways. The word which is applied to the punishment of the wicked is also applied to the life which believers possess, to the salvation and redemption in which they rejoice; to the glory to which they look forward; to those mansions in which they hope to dwell: and to the inheritance which they expect to enjoy. Moreover, it is applied to God, and to the Spirit. If, therefore, it be maintained that the word " everlasting" does not mean everlasting, then applied to the punishment of the wicked, what security have we that it means everlasting when applied to the life, blessedness, and glory of the redeemed? What warrant has any one, be he ever so learned, to single out seven instances from the seventy in which the Greek word aionios is used, and say that in those seven it docs not mean everlasting, but that in all the rest it docs? We believe none whatever. Men may reason as they will about divine benevolence and goodness—about its being inconsistent with the mercy of God to permit such a thing as eternal punishment—as to the strange want of proportion between a few years of sin and an endless eternity of punishment. A single line of holy Scripture is amply sufficient, in our judgment, to sweep away ten thousand such reasonings, even though supported by the learned dogma that everlasting docs not mean everlasting in the Greek. " Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.'' (Mark 9:4646Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:46).) Solemn statement! Let men beware of trifling with it, or reasoning about it. Let them believe it, and flee from the wrath to come—flee, now, to Jesus, who died on Calvary's cursed tree to deliver us from everlasting bummers.
But not only is the eternity of punishment clearly laid down in Scripture—as clearly as the eternity of God Himself, or of anything pertaining to Him; we believe it also flows as a necessary truth from other truths which are generally received without a single question. Take, for instance, the immortality of the soul. Did the fall of man touch this question? We believe not. -Man was made the possessor of an immortal spirit, by the breath of the Almighty; and we have no authority whatsoever to say that his fall made any difference as to this. Immortal he was, as to his soul, immortal he is, and immortal he must be. Yes; he must live forever, somewhere. Tremendous thought! Many do not like it. They would fain be able to say, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." They would like to pass away as the beasts that perish; and this very desire, we doubt not, has been, in many cases, the parent of the notion that punishment is non-eternal. "The wish is father to the thought." But, ah! man must face that dreadful reality, ETERNITY. Saved or unsaved, there is no escaping that. He must either deny the immortality of the soul, or admit the eternity of punishment.
Again, take the doctrine of the atonement. If anything less than eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Could nothing less than the peerless, priceless, divine sacrifice of the Son of God deliver any one from hell fire, and that fire not be eternal? Did Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of our guilt, and those consequences be only temporary? We can never admit any such proposition. Grant us the truth of an infinite sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment. We attach no weight whatever to the argument drawn from the lack of proportion between a few years of sin and an eternity of woe. We do not believe that this is the true way to measure the matter. The cross is the only measure by which to reach a true result; and we believe the deniers of eternal punishment offer dishonor to the cross, by lowering it into a means of deliverance from a doom which is not eternal in its duration.
And, now, one word as to the idea of its being incompatible with the character of God to allow such a thing as eternal punishment. Many seem to attach great weight to this. They appear to think that eternal misery could never comport with divine mercy and goodness. But those who urge this plea seem to forget that there is another side of the question which must, be looked at if we would reach a sound conclusion on the point. What about, divine justice, holiness, and truth? Are these things not to be taken into account? Can we base an argument on some of the divine attributes and leave others out? Surely not. We must look at them all. The cross of Christ has harmonized them all in the view of all created intelligences. In that cross God has sot forth His perfect love to the sinner; but He has also set forth His perfect hatred of sin. Now, if a man deliberately rejects that only way of escape—that perfect remedy—that divine provision, what is to be done? God cannot let sin into His presence. He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. Will the deniers of eternal punishment tell us what is to be done? How is this question to be settled? They say by annihilation, that is, by man's perishing like a beast! Ah! this will never do. "The Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:77And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7).) Was this ever revoked? Is there a shadow of foundation, in the entire Book of God, for the theory of annihilation? If there is, let it be produced.
We look upon it as a most miserable subterfuge—a pitiable attempt to get rid of the awful thought of eternity. But it will not do. Let man but cast his eye on the page of inspiration, and there he sees that tremendous word, " Eternity! Eternity! Eternity!" Let him but lend his ear to the voice that issues from the depths of his moral being, and he will hear the same soul-subduing word, "Eternity! Eternity! Eternity!" lie cannot get rid of it He cannot shake it off. He is shut up to the stern fact that he must live forever.
Well, then, what about his sin? That cannot got into God's presence. God and sin can never be together. This is a fixed principle. God is good, no doubt, and the proof of His goodness is the gift of His Son. But the He is holy, and between holiness and sin there must be an eternal separation; so that we arc forced to the same solemn conclusion, namely, that all those who die in their sins—all who die in the rejection of God's infinite provision for the forgiveness of sins, will have to endure the consequences of those sins in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, throughout the countless ages of eternity.
We shall not argue the matter further in this paper; but we would most earnestly beseech the unconverted reader to pause and seriously consider this most momentous question. Let him not be deceived by vain words. Let him not hearken to a false criticism which would fain persuade him that eternal does not moan eternal in this Greek, for oh! most assuredly, it does mean eternal whether in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or English. Eternal can never mean temporal, or temporal eternal, in any language under heaven. And, furthermore, let him not hearken to a false sentimentality which would fain persuade him that God is too kind to consign any of His creatures to hell fire. God was so kind as to " give His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." But God is too holy to let sin into heaven; and hence, instead of feeding himself with the vain hope, if hope it can he called, of annihilation, let him build upon the sure word of God which tells him of full, free, and everlasting salvation through the blood of the Lamb. Our God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. His long-suffering is salvation, not willing that any should perish bur. that all should come to repentance. There is no reason why the reader should perish. God waits to be gracious. Mercy's door stands wide open, and the sword of judgment is in the scabbard. But the moment is rapidly approaching when all shall be changed, and then all who die in their sins will prove, by bitter experience, that notwithstanding all the arguments founded upon a false criticism and a false sentimentality, the punishment of sin is, and mast be, eternal,