EVERLASTINU PUNISHMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1391, 18 March 1912, Page 5

EVERLASTINU PUNISHMENT.

SERMON BY THE HEV. J. K. ELLIOTT

Certain opinions recently expressed by ho Kov. J. 0. Chapman, of tho Taranaki Street Methodist Church, were referred (o ;y the Her. J, Kennedy Elliott in a seri.on preuched by him in the Presbyterian 'lnircli in Kent Terrace Inst evening. The [rounds on which the criticism was bated vore on certain statements of Mr. Chapnaii. regarding tho belief in etenlsl punshincut. Tho matter, it may bo menioned, was considered by the .Methodist I'onierence held recently at Auckland, and i committee set Uμ to investigate the ime=:ion stated tlmt tho coiirpussionato brart )f Wesley was tortured by the prevailing riews of Hell. Ho tells us that lie sought liligontly for a way of escape, and deildrcs, "weeping," tlmt ho (ouml none. Hero his heart was in revolt against prevailing opinions of tho Diviuo charliter. After 100 years a loyal ton of tVcsley may feel (lie same heart revolt, ind be in the true lino of march. The subject of Mr. Elliott's address was 'Everlasting Punishment," Ho disclaimed ill feelings of bitterness, but it would jo impjvsible to rpoak on the subject ivithont referring to tho deliverances of ho Methodist Conference dealing with the :ase of ,\ niiiiistei of (heir Church. On lio previous .Sunday the case whs virtuilly sub judice, but now the man had emerged from the trial in triumph. Mr. Chapman was reported to Jiavo paid: 'Some Christians would bo miserable if hey did not believe that millions of their ellow creatures wore in everlasting lames." AVns this kind? Or brotherly? Dr charitable? Would Mr. Chapman tay that ho (Mr. Elliott; would not jo content unless there were milions in flames, or that' ho took my delight in (ho thought? Was Mr. '■liapman the only man who had pity? l'lio Scriptures spoke of Hell as a lake rather than «s an ocean, as bottomless, but not boundless, Ho repudiated and loathed tho idea that the majority of our fellow-creatures would be in Hell. Another quotation from Mr. Chapman: 'Anyone who believes Hint has no right to bring forth oilier victims into tho ivorld." But did Mr. Chapman shut ]m eyes to the fact Hint this was a world of risks. This was not a world for cowards but for heroes. The preacher said he would confine his attention to two questions which, in his opinion, covered the wholo ground of controversy. (1) Do the Scriptures, mid particularly our Lord Himself, teach that the punishment of tho wicked is endless? (2) Is llio endless punishment of tho wicked inconsistent with what wo know of the character of God? Ho affirmed that the Scriptures declared that tho future punishment of llio wiclced must be endless. His apnea! Wiis to -the Word of God, but it was well to be reminded that tho Methodist Church hitherto had maintained (his doctrine, nud not so long ago had inhibited one of its college professors from teaching thn contrary. And yet Methodists of Xew Zealand had decided tlmt it might l)e proclaimed openly in tho churches. John Wesley, in his notes on Matthew 25-4G, wrote: "Kithor, therefore, the punislunenl is strictly eternal, or tho reward is not." The Drencher's second affirmation was that the everlasting nuniflimrtit of the nicked was not inconsistent with the Divine character. The doctrine ";is not incon-rislont with God's justice. The object of penally was neither roformaioir jior dol-M-rcni, but .'imply vindicatory (not, of course, vindictive); in other words, it primarily aimed, not at (ho good of the offender, nor at the welfare of society, but nt Hie vindication of the law. Sin was reproductive nnd self-pro-pagating. Our Lord spake o!.' an etcrnnl sin, nnd :t was reasonable (o conclude tlmt God would visit endless sinning with ondloss punishment. Finally, let it be wild that the doctrine of ovnrlasting punishment, was not incompatible with a full and freo offer of jho Gospel. On the cmitrarv, tho opposite doctrine lowered tho holiness of God, and degraded the work of Christ, and was an encouragement to the careless and wicked,