Conditional Immortality—A Reply.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4335, 22 November 1882, Page 3

Conditional Immortality —A Reply.

At tho Oddfellows' Hall last night, be fore a good attendance, Mr K. H. Taylor replied to the Key. S J. Neill's last lecture on " Life." The 'ext chosen was " Prove all things, and 1-old fast that which is cood." The lecturer said it was evident Mr Neill neither comprehended the subjert of Conditional Immortality or the people who believed in it, for the lecture was tbe most conglomerate be had ever read. Mr Neill's statement that, in a previous lecture that they had passed the gate called " death " and found it the " gate of life " vras in direct opposition to the teaching of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and especially to that passage " There is no.knowledge nor device in the grave, whilher thou goest," and to the Psalmist when he said " In death there is no remembrance of Thee.'' If death was the gate of life the wicked were well off', for they had to die twice, and consequently must inherit a third life, which was nowhere taught in the Bible. Besides, all over' the world death was still looked upon as the greatest curse possible. Mr Neill was wrong when he said Conditional Immortality and anni hilation were two aspects of the same set of doctrines. He ('Mr Taylor) did not believe in the annihilation of the wicked, but he believed in their final extinction, and he defied Mr Neill or anyone else to point to a preacher who did not teach the theory of the eternal death of the wicked during the first two centuries after Christ's de»th. Mr Neill also said it was difficult to get any authorative statement as to what these peculiar people believed. Mr Neill could ,cot have seen the catalogues of English bookseilers, or he would not have made that'&tatementX He could take the rev. gentleman to Auckland, and there show him a library of 700 volumes bearing on these beliefs. At least two thirds of the Congregational ministers of America were believers in Conditional Immortality, and all through 1 ngland preachers of every denomination were spreading the glorious truth that eternal life was to be obtained only through Christ. Mr Neill put down all believers in conditional immortality as i. hristadelphians, but there be made a big mistake. He (the speaker) was not a Christadelphian, nor did he know of one on the Thames, though lie thoroughly believed in some of the doctrines taught by that sect. He was sorry to notice that all through Mr Neill's lectures be had set at naught the great work of Christ, teaching by quotations from Micah, Peter, and Solomon that the whole duty of man was !o live rightly. Mr Taylor then went on to deal with the other points touched on by Mr Neill, and concluded by inviting all to tbe Bible class on Thursday evening, at eight o'clock.