and Gehenna.* Critics now generally agree that neither Sheol, Hades nor Tartarus was ever used by any sacred writer to communicate the idea of endless suffering—and therefore should not have been translated hell. But our business at this time is to show the signification of Gehenna, for that is the original word rendered hell in the passage which we are investigating. Concerning the word Gehenna, Dr. Campbell says "It is originally a compound of the two Hebrew words Ge, hinnom, the valley of Hinnom, a place near Jerusalem, of which we hear first in the book of Joshua 15, 8. It was there that the cruel sacrifices of children were made by fire to Moloch, the Ammonitish idol, 2. Chron. 23, 6." The Dr's. opinion that Gehenna is used in the New Testament to denote the place of future punishment" is entirely without evidence. Parkhurst speaking of Gehenna says it is "a corruption of the two Hebrew words Ge a valley, and Hinnom the name of a person who was once the possessor of it. This valley of Hinnom lay near Jerusalem, and had been the place of those abominable sacrifices, in which the idolatrous Jews burned their children alive to Moloch, Baal, or the Sun. A particular place in this valley was called Tophet," &c. He also says "A Gehenna of fire, Mat. 5, 22, does, I apprehend, in its outward and primary sense, relate to that dreadful doom of being burnt alive in the valley of Hinnom." Cruden says "It is thought that Tophet was the butchery, or place of slaughter at Jerusalem,

See Balfour's excellent "Inquiry" into the signification of those words.

lying to the south of the city, in the valley of the children of Hinnom. It is also said, that a constant fire used to be kept there, for burning the carcasses and other filthiness, that was brought thither from the city. It was in the same place that they cast away the ashes and remains of the images of false gods, when they demolished their altars, and broke down their statues." Isa says 30, 33. "For Tophet is ordained of old; yea for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large. The pile thereof is fire, and much wood; the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it." Cruden further says "others think the name of Tophet is given to the val- · ley of Hinnom, because of the sacrifices that were offered there to the god Moloch, by beat of drum, which in Hebrew is called Toph. It was in this manner that those sacrifices were offered. The statue of Moloch was of brass, hollow within, with its arms extended, and stooping a little forward. They lighted a great fire within the statue, and another before it: They put upon its arms the child they intended to sacrifice, which soon fell into the fire at the foot of the statue, putting forth cries, as may easily be imagined. To stifle the noise of these cries, and howlings, they male a great rattling of drums and other instruments, that the spectators might not be moved with compassion at the clamours of these miserable victims." Calmet gives a similar account of Tophet, the valley of Hinnom and the horrid cruelties practiced in the worship of the idol Moloch. We have positive proof that Gehenna, or the valley of the son of Hinnom is in this world, in the book of Joshua 15,8. "And the border went up by the

valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite, the same is Jerusalem." For further confirmation of this important truth, see the 7th and 19th chapters of the prophecy of Jeremiah. The word Gehenna is found in the New Testament twelve times only, it was always addressed to the Jews. Nothing is said of Gehenna to the Gentiles. This word is found Mat. 5, 22-30; Mat. 18, 9; Mark 9, 43-47; Luke 12, 5; Math. 10, 28; Mat. 23, 15, 33; and James 3, 6. become of Mr. P's "decisive," text? When he says God can leave the soul "in sinking, hopeless, dying, agony"-when he intimates that God will do this; we are induced to ask, do christians worship the true God who is "good to all"-or do they worship a Moloch, burning with immortal vengeance, and pouring the sulphureous streams of never ending wrath on millions of his own creatures?

cy.

What now has

4. We now come to his fourth and last class of texts, which, he says, "represents the punishment of some men as remediless." Under this head our author refers to James 2, 13. "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no merBut this is nothing to his purpose, for a man may have judgment without mercy in a certain sense and at a particular time, and yet not be excluded from mercy ever afterwards. The remaining part of the passage to which he referred is, "and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." Mr. P. again refers to the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.

See Mat. 12; Mark 3, and Luke 12th chapter. His object in this instance is, to show that the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven. It is

says,

true the blasphemer could not be forgiven during a certain period of time. But his forgiveness is not eternally prohibited, as may be seen by a careful attention to the several scriptural phrases used in relation to it. "It shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Locke says "In the writings of the New Testament aion outes this world, commonly signifies the state of mankind before the publication of the gospel, as contradistinguished to the evangelical state or constitution, which is commonly called aion mellon, the world to come." Pierce "The world or age to come is a Hebrew phrase, and signifies the times of the Messiah, oulm eba." Macknight, Whitby, Dr. Owen, Parkhurst and many others agree in the explanation of the phrases "this world and the world to come, with the quotations I have made from Locke and Pierce. "It shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world or age, i. e. the dispensation of law then drawing to a close; neither in the world, or age to come," i. e. the age of the Messiah during which miracles were wrought. "He that shall blaspheme.... hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation," Mark 3, i. e. while a blasphemer, he cannot be forgiven but will be exposed to condemnation as lasting as the nature of the case will admit. It shall not be forgiven." Luke 12; i. e. according to the limitation already given respecting this subject in Mat. We have no reason to believe that the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost can be committed at this age of the world. It was committed by Jews who witnessed the miracles wrought by Christ, and maliciously ascribed them to

"the prince of the devils." That the period will come when all the Jews shall be forgiven is plain, for "all Israel shall be saved" Rom. chapter 11.

Mr. P. next quotes Prov. 29, 1; "shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy." But this destruction is not said to be in a future life, nor is it said to be final: what then does it prove? If the Bible taught endless misery as plainly as our modern preachers do, such passages as that which I have just noticed would never have been quoted by Mr. P.. We are then referred to Phil. 3, 19; "Whose end is destruction," and Heb. 6, 8. "Whose end is to be burned." On these passages Mr. P. says "If it should be said that these texts do not mean the last end of the wicked, the remark is without proof." To which I reply. If it should be said, these texts do mean the last end of the wicked the remark is

That

We

without proof! Mr. P. says "As well might we say that Rom. 6, 22; ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life, means not the last end of the righteous." We grant it. mankind do enjoy everlasting life through faith, while in this world, is perfectly clear; "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." John 6, 47. have now carefully examined Mr. P's direct arguments from the scriptures, in favor of endless misery; and if we are not grossly deceived, they have vanished like "the baseless fabric of a vision," leaving not a wreck behind. If eternal misery were sincerely believed, and its "proper influence" felt, the result would be fanaticism, insanity and despair.