(VII.) Finally, in addition to all the above, a great difficulty remains in the way of the advocates of the traditional creed. Their principle of interpreting the Bible would compel them to believe what they do not believe, and to teach what no reasonable person could presume to teach. (a.) First, it would compel them to believe in the endless torment of the vast majority, at least of all adults (see pp. 4-5). (b.) Next it would compel them to believe that this torment goes on for ever and ever IN THE SIGHT OF THE LAMB AND THE HOLY ANGELS (for their satisfaction ?) – Rev. xiv. 10 – and indeed probably in the sight of all the Blessed. – Is. lxvi. 24, and S. .Luc. xvi. 23. But these two things they disbelieve. Nor do they believe the statement that God creates evil. – Is. xlv. Nor have they any ground, so far as I know, for their disbelief, except that these statements, taken literally, are unworthy of God, i.e., are immoral. Thus, in fact, they stand self-condemned. Nor do they really believe that Israel is to fall and rise no more. – Amos, v. 2; nor do, or can they, take literally the many threats of the same kind which Scripture contains.- See paragraph after note on S. Matt. iii. 12, in this chapter.

It occurs in the Gospels and Epistles five times, twice in the Acts, and four times in the Revelations

JAMES. In the original Greek it is taken almost unchanged from the Hebrew ( Ge-hinnom, i. This valley lay outside Jerusalem: once a pleasant vale, and later a scene of Moloch worship, it had sunk into a common cesspit at last. Into it were flung offal, the carcasses of animals, and it would seem, of criminals, and in it were kept fires ever burning (for purification be it remembered), while the worms were for ever preying on the e, of which so much has been made (a) were – at least in their literal and primary use – temporal and finite, (b) preyed only on the dead body (c) and were for purification; three particulars essential to the due understanding of the passages on which the dogma of endless torments has been so unfairly based. Read more