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Show Jy aij Ex-Editor. Iatlcr-dByBlnti nust always feel nn Interest In such discussions of theology ni hate taken rlacoatllio recent trials of prominent icll,loui t-achorsby sH-mlilli-eor their fellow-ministers fellow-ministers estrlally In ciies like thit oM)r. llrlgKf, ono Of wnoso Lcllefs Is Hint there Is such n principle as "progressive sanctlflcatlon.'' Hodoes not Udlevo that man's future Is unalterably un-alterably fixed when he Itavos this lift: but that repcntiucs as I prigress are iiosslb'u bej oad the giave. This Is such n departure from tho doctrine herctofoiobilloveJ and taught by the orthodox ssclsthst miuy are shocked nt It, an 1 they feet thit n tetchir who euti ruins such views ought to be silenced. Whether or not the Church of Jesus Christ of Ijilter-day Halnls la rccoguUeil ns the source from whence light hascomo concerning the future o'.ndltliu of man and (ho true nature of uvtilaitlug (unlslimcnt, cirtstn It Is that similar views to thoso taught by the I'.lders of the Church upou ths nad many other doctrinal point aro mv entertained and advocated ad-vocated by men of promlnenco In different dif-ferent sects. Asnirlyoi March, 1SV, the IsJrJ, thrcugh His i remit, Jostph Hmlth, In shaking of those upon whom Ills con If ninntlon slnuld fall and who should be fouilj nt His left li'inJ, said: "Nevertheless It Is not written that thcru shall be no end to this torment, but it Is written endlcha torment. Again, It Is written eternal dimnatlou. ' For, heboid, I amendluis, and the punishment which la given from my hand, tsendleis punishment, for endless is my in-nr; wherofort: "l.'tortiil puulihniunt Is Ood's pun-Ishiueut. pun-Ishiueut. "Kndlcsspunlshmsnt Is Jd's pun-ishiueut." pun-ishiueut." In February, IS3:, n revelation from the same sojres thruw nlljjd of light upon the posilblllllns for tho futuro of mm In thu life beyond this, and oltarly iboweJ thaluvenllu srjls lu u statu of punlslimtut would be mlnislirei unto by Ihesa sent from regions nf glory for their benefit. Subsequent revelations throw still mire light upon thu ratu cf thsse who had left these moital scenes with jut having hid tho ojiortuultyofotieylnr, tho ordinances of tho (ru!. UuJoulileJIy the Information In-formation thus rer-tlvod upon tliclo Inteiesllng subjects has attractei tils attention nnd nroijsaj tho thought ot ilboral-mlndul.mcii; for thiss doctrines have been taught I'lioUjh the press nnd from thu platform for mioy yclfe loth lu AmcriM nod Hjrop;. 1'liU wide-spread publicity has brought them to tbu kuuwluJgo uf puoplo ol .all cl leiej of jioclely who cmlfnot fall to bu ImprusioJ, to a greater or Iisa extent, by ttiom; Iiuvjio the doctrine Ihatu.iiutliFS miiltlludca of miuklnd will burn forever lu hell-lire, out of which there Is no'jrsslble redemption, has shocked boybnd vxpirsilou many ieop!uandcajsediiuny to nbsndon religion. Men ufthu tublcitcharaittr liavu revolted nt thu teachlu(s of proi issod ministers of Christ cjticernlng thu fats of thosa who, moral aul untight un-tight and of exemplary lives, had failed before their deith ti) be converted. In n recent article pjUlshed In au Kngllsli majailuo Mnt'.cciitft Cen furj a promLenttclentlllc mill, tit. (ieorgo Mlvart, nttompts to relieve the ltjuuu Cuthollu church, ot whloh he is a mcuibir, from tbu discredit ot having hav-ing couimlttid ltuell to any dogma about hell which lucvltably conlltcts witti reason and conscience. It is a hopeful sign, and It rovej how the haven of truth Is working, whun a promlninl member ot tbo proudist, oldest nuJ most Uotmitla religion body In Christendom undertakes euoli a task as this. His arttcls loirs tho strange tills, "Happiness In Hell." Ho admits that the CuthoHacliurrh Is definitely committed com-mitted to the doctitou that souls condemned con-demned to hell nmnln there for all eternity. Tho church, he says, sals luf.ru men butlwa kinds of eternal existence ex-istence an eternal existence In tbu possession of heaven anil an existence In etirnal excluilou from It which Is hell. Thcru can bo no question, ho states, that the Cathollo church Is Irrevocably committed to thodoctrlno that not oo y are the damnud damned for nil iternlty, but that their oin.ll. lion is but faintly represented by descriptions of the most extreme nnd terrible torture. Aud yet ho is determined deter-mined lo euieavor to provo to tho wurldtbat It Is conslstuut with Cathollo Catho-llo faith to entertain different views views which ale more In con-souanco con-souanco with modern per eptlonscou-cirutug eptlonscou-cirutug lusllcu and beiiuvolent i and that Itlsuvin iwiiblotoinjoyndcgree uf hnpplucn lu bell. Whllu ho adm ta that thu tenants uf hell aru Its tenants eternally, bu a-iuts that a prooess uf evolution take, plauo In lull and that theuxlsteuceol the damued Is ouo of I regress and gradual amelioration, though uever, of course, to the extent uf rilling the lost tu "supernatural beatitude," Tu sustain blmiolf In this view hu ijuotei tho names of certain "I'atheri" of the Cathollo chinch, who, he siys, held that a mitigation was vouchsofod to the damned from time to time. He calls the doctrine monstrous und revolting to which, in hlsoplnlou, etsrk Rthelsin Itself would bu n preferable bollof that Clod oould punish men, howovor slightly, slight-ly, still lers could damn them for nil eternity, (or auylhlng which they had not full power to avoid, or foranactthe nature or consequences of which they did not fully understand. under-stand. Ho explains what he thinks has been tbo reason why hell lias boen described as a lscool suoli horrors: It wan In order lo bring home to moti whnt their loia wjlild ho by represent ing that loss by means of symbols widen would most elTectlvely strike the Imaginations of tho greatest uum-b-.c ot, mankind. Hut hu dees not think that It uccei-arlly follows that tell l such u place ns they described; 1: Is only as oontratlod with heaveu toit It will besr such n description. Hupru-Ni's to hls'realers nn taiigln-oiy taiigln-oiy picture of a man, lntelllgan:,amla-bki lntelllgan:,amla-bki and wealthy, enjoying tho es-.com of nit. .who kuow him, tbs JevotoJ nlleotlou of his Inn-lly, Inn-lly, tho pesua of a good conscience, anJ the happiness of n natural love ot ond union with 0)1. Vet dying unbtptlzcd, ho will, according to Cslhol o teachings, ho says, he In hell, anil this will butnu lot of the imtnenru nuuibsr uf mankind who have died unbaptltel. Hot though subject to ''jcriuif-imiil," or sute of loss, this writer alleges that Is no ciusoof regret lo tlie dj. As bu puts It, not having "bieu raised to the order uf grate" they have no aptitude or faculty for uuy higher condition an J nrecoutent. Hu oppexis ti think that even the positively damned may, pusiltily, be unconscious of their slate, and may, possibly, have the consolations uf a hoped-ior amelioration, or they may tlnd lu hell a certain kind nf harmony with their own condition condi-tion nnd the society of souls llkt-mludol with themselves, lllscoh-elusion, lllscoh-elusion, alter reasoning at eomu length If, that "Hell lu Its'wldest sensu must bu considered (as for.it certain clan) hu abodu of liapplnoisj transcending nil our moot vivid anticipations," nud "thero is, aud thero will for all eternity be, of real and true mjpf-iesi fn hell." This writer Is ciielul to Impress upon Ills leilirs tint "Purgatoiy has nothing to do with thu ipetljn lure d icusseJ, since It lsb.lt u pasting, torn-rwrary torn-rwrary slate." I Imvurj luted with eoiue fullness the statements of this gentle.-uan, ni they tend to show the troll of moJeril religious re-ligious thought. Ills notsosurpil ing, Inthtsedays whun mm arabresklng away from thu old moorings, to tee Protestants iuiulgo lu some latitude lu dealing with religious iiueitioni; but when n prominent member uf ttiu Cithullc church does so a man who, ns he says about himself, eslctms It ns an " inostlmable rlvllegu and unspoakablo mppluess to bsloug to that rliuich," It Is a re-mirkablospscticlr; re-mirkablospscticlr; for of nil the religious re-ligious boJIes ot Chrlstcuiom, tho Cathollo church Is the most rigid, uncompromising anl uisolute lu the assertion of Its dooltlaei. It prldts luclf upou tholr being Inlalllblu. There are several fcatuioi In tbls aitlcla ot Ht. (1 Jorge Mlvart'.i that would lead ouo wno Is familiar with the doctrlniss of the Litter-dsy Saints tu the conclusion ttiit tho writer must at sooietlaiu either have hs.ird them expounded orally or had accois lu some of the printed walks lu w hlch they are sit forth. It neither of these suppositions supposi-tions Is carrcct, tticu bo has had tome ronirkable glimpses uf truth, aa thu similarity botweeu sons uf his views aud thu belief of the latter-day Salutsls very striking. The revelation to the Cnuro'i through tho Prophet Jossph clearly ooavsys thit there are certain classes "who rufltr thu van geancoof eternal fire," "who aro cast down to hull andijUd'er thu wrath o! Almighty UoJ," "who shall not bo re doomed from tho devil until tho last resumtctlou," who villi receive tho lutulsterlug of angels who are apiwlut-id apiwlut-id to be ministering spirits for them, "for they stiall bo heirs ot salvation." Qcoitm: Q. Cannon. |
