Page images
PDF
EPUB

soul. Is the analogy, then, perfect? Does Anaximenes endow the Infinite with intelligence and will? Does a mere vital energy operate in the production of all, or do the primary activities of Nature receive their impulses from a sovereign will? The analogy is grand and striking; it captivates and dazzles. True, even then, it might be construed into Pantheism, or into something, if possible, worse. But we must not be misled by analogies, we must still keep our thoughts chained within the circle of inexperience; we must not attribute modern culture to an age of speculation so crude and immature as this; we have no grounds for believing that Anaximenes had ever risen to the conception of an intelligent cause as necessary for the completeness of his theory. But do not let us judge harshly or unfairly; Anaximenes unquestionably believed in the religious mythology of his age. It formed no part of his scheme to construct a Philosophy of Religion; the Philosophy of Nature was all he sought to understand. The gods of the people satisfied him well enough, he had no wish to search for new ones. Like his master, he seems to have believed that Theogony and Cosmogony were different departments of thought and knowledge, and that to connect the one with the other tended unnecessarily to embarrass and complicate the researches of philosophy. There is no incompatibility between the belief that the king and father of gods and men-immortal Jove-sits on his Olympian throne in dignity supreme, having delegated to the minor gods the conduct of the destinies of men and things; and the attempt to learn from the operations of phenomena the laws which are prevalent, and the proximate agencies which are employed in the production or origin of things. At all events, Anaximenes could not be expected to observe how unsatisfactory an explanation of mere phenomenal change must be as an ultimate solution of the mystery of existence. Assuredly, he did not feel called upon to do more than complete the hypothesis of his master in its most obvious and simple sense, and felt perfectly satisfied when he had realized the ideal of his master; had

"To a thought such shape and image given"

as might bring it within the comprehension of his fellow men, and had withdrawn the philosophy of Anaximander from the abstract state in which he left it, into the living world of concrete forms and sensible phenomena. He, too, had added to the sum of human thought, had helped to uncloud the mind, and had aided in bridging the chasm which lay between man and a knowledge of the phenomena that surrounded him. To him, as to Thales, most probably "all things were full of gods," but Religion, however imperfectly, had acquainted him with the characters and the behests of most of them, as well as of the relation which existed between them and him: but of Nature he knew little. How could he do otherwise, then, than expend the chief energies of his thinking powers in acquiring a knowledge of that upon which "shadows, clouds, and darkness" hung!

The question of direct discipleship deserves a moment's notice. With Thales, the supposition of an invariable element the origin of all things was posited. That primordial substance he discovered in water; for water was, as it appeared to him, the least fixed in its form, the most mutable in its appearances. This conception Anaximander could not reduce to the conditions of the thinkable-could not reconcile with the necessities of the Reason; he, therefore, sought in the reason itself for a guide-clue to the true conception of the (apx) origin of all things. He asked, what will really and truly suffice to

This answer he found

How realize it? How

explain to the reason the origin of all? Let reason itself answer. in the Infinite, a vague abstraction destitute of realization. bring it within the ken of intelligence? Of what phenomenal agency may infinity be predicated? Water? No! Of what then? This query Anaximenes answered. Air is the infinite, and, because it is so, it is the invariable, essentially changeless element from which all things are forth-formed. The progress is evident, the steps consecutive; whence, then, the improbability of the sequence of their discipleship, as well as of their lives? We can see none. Do our readers see any?

One other observation and we have done. Anaximenes has, along with many other ancient philosophers, been stigmatized as an Atheist. Against this we feel bound to protest. In the absence of distinct proof, it is inconsistent with that "charity which thinketh no evil" to lay any great thinker under the ban-or charge any noble mind with bonâ fide Atheism.

"You may recall to mind an ancient sage,

Who being asked the nature of his God,
Demanded certain weeks, then certain months,
Then certain years to frame his answer in."

Was he an Atheist because he could not rattle glibly forth some formula of words, and clothe his high conception of his God in earth's imperfect language? Or did not the sacredness of silence impart a more awful significance to the question, and give a sublimity to the thought which he retained unuttered,

a thinking mind?

"Shut in its close and sad receptacle "

Atheism has never been, can never be, extensively prevalent amongst the monarch thoughtsmen of an age. We think it is preposterous as well as unwise to press this charge home upon every great heathen who has not uttered a confession of faith to the contrary; because it is much more likely that these noble souled men were so thoroughly convinced of the existence of one who is

"The crown, the wisdom, the intelligence,

Kindness, and strength, and beauty, splendour, worth,
Original and rule'

of all creation, as to believe it needless to enforce that truth by argument, than that they looked upon the universe as a poor uncaptained skiff, ploughing the main of immensity uncared for and unnoticed. Let us be thankful when they do mention their belief in a divine governance and providence operative in human things; but do not let us throw discredit on their greatness if they do not go out of their way to speak of God and things divine. Should Euclid be required to demonstrate the being of God in the midst of the geometrical problems which engaged him, or on failure of doing so be charged with Atheism? Certainly not! In like manner, whenever any author is expressly treating upon a topic from which such considerations must be excluded, it is unfair to construe his silence on this point into guilt. Atheism is the creed of thoughtlessness, not of thought; and it is unwise to place in the catalogue of Atheists the names of the great and good whose memory history has embalmed; for unthinking men, caught by the glitter of their reputation, may be led, much to the prejudice of truth, to rank themselves, with egotistic complacency, as the companions in unbelief of the

"Great unsceptred sovereigns, who rule
Our spirits from their urns."

Religion.

DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH THAT THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED WILL BE ETERNAL?

AFFIRMATIVE ARTICLE.-II.

It

THE present being a question of "what | surface truths or literal sense of the divine saith the scriptures?" we purpose offering word may be classed under two denominasome observations on the general charac- tions, real and apparent, much in the same teristics of holy writ; confining ourselves, way as our ordinary conversation is a mixhowever, to a notice of such features as have ture of real facts and facts as they appear to a bearing upon positions in regard to the pre- the senses. Thus, we ordinarily speak of sent question subsequently to be established. the sun's rising and setting, albeit this is not The scriptures, then, present to us divine or a scientific truth or real fact, but only an absolute truth finited, or made adequate to appearance; just so, the scriptures say that human or finite and relative comprehension. "God is angry with the wicked every day," This process of letting down heavenly truth that he punishes, that "vengeance" belongs we conceive to be effected by clothing it with to him, &c., all of which class of passages, language, embodying images taken from na- imputing the infliction of misery, devastation, ture, and human-that is, Jewish-history. and destruction to the Lord, are only appaThese images, however, are not selected arbi- rent truths, or spiritual realities described as trarily, but according to rule, the rule of cause they appear to man in his lower and suborand effect, whereby "the invisible things of dinate sphere of existence,* the real or absoHim from the creation of the world are clearly lute truth being that "God is love”—infiseen, being understood by the things that are nite, essential love; and that no attribute made;" while Jewish history, as related in pertaining to him is inconsistent, or at variscripture, being that of a theocracy whose ance with this most glorious attribute. peculiar institutions were formed by God, and belongs to subsequent arguments to show their progress and development, as a nation, how the "eternal punishment of the wicked" superinduced or conformed by his providence, is compatible with the character of Deity as present us with one continuous type of spia God of infinite love. ritual realities. We must here observe that our remarks are applicable only to such parts of the common Bible as are plenarily inspired, which parts are concisely indicated by our Lord himself as "the law, the prophets, and the psalms." To these we of course add the four gospels, which, being a record of the words, actions, and circumstances of the "Word made flesh"-Deity finited to humanitarian circumstances and position-must needs be pregnant with a spiritual meaning. We also include the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified by his angel unto his servant John."* The

*We take this opportunity of replying to the strictures of F. J. L. on our argument in reference to the scriptures, in our article on the " Universities" question (vol. v., p. 453). Our observations on

It is in the very nature of love to desire a subject out of, or extrinsic from, itself as the

that occasion had solely in view the above indiwhich F. J. L. deems so conclusive against our cated plenarily inspired word; but the examples position are drawn from the Epistles, which are not included therein, and consequently not in point. We hold the Epistles to be the productions no proper sense can they be called the word of of illuminated but not inspired writers; and in God. We do not believe that the afflatus of inspiration was continuous or personal with any of granted for the occasion. Thus St. John's writ the writers of the inspired word, but specially ings exhibit specimens of three distinct classes of scripture writing-the historical (Gospel), the prophetical (Apocalypse), the dogmatic (Epistles).

* Some of the reasons for this are sufficiently obvious, viz., the necessity of adapting the language of scripture to even the lowest order of comprehensions, and of subordinating its most literal teachings to the inculcation of that one idea, "God in all things," which it is of the last importance for men to entertain.

end of his Creator in his creation; but man would perversely stem the tide that led to a blissful immortality. By a perverse use of his free will, and a concomitant reception of falsity in his intellect, he formed to himself such a character for eternity as was unfit for, and opposed to the order of, heaven,

object of its affection, solicitude, and of its benefits; in its higher developments it also requires reciprocal affection on the part of its object. Thus, we regard the Divine love as the moving cause to creation, and "its grand end a heaven out of the human race;" a community of beings who could be the grateful recipients of their Creator's benefi-"the highest state of social happiness;" but cence, and the free and intelligent reciprocators of his love. In order to this end, man was created "in the image and likeness of God;" that is, formed with a capacity for immortality, and endowed with the attributes of free will and intellect, and placed in this lower world to form his character for eternity.* It is self-evident that a probationary sphere of existence, which gave man freedom to choose between good and evil, obedience and disobedience, was necessary to the formation of the element called character. The results, in man's regard, are well known to the student of Revelation:

"Faultless thou dropp'st from his unerring skill,
With the bare power to sin, since free of will.
Yet charge not with thy guilt his bounteous
love;

For who hath power to walk hath power to rove.
Who acts by force impelled can nought deserve;
And wisdom short of infinite may swerve.
Borne on thy new-imp'd wings thou took st thy
flight;

Left thy Creator, and the realms of light;
Disdained his gentle precept to fulfil;
And thought to grow a God by doing ill."

immortality still adhered to him, since it was one of the laws of the order of being into which he was created. Hence resulted a class and community of immortal characters, necessarily, and in virtue of their inherent genius, excluded from heaven, and forming a sphere of existence antagonistic to its influences. Such is hell, the lowest state of social wretchedness. The question before us recognizes hell as the "punishment of the wicked." It is so, in effect; but not in the Divine intention, since, as we have seen, hell owes its origin to the perverse use that man made of the faculties with which he was endowed by his beneficent Creator for his highest good (the very existence of which faculties implies the ability to abuse them). We hold that all men would be saved, if that were possible; that is, if it were consistent with the laws of order, which are the laws of Infinite Wisdom, according to which Providence acts. This order was conceived and brought into existence by the Divine Wisdom before man was created. Man was born into this order; and so long as he continued to act in conformity with its requirements, it was conducive to his highest well being; but when he acted contrary to it, from confirmed principles, then this order reacted to his excommunication and punishment. Thus, the "punishment of the wicked" is not the execution of a sentence to that effect; but is incurred by the wilful infringement of the laws of spiritual order, analogously as the infringement of the natural laws produces * We reject the notion of angels being created disease and suffering with the unhappy ofimmediately as such. Such beings as this idea supposes could be nothing more than automatons, fender. We maintain that God permits to moved in a given direction by a given impulse; the wicked the enjoyment of all the happiand, as such, unsatisfactory objects of the regardness their nature is capable of, to the extent of Infinite Love and Wisdom. We hold all angels to have been men who achieved the angelic character by a life, in a sublunary world, in conformity with God's laws, and through a voluntary acceptance, on their part, of the "means of grace" held out to them. God being Infinite Love, we have à priori grounds for believing that if angelsbeings in whom the ends of Divine love could rest satisfied-could have been created without the risks of exposure in this lower world, we should all have been created into this order of existences.

The "fall" is that epoch in the history of man from which sin, and religion-the means of reclaiming him from the dominion and effects of sin-take date. To this event, too, hell owes its origin. Man, we have seen, was predestinated to heaven, and the stream of providence" which surrounded him was conducive to this grand and final

46

of leaving the laws of spiritual order uninfringed; but this is at best but spiritual misery, just as their immortal life is spiritual death, for so it is called in scripture. It is the dreadful lot of the wicked to be incited to the infringement of the laws of goodness and truth, and consequently to the incurrence of condign punishment through

their reaction, by the very outshining of the Sun of Righteousness for the perfection and happiness of the blest; analogously as the natural sun, whose rays are conducive to the growth and nourishment of all normal objects, is at the same time productive of hurtful influences and noxious growths, by acting on excremental and abnormal objects. Thus we "justify the ways of God to man," in the matter of the "eternal punishment" of the "wicked."

To suppose a work of Divine Wisdom to end in nothingness is to imply a defect in the Infinite, which is an absurdity. Besides, we submit that hell itself has its uses in the spiritual economy over which Providence presides; thus, it is serviceable in exciting temptations which are necessary, in order to bring to the surface the latent evils in man's nature, and so to promote his purification and regeneration. In general, the uses of hell and its adjuncts are analogous to those of wild beasts, noxious reptiles, vermin, poisonous and excremental substances, &c., all of which are demonstrably serviceable, in various ways, in the economy of nature. Then

"Look to thy soul, O man! for none can be surety for his brother:

"Behold! for heaven or for hell, thou canst not escape from immortality."

66

19

There are two arguments which would be valid for the purpose of proving the negative of the present question, could they be substantiated; one is, for the possibility of reforming the wicked, the other for their annihilation; but we have adduced principles, in the course of the foregoing, which negative both these propositions. For the first, we have seen that the human character, formed in freedom, and under the auspices The direct scriptural proof of the affirmaof the faculty of intelligence, must needs be tive side of the present question has already indelible, and incapable of being essentially been copiously and forcibly adduced by changed to all eternity, for any such change L'Ouvrier." We have had " Sigma's would be equivalent to the annihilation of production in view while penning the forethe identity of the subject, and the creation going arguments; and although we have not of a new personality. Besides, there is direct formally noticed his article, it will be seen scriptural authority against the opinion; that we have dealt with his arguments, and "Can the leopard change his spots?" The something more. We have shown that the state of the wicked is termed "death" and "eternal punishment of the wicked" is quite the "grave," indicating the utter extinction compatible with "the character of God" as of, or deadness to, goodness and truth, and a "God of love," and consequently compatithe finality of the state. True, there are ble with "the genius of Christianity;" we some who may be saved "as by fire;" and it have shown the impossibility of the essenis said of our Lord, "A bruised reed will he tially wicked being reformed in the state not break, and smoking flax will he not beyond the grave; and we have anticipated quench;" but these are evidently extreme the argument for their annihilation. It recases, exceptions which prove the rule we mains to be seen what other arguments can contend for. For the second, we have seen be adduced, either from scripture or from that "immortality" is reason, in favour of the non-eternity of the punishment of the wicked."

"A word from Wisdom's mouth which cannot be unspoken."

66

NEGATIVE ARTICLE.-II.

BENJAMIN.

HAVING in a former paper treated at "brimstone," which to us appear simply figusome length the general question, we pro-rative of a moral and spiritual purgation; and ceed briefly to examine the popular interpretation of certain passages, and to consider sundry collateral points which demand attention. We will

I. Examine the popular interpretation of certain passages. Only a few can be selected, which at the moment occur to us as of primary importance. In our former article, reference was made to the terms "fire" and

the more we consider it, the less able are we to accept the popular idea attached to these words. And our view is entirely substantiated by Mal. iii. 1-4, which alone sufficiently explains the passages alluded to. But we may be referred to Matt. iii. 12; Mark ix. 43-48; and others of similar import. Now, bearing in mind what we have said as to the design of punishment, let us

« PreviousContinue »