What would be gained to God should we admit that He delights in witnessing unceasing tortures ; that He is regaled with the groans and shrieks and imprecations of the suffering creatures whom He holds in the flames of hell ? Can these horrid sounds be music in the ear of Infinite Love ? It is urged that the infliction of endless misery upon the wicked would show God ' s hatred of sin as an evil which is ruinous to the peace and order of the universe . Oh , dreadful blasphemy ! As if God ' s hatred of sin is the reason why it is perpetuated . For , according to the teachings of these theologians , continued torture without hope of mercy maddens its wretched victims , and as they pour out their rage in curses and blasphemy , they are forever augmenting their load of guilt . God ' s glory is not enhanced by thus perpetuating continually increasing sin through ceaseless ages .
It is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been wrought by the heresy of eternal torment . The religion of the Bible , full of love and goodness , and abounding in compassion , is darkened by superstition and clothed with terror . When we consider in what false colours Satan has painted the character of God , can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared , dreaded , and even hated ? The appalling views of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit have made thousands , yes , millions , of skeptics and infidels .
The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the wine of the abomination of Babylon , of which she makes all nations drink . Revelation 14:8 ; 17:2 . That ministers of Christ should have accepted this heresy and proclaimed it from the sacred desk is indeed a mystery . They received it from Rome , as they received the false sabbath . True , it has been taught by great and good men ; but the light on this subject had not come to them as it has come to us . They were responsible only for the light which shone in their time ; we are accountable for that which shines in our day . If we turn from the testimony of God ' s word , and accept false doctrines because our fathers taught them , we fall under the condemnation pronounced upon Babylon ; we are drinking of the wine of her abomination .
A large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are driven to the opposite error . They see that the Scriptures represent God as a being of love and compassion , and they cannot believe that He will consign His creatures to the fires of an eternally burning hell . But holding that the soul is naturally immortal , they see no alternative but to conclude that all mankind will finally be saved . Many regard the threatenings of the Bible as designed merely to frighten men into obedience , and not to be literally fulfilled . Thus the sinner can live in selfish pleasure , disregarding the requirements of God , and yet expect to be finally received into His favour . Such a doctrine , presuming upon God ' s mercy , but ignoring His justice , pleases the carnal heart and emboldens the wicked in their iniquity .
To show how believers in universal salvation wrest the Scriptures to sustain their souldestroying dogmas , it is needful only to cite their own utterances . At the funeral of an irreligious
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