there can be but one meaning, namely, that Gehenna was a place of capital punishment. Such in fact was the place. In aggravated cases of capital crime, the criminal was not only killed (which was generally by stoneing); but his dead body was cast into Gehenna, like other filth and offal of the city. There is reason to believe, that at one period of Jewish history, capital punishment was inflicted by burning alive in Gehenna (valley of Himmon).

It is plain that the other passages must be interpreted in harmony with these we have noticed. Bear in mind, that Gehenna was a locality near Jerusalem, where the filth of the city was carried, including dead animals; and also a place of capital punishment, either burning alive, or burning the body after it had been killed by stoning. This last had passed out of use in the time of Christ, and is referred to by him only as a matter of history.

Let the reader, for the time being, lay aside all ideas of future a hell, and see if these passages cannot be reasonably interpreted, without any reference to such a place. Many people think they cannot be so interpreted, simply because they have never heard any but the popular construction and application.

The way people understand these passages is well illustrated by the story of the boy and the trip hammer. A boy had heard of a trip hammer; and he was curious to learn something about. So he goes to his father for information. "Father," says he, "does a trip-hammer talk?" "Yes," was the reply. "It keeps on saying, a penny a pound, a pound a penny, all the time," and the father suited his voice, as much as he could, to the sound of the trip hammer.

At length the boy was riding with his father past a forge, when the

hammer was in motion. The father said nothing, but when he got home he questioned the lad about what he had heard, "Yes, father," said the boy, "It talked just as you said. A penny a pound, a pound a penny." People who have been taught from childhood what these passages mean, have no difficulty in understanding them. They have heard the sound before and find it just as they have been told. Let the reader turn back, and read the first passage on the list, Matt. 5: 21, 22.

Jesus is criticising the law of Moses, not as it is written in the Bible, but as the Jews explain it in their oral law or traditions. The written law has no regulations concerning calling a brother Raca, or fool. This was an addition of the Jews of old time." It seems to be the language of Christ; but such is not the meaning. There are three specifications. One concerning murder, and two concerning hard names. Jesus quotes the first, and adds a comment, and there resumes the quotation.

That the last two, as well as the first, are a quotation, is plain from the reference to the council or sanhedrim. Jesus had no control over the sanhedrim, nor over the Gehenna fire, as here used, namely, as a civil infliction. Nor indeed was the Gehenna fire used in this way in his time. The whole passage belongs back to the time of the ancients, as the connection shows. We are loth to believe, that in any age, men were burned alive for so small an offense, as calling another a fool. Now then can we believe that men will burn forever for the same; and yet this is assumed to be true by many intelligent people. It is hardly necessary to refute such an absurdity.

The next passage may be considered in connection with the two

others like it. Matt. 5: 29, 30; 18: 8, 9; Mark 9: 43-48. The statement condensed is: It is better to suffer the loss of a hand, foot or an eye, than the whole body. This is used as an illustration. It applies to many different things; but not to endless punishment; for neither the loss of a limb, nor of the whole body, can represent that.

Jesus means this-We are often so tempted, that to resist is like cutting off a hand or foot. But not to resist, will be much worse, as much worse as the loss of the whole body is worse than the loss of a limb. "Of two evils choose the least," is the maxim here implied. Men would never do wrong, if they acted on this maxim.

It will perhaps be said, that this comparison did not require any allusion to Gehenna. Not necessarily. But as that was the place where bodies w re destroyed, the reference to it made the illustration more lively and impressive.

In the last of the three passages, the illustration is applied to the acceptance of Christianity. The persecution one would suffer for his faith, would be very severe, like plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand. But to reject the Gospel, would bring a greater evil. It might be the loss of the body, that is, life; but it could not be an endlesss evil; for no limited evil could represent that.

In this passege, a statement is twice made, that some may think adverse to our interpretation; but it really sustains it. Of Gebenna it is said, "Where the worm dieth not: and the fire is not quenched," " never shall be quenched" is not in the Greek. I will here quote the passage in the Old Testament, that was doubtless had in the mind of our Lord.

"And it shall come to pass, that, from one new moon to another, and

from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." The carcasses in this place explain both the worms and the fire-one the result of putrefation; the other an effort to get rid of the offensive object. This was true of Gehenna; and being so, we can not help seeing, how important it was that the fire be not quenched; for the health and life of the people of the city depended on this. And so far as this fire is an emblem of punishment, it can stand for no other than a salutary infliction.

In a few instances, Jesus uses Gehenna as an image of a corrupt character or condition. Hence the Pharisees were the sons of Gehenna; and their prosolytes were two fold more the sons of Gehenna than themselves-that is more corrupt. Matt. 23: 15. The damnation of Gehenna, was such punishment as so corrupt a character deserved. Or the reference may be to the fact, that Jeremiah (chs. 7 and 19) had predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, under the image of Tophet, the name of the most noted part of Gehenna. Matt. 23: 33.

In Luke 12: 5, there is a reference to the disgrace, brought on the name of one, after he is dead, indicated by casting his dead body into the filth of Gehenna. Nothing is said of the soul. "Fear him who, after he hath killed (the body), hath power to cast (the dead body) into Gehenna. That is, He can both take your lives, and bring lasting disgrace on your names.

James says the tongue is set on fire of Gehenna--that is, by the

corrupt flame that arose from the burning filth of Gehenna-a striking image. 3: 6.

Finally, what is meant by destroying the soul in Gehenna? In this instance Gehenna is an image of a corrupt condition. We have seen that Gehenna is where the body is destroyed; and therefore can not be in the future life. Those who make the destruction of the soul and body to be in the future world, give to the word destroy a sense, the opposite of its real meaning. We think as much of our doctrines as any other people; but we do not feel at liberty to pervert the words of Scripture, to sustain them.

It is evident that hill and destroy in this passage have the same meaning. What then is meant by killing the soul? We often read of the death of the soul. We call it moral death. Evidently to kill the soul is to bring it into this state. Paul uses kill to denote the same thing. Sin deceived him and slew him, (the same word as kill in Matt. 10: 28). This does not apply to those already in that state; but to the apostles, who had been brought out of it.

The meaning, in few words, is, that if the apostles deserted the cause of Christ, through fear of men, they were liable to bring on themselves worse evils, not only physical death, but also moral death, which was more to be dreaded. Such apostates were in a condition represented by Gehenna. There the word is used very much as the sepulchers were, to represent the Pharisees, except the beautiful outside. The inside was full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness; and such also was Gehenna.

I can not doubt that when these

interpretations have become as familiar to the mass of the people, as those

I love the narrow way,

By holy pilgrims trod;
Nor ever, willingly, would stray
From duty and from God.

But oftentimes, alas !

In my unthinking hours, Beyond the sacred bounds I pass To pluck forbidden flowers. And yet, full well I know

Sharp thorns those flowers conceal, And tears of penitence must flow Before their wounds will heal. And oftentimes I creep,

With slow and painful tread, Along some bare and rugged steep, Whence every joy seems fled. And yet full well I know,

That angels round me throng, And should my footsteps backward go, 'Twould sadden their sweet song.

Thou who wert once a child,

Where'er Thou leadest me, O'er flowery slope and rugged wild, I still would follow Thee.

No earthly joy can charm

If far from Thee I rove,
And not an ill my soul can harm,
When sheltered by Thy love.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 1st Cor. 6: 9-11.

These texts teach it is an absolute truth that a person guilty of any one or more of the sins enumerated in them cannot inherit or enjoy "the kingdom of God;" no person can be saved in their sins; and it is clearly evident that every person that has ever lived, as an accountable being or agent, has been guilty of one or more of the sins named in the texts; now if that was and is an absolute bar to their ever being saved then not an accountable human being can ever be saved, not one, all will be finally lost. Does any Christian believe this? No. They believe that any person guilty of any one or more of those sins, may repent, be converted, born again, and saved; true, and if any one can do so, then each and every one can do so and be saved.

"The kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of the Son of Man," all mean the same thing. What is "the kingdom of God?" It is the same everywhere, in this life and hereafter. It is a condition

of heart and soul. "The kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17: 21. It is a character purified by obedience to the Christ. It is righteousness and joy and peace in the Holy Ghost." Rom. 14: 17. Thus it is wherever man is pure, good, Christlike, Christian. Now, if righteousness is Heaven, unrighteousness is Hell-and certainly no unrighteous person can inherit "the kingdom of God," this is one of the fundamental truths of Universalism. How then can an unrighteous person be saved? By becoming righteous, there is no other way; and when by repentance and the doing right, he becomes righteous, that is Heaven, he is saved.

says,

After Paul had enumerated the sins that prevented people from inheriting "the kingdom of God," he "and such were some of you," you Christians, that are now enjoying the kingdom. They were guilty of those sins of whom the texts says, : they shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Yes, the apostles and Christians, could not inherit the kingdom, but by repentance and by being "washed and justified," they were then in full possession of the kingdom-they had been "translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son," Col. 1: 13. And so may any and every sinner become an inheritor of the kingdom in the same way. the author of our texts says, "By the disobedience of one many (all mankind) were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many (all mankind) be made righteous." Then every one of the human race will inherit the kingdom.

And

The door to the kingdom will never be closed, the work of salvation extends into the future state. Christ will continue to seek and save the lost, until all human beings are found, and reconciled to God, wheth

er they be persons on earth or in the heavens, that is, all that are unreconciled in this world or in the spirit world, will be reconciled, saved. Col. 1: 20.

The good book tells us that there was given to Christ an everlasting (age lasting) kingdom, and that all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. 7 chap. "And when all things shall be subdued (made obedient) unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Here we have the assurance that the time is coming when every human soul will be obedient to Christ as Christ is obedient to God; then will every soul be righteous and inherit Heaven.

Although each and every person will always occupy and have place, locality, wherever each person may be, yet it is not the place or locality that constitutes Heaven, but what is very different from this. Heaven is the state and character which the

righteous person inherits, he that is righteous, in that character has Heaven. And as one hour a day of Heaven is worth as much here as it can be, of the same degree, hereafter, people should be as desirous to inherit the kingdom here as hereafter.

REV. B. HUNT.

DEATH AND LIFE.

We all die everything dies. Vegetation dies; insects die; animals die; and man dies. Everything that has life, when it has completed its round as assigned by God, ceases to be as it was and dies.

There is also a resurrection. The various kinds of vegetation renew themselves in the springtime-or rather, God who preserves them through the winter of death, recalls them again to life and beauty and

sweetness.

The worm that grovels in the dust beneath our feet, or feeds upon the grass and the green leaves of the trees, when it has lived its little day as such, spins for itself a silken robe

and dies.

But we soon again behold it resurrected in the beautiful butterfly that floats in the air on dainty wings and feeds upon the honey of the flowers.

I

So there is reason to conjecture —

may go farther and say there is rea. son to suspect, if not quite enough to insure full belief, that no life ever perishes.

In the brutes and the fowls we do not see this life going on and surviving the change that we call deathneither do we see it in insects in the fuller and higher forms of their development. And may not this be because the brutes and the fowls are of a higher order in creation than are the insect tribes, which, in their full development as we know them, have been lifted above their former selves, and because a new life awaits them, and the next form of their life is one not of earth and mortality? It may be so; I sometimes fancy that it is. To me the indications point that way, and strongly suggest, if they do not affirm, the belief.

But with man there is other and stronger evidence than this that points to his resurrection and further development in a higher and nobler form of life-and that, too, before we come to the promises of the Bible.

We are only in part satisfied with the life that now is. There are sorrowful and sad experiences here of which we would fain be relieved. There are fears and pains and partings that trouble us. We know more of some things than we care to know, and not enough of others. We would know more of ourselves, more of the universe around us, more of the God who made it all and who