Is Sin Eternal?

THE Canon says that in the time of Christ "The patriarchs were living in hades." He quotes as proof the words of Christ to the Sadducees, or rather the words of God to Moses from the bush, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead but of the living." Matt. 22:32. The Sadducees did not believe in a future resurrection. Mr. Hartsell Horn, for this reason, says, "The word rendered DEAD in this text is equivalent to eternal annihilation." Our Saviour set himself to prove that there will be (contrary to the doctrine of the Sadducees) a literal resurrection to life, but if there is no such resurrection, then the dead are eternally annihilated, as above. God is not the God of those eternally annihilated, but he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; not because they were then alive in hades, but, because they are to have a future resurrection to life. St. Paul, in speaking of God's promises to Abraham, says, "God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." Rom. 4:17. Then God is the God of these patriarchs, "The God of the living," because they are sure to have a resurrection to life.

The Canon presents, as another proof that hades is a place of consciousness, the souls of the martyrs who were represented as crying from beneath the altar (Rev. 5:10). It must be borne in mind that this is a vision of St. John, relating to events then future—to persecutions under the power of the Papacy—and so these souls were not in actual existence at the time of the vision. They are mentioned again (Rev. 20:4, 5) as being raised from the dead: "And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, nor in their hands; and they lived [came to life] and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

These souls then were dead martyrs. The psalmist has plainly told us that the dead do not remember God. "In death there is no remembrance of thee in the grave [sheol] who shall give thee thanks?" Ps. 6:5.

When Abel had been slain by Cain, the Lord said to Cain, "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." Gen. 4:10. Surely none would reason from these words that the blood of Abel was intelligent and had a voice. The blood upon the ground, however, proclaimed the fact that a life had been taken. So the blood of these martyrs, who fell under the cruel persecutions of the Papacy, called to Heaven for vengeance. As expressed by the Rev. Albert Barnes, "We are not to suppose that this literally occurred, and that John actually saw the souls of the martyrs beneath the altars—for the whole representation is symbolical. . . . Every persecutor should dread the death of the persecuted as if he went to Heaven to plead against him; every cruel master should dread the death of his slave that is crushed by wrong; every seducer should dread the death and cries of his victim; every one who does wrong in any way should remember that the sufferings of the injured cry to Heaven with a martyr's pleadings, saying How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?" Barnes' notes on Rev. 6:10

The Canon in his discourse presented the fact that there is implanted in the heart of men a desire for immortality, as one of his strong proofs of the present immortality of all men, and that death and destruction cannot mean the actual cessation of existence (annihilation, as he has been pleased to term it). It seems to me, this is claiming too much. It is true, God has implanted in his creatures a desire for life, but does this prove that they are now immortal? This desire may be in our heart for two purposes. 1. With reference to the natural or rather temporal result; it leads us to supply ourselves with those things needful to maintain life here, and to persevere in watchfulness against known causes which produce death. 2. If this desire be allowed to accomplish God's higher design in us, it will lead us "by patient continuance in well-doing to seek for glory and honor and immortality," that in the resurrection we may receive "eternal life." Rom. 2:6, 7. The fact of this desire being planted in all, does not prove that all now possess endless life. God has made provision through Christ that all who will may have life "more abundantly." John 10:10. " The gift of God is eternal life [not by creation, but] through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:23.

The case of the rich man and Lazarus is used by the Canon as proof of consciousness in hades and also of repentance there. Each of these positions we will notice. First, then, we will quote the case in full. "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell [hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." Luke 16:19-31.

That the above language is that of a parable is evident from the fact of its being in a chapter with another parable, and a part of that same discourse in which our Saviour is showing the fatal result of the eager pursuit of worldly riches and pleasures. The Canon says this is only a parable, and "We must ever be cautious in building theories on a parable," but he says, "our Lord's graphic allegory of Dives and Lazarus seems to point to the fact that there is but one hades in which all souls, good and bad, await the resurrection, though there is described a great gulf—a gulf not of locality, but of condition, fixed between the disembodied soul in consciousness of its sin and the disembodied soul in consciousness of its rest."

It will not do to base a doctrine on a parable. This parable seems to be introduced by our Saviour to enforce, first; the folly of neglecting the future world to pursue earthly pleasures. And, second; if men will not accept the instruction God has given in his word nothing would persuade them. The Canon, speaking on this parable uses the term "disembodied souls" as freely as though he had found such language in the parable. I fail to see the words "disembodied soul" here or elsewhere in the Scriptures. According to the concluding words of the parable there was no living, disembodied soul to send to the rich man's brethren; before any one could go, there must needs be a resurrection. "Neither

would they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." It seems the scene supposed in this parable is represented as transacted "in hades." We have already seen that hades is a place of utter unconsciousness and silence where the occupants are devoid of memory or sense of any kind. It will not do to make this parable teach what is, elsewhere pointedly contradicted.

In regard to inferences it is well to observe the instructions of Archdeacon Blackburn, who says: "But if the proposition is not expressly revealed, the right of inferring is equal on all sides; and surely those conclusions which are inferred from what is expressly revealed, should be at least as just and as strong, as those which are inferred from what is not."

Let it then be borne in mind that the ground of inference in this parable, that the dead in hades are conscious, is based on the fact they converse together; this inference however is not admissible because it conflicts with the plain statements of Scripture which show us that the occupants of hades "know not anything." Eccl. 9:4-6, 10. We saw in our examination of Gen. 4:10, in the case of Abel, and of those martyred by the Romish church, Rev. 6:10, that blood was represented as crying, showing that God took cognizance of such oppression as though a voice spoke to him.

There are other instances in Scripture where inanimate objects are represented as speaking, to show that God regards the unjust and oppressive dealings of men. St. James says, "Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth." James 5:4. Money is here represented as crying with cries that have entered God's ears. Surely no one would claim from this that gold and silver were conscious entities.

In the prophecy of Habakkuk we read, "For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it." Hab. 2:11. Stones and timbers are not conscious entities, yet the prophet chose that form of speech to show how God regarded him that "coveted an evil covetousness to his house." Verse 9.

Again, we have a parable of Jotham by which he reproved the people who had slain his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, he says, "The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon." Judges 9:8-15.

No one would draw a conclusion from this that there was conscious intelligence in the trees. No, because this is a parable. Yes, and the case of Dives and Lazarus is a parable. In Jotham's parable, trees which never had any consciousness, and never will have, are represented as talking. In this case beings that were once alive and conscious, who will live again at the resurrection, are represented as being in hades—sheol—where there is no knowledge nor remembrance of God; talking over the contrast of this life and that to come, and the importance of following God's revealed word now, lest we get to the place of torment at last. This parable is not to prove that these persons are not dead and gone "down into silence," but to show of how little worth are the honors and pleasures of this world, sought in the way of sin, when they shall be tested in the scales of God's Judgment; and how those who may be despised and down-trodden here, and suffer alone, if they are Christ's members, shall at last be borne to the "city" of "foundations" on which the hopes and affections of Abraham centered. Heb. 11:10.

Secondly, we will notice the Canon's claim that repentance after death is taught in the case of Dives and Lazarus. He seems to see, in the words addressed to Dives, "Son remember," that they are there remembering their evil deeds on earth; that this is the suffering of hell which will cause them to repent and accept Christ.

In many cases, illustrated by the Scriptures, when the judgments and punishments of God have been, in past times, inflicted on the ungodly, instead of being softened thereby to repentance they seemed to grow harder and harder. This we instance in the case of Pharaoh as the plagues of God were poured out upon him in Egypt.

St. Paul speaks of those whose consciences are "seared with a hot iron," and others whose hardened and impenitent hearts are treasuring up unto themselves "wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Rom. 2:5. In the apocalyptic vision of future plagues, (Rev. 16.) it is positively stated that they "repented not," and that they "blasphemed God because of their plagues." It seems then that these plagues, some of which are similar to those on Egypt, will have a similar effect, the sinners being hardened in sin and blaspheming instead of repenting. I do not know why we should conclude that fire and brimstone will have any different effect upon the same class. The wise man says, "He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Prov. 29:1.