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headed, "The whole counsel," copied from another paper, in which it is asked, how we are to account for the fact that St. Paul, who shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God, in all his declarations during his ministry, never once used the word hell nor mentioned such a place? Take the following as an answer:

1. St. Paul delivered his discourses in the Greek and Hebrew languages and not in English: therefore, it is not strange that he never used the old Saxon word helle, which is now hell in English, but it would be very strange if he had used it as it neither belonged to the languages then spoken nor was understood by the people.

2. It is assumed as a well authenticated fact, that St. Paul during his whole ministry never mentioned such a place as hell. Now as the Apostle's discourses were not written, who without the attribute of omniscience can tell, but he did use some word equivalent to hell in signification more than a thousand times? The fact is, there is as much evidence to prove that he did as there is that he did not.

3. St. Paul preached the doctrine of endless punishment as unequivocally as any other man ever did. For in 2 Thes. i. 9. he declared that the wicked should be punished with ererlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from

the glory of his power. Let it be observed that the word aionios here rendered everlasting is the same which is used in 2 Thes. ii. 16. to express the duration of the consolation of the righteous. See. 2. Tim. ii. 10. Rom. vi. 23, where it is similarly used. And 2. Cor. iv. 18, where it denotes the duration of all invisible things. As the same Greek word is employed to express both the duration of the happiness of the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked, what reason have we to believe that the latter will terminate sooneh than the former? Will as many editors publish this answer as copied the question and so let it travel over the same space?

To this Mr. Skinner gave the following reply:

REPLY TO PHILADELPHIA-Dear sir: The question to which your communication is designed as a reply, has been repeatedly propounded to our partialist friends; but it has never yet received a satisfactory answer. If the popular doctaine of hell torments be true, it is at least right to infer, that it was a doctrine of the apostles; and it is your duty to produce from their preaching authority for the sentiment, or cease from preaching it. But how can this be done, when the leading apostle, the one who labored more than all the others, was silent on the subject?

X

I cannot but regard your answer as an entire failure. I am willing to admit that the apostle preached in the Hebrew and Greek languages; but how does this affect the case? The question is not, whether the apostle, when preaching in Greek, used the Saxon word hell, but whether he used any word expressive of the popular notion about hell? The Saxon word hell, is a translation of the Hebrew words sheol and gehenna, and of the Greek words hades and tartarus. Now as Paul did not use either Gehenna, Sheol, Hades or Tartarus, your answer does not meet the question; for Sir, your answer implies, that though Paul did not use our word hell, he used one of the same import. To justify the preaching of the present day, Paul should have been continually thundering about Sheol and Gehanna, Hades and Tartarus. His silence, therefore, on these, condemns in full, the popular preaching of the day; for if Paul, who shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God, was silent respecting the torments of hell, those who are eternally preaching them, declare more than the counsel of God.

The second point embraced in your answer, seems to us a strange conclusion. Why, we ask, if the doctrine of endless hell, is as important as partialists believe;

did Luke, who recorded the apostle's discourses, leave out what he had said respecting it? Suppose a person should give a faithful record of Methodist Sermons, think there would be an entire silence respecting hell?

But you say all of Paul's discourses were not recorded. True, but why infer that those left unrecorded, differ from those which have been preserved for our especial guidance and edification? Why should those, the most important, and which contained what you call a leading doctrine of Christ, a doctrine essential to salvation, be omitted, and those which accord with the doctrine that God will have mercy on all, be recorded? You can say, that Paul used a word equivalent to hell a thousand times; but Sir, this is only your ipsi-dixit, and will not be satisfactory to those who take the bible for their guide.

The third point in your answer, we consider entirely destitute of foundation. Paul has applied no word, unequivocal in its meaning, to the duration of sin or any of its consequences. In Methodist Sermons, we find endless hell, endless damnation, and endless torture; but no such language is found in the writings of Paul.

We are aware that Paul used the word aionion or everlasting, but this is applied to hills, mountains, covenants, priesthoods,

and a great variety of things, limited in their nature, so that the word is equivocal. Now as it is the strongest word used by the Apostie in connexion with misery, how can it be said, that he as unequivocally preached endless punishment, as any man living?

The text to which you have referred as proof is far from being to the point. If you will look at the connexion, you will see that the time of that destruction was when the Jews were destroyed by the the Romans. Who were to be destroyed. Ans. Those that persecuted the christians. When were they to be destroyed? Ans? when Christ came to take vengeance on his enemies. But when was Christ thus to come? Ans. Before the generation then living passed away. Hence the christians were besought by the coming of Christ, not to be troubled by letter or spirit, as that the day of Christ was at hand. The presence of the Lord from which they were punished was Jerusalem, where the Jews considered that God's presence could be alone enjoyed, and where they went up to worship. Sec. 2d. Kings 13. 23 See also 1st. Kings chap. 8.

But you say, this word aionion is the one employed to express the duration of the consolation of the righteous. Were this granted, the instance to which you re

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