world; but to these false prophets, that is, these pro pounders of false doctrines, is ascribed the "deceiving of my people." It will be time enough to present a few more questions, when these are satisfactorily answered.

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

We have now replied to the principal objections brought against those views which we have shown to be truth. We have likewise harmonized all those Scriptures with the general tenor of the whole Bible, which have been perverted, by a popular theology, so as to favor the fables we are opposing, with the exception of the Parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which will come under revision in its proper place and we have presented more than three thousand plain texts of Scrip tures which are in direct opposition to the particular theories we are opposing. We have shown that there is not one single text in the whole Bible, which, properly explained, affords the shadow of sound argument for the prevalent and popular fables. There is not a text in the whole Bible that will prove the separate existence of the soul, nor the separate existence of a conscious spirit, either mortal or immortal, in man or beast. There is not a single text that even intimates that soul, spirit, or thoughts, as conscious things, leave the body at death, to exist in any other world. Will the lovers of truth permit a few inferences-which we have shown to be improperly drawn from a very few passages of Scripture

-to become the standard of truth, although contradicted by thousands of plain texts? and although there are thousands of other plain texts that explicitly teach the very opposite of these inferences?

170

CHAPTER X.

ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED.

Mat. 10 28," Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

The word translated kill, apokteini, from apo intensive, and kteinō, to kill, implies cruelty and violence, equal to murder; apolesai, to destroy, in the sense of putting out of existence; body is sometimes used in the sense of being, and psuche, is often translated life. Gehenna means the valley of Hinnom. So the text will bear this translation-"Fear not those who are only able to murder the body, but are not able to destroy the life, or being; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both life and be ing in the valley of Hinnom." See Jam. 4: 12, “There is one law-giver who is able to save and to destroy." The parallel place in Luke 12: 4, reads, “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear Fear him, who after he hath killed hath cast into Gehenna; yea, I say unto you,

power to

fear him."

The almost universal belief of the different sects throughout Christendom is, that there is now existing somewhere, a lake burning with fire and brimstone; or a hell into which the souls of all the wicked, separated from their bodies, are plunged at death, and that they are tormented in this place, before the general judgment. That prior to the general judgment, these souls are again reunited' to their bodies, which bodies, some affirm, are then made as immortal as the ghosts, and thus appear before the tribunal of judgment to receive their final

doom; hence they are remanded back again to their old place of torment, to writhe in the most intense misery, without any intermission, for ever and ever. Thus representing that many of these criminals are punished thousands of years before they are judged! Of course, some of the seets will vary a little respecting the details, but this embraces the general features of what is usually taught by the orthodox' !!! Well might Mr. Dobney exclaim, "Tremendous orthodoxy this, my brethren!" These relics of paganism, papacy, and purga tory, are still taught, in this nineteenth century, as the veritable teachings of the book of God; and supposed to be necessary to induce men to refrain from vice, to love God, and to enter into sectarian churches. It is to be feared that there are not a few, who-though convinced that these things are fables-for the love of popularity, and perhaps by the more sordid love of gain, do not lift up their voices in execration against such infamous blas phemy against a God of love, and justice !!

In exposing these human traditions, we shall take up the subject as follows:-First, Describe the different kinds of hell believed in by men. Second, Show the na ture of the hell of the Bible. Third, Prove from the Bible what will be the final destiny of the wicked.

Most nations believe that hell, as defined by themselves, is already in existence, and there are five hells. that have obtained a prominence: (1.) The Pagan hell; (2.) The Mahomedan hell; (3.) The Roman Catholic hell; (4.) The Protestant hell; and (5.) The proper hell of the Bible. We proceed to describe

1. THE PAGAN HELL.

The Pagan hell is usually described as a wide dark cave under ground. The entrance to it is down a steep and rocky descent. Then a gloomy grove. After that a lake called Avernus, from which such poisonous vapors arise, that if a bird fly over it, it is poisoned and dies. Beyond the grove and lake, at the entrance of hell, several monsters are placed, who bring men to death and destruction. These are said to increase the inhabitants of hell. Their names are, Care, Sorrow, Disease, Old Age, Frights, Famines, Wants, Labor, Sleep, Death, Sting of

Conɛcience, Force, Fraud, Strife, and Fear. At the side of the lake an old man named Charon, or the Ferry Man, stands in his boat to carry the souls across the lake. On the shore the souls appear in flocks, and those whose bodies were buried, go over the lake when their bodies die; the others wander about the shore a hundred years, and then are carried over. Charon is considered the god of that dreary place. All the souls pay a small piece of money to Charon for being ferried across the lake. The heathen say, there are four rivers that run through hell. The first is the river Acheron. Acheron, a son of Zera, born in a cave, because he could not endure the light ran down into hell, and was changed into a river of bitter water. The second river is called Styx; rather a lake than a river. Styx was the fabled daugh ter of Oceanus, and was changed into the Stygian lake by which the gods swore, and kept their oaths. The third river is called Cocytus, and runs out of the Stygian lake, and groans and laments to imitate the howlings of the damned, and increase their exclamations. The fourth river is called Phlegethon, so called because it swells with waves of fire, and all its streams are flames.

All these rivers the souls must pass over and then they arrive at the Palace of Pluto, the god of hell. The gate of Pluto is guarded by Cerebus, a dog with three heads, whose hair is living snakes. He is considered the porter of hell. Saturn gave his son Pluto this infernal dominion, because he invented burying, and funeral mourning. He likewise reigns over death. He sits upon his throne in the dark, holding a key instead of a sceptre. He is crowned with ebony. Pluto, which signifies wealth, is king. The Greeks call him Hades; or gloom, darkness, or melancholy. He was sometimes called Agelatos, because he drives people to the infernal regions; Agelastos, because he refrains from laughter. Summanus, or chief of the infernal deities. (It would appear that the Greeks meant either death or the grave by their word hades.') Pluto, it is said, has a queen named Prosepine, who enjoys the infernal regions with him. There are three old women called fates, ordering the past, the present, and the future. They fix everything so that nothing can be altered to eternity. To then is entrusted the management of the fatal thread of

life. Clotho gives us life; Lachesis determines what shall befall us here; and Atropos concludes our lives. In hell are likewise three furies, who punish the wicked, and torment the consciences of secret offenders. There is likewise an inferior god, called Nox, represented as a skeleton with black wings. Another god is called Sa monus, or sleep; he is thought useful to men. There are three judges in this hell, which judge the souls which come there. There are some giants and some kings there. All are doomed to endless existence in misery. Pheleggus, a king, burned the temple of Apollo; he was condemned to remain in hell for ever, with a great stone hung over his head, which he expects every moment to fall upon him, and crush him to pieces. (So he sits eternally fearing that which will never come to pass.) Ixion for his crime, was struck down to hell with thunder, and tied fast to a wheel, which will eternally turn him round. A robber is condemned to roll a great stone to the top of a hill, which invariably slips down before he reaches the top.

In this hell there was a place called the Elysium. This, though in the dominion of Pluto, was a region of delights. To this region resorted the souls of the good, after being purged from the light offences committed in this world. (Here is the origin of purgatory, and of the spirit land, and perhaps of the paradise, as at present supposed to exist.) Elysium has verdant fields, shady groves, fine breezes, and all fine things. There is likewise a river called Lethe, causing forgetfulness to all who drink of its waters of all their former troubles. This is but a short description of the Pagan hell. See Took's

Pantheon, p. 219.

We may here trace the origin of the superstitious practice of placing a piece of money in the hands of the dead, to pay Peter instead of Charon. Here, too, we may trace the origin of the ideas of an already existing hell as a place for living souls, of purgatory, of paradise, and of other errors. The location of this hell is not clearly defined. Homer assumes the place of the dead to be a land at the extremity of the ocean, attainable by navigation; Virgi, a region, attainable only by descend ing into the bowels of the earth. Compare Odyssey, 11,