Mortal or Immortal? Which?

FALSE IMPRESSIONS CORRECTED

But nature everywhere revolts, we are told, against our doctrine of annihilation, and everywhere proves it false; for nothing ever has been, nor ever can be annihilated. To which we reply, Very true; and here we would correct the impression which some seem to entertain, that we believe in any such annihilation of the wicked; or the annihilation of anything as matter. In reference to the wicked we simply affirm that they will be annihilated as living beings, the matter of which they are composed passing into other forms. The second definition of annihilate, according to Webster, is, “To destroy the form or the peculiar distinctive properties, so that the specific thing no longer exists; as, to annihilate a forest by cutting and carrying away the trees, though the timber may still exist; to annihilate a house, by demolishing the structure.” Just so of the wicked: as conscious intelligent beings they are annihilated, being resolved into their original elements. MOI 108.2

But many are ready to ask with apparent solicitude, Why preach this doctrine even if it be true? What good can result? And will not the tendency be evil? Or, rather to put it in the strong language of some, Its tendency will be evil; “it will make more infidels than Tom Paine’s Age of Reason; and no conversions to God will ever follow in the track of its blighting and soul-destroying influence.” We are acquainted with individuals who take this position, and who have expressed it in almost these words. But we are happy to know that such a view of the subject is an entire misapprehension; and we are still more happy to be able to correct it both from the testimony of our opponents and from our own observation. They entirely mistake the doctrine to which such charges belong. Would they but apply them to their own views, and we say it with all due deference, we apprehend they would be far nearer the truth. Concerning the tendency of the popular doctrine, the eminent Saurin at the close of one of his sermons, thus speaks: MOI 108.3

“I sink, I sink, under the awful weight of my subject; and I declare, when I see my friends, my relations, the people of my charge,-this whole congregation, when I think that I, that you, that we are all exposed to these torments; when I see in the lukewarmness of my devotions, in the languor of my love, in the levity of my resolutions and designs, the least evidence, though it be only possible or presumptive, of my future misery, I find in the thought a mortal poison, that diffuseth itself through every period of my existence, rendering society tiresome, nourishment insipid, pleasure disgustful, and life itself a cruel bitter. I cease to wonder, that the fear of hell hath made some melancholy, others mad; that it hath disposed some to expose themselves to living martyrdom, by fleeing from all commerce with the rest of mankind, and others to suffer the most terrible violent torments.” MOI 109.1

We add but one more testimony concerning the difficulties of the received view. It is from Albert Barnes, who speaks as follows; “I confess when I look upon a world of sinners and of sufferers; upon death-beds and grave-yards, upon the world of woe filled with hosts to suffer forever; when I see my friends, my parents, my family, my people, my fellow-citizens; when I look upon a whole race all involved in this sin and danger, and when I see the great mass of them wholly unconcerned, and when I feel that God only can save them, and yet he does not do it—I am struck dumb. It is all dark, dark, dark to my soul, and I cannot disguise it. ¹ MOI 109.2

Such is the effect of the doctrine of eternal misery with some, according to the confession of its own advocates. No one can say that such effects are either good or desirable; And why does it not have this effect on more? We answer, it is because the lips only mechanically assent to what the heart and reason either will not try to realize, or else do not seriously believe. Says Bishop Newton, “Imagine a creature nay, imagine numberless creatures produced out of nothing ... delivered over to torments of endless ages, without the least hope or possibility of relaxation or redemption. Imagine it you may, but you can never seriously believe it, nor reconcile it to God and goodness.” ¹ MOI 109.3

But the majority are affected by it far differently. Every better emotion of their nature revolts at the idea, and they will not accept it. They cannot believe that God is thus cruel, tyrannical, revengeful, implacable; the personification in short, of every trait of character, which when seen in men here, we consider unmistakable marks of debasement and degradation; and believing the Bible and Christianity to be identified with such teaching as this, with equal promptness they too are rejected and cast away. But here we need not enlarge. Probably no one will read these pages under whose observation some case has not come, of persons driven into skepticism, yes, driven and held there, by the popular doctrine of eternal misery—a doctrine which has been well described by a Christian writer, as “a theology that is confused entangled, imperfect, and gloomy; a theology which, while it abundantly breeds infidelity among the educated classes, fails to spread through the body of the population, and but dimly, or only as a flickering candle enlightens the world.” ² MOI 110.1

But how with the view we have tried to present? Quite the reverse as our own observation proves. Instances have come under our immediate knowledge of persons who, when they saw the divine harmony of God’s system of government, as brought to view in his word, when they saw the just and reasonable disposition which the Bible declares that he will make of all those who will persist in rebellion against him,—a disposition in which justice and mercy so beautifully blend, have been able to take that Bible and say for the first time in their life they could believe it to be the book of God. And believing this, they have been led to turn their feet into its testimonies, and strive by obedience to its plain requirements to escape a doom which they could see to be just and therefore knew to be certain. This has been the experience of many. Let, then, the impression no longer exist, and the assertion no more be made, that these views tend to irreligion and infidelity. Their fruits everywhere show just the reverse. MOI 110.2

Can it then be wondered at that we should be solicitous to disabuse the minds of the people in this respect? Shall we not have a zeal for the Lord, and be untiring in our efforts to wipe off from the book and character of God, the aspersions which are by this doctrine cast upon them? God represents himself to his creatures by his own sweet name of Love; he declares that he is very pitiful and of tender mercy, long suffering and slow to anger, not hasty to execute sentence against an evil work, not gratified in any manner by the death of the wicked, and not willing that any should perish; he declares that he delighteth in mercy, that he will not contend forever, neither be always wroth. And can it be that while thus representing himself to the inhabitants of earth, he was kindling fiery torture on multitudes of wretched beings in dreary regions of hell, feeding their flame with his incensed fury, preserving and tormenting them in infinite indignation, exerting all his divine attributes to make them as wretched as the capacity of their nature would admit, and maintaining a fixed purpose to do this through the endless ages of eternity! If not, “what a portentous error must it be!” How fearfully is his character misrepresented! What a bold and audacious libel is uttered against his holy name! MOI 110.3

The root and trunk of all this, is the “taken-for-granted” position that the soul is immortal. But search through your Bible and see if you find it so. See if you will not rather be prepared to exclaim with the eminent commentator, Olshausen, that “the doctrine of the ‘immortality of the soul,’ and the name, are alike unknown to the entire Bible.” ¹ See if you can find the death that never dies, never-dying soul, and endless torture. If not, we ask you to reject the idea at once as a most dangerous and destructive error. Men are thus rejecting it. The leaven is working in the public mind. Men are growing suspicious of the truth of a declaration, first uttered by a doubtful character in Eden, perpetuated thence through heathenism, and at last through the medium or the Mother of harlots, disseminated through all the veins and channels of Orthodoxy. But truth will work its way up, however deeply the rubbish may have been heaped upon it; and before the bright rising of its light, all antiquated superstitions and traditionary dogmas will lie exposed in their native deformity. MOI 111.1