A fever! Who ever heard of a man having a fever in Hades, or the grave?

I can only retort, and inquire of you, reader, Who ever heard, except from some ignorant bigot, or superficial sectarian, who is yet in his theological "horn-book," of a man being burned, or heated by fire, in the cold grave, or in Hades? But I know, from sad experience, that a single drop of water is to be desired to cool one's tongue, when an ardent fever is flaming, or burning in the veins.

Now I contend, that the parabola of the Scriptures, the imagery contained in the dark sayings of the prophets, is the only source to which we must look for information of the true relation that exists, and that explains the intention of the parabola.

Who is the patient of the flame in Hades?

Ans. The rich man.

Who is the rich man the figure of?

Ans. The Levitical priesthood; and, by a necessary consequence, of all the Jews that worshipped in the temple at Jerusalem.

What is the moral condition of this priesthood, as affirmed by Jesus Christ?

Ans. That they were "serpents, and a generation of vipers ;" and had rejected the doctrine of God.

What has collateral testimony affirmed of them, as respects their moral character ?

Ans. That "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should BELIEVE A LIE ; that they all might be damned," etc. (2 Thes. ii. 11, 12.)

What says the parabola of the Scriptures, of wickedness, as a cause, producing, by its operation on the recipient or patient, or wrongdoer, effects

Ans. "The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." (Psa. ix. 16.) "Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backsliding shall reprove thee: Know therefore, and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the LORD GOD of hosts." (Jer. ii. 19.) "Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way; but wickedness overthroweth the sinner. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness." (Prov. xiii. 6; xiv. 32.) "For wickedness BURNETH AS THE FIRE; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land dark

ened, and the PEOPLE shall be as the FUEL OF THE FIRE.' (Isa. ix. 18, 19.) "Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the TONGUE IS A FIRE, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and SETTETH ON FIRE the course of nature; and it is SET ON FIRE OF HELL." (James iii. 5, 6.) On the translation of this passage from James, I remark, the original phrase τον τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως, rendered the course of nature, is not correctly translated. The term yéveses, rendered nature, is the same term that in Matt. i. 1, is rendered generation, in the phrase "generation of Jesus Christ." The legitimate Greek term for nature, is púra, and is so rendered in Gal. ii. 15; and in other passages; geneseos being in no instance rendered nature, to my knowledge, save in James iii. 6. It is absurd to say that "the tongue setteth on fire the course of nature.' But the correct reading of the original, is very expressive; applying to the generation of living men.* It is a

lamentable truth in our day, that the tongue setteth on fire the course of life, in the generation of living men, and duels, murders, or assassination, are effects of this fire, burning from the tongues of men.

The original term in James iii. 6, rendered Hell, is yeévvns † It should be remembered that James' epistle was

In James i. 23, this term yéveσews, (geneseos,) is rendered "natural face." In this passage, it is a metonymy for man's life, viewed, or seen, in a whole, in a moral point of view. Prof. Rob. Grk. and Eng. Lex., on this term, refers to James iii. 6, and says of this phrase, ton trochon tes geneseos, that it signifies "literally, the wheel of birth-i. e. which is set in motion at birth and rolls on through life, i. q. course of life."

The most able orthodox commentator, Dr. Campbell, is so candid as to confess of this term, Gehenna, that "It is originally a compound of the two Hebrew words [whose signification is] ge hinnom, the valley of Hinnom, a place near Jerusalem, of which we hear first in the book of Joshua xv. 8. It was there that the cruel sacrifices of children were made by fire to Moloch, the Ammonitish idol, 2 Chron. xxviii. 3; and that, as is supposed, from the noise of drums, toph signifying a drum, a noise raised on purpose to drown the cries of the helpless infants." See also, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6; Isa. xxx. 33; Jer. vii. 31, 32; xxxi. 38—40; xxxii. 35.

Dr. Campbell also admits, that "The word Gehenna does not occur in the Septuagint. [The Greek version of the Old Testament.] It is not a Greek word, and consequently not to be found in the Grecian classics."

This term occurs twelve times in the New Testament; and is spoken eleven of the twelve times by Christ, and in the other sole instance by James. The Gentiles have no more interest in the Jews' Gehenna, than they have in the images that Rachel stole from her father Laban. Gen. xxxi. 19.

intended for the use of Jewish converts; not for the Gentiles. Also, that this term gehenna, rendered Hell, is used by none of Christ's apostles, save James; and by no other person whomsoever in the New Testament, save the Lord Jesus Christ, in his declarations to the Jews; also, that John, the beloved disciple, whose Gospel and Epistles were more especially intended for the Gentiles, never uses the term gehenna, (hell.) Now when it is considered that the Jews understood the full import of the term Gehenna, when used as a figure; denoting that darkness of mind, that idolatrous and cruel sacrifices indicate, we see the propriety of the use of this term as Christ and James used it. But, be it remembered, when Jesus located the rich man, after death, he was very careful to keep him at a good distance from Gehenna !!!

*

It is in the Hades, literally the grave, or unseen state of the dead, where the rich man was buried, that he is represented as existing, a living, conscious, sentient, suffering being. As it is universally admitted, by all persons, of all sects, that are competent to express an opinion on this subject, that the Hebrew term Sheol, rendered Hell in the Old Testament, is perfectly synonymous with the Greek term Hades, it is unnecessary to adduce testimony, quote authorities, or use arguments to prove it. This Greek term (Hades,) occurs eleven times in the New Testament, and has been uniformly rendered Hell in our common English version, save in one instance, (1 Cor. xv. 55,) where it is rendered grave. The Hebrew term Sheol, is derived from a root which signifies to inquire.

* That is, when this Greek term is correctly defined according to its legitimate etymology, viz from a pr. and ideiv to see, what is in darkness. But orthodoxy peers as follows: quoting from Prof. Stuart's Essays on future punishment, Prof. Robinson. says, "According to the notions of the Hebrews [i. e. in plain English, the idolatrous Jews!] Hades was a vast subterranean receptacle where the souls of the dead existed in a separate state until the resurrection of their bodies. [The souls of the dead exist!] The region of the blessed during this interval, or the inferior Paradise, they supposed to be in the upper part of this receptacle ; [i. e. in the Pope's coolest, and most comfortable purgatory!] while beneath was the abyss or Gehenna, Tartarus, [the Pagan hothouse,] in which the souls of the wicked were subjected to punishment."

What a pitiful, bungling, and wicked attempt, to foist the Jews' Gehenna into the Pagan Hell! These very learned, very honest, and very pious gentlemen, know better. Reader, the original of Luke xvi. 23, is Kai iv r aon, literally," And in the grave," not in an orthodox hell, "he lifted up his eyes." So orthodoxy builds a Hell on Hebrew, or Jewish notions!!! an excellent foundation!

Therefore, as the person is in darkness, or ignorance of the matter of the inquiry, the root, varied, etc., gives a new term, significant of that state of darkness which a person is in, who is solicitous of obtaining light, or information. It is therefore used to designate the grave, or unseen state of the dead; and that moral condition which is a cause of misery or suffering. In Hezekiah's lamentation, (Isa. xxxviii. 18,) he says, "SHEOL cannot praise thee." Jacob says, (Gen. xxxvii. 35,) "I will go down into the SHEOL to my son mourning." Jonah, (ii. 2,) "Out of the belly of SHEOL cried I." And David said, "The pains of SHEOL gat hold of me." And when delivered from his troubles, exclaimed, "Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest SHEOL." (Psa. lxxxvi. 13.)

Now the term Hades, is purely of Grecian origin; and the Greeks went to Egypt, first, to learn where the dead were, and how they fared, etc. The Jews obtained their

calf from Egypt; it being the legitimate progeny of the Egyptian god Apis and in their captivity at Babylon, they obtained their devil from the Magians; while among the notorious idolaters whom they copied after among the surrounding nations, they learned all the minutia of a pseudo-theology. They were, emphatically, as the phrase purports, believers of a lie, and the subjects of strong delusion. Hence the peculiar phraseology of the prophet-"Your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell, SHEOL, shall not stand." (Isa. xxviii. 18.)

Consider the theology of the idolatrous nations, whom the Jews copied after. They adopted the Devil of Persia-the Calf of Egypt-the Moloch of Ammon-Ashtoreth of the Zidonians-Chemosh of Moab the Hades of Greece-the Orcus of Rome; and drank deep from the poisoned cup of ancient infidelity on the one hand, and the grossest superstitions on the other. The land of Canaan was the legitimate home of witchcraft; and even their King, when in trouble, inquired of a miserable old woman, with all the deference that he would have paid to an oracle of JEHOVAH. The Hell of paganism was celebrated for its rivers; Styx, which flowed running in its course, nine times round Hell-and Acheron, too, required the old ferryman Charon with his boat, and regular toll was paid for crossing. Hence the ancient custom of placing a piece of money under the tongue of the deceased, to pay his fare. And there was Phlegethon, the burning Vol. II.-34

river of Hell, to make the trinity of absurdity complete. And this burning river surrounded a certain dark region of Hell, called, by way of distinction, Tartarus, Greek, Tarapuras, and its entrance was so dark, that it required a darkness thickened to three times the gloom of night, to compare with it. The Grecian HESIOD, described Tartarus as a separate prison from Hades, or Hell; while the Roman VIRGIL, affirms, that it was only divided by being surrounded by three impenetrable walls, and also, by the burning river Phlegethon. A lofty tower commanded its entrance, and its gates were supported by columns of adamant which neither gods nor men can open. And the origin of this fable of Tartarus, has been traced in Hesiod's account of the wars of Saturn with the Titans, and of Jupiter with the Giants; these being vanquished were condemned to the bottom of Tartarus, in the extremities of the earth. Of the earliest Greeks, it has been said, that they placed their Hell, either in Spain, the residence of Pluto, or in Italy, countries situated to the west of them, and at that time but little known.*

The heathen term tartarus, occurs but once in the Scriptures, in 2 Peter ii. 4, and is conclusive evidence of the Jews having adopted the pseudo-mythology of the pagan nations, to an extent, that the Hell of Greece and Rome, etc., was as common among them as ever Calvinism has been at Geneva. Peter wrote for the benefit of Jews; and when he prefigured darkness by introducing the heathen tartarus, they understood him to mean something blacker than the darkness even of old Egypt.

Reader, the imagery, and the facts, are now before us. The Jews, in the parabola of the prophets, made an agree ment with Hell, SHEOL, or HADES. God, for their wickedness, sent them strong delusion, and they believed a lie. They made the commandments of God of none effect, by their traditions; and gave a preference to the doctrines of men. And the Lord Jesus Christ spoke in parables; that seeing they should not perceive; and hearing they should not understand." They had adopted the gods of the heathen nations-the Hell of Greece and Rome, and Egypt; with all the infernal minutia of infidelity, to the rejection of the Gospel of Christ, and the spirituality of

66

* HESIOD lived about the time of HOMER, more than 2700 years ago. VIRGIL was born, 70 years before the Christian era, and more than 800 years subsequently to HESIOD.