a
bottomless pit of horror. Every observing person has probably
known some few in his life who, in a degree, really believed the
common notions concerning hell, and out of whom, consequently, all
geniality, all bounding impulses, all magnanimous generosities,
were crushed, and their countenances wore the perpetual livery of
mourning, despair, and misanthropy. We will quote the confessions
of two persons who may stand as representatives of the class of
sincere believers in the doctrine. The first is a celebrated
French preacher of a century and a half ago, the other a very
eminent American divine of the present day. Saurin says, in his
great sermon on Hell, "I sink under the weight of this subject,
and I find in the thought a mortal poison which diffuseth itself
into every period of my life, rendering society tiresome,
nourishment insipid, pleasure disgustful, and life itself a cruel
bitter." Albert Barnes writes, "In the distress and anguish of my
own spirit, I confess I see not one ray to disclose to me the
reason why man should suffer to all eternity. I have never seen a
particle of light thrown on these subjects that has given a
moment's ease to my tortured mind. It is all dark dark dark to my
soul; and I cannot disguise it."

Such a state of mind is the legitimate result of an endeavor
sincerely to grasp and hold the popularly professed belief. So
often as that endeavor reaches a certain degree of success, and
the idea of an eternal hell is reduced from its vagueness to an
embraced conception, the over fraught heart gives way, the brain,
stretched on too high a tension, reels, madness sets in, and one
more case is added to that list of maniacs from religious causes
which, according to the yearly reports of insane asylums, forms so
large a class. Imagine what a vast and sudden change would come
over the spirit and conduct of society if nineteen twentieths of
Christendom believed that at the end of a week a horrible influx
of demons, from some insurgent region, would rush into our world
and put a great majority of our race to death in excruciating
tortures! But the doctrine of future punishment professed by
nineteen twentieths of Christendom is, if true, an evil
incomparably worse than that, though every element of its
dreadfulness were multiplied by millions beyond the power of
numeration; and yet all goes on as quietly, the most of these
fancied believers live as chirpingly, as if heaven were sure for
everybody