as follows Fear not them who torture (UTOTEIVO) the body, but cannot lawfully destroy life; but fear that power which is able both to torture your body and destroy your life in Gehenna.' The Jews, in the time of Christ, could not lawfully take life; the Roman authority only had that power. (See John xviii. 31.) The Jews, therefore, said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.' Christ warned his disciples to fear less the power which could only torture them, than that which could totally destroy them in the valley of Hinnom. This passage, therefore, if this view of it be correct, very naturally admits of the same sense which we have ascertained Gehenna to bear in the other cases. The result of all our examinations into this subject has been invariably the same, viz. that the original signification of the word Gehenna was the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem; but when the word was used in a secondary sense, it signified any severe punishment, particularly the destruction of the Jews, and the calamities which befel them on that event, to which the Saviour referred, when he said to the Pharisees, 'How can ye escape the damnation of hell?' Having thus ascertained the true sense of the word Gehenna, let us, 4. Consider the words, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.' (Vers. 44, 46, 48.) It cannot be doubted for a moment, that these words must be joined in their sense with Gehenna. The adverb where points to that place as the place in which the worm did not die, and in which the fire was not quenched. Gebenna was made the receptacle of the filth and offal of Jerusalem, in which, of course, worms were bred, and to destroy which a perpetual fire was kept burning. These expressions were designed to show, that the punishment of those, who, like the Jews, did not enter into the kingdom of Christ, would be severe like that of Gehenna, and of a very long duration. It is an indisputable fact, that our Lord borrowed this expression from the Jewish prophets; and I am willing to follow the rule so judiciously laid down by Dr. Whitby. These words seem plainly taken from Isaiah Ixvi. 24, where they exactly may be found; and it seems reasonable to interpret them according to the received opinion of the Jews, since otherwise our Lord, by using this expression frequently in speaking to them who would be sure to understand it in the usual sense, without saying anything to show he did not understand it as they did, must have strengthened them in their error.'* What was the sense in which Isaiah used these words? (See chap. lxvi. 24.) And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.' This passage cannot be considered as having reference to a future state of punishment, because it is said to be fulfilled where time is denoted by new moons and sabbaths; and by comparing Isaiah lxvi. 22, with lxv. 17-21, it will be seen, further, that at this time men were to build them houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.' It is unquestionable that the prophet used the words before us in application to temporal judgments; and according to Dr. Whitby's wholesome rule, we must so understand the words of Christ. It appears from Dr. Lightfoot, that some of the Jewish Rabbins understood the words of Isaiah in the same manner. 'Some of the Rabbins apply that of Isaiah hither, (chap. Ixvi. verse the last :) They shall go out and see the dead carcasses of the men that rebel· against me; for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched.' 'Those Gentiles (saith Kimchi upon the place) who come to worship from month to month, and from sabbath to sabbath, shall go out without Jerusalem into the valley of Jehoshaphat, (or Hinnom) and shall see the carcasses of Gog and Magog, &c.' And a little after, The just shall go out without Jerusalem into the valley * Com on Mark ix. 43, 44. + Ballou s Lectures, p. 191. of Hinnom, and shall see those that rebel, &c.' To this Lightfoot adds, that this was called the valley of Jehoshaphat, either because he here erected some building, or did some other work, or because of judgment, the word 'Jehoshaphat' signifying, the Lord is judge.* If Whitby's rule is a good one, and Lightfoot concurs with him in this particular, (xi. 407,) Jesus must have intended by the words under examination, the temporal judgment which fell on the Jews. To represent any divine judgment that was effectual, that did not cease until it had done its whole work, by unquenchable fire, was the commonest thing with the Jewish writers. Compare with this the Notes on the Parable of the Winnowing Fan. (See also Isaiah 1. 31; xxxiv. 10; Jer. iv. 4; vii. 20; xvii. 4, 27; Ezek. xx. 47, 48.) The word arßsoros, rendered unquenchable, occurs in the following instances only in the New Testament : Matt. iii. 12, and its parallel, Luke iii. 17; Mark ix. 43, 45. From all that has been said it will be clearly seen, that Jesus but followed the examples of the Jewish prophets, in applying the phrases Gehenna,' 'the worm that dieth not,' the fire that shall not be quenched,' to the temporal judgments of the Jews. 5. Illustrate the proposition, that it was better to part with the offending member, than to be cast into hell fire.' After the foregoing remarks on this parable, it cannot be necessary that much be said under this head. The 'damnation of Gehenna,' which Jesus mentioned, (Matt. xxiii. 33,) he described to be a great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.' (Matt. xxiv. 21.) Was it not better to part with friends, and all improper gratifications, and all apparent temporal advantages for the kingdom of Christ, than, by losing that kingdom, to suffer the judgment of Gehenna? Jesus said, Whosoever will save his life shall lose it.' Whosoever, to obtain temporal good, shall hesitate to become my disciple, shall lose the very object at which he aims; while whosoever will lose his life for * Works, x. 81, 82. * my sake shall find it.' He who shall expose himself to temporal loss for my kingdom, shall, in reality, be a great gainer thereby. The apostles entered into life maimed. Peter said, to his Master, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.' Jesus replied, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time;' i. e. the period under the law; and in the world to come,' the age to come, life everlasting.' This passage is a fair illustration of the proposition under consideration. Those who cheerfully parted with all hindrances to entering the kingdom of the gospel, and entered that kingdom without them, enjoyed, in reality, more than others, before the proud neck of the persecuting Jews was broken; but when the judgments fell on that nation, and they were ground to powder,' there cannot be a question that it was far better to be a member of the kingdom of God. The advice of Christ, then, in the parable, was perfectly reasonable. It was better to enter into life maimed, than to be cast into hell fire. PARABLE OF THE STRAIT GATE. "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because, strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.' THIS parable has been support to a false theology. frequently employed to give The strait and narrow way, On the propriety of this rendering, see the Notes on the Parable of the Tares of the Field, under the sixth head, for what I have to offer. It will save a repetition of the argument. it has been thought, is the way of truth and righteousness. The broad road is the road of error and sin. The former leads to life, that is, to eternal glory in another state of existence; the latter leads to destruction, that is, to endless sin and misery in that state. As few find the strait gate, and many the broad road, so few will be saved compared with the number of the lost. Now, that this is manifestly a wrong application of the parable, is evident from the circumstance that Jesus was not, in the whole context, speaking of the future state. Enter ye in at the strait gate.' Does this necessarily refer to the future state? For strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.' Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.' There is nothing here which necessarily applies the passage to the future state. Life and destruction may both be found in this world; it is not necessary that. we go into another world to find them. Wisdom is life. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retajneth her.' (Prov. iii. 17, 18.) Again it is said, (Prov. viii. 35,) 'Whoso findeth me findeth life.' Again, see Prov. x. 17, which is a very appropriate illustration of the parable before us: He is in THE WAY OF LIFE that keepeth instruction; but he that refuseth reproof, erreth.' Those who kept the instructions of Christ were in the way of life; they had entered the 'strait gate,' and were in the narrow way;' but those who refused his reproof, were in the way of death. Wisdom was the life enjoyed on the one hand, and folly was the death suffered on the other. In Prov. xii. 28, it is said, 'In the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death.' The apostle Paul saith, (Rom. viii. 6,) To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.' Here it is not said that life followed spiritual mindedness as a reward; but the spiritual mindedness was life itself. The apostle John saith, |