114 



Sadducees/ This sect composed but a small part 

 of the Jewish nation." 



If we were to allow future punishment to be 

 settled by reference to the Jewish opinion, and 

 eternized by their prevailing testimony, we 

 should feel but little hesitancy in pronouncing 

 the verdict, at this premature stage of the discus- 

 sion, we know of nothing that seriously lies 

 against the proof thus deduced. 



We do not conceive that the Jewish belief is 

 so arbitrarily or necessarily connected with this 

 question as to force us to depend upon it, or sur- 

 render our position. While the doctrine of the 

 Lord Jesus is found to be consonant with Jewish 

 predilection, yet He so forcibly put His position 

 that one opposed to the theory of endless doom 

 could hardly refuse to admit that His teachings; 

 do not reconcile themselves readily with modern 

 liberalists. The plain bearing of Christ's state- 

 ments are in favor of eternal retribution. To 

 dispose of these statements demands too large an 

 amount of circumlocution and special pleading to 

 satisfy one who is given to scepticism. 



Hence we assume that the Lord Jesus Christ 

 (if He be the founder of the " wider hope") must 

 have despaired correcting the Jewish opinions, 

 on this question, with words and terms that 

 would too surely confirm and strengthen a pre- 

 vious bias. 



