THE subject of hell is unpleasant, but it is of the utmost importance that men should know that God says there is a hell. Hell is not a question of one man's opinion or another's; the Bible reveals it, God says it plainly. Had there been no hell taught in the Bible, there would have been no infidelity, no new theology, no modernism, no Christian Science, no Unitarianism, no Russellism, and no Seventh Day Adventism, for all of these "isms" deny the Bible doctrine of hell. Neither would there be any efforts to deny the virgin birth of Christ, and His substitutionary atonement. The tap-root of all infidelity is hatred for the doctrine of hell. Quite recently a congress of the clergy met in England and attempted to abolish hell. What a fearful responsibility men take upon themselves to fly into the face of the Word of the living God, and say "there is no hell." It is an awful and fearful thing to increase the traffic to hell by leading men to believe that there is no hell. Surely God will hold every preacher to strict account on this matter.

Jerome K. Jerome, the novelist says, "It is time, surely, for the church of Christ to clear its Founder's name of the stigma of having proclaimed and preached a God of cruelty and revenge. It is an evil heresy, stultifying the teachings of Christ. Until it is openly and authoritatively recanted, the church remains the advocate and apologist of cruelty." This quite fairly expresses and represents the modern attitude toward the Bible doctrine of hell, and this leads us to our question, "Should a God of love have a hell in His universe? Is 't right that the God of love, the God Who wrote John 3:16, should have a hell in His universe?" Let us face this question squarely, openly and unflinchingly.

God must have a hell in His universe because

I. IT IS RIGHT TO SEPARATE THE BAD FROM THE GOOD

FACE it fairly. Is it right that the bad should be separated from the good? Is it right that the state should have a prison in which to put wicked men? Are penitentiaries a sign of weakness on the part of rulers? Shall we allow men with mania for murder and crime to run at large? Could good government exist? Could civilization live if we refuse to separate the evil from the good? Is it right to quarantine disease and to build hospitals to separate the diseased from the healthy? Is it right to separate the dead from the living? You answer, "Most assuredly, yes." Then it is absolutely right for God to have a hell — a place to put the godless, the God-defying and denying, the- Christ-rejectors. There must be a hell. Wicked men could never be satisfied in heaven, and were they there it would not be heaven. God must separate the wicked from the righteous.

An incident is related which happened some years ago — two men were running to board their excursion boats. One was a Sunday School Superintendent and the other was a brewer. The Sunday School Superintendent was going to a Sunday School picnic, while the brewer was going to a brewer's convention. Both got on the wrong boats — the Sunday School Superintendent getting on the b3at bound for the brewer's convention and the brewer getting on the boat with the Sunday School people, and neither made the discovery until it was too late. Both were in misery all day long, especially the brewer who could not stand to hear the songs and testimonies of Christians. This will serve to illustrate to us the reason for a God of love having a hell The godless must be separated from the righteous, for no ungodly man could be at home in heaven, and their presence there would make heaven a place of woe instead of a place of joy. It would fill it with discord instead of harmony. God is absolutely righteous and loving in separating the one from the other.

Dear reader, do not be caught thinking the shallow thoughts of Modernism. Face things as they are. As long as truth is truth, as long as the Bible is the Word of God, and Christ is the Son of God — there is a hell a hell for every sinner out of Christ. Again, God must have a hell in His universe because

which has been advertised throughout the nation, is reaping its harvest in the rapidly multiplying number of such murders which is testified in the headlines of our daily papers. The modern tendency to minimize the punishment of criminals can continue only to the suicide of civilization.

Yes! God must punish sin. And to punish sin He must have a hell in His universe. And let it be said that in hell there will be no blame for God.

II. IT IS RIGHT TO PUNISH SIN

IT IS a fundamental law of the universe that sin must be punished. Sin is rebellion against God. "Sin is transgression of the law" (I John 3:4). How could God sustain His authority and permit sin to go unpunished? To do so would be to bow His will to the will of the creature. This would make gods of sinners, and would plunge the universe into unimaginable anarchy, confusion, and chaos. To sustain His authority and to maintain order in His universe God must punish sin. He must have a hell in His universe or He could not be God!

Even in human relationships the necessity of judgment for sin is recognized, though not as clearly as it should be. Two young men kidnap a beautiful little boy mutilate his body, and murder him in cold blood. Another kidnaps an 'innocent little girl, outrages her, and then dismembers her body. In a French home a mother is found nailed to the wall. On. the opposite wall, facing her, is the body of her babe—crucified. Ought not those who do such things be punished? Even imperfect human justice cries out against them, and decrees that those who perpetrate them must suffer.

But one of the most striking points of evidence which proves the necessity of judgment if law and order are to be maintained is the tide of crime which is setting in with "apparently irresistible force through out the civilized world. Can any thoughtful observer doubt that there is a close connection between moderation in the severity of penalties meted out and the laxity with which law is enforced and the crime wave which is sweeping through our fair land? For instance, there can be no reasonable doubt that the commutation of the death penalty in many brutal murder cases, which has been advertised throughout the nation, is reaping its harvest in the rapidly multiplying number of such murders which is testified in the headlines of our daily papers. The modern tendency to minimize the punishment of criminals can continue only to the suicide of civilization.

Yes! God must punish sin. And to punish sin He must have a hell in His universe. And let it be said that in hell there will be no blame for God. Rather every soul who goes there must confess that God is righteous m His judgments.

God also must have a hell in His universe because.

III. HELL IS A PLACE PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS

HELL is not prepared primarily for men, but for the devil and his angels. Listen to the Words of the Lord Jesus — "Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS" (Matt. 25:41). God has prepared for men a Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world and He says He is "NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH" (II Pet. 3:9). Men go to hell because they should be. Two young men kidnap a beautiful little deliberately choose to go there. God does not force boy mutilate his body, and murder him in cold blood. hell upon them, they go there of their own accord. Another kidnaps an 'innocent little girl, outrages her, Men hate all that heaven loves. Heaven loves purity and then dismembers her body. In a French home a and cleanness — men love uncleanness. Heaven loves mother is found nailed to the wall. On. the opposite and honors the work of Christ, but men despise the wall, facing her, is the body of her babe — crucified. Cross. Endless sin and endless woe are theirs, and they go to hell in spite of God having died for them and having wept over them, and having plead with them. Nobody drives them. They go because they choose to go, and they have no one to blame but themselves. And the great loving heart of God says, "All I can do for the man who hardens himself against My love, and My warning, and My pleading, is to let him share the fate of his father the devil." To put him in heaven would be worse than hell for him. Remember; God is not cruel nor revengeful; it is infinitely loving, and just for Him to have a hell in His universe, in which to place the incorrigible.

Furthermore, a loving God should have a hell in His universe because

IV. GOD HAS DONE HIS UTMOST TO KEEP MEN OUT OF HELL

ALL the sacrifice that heaven could make has been made for sinful men. God has done His very best. He has planted the Tree of Calvary on the road to hell. Oh, what a Saviour! He could have remained in the glories of heaven but He says to sinful man "I love you, I take your guilt, I will die for you, I will bear your judgment." And He pleads, "Why will ye die.?" Christ's death on the Cross abundantly justifies hell. Hell must be an awful place since Jesus must die to keep men out of it. Christ's death is the foundation of heaven and hell. To accept Christ makes it right that men should go to heaven and to reject Christ makes it right that men should go to hell. God can do no more—He has done His very utmost. Men despise the Cross, they reject the finished work of Christ, and what can God do but let them go?

A young libertine of Ohio was sentenced to hang. G. K. Nash was the governor, and a petition was circulated to have his sentence changed. This the Governor refused to consider. Finally the young man's mother came to the governor, fell on her knees, and begged for clemency. The governor consented to go and visit the boy. As the governor entered the corridor, the young man saw him and said to himself, "There comes some preacher to bow-wow over me and

I refuse to see him." "Good morning, James," said the governor, and James turned his back. "I have come to see you," whereupon the young man. said, "I do not care to talk, and you will do me a favor to go away." "Very sorry," said the governor, "Good day." The turn-key came in. "Well Jim, how did you and the governor get along.?" and James trembling, said, "Do you mean to tell me that was governor Nash.?" "Yes," said the turn-key, "He came to help you." "My God," said James, "what a fool I am. He meant to help me and I wouldn't let him." He went into despair and continued crying, "He meant to help me, but I wouldn't let him." The last word as the black cap was placed over his head, and the hangman's knot was tied, was, "He meant to help me and I wouldn't let him." Oh, sinner, Christ-rejector, Christ wants to save you, come to the Cross. When it is too late, you will say," Christ wanted to save me, and I would not let Him."

God is completely justified in having a hell in His universe. His government could not exist without hell. From the fore-going it is therefore reasonable and logical that there should be a hell. And God remains the loving God of John 3:16. Rebellious men can blame none but themselves for their punishment. There is a hell for every sinner out of Christ, but thank God, there is a Christ for every sinner out of hell. Accept Him as your personal Saviour now. Eternity is near. Where will you spend it? Decide now, 'ere it is too late. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.