Excerpt from The Divine Government
It has long been a matter of regret to many whose minds had been deeply impressed by the early work of the late Dr South-wood Smith, which so fully and ably entered into an investigation of the commonly received doctrine of Eternal Punishment, that this book should be suffered to continue out of print. The fourth edition was published in 1826, and was sold out many years ago without having been followed by another in this country, though four editions have since appeared in America. The want was frequently pressed on the Author, but his time and thoughts were engrossed by the work to which he had devoted himself, - the task of awakening the legislature to the importance of Sanitary Reform, and of furthering the progress of sanitary measures to the utmost of his ability, and by other literary labours, of which the preparation of the Philosophy of Health was the principal; the re-issue of the Divine Government therefore was not accomplished.
The question, however, which he had been mainly instrumental in raising, that of the truth or falsehood of the doctrine of Eternal Punishment, did not lie dormant. During the years that have intervened since the first edition appeared in 1816, it has unceasingly agitated the minds of many thinking persons, and a great change has been worked in their views on the subject. It is under these circumstances that the friend to whom the Author bequeathed the charge of republishing the work, if it should be required, has yielded to another call for a new edition.
The first part of the book, which contains the Author's views on the great laws of the Divine Government, and forms an Essay complete in itself on the Divine Goodness, will be interesting even to those who have already arrived at settled opinions on the question of Eternal Punishment.
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