The Reality of Hell

I've just been reading some salutary words from the preface to a book on The Doctrine of Endless Punishment by W.G.T. Shedd. Though a little dated, in their warnings about Universalism (which rejects the biblical doctrine of Hell), they still remain valid. All who love the Lord should weigh them carefully - please note that I have rearranged the paragraphing to make it easier to read:

The dogmatic bearings of Universalism are not to be overlooked.

The rejection of the doctrine of Endless Punishment cuts the ground from under the gospel. Salvation supposes a prior damnation. He who denies that he deserves eternal death cannot be saved from it so long as he persists in his denial. If his denial is the truth, he needs no salvation. If his denial is an error, the error prevents penitence for sin, and this prevents pardon.

No error, consequently, is more fatal than that of Universalism:

it blots out the attribute of retributive justice; transmutes sin into misfortune; instead of guilt, turns all suffering into chastisement; converts the piacular work of Christ into moral influence, and makes it a debt due to man, instead of unmerited boon from God. No tenet is more radical and revolutionizing, in its influence upon the Christian system. The attempt to retain the evangelical theology in connection with it is futile.