180
z: I O N ’ S LANDMARKS.
Cutler, Taylor Co ukty, Ga.,
October 20, 1869.
“Wlio hath saved us, and called us -witli an
lioly calling, not according to our works, .Unt
according to Lis orvn purpose and grace, whieb
was given us in Christ Jesus beiore the world
began.” 2 Timothy, 1:9.
would leave it to the 'will of such en-
Elder li. 1. Bode''t')3iamer:—Be
loved brother, in the above text:Vi"e
are informed as welt how we are
not saved and called as we are the
■principle according-to which we are
saved, and the apostle is so plain
and explicit here it lyouldseem there
was little ground for cavil or misun
derstanding. If his words wore duly
considered, truly Paul and Timothy
were saved and called, as all of God’s
people shall be in due time, not,
i;owcver, according to their works ;
and if not then, not according to
their will, for the works of wicked
men are the lejiitimate fruits of their
depraved wilt. The apostle declares
“there is none that doeth good, no,
not one.” (Romans 3:12.) But why
we ask is there none, either Jews or
Gentiles, that doeth good ? Is it be
cause the Lord will save and calliiis
people according to his own pui’pose,
and not according to their- Vforks ?
I'Ve answer—No, there m none tha.t
doeth good while in a state of nature,
simply because the will of ail is to
do evil. And here is our objection
to the Arminian doctrine of' free
will, because the natural will of men
i.s free to nothing but sin, if other
wise, if the Lord had taught us that
there was some part of Adam’s chil
dren that had not inherited his cor
ruption, and therefore without in
heriting from the Lord had a free
will of their own to serve him, then
who could or v/ould object? But
sirico we are taught by God’s revealed
word, and by experience and observa
tion that all have sinned willingly,
and that our will itself is sin. These
things considered, I ask who should
emies whether his purpose shall at
last he fulfilled or he frustrated?
Would you, reader, after an important
purpose had matured' in your mind
and you had put yourself to consider
able trouble and expense for the ac
complishment-of that purpose—I ask
w'ould you then leave it to the will of
yourmosl inveterate enemies w'hether
or not your undertaking should prove
successful? No, }rou would not ex
pect such enemies to advance your in
terest. And shall men be thought more
wise than God ? When men-purpose
a thing, if their minds change not,
and if they possess efficient means,
they see to it th’emselves that their
purpose fail not, and it is more likely
that the Lord will do so. If the
Aviir of sinners were not averse to
God’s will, then there would he no
sinners, and salvation would appear
a senseless terra. But as the sinners
will conflict with God’s purpose, it is
evident that sinners must be saved
from their perverse will, otherwise
they- are not saved at all; and if our
will and works are the very things we
need to be saved from, then it is folly
to suppose such wills and w’orks will
counsel or his unchanging purpose to
save all Israel precludes- the-need of
their repenting,-and if not th-en these
principles of 'dbetrine dbes not pre
clude the need of any means which
can be necessary to bring them to re
pentance,, and'that we may the more-
easiiy arrive at a conclusion upon
'this subject-, we will here introduce a
simple illustration. The husband
man begins early in the season to
clear his farm of logs and’trash and
other impediments w'hich would other
wise be in the way of his cultivating
his land, he repairs his fencing, he-
provides his variety of ploughs, hoes,
&c., he has stored aw^ay his stock of
provisions, and if he lacks horses or
mules he purchases them, and what
does all this witness ? Surely it is
o-ood evidence that the man has de-
termined to raise a crop of corn,
cotton, wheat, oats, peas, potatoes,
&e., but does not such- a set' deter
mination upon the part of the literal
husbandman preclude the need of all
this preparation and "means? Ar-
minians allege that if'God, the spir
itual husbandman, has absolutely
predestinated sinners to be conformed
plishment of that purpose. So of
God,^ the spiritual husbandman. I
have purposed, satth he, and who
shall disannul it, mine arm is stretched
out and who shall draw it back.
Surely this is defiant language uttered
by him who- inay w-ell defy all oppo
sition. The Lord hath purposed,
otherwise his arm had not been
stretched.' But Arminians say if he
hath absolutely purposed, then there
is no need of the going forth of his
pow'er and wisdom ; or if he hath ab
solutely purposed to build the house,
then there is no need that the material
should be prepared.' This is in effect
just Avhat' Arminians . argue wiien
they allege that if sinners are abso
lutely chosen to-'salvation, then tliere
is nc-need for them to repent. But,
to ^e ima-ge of his Son, (Romans
save us, or lead us to anything that j 8:29,)' and' if in like manner God
would; nay, we might as well sup-i Path chosen his people in Christ he-
object to God's saving and calling
Ids people according to-his own pur
pose ? To which the Arminian would
anib-wer, ayc do not object to God’s
purpose to save sinners, if he only
leaA'es it to the Avill of sinners whether
or not his purpose shall be accom
plished : but a sovereign purpose of
Jehovah Ayhieh docs not at all con
sult the Avill of man Ave cannot abide,
kiich, Ave know, is the very essence
of Arminian teaching. But does
not the Lord knoAV that natural men
Avill not be careful about his purpose?
has he not declared that the carnal
mind is enmity against him ? and is
pose that quinine Avould SAveeten s'u-
gar, or th'at a table-spoonful of sugar
AA'ould sour a cask of vinegar. Let
none think that I would treat this
subject in a light manner. The Ar
minian theory to me appears so very
defective and foreign from the teach
ing of God’s Avord that it is with dif
ficulty that I can find an iliust’’ation
suitable to represent its absurdity,
and Avhile I thus Avrite I humbly hope
and trust that I ma‘y ever feel and
manifest a becoming gratitude to God
for the.hope that I have that he has
saved me and called me, surely not
fore the foundation of the Avorld, that
they shoukr he holy and Avithout
blame before him in love, (Ephesians
1:4,) then all who-are so chosen
may go on in sin to the day of their
death, and yet salvation must be their
end, because they are unconditionally
chosen and predestinated. And on
the other hand they say that a sinner
may repent of his sins and pray for
mercy ; he may seek" the Lord by
da,y and by night, and yet if he is
not one of 'the elect he must he lost
in the end. Thus they speak, as if
men gathered grapes of thorns, or
according to my works, but (if at all) i figs of thistles, or as if there w'as no
need of our Saviour’s plan of making
accoi’ding to his oaa'u purpose and
grace. I knoAA' that 1 have no Tight,
and hope I have no disposition to
in the flesh, or boast OAxr
glor
the tree good that tho'-fruit may be
good also.- But- to my illustration
again. Shall Ave conclude that the
others Avho seem yet to be in gross j husbanraan’s purpose to raise a crop
darkness, and Avho allege that accord-1 of grain results from the capacity of
ing to the doctrine of soA’ereign grace | his land to prepare i'tself ? or shall
and mercy bestoAved upon unAA’orthy | we conclude that his purpose results
sinners in pursuance of God’s OAvn j from his preprafing his land ? Nay,
purpose to the intent that -thej^
should be saAxd—many, I say, allege
that according to such doctrine there
is no need for sinners to repent, and
literally even Arminians themselves
kncAV better than this—they knOAV
'that instead of the husbandman’s
purpose resulting from his prepara-
Avith impunity ask these irreverent j tion to cultAate his farm, his pre
questions—AA'hy doth God .find fault i paration results from his purpose,
for AA’ho hath rejected his Avill? But | He has determined an end, and there-
it yet probable that the great God j now let, us see if God’s deteris^inate, | fore he deAuses, means for the accom-'
beloved," Ave have not so learned
Christ.-- That God hath appointed hiS
people, aaid that to obtain salvation
is eA'ident (see 1 Thessalonians 5:9.)
Yet they cannot he saAxd except
they repent and believe- in Christ.
Hence as the Lord has appointed hi"’
people to obtain salvation, he mus
also have appointed them to repee
and believe. Just as the husbant
man’s purpose to raise a crop (
grain comprehends every means thr
is necessary to accomplish the eni
determined, they (the saints) ar
saved and called-, not according- t
their Avorks, but-according to God’
OAvn purpose and grace, &c. Strict!'
in accordance Avith God’s OAA’n jAur
pose to save his people, Christ aati
set up from everlasting, from the be
ginning-ore ver the earth Avas(see Brov.
8:23,) and in him grace aaxs stored for
the saints before the foundation
the Avorld. So says our text, AAdricl
must be regarded as good authority ;
although Arminians may reject it.
So far, Christian reader, we perceive
the effects of God’s blessed purpose.
Christ AYas set up according to it.
So likcAvise we may say the heavens
and the earth Avere created in pur
suance of that same purpose, accord
ing to Avhich the people of God are
saved. Man also Avas formed of the
dust of the earth, and this must
needs be, for Avithout the creation
and formation of man Avhat Avould
have become of God’s eternal pur
pose. Here the objector Avill rise up
and say your doctrine involves the
necessity of Adam’s fall, and there
fore argues that God is the author o
O"
sin. To Avhich Ave reply that Ave
neither believe that God is the au
thor of sin, nor that sin stands in the
Avay of Ged’s purposej it was not,in
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