Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Aug. 15, 1877, edition 1 / Page 6
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150 Zion’s Landmark. light lias come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” A^cjain- the Saviour saith, “ he that believeth not shall be damned.” Now how is it jiossible that re[)robation can be based on the foreknowledge of God and the rejection of Esau before he had done evil? And the Son of God himself affirms that the ground of the sinner’s damnation was for re jecting him as the light that had come into the world. Again ; unbe lief cannot be the cause of the unbe liever’s ruin, but the good pleasure of God in predestination ; and yet God affirms that he has no pleasure in the death of the sinnei . Arain : if unconditional election, as taught in my text, means salva tion—personal, eternal salvation— why does the same apostle exhort the Philippians, 2d chapter and 12th verse, to “ wor k out their own salva tion?’, And why, in the same verse, urge them to do it “ with fear and trembling?” Why fear and tremble? If election is salvation, to fear, or tremble, or work, is a solemn farce. If election means salvation, and reprobation damnation, before good or evil is done, why command all tnen both Jacob and Esau, to repent, and threaten them both with damna tion if they don’t repent ? And why offer all men remission of sins, if they do repent in the name of Christ ? St. Luke, 24th chapter and 47th verse, “ And that repentance and re mission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.” If providence means support, indepen- d.ent of human effort, why does he beg in harvest and have nothing, who refuses to plow by reason of the cold? For the same reason that he tliat believeth not shall be damned. We will now examine the doctrine of eternal and particular election, as held by the Predestinarians, in the light of (he last judgement. If the bible contains a full revelation from Gud toman,ofhis moral government, then the last judgement must be a summing up, according to the books, of all that God has done for man while in the body, and all that man has done, wherther his acts have been good or evil. Whatever mysteries appear to be in the divine govern ment to finite minds, the last judg ment, is an exponent of them all. All creeds and beliefs, all doctrines, must bend to the divine decision, or break beneath the just judgment of God. If tlie doctrine ef eternal and j)eciiliar election be |true, there is no use for a future judgment. The Predestinarians teach, that in the coasels of eternity a part of Adani’s race were elected by the imputed righteousness of Christ to certain sal vation, and all the rest of the race were reprobated to eternal damnation and (he number .so fixed and definite that no reprobate eould be saved, and no elect could be damned. From this view of the subject, the judg ment certainly took place before man was made, and the salvation of the elect was secured without any fore sight of faith, or good works; and the damnation of the reprobated was unalterably fixed, without any fore sight or unbelief,or evil works,on their part. For a Predestiuarian preache’* to urge a reprobate to believe that Christ-died for him, is to persuade him to believe a lie. All reprobates who persist in disbelieving tliat Christ died for them, if he did not die for them, simply believe the truth, and to damn them for unbe lief, would be to damn them for be lieving the truth. And yet the Lord Jesus, the judge of a'l the eartii saith, “ He that believ'eth not shall be damned.” If my text means eternal personal election and reprobation, then this meaning will stand in the last judg ment and if so, the Judge of all the earth will have to proceed accor ding to election. Jacob and Esau properly represents tlie whole race. Then tlie Judge will say to Jacob on his riglit hand, “ Before you were born, or Iiad done any good or evil, according to election, you must go in to life eternal.” And again the Judge will say to the vessl rnide to honor, “ By my power I made you a vessel to honor, and of my good pleasure you also must go into life eternal.” Then will the Judge say to E^au, “ Before you were boni, or had done any good or evil, according to election you must go avvay into everlasting punishment.” And to the vessel made to di.shonor, although made, of clay of the .same lump equal both in quality and quantity, neither belter nor worse, “ Yet by my power and good pleasure I made you a vessel to dishonor, and you n^ust go away into eternal punish ment.” If the doctrine of jiersonal election to eternal life be true in boo-ks. and cateohisms and pulpil^t,- advocates must not desert it in the last judgment. How different the judgment reveal ed by the Son of God himself in the 25th chapter of the Gospel by Mat thew ! There God has been plea.sed to publish to the world iu detail the judgment and decision in the case of every man. No mention made there of Jacob of Esau— of eternal and particular election ; no vessel made by divine power to honor or dishonor. The final destiny of all men is fixed according to the eternal principle of justice, truth and righteousness. The wicked are condemned because they have acted wickedly—“ I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat.” The righteous are approved because they are righteous—“ 1 was hungry and ye gave me meat.” Wliv men of sense and education shoud have ever invented such a system as that taught by uncondi tional personal election to eternal life, and eternal reprobation, is a mystery. It has no foundation in the bible, no support in the wisdom of the learned part of mankind as developed in moral and mental phi losophy, nor does it find favor in the experience and common sense of mankind. It is thought by many that the doctrine of particular elec tion is dead. So it i.s, so far as the teaching of it from the pulpit is con cerned ; but is it dead as au active, operative principle in the Christian world ? We are sure it is not, and never will be, as long a,s men bury tlieir talents and waste their time. They sliift the responsibility up on the master. The pernicious doc trine of effectual calling, as it stands related to election, is so perfectly in harmony with tlie delinquencies of the unregenerated soul, that men will not give it up until they give u[) their .sin.s. Tins error of errors has silent! but certainly permeated and leavened the whole mass of society. It is doing silently but certainly its work of death among the millions in this Christian country. The Pre- destinarian mini.ster.s .sometinie wake up to the enormity of its effects, and go back on their congregations and urge them to act on the grace God has already given ; but their creeds, catechisms and prls^ate teachings have already fortified the conscience and mind of their congregations ai^ainst the truth of God. Many of ihe ministers wlio subscribe to the doctrine of particuiar election, and preach Arminiani,sm, would gladly undo tlie evils their fathers did, but how to do it is the trouble. While it is true that the doctrine of election is seldom preaclied by any in enlighl- ened commnnities, yet it is not preached against ; and while many of their ministers deny tlieir belief in the doctrine, yet they subscribe to it, and in a very feeble way often in private attempt to explain it; but say, after all, tlie doctrine is in the bible, and the clmrch must believe it. Thousands of lukewarm professors tall back o.i election, neglect their Christian obligations, hoping at last, witliout regeneration and holiness, to be saved by predestination. The Metliodist churcli must take a deeper hold on tlie freedum and responsibil ity of hnmaiiity.’^Atf systems that weaken or destroy the freedom of man, weaken tlie moral forces of the clinrch, and endanger the .salvation of the soul. W itli all our .schools and advanced improvement, the world is perishing for the lack of knowledge. They are dying from starvation. The Apostle exhorts us to take heed unto ourselves and tlie doctrine, and to continue iu them. The great success of our fatliers, about which we hear so much, is to be found in the fact that they always preached doctrine. We exhort too much, and preach too seldom, taking for granted the Sab bath School has taught the congre gations all the doctrine they need to know. All men are responsible to God for their belief as much as they are for their affections, and it is the duty of the preacher to teach his congregation the truth as it is in lesus—what to believe, and what to do. Tlie mini,ster is God’s ordained teacher, and no one can supply his place or do his work. If the people perish for lack of knowledge, God will require their blond at the preach er’s hands, if their starvation has been by his neglect. I would in all kindness say to my Predestinarian friends, cease at once to preach unconditional election. If it were possible for the doctrine to be true, it can do no good to preach it, but much harm ; and if false, as certainly it is, millions will be damn ed by it. KeraarlcB: How can “Particular Election and Final Perseverance of the Saints” be vital and stand so nearly i elated to the whole plan of .salvation and not be the truth? Anything tliat is vital and standing nearly related to any other matter nin.st be tiue as to that matter and important also. This Presiding Elder makes a statement that is (rue ami which onr people often feel; T!;;.t is, the doc trine which the Baptl ui hold, (name ly the doctrine of Particular Elec tion) cannot he di ai,s.ied without eonflictino; with the .lews of Armin- lanism its oppo.site. Just a.s it is impossible to preach the truth in faithfulness witliout exposing error, "Bnt the counterfeit detersive need not be feared by tl>o man who has no counterfeit mon \v, nor any guilt in this matter. Tliose who are not tainted by Arminianisni will not feel whipped or mortified when its pre- teirsions are exposed ; hut those who are holding and circulating its cur rency will be chafed, becai .se the shoe pinches them. By the w'ay, it is worthy of obser vation that in the Bible the true doc trine is never mentioned in the plural number—it i.s always mentioned in singular '^doctrine-” but false doc trines, as the doctrines of men and devils, are mentioned there in tiie plural number. There is a unity— onene.ss—in the truth worthy of ob servation. A word to the wise here ■ is sufficient. Mr. Iiicliard.son says, “If the doc trine of Particular Election can l>e proved true, by the Bible, then, as effect follows cause, the doctrine of Final Perseverance must also be true. But if the doctrine ofperson- ai'eiection to salvation is false-— then then the doctrine of fi nal perseverance must also he false.” Well, suppose the doctrine of final perseverance is fel.se, suppose there is no such a thing as final persever ance, then can any body l>e saved ?— Jesus say.s, he that endurctli unto tiie end the .same be saved,” Can any be saved unless they do endure or persevere to the end. But if there is no such a thing as final persever ance how can any endio-e unto the end, and, if they do not ( nduro unto the end, how can they be saved?— Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know tliem, and they follow me; 4-»d I give unto them eternal life; And they shall n:ver perish ; And none is able to pluck them out of my hand ; And My Father wduch gave them me is greater than all; And none is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. My Father and I are one.”—John 10 : 27-30. Where is the gap down here? Is there a weak place in tiie fence anywhere? Is not final perseverance taught here? If it is taught here there is not a text of the bible any where that kills or condemns it. And if it is taught here is there not a cause for it ? Yes, and the cause is found iu the pur pose or electing love of God. As he states, if Election is true, then per- •severance follows. •They cannot be divorced. Hence Arrainians would kill one, if they eould, to get rid of the other, or divide the living child —althougli none claim the dead child. We have in this discourse or ser mon a full fledged Arminian view of this question. He has, in endeavor-
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
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Aug. 15, 1877, edition 1
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