►r
r
Zioirs Landmark.
151
ing to overtlirow election, showed
just where Arminians stand. Why
do thes’ not all come out and candid
ly enroll themselves under their ban
ner, and not try to be on both sides.
The o - and the ass do not plow well
logetln r. Let them take one .side or
the otiier. It grace is true, then let
it be grace. If work is true, let it
be work. I have respect tor the
candor and consistency of a Metho
dist who comes out thus openly and
takes iiis stand under his own
colors.
The doctrine of Arminianism re
jects effi'ctua! calling, imputed right-
eousne.ss, and final per&everance.—
These all grow in a cluster on the
Siime vine. Iv'll God’s pnr])ose and
all these die to-gether. How different
are some in their views and motives.
Wliat would I take to have the truth
of efTectnal caMing blotted from the
bible? '‘But unto them which are
adled, both Jews and Greeks, Chri.st
the power of God and the wisdom of
God.”—1 Cor. 1 : 25. If it i.« the
power and wisdom of God to them
that are called is it not an effectual
calling? If the power and wisdom
of God do not make a calling: an ef-
fectnal one what would ? “And for
this cause he is the mediator of the
new testament, that hy means of
death, tlje redemption of the
transgres.sions which were under the
fir-st testament, the}^ which are called
might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.”—IIcT. 9 : 15. If this
call give.s tb.e promise ofeternalin-
■ Jcrfzrtnete-j'Gs-ii iwt an effectual ear!
They who are called receive the
promise of eternal inheritance.—
Great as is the promi.se of eternal,in
heritance it is not as great as God
who promised it. What make.s a
j)romise valuable is the character of
the one promising. God, who can
not lie, promised salvation to the
heirs of promise before the world be-
What would I take to have the
precious doctrine of imputed
right
eousness expunged from the bible?
Ifour righteousness is of the Lord is
it not imputed to us? If it comes
from another is it not a gift or im
puted ? Did not Christ bear our
sins, and does he not give us his
righteousness? “Surely shall one
say, in the Lord liave I righteous
ness and strength.” “Who is made
of God unto us wisdom, and right
eousness, and sanctification, and re
demption.” “God made him who
knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might be made the righteousness of
Go
it in
hi
m.
Even as David al
so describefh the blessedness of the
man unto whom God imputed right-
eou-swes without works.”—Rom. 4: G.
How else can a sinner be justified?
He says, “The Arminians believe
and teach that when Adam fell, God
might in ji.Ulce have visited the
penalty of the^ law upon him, but
could not injustice allow him to live
a fallen map and propagate a race of
fallen children, without their knowl
edge or con.sent, and make no pro
vision for their recovery. They
teacli that God therefore entered into
a covenant with Adam, through
Christ for his redemption and tlie
5'cdemption of the race.”
This is Arminiauisw. .supe enough.
What a strong creature man is ! —
God might in justice have punished
Adam for his transgression, hut
could not in justice withhold pro
visions of a recovery from his fallen
offspring. If justice required God
to provide salvation for sinners, how
could it be said to be by grace we
are saved? Again, he says God
made a covenant with Adam, through
Christ, for the redemption of bis
race. He makes a jiromise of mercy
to man through Chri.st. But lie
does not make a covenant icd/i Adam.
Arminians hold Adam or man can
do so much to save hinrself and his
race. They do not realize nOr even
hold, that Adam died and all his off
spring arc corrupt, dead in trespasses
and ill sins. There was one that
preached to Eve before the trans
gression that when they transgressed
they would not die. Tliere have
been many since preaching the same
thing in substance, by saying man is
not dead, is not a condemned, cor
rupted, and depraved sinner.
If all men are redeemed from the
penalty of Adam’s transgression, why
do men die? Whv do infants die in
early infancy? Why, if men are not
born sinners, do they go astray so
m
ucli ? Whv do we not find some
that do not sin and die?
“Therefore, as by the offence of
one, judgement came upon all men
to condemnation ; even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift
came upon all men unto justifleation
of life.”—Rom. 5: 18. The pre
ceding V,er.se is-tpE^trs ;'"‘^For if by'
one man’s offence, death reigned by
one; mucli more they which I’eceive
a'lHUidance of gnice, and the gift of
righteonsne.ss, shall reign in life by
one, Jesus Christ.” This limits the
number of those who receive justiji-
oatiori unto life to the same number
that receive abundance of grace a id
the gift of righteousness. The Two
Adams, Adam the first and Adam the
second, or Christ, are here contrast
ed ; for each is the head of a race.—
All that are of Adam are made sin
ners bv his disobedience : So all that
are of Christ are made righteous l>y
his obedience. All that ever receive
the atonement are by grace the sons
of Christ; for in them grace reigns
through righteousne.ss unto eternal
life by Jesns Chri.st our Lord.—
Grace actually reigns tlirongh right
eousness unto eternal life to all these
heirs of grace.
What a queer grace is that whicii
may save a man or damn him either?
“In a word, if he has the power by
the grace of God to get religion, he
has the power by the same grace to
lose his religion.” This is his lan
guage. It is then hy grace a man
is saved or hy grace he is lost. This
is not my idea of grace. How much
better is a man by the death of
Christ than he was before? He says
no man is ab.so!utely saved by the
death of Christ, &c. Then he is his
own Savior, and just has ttie matter
in his own hands to he saved or lost,
just as he pleases. I'reewillism,
sure enough. The death of Cludst,
election, repentance, faith, and
obedience generally, are so joined
that nothing can sever them. But
of this hereafter.
He s&yp, there E no mystery in
the word of God, as it respects the
do.Qtrine of salvation,, svheu the bible is
is allowed toexplain its own teachings.
What a pity then he does not allow
it to do so. With this bold, flaunt
ing assertion he approaches “to ex
amine and explain what is supposed
to he the most difficult doctrine
taiurht in the bible.” He as.serts
that the Pharisees believed they
were the elect of God. WTdl, they
did not talk like people who believe
it now. The people that believe in
election now confes.s and hold that
they are sinners, guilty and lost, and
are not able to deliver tliemselves or
save thera.selves at all; and hence
relv on the grace of God to save
them. But the Pharisees said they
had no sin, and said they were able
to do many good deeds, and boa.sted
of their ability and performances.—
“Lord, Lord, liave we not done
many wonderful works,” &c. Jesus
told them that “no man can come to
me excejit the Father whicii sent me
draw liirnand again, “All that
the Father giveth me shall come to
me.” And again tells the Pharisees
that they believed not on him be
cause they were not of his shee]), and
that if tliey Iftid been of Ids sheep
they would have believed on him—
and this offended Ph.irisees very much.
People of Christ are his before they
believe on him, and believe because
they were his before. Hence these
Pharisees believed not because they
were not of his sheep. All this looks
very liard to the proud, corru[it na
ture of Pharisees, or self-righteous
people, and is contrary to the wis-
(Iqpyof thi.s world, I. fi’e^lv. admit:
aiuPI sliall not attempt to reconcile
the carnal mind of man, or the wis
dom of this crafty world to it. God
hath Idd it from the wi.se and prudent
and revealed it unto babes; for so it
seemed good in his sight. Tlie elec
tion hath obtained and the rest were
blinded. They arc so blind they do
not even understand the letter of
the doctrine of the bible clearly.
On the verse of scripture he se
lected (I suppose he was hound to
choose one, hut 1 do not see wis
dom in his choice) for his text to
overthrow personal election, he
makes in siib-stance thi.s statement,
and thinks he has covered the
ground and flanked the predestinari-
ans. Unconditional election “refers
always and specially to the plan of
salvation, and never to salvation itself
of any one,” or again decays, “The
key to the whole mystery of uncon
ditional election, as clearly taught in
the bible is that all this election spe
cially ap[)lies to the working out of
the plan of salvation, ami never ap
plies in any instance to the personal
salvation of the parties choseiv” It is
true that God eliose men to be proph
ets, and Clirist chose apostles and
sent them to preach and teach, and
that ofien he cluxse men for certain
services. But now is that what Paul
is speaking of in Rom. the 9th ch.?
In 8th verse Im says,. That i.s, they
which are the children of the flesh.
thc.se are not tlie children of God ;
but the children of the promise are
counted for the seed.” Here the
question is not about doing some ser
vice for others ; but the question is,,
who are the childrea of God ? And.
if the ©I'dldren of God are not saved
who are saved ? In the 11th ver.se
the personal, uncoiKlitioaa.lelscti.oix of
Jacob is taught, and Ids election to
salvation too, and the reason is also
given why. Before Jacob or Esau
had done either good or evil, that the
purpose of God, (it does not say lov6)
according to elc*ction might stand, not
of works (thougli men have it accord
ing to works) blit of him thatcalletli;
It was .said unto her. The elder shall
serve the younger ; (contrary to na
ture). As is written, Jacob have I
loved, hut Esau liave I hated.” Ar
minians say the Lord did not hate
Esau. I liave yet to find an Arml-
nian that will not defend Esau.
Birds of a feather will flock together.
I have yet to find a predestinariau
that does not defend and love Jacob.
In this same cliapter Paul tells ns
that the elect ones are the vessels of
mercy which he had afore prepared
unto glory. Even those he has call
ed, no'- only p£ the Jews, hut also of
the Gentiles. It fs-Irue that God has
an elect people am|fig the Gentiles,
as well as among the Jews. If nam
ing people by their individual names
is not a personal salvation whatcoidd
be? If having ones name written iu
the lambs hook of life is not person
al what is? If having been cho.sen
before one is horn, or has done good
or evil, is not unconditional electiou
what is unconditional election? If it
is done to show that the purpose of
God, according^ election, is to stand
(not of works ftit of him that cal-
leth) does not tliat prove election ?'
and if the choice is to make Jacob,
the son of God, according to the
promise offeterna! inheritance^ do««
it not prove that his election was to
salvation ?
Is God hound to choo.se between
two methods both equally good iu
order to save sinners ? If the debt
or has two live dollar gold coins to
pay five dollars with, he can offer
either and the creditor is bound to
choose one. Man had nothin^'to offer.
There is only one way (no choice of
ways) to save sinners. God’s choice
does not refer to one out of several
plans to save hinngrs, biff hi.s choice
refers to ihe objects to be saved.
Tliere is no lottery about it. Noth
ing like two lottery tickets, either of
which may win (and likely neitli-
er) and he mustlbjmose between them ;
thoimh he does not know which will
win. To suppose that God mn.stthus
choose between these ways, either of
which is uncertain, (for aca>rding to
Anuinianisra the plan which God has
chosen will fail to. save many for
whont Christ died) is tu suppose that
God is quite like a man.
The notion that election applie.s-
only to the 'plan of sal'vation and not
to the people saiml mag suit Armini
ans; and almost anything will suit
them except the truth. Their idea i.s
that God in justice was hound to of-
fi:r salvation to man, and he elected
tu do so hw Christ because he wa.s
hound to (io .so by him ; for he could
not do so in any other way. It is
strange that the meu wlro love person
al liberty- and freedom a.s miinch a,s
they do should deny to the Almighty
the liberty of ehoico. Christ Is the
eho.sen of God. the eleet, and all his
members are elect meurbers, too. Sal
vation is by grace and all the means
are eliGsen of God, and the peop-hr
(sEii 14.G:ni AX.D 14Ith pagjss.),
'K
Mil