122
Ziou’s Landmark; Wilson, N. C.
those Jews with whom Christ con
versed did not lijve tlie doctrine of
discrimination any better than Dr.
Pierce does. At the mere mention of
it: “all they in the synagogue were
filled with wrath and rose up to
thrust him out of their city.” In the
eleventh chapter and twenty-fifth
verse of Matthew we have the doc
trine of discrimination, not only by
implication, but by plain declaration ;
our Savior there says, “ I thank thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes?” not to
infants, to-be-sure, but to such as
would no sooner comprehend without
r«velation. Now, these things re
vealed to the one class—specified and
hid from the other—must be things
of great imporbince, yea, things that
accompany salvation : otherwise our
Savior had not expressed, in such a
manner, his thanks to the Father for
his procedure. W here, then, is the
evidence that the salvation of every
son and daughter of Adam is as sure
as God’s pleasure?—to that end could
make it, as Dr. Pierce affirms—his
words imply nothing less. Head
them again :
“lleason determines, in spite of
prejudice, that no human soul can
ever be justly lost, except it might
and ought to have been saved in ac
cordance with God’s pleasure.”
Now, is it the pleasure of God that
every human soul shall be saved ?—
It either is or else it is not. If it is,
then the salvation of every human
soul is as sure as God’s pleasure can
rnake it; yea! I may ad
sure as God’s pleasure,
power could make it; for, whatever
is pleasing to the Lord, his wisdom
and power is engaged to obtain for
lum. But if it is not the pleasure of
God that every human soul should be
saved, then the Doctor d'^clares that
none can be justly lost, that is, that
reason so determines, in spite of prej
udice. If the sentence should be
changed as follows, it would approach
nearer the truth : “ Carnal reason de
termines, in spite of God’s revealed
word, that no human soul can ever
l>e justly lost unless it might and
ought to have been saved in accord
ance with God’s pleasure. But, ac-
cordiiig to the Doctor’s teaching, a
man riray have fallen in Adam, which
he gi’ants all did ; he may have been
born of corrupt parentage, grown up
in sin, lived a thief, a murderer, an
adulterer, a liar, a persecutor, and a
blasphemer of God’s holy name; and
yet, that soul could not be justly lost
unless it might and ought to have been
saved in accordance with God’s pleas
ure—unless Ills wisdom, by wliichhis
plan was arranged, was deficient, or
Lis power to carry out his will inade
quate. Unless wicked men and dev
ils have confused and defeated God’s
course, then no huinart soul can be
justly lost. Nay 1 Accoixling to the
Doctor’.-, theory, God’s justice in the
damnatiofj of the wicked must be in-
fcred only' from Lis pleastu'e and ef
fort (o save them; for, apart from
tiiese, their wickedness will furnish
no plea for the Almighty if he bo ar
raigned before Dr. Pierce for judg
ment.
We know that arminians, in eom-
luon, hold for general redemption,
insisting that Christ died for those
that are damned as well as for tho.se
that are saved ; and, likewise, that
the Spirit strives to enlighten all to
the .same purpose and end. But, if
this be so, who were the wise and
prudent from whom the Father hid
the things pertaing to Christ, his
kingdom and his grace? We know,
by common sense, that to hide is one
act, and that to reveal is its opposite.
We know, moreover, that the two
opposites imply di.scriraination—the
very principle which arminians, in
common, hate. How vague the
thought, not to say the expre.ssion,
that “no human soul can ever be
justly' lost unless it might and ought
to have been saved in accordance with
God’s pleasure.” If men universally
were damned, would not God’s jus
tice approve it well ? The answer
must be, either yea, or nay. If yea, it
antagonizes with Dr. Pierce’s conclu-
son ; if nay, the objector’s next work
is to show that God i.s under strict
obligation to do somewhat for the sal
vation of man ; for, we know that
injustice is always, and always must
be infered from obligation; but to
admit that which is not admissible,
that God was under obligation to
make a provision for the salvation of
man, it would then follow that, what
he did upon that principle, he did in
discharge of an obligation. Andsncba
conclusion, we know,antagonizes with
the Bible doctrine of grace; for that
which is due to us, that which one •
would be unjust to withhold from us,
could not rightly he called a dispensa-
to as.
'e" as implying rebellion
Sovereign Lord:
‘-‘Of cour.se, if in theexerci.se of.sov
ereign grace, God ordained some to
everlasting life just hecau.se he would
do it as a Sovereign Lord, so also he
must have ordained others to everlast
ing wrath, just because he would ;
for the moment Prerlestinarians
drop out this idea, \)ust because ho
would,’ the bubble of grace explodes
and tlie mind gravitates to the more
complacent conception of God in
Christ, providing salvation for all on
condition of faith.”
Now, notwithstanding Dr. Pierce
writes thus contemptibly' of God’s
decrees and of those that regard them,
y'et we know, that if God has ordain
ed any or all to life, or to deatk—
whatsoever he has done he hath done
it “just because he would,” with
none save his own pleasure to move
him. He made the world at first,
“just because, he would;” he fanned
man of the dust and breathed into his
nostrils, Ac., “just because he would;”
he permitted Eve to be temjited and
deceived, and Adam to sin wilfully,
“just because he would;” he permit
ted the eoi;rupt pair to multiply’, and
their generation to run until now,
“just because he would;” and, what
soever he bath not done, he hath not,
j list because he would not.. And. “who
ait thou, O, man! that repliest against
God ?” Docj Dr. Pierce with others
think the Lord hath said in vain that
“all have sinned and cc«ne short of
his glory 2” Why' then can he- not
see that God’s j,ustice itself would
well approve the condeianatliMi of
all? Untili he can see tliis he
will never lie able to show how the
salvation of anv be of free merev
against cu
O
arid grace.
Reader,' let us now consider the
Lord’s description of mankind, as
penned by St. Paul. The apostle
speaks of being slanderously reported
as saying, “ Let us do evil that good
may come;” however, he concludes
the damnation of these .slanderers to
be just (see Rom. 3: 8). The apos
tle then puts forth a grave que,stion,
which, with his nnswer, the reader
will please note: “ What! then, are'
we better than they ?” Answer :
“No, in no wise, for we have be
fore proved both Jews and Gentiles,
that they are all under sin..” There
is much meaning h^re: perhaps all
but arminians would admit that the
damnation of slanderers is just. But,
St. Paul declares that himself and
the saints at Rome were no better
than those whose damnation is just.
And, as they' were not, let Dr. Pierce
show if he can, why their damnation
would .not have been as just, or, if he
can, admit Paul’s declaration, that he
was no better than such, let him say
the same of him.self, and then doubt
less he will say less against God’s
decrees, by which alone he maketh
his people to differ from others whose
damnation is both just and certain.
But, how shall we regard St. Paul’s
confession, that himself and breth
ren were no better than slanderers ?
Were they likewise slanderers? Bv
nature they were “the children r.f
wrath, even as others.”—(See Eph.
2 : 3.) This, the saints were by' rela
tion to Adam when he transgressed :
and they' never could be better but
by' relation to another bead. Nay';
a.s.the JfvthiapI'Yn csnno|; “ change lus
skin” nor the leopard “his spots”—no
sooner can they be anything else than
what they naturally are. Note: I do not
argue here that immoral men could
not be moral men if they Aonld ; but,
as they' will not, I see not how they
could. But, the apostle continues
his account of men, saying: “There
is none righteous—no not one.”
Then the righteousness of anv could
not be pleaded as a reason why God
would be just to leave them without
mercy. “ There is none that nnder-
standeth,” therefore “ there is none
that seeketh after God”—none do
while unregenerate; but, when men
are “quickened ” and called by grace
from death unto life, the examples in
the scriptures show that all such do
seek after God. But, now, as it is a
fact penned by' inspiration, that there
i.s none (Jews nor Gentiles,) that seek
eth after God, nor none that nnder-
standeth, where is tiie evidence of
man’s Ccopacity to exercise faith in
Chri.st, and thus make successful the
Lord’s enterpri.se of salvation ? Of
course, such as have any faith to ex
ercise, have some understa’ . .. also
—at lea.st sufficient to enable them to
detect su,ch errors asarminins in com
mon hold. But shall we regard nat
ural men’s lack of spiritual under
standing and voluntarily refusing to
.seek after God as a sufficient reason
why he should be regarded as unjust
if he should leave them to perish
without mercy ? Could that saying,
“ There is none that understar>deth,”
possibly be true if,'as annintaas affirm,
all men a!;e e-apable of farth? Nay:
I should rather ask, Can that which
they affirm be true, since the Lord,
-
the ju.^t Judge, declares “ there is
none that un lerstanletli.’’ But ot
faith, and the source of It, more here
after? St. Paul continues his ac
count of the natural .state of men, as
follows: They' are all gone out of
the wav; thev are together become
unprofitable; there i.s none that doeth
goofl — no not one. They are all
(Jew.s and Gentiles) gone out of the
way, &c. Then I ask, Would it be
good for them to repent Evangelical
ly ?—There is none that doeth it!
Would it be good for men to seek the
Lord as humble penitents ?—There is
none that doeth it! Would it do for
them to believe in Chri.st to the sav
ing of their souls, withpht a high,
holy and effectual calling ?—Tliere is
none tliat doeth any of the.se tilings !
“ They are together become unprofit
able.” Then, the I.ior(l owes none a
reward, that Dr. Pierce and others
should regard him as unjust to leave
them without mercy'. “ There is
none that doeth good—no, not one
and if their salvation is novertheless
conditional, what must he suppo.seJ
the condition of it is ? Will the Rev ,
Dr. Pierce inform us?
Besides the foregoing, arid much
more to the .same point, “ there is no
fear of God before their eye.s.* Now,
as “ the fear of the Lord is the be
ginning of wisdom,” I must be allow
ed to believe that wisdom hath not
begun with those tliat fear not God.
And then it follo\v.s, that all men are
not sufficiently enlightened to per
ceive and attain their best interest as
arminians affirm. Dr. Pierce says,
the other bard-to-be-understood .scrip-
tm'os referred to by' St. Paul, »'»xjik'b-,
“ they that are unlearned and unsta
ble, wre.st,”are Paul’s quotations from
the Old Testament concerning the
hardening of Pharaoh’s heart; the
loving of Jacob and the hating of
E.sau, before the children were born ;
and the ]iotter’s power over the same
lump of clay, to.make o.ie vessel to
honor and another to dishonor.—
Well, suppose that opionion should
be admitted, it would furnish no ar
gument for the Doctor’s creed, since
it is a fact that God loved Jacob soon
er than he could be supposed to se
cure his love upon arminian princi
ples, even before he was born; and
Esau, we know, was hated of the
Lord before be singled himself out
by a whole life in unbelief. And
why' so ?—“That the purpOsSe of God,
according to election, might stand.”
Hence I conclude, that the Lord loved
Jacob “just because he would,” and
hated Esau just because ho did.—
However, Dr. Pierce says:
“The moment Predestinarians drop
out of this idea,‘just becau.se he would,’"
the mind gravitate.®, to the more com-
})lacent conception of God in Christ
providing salvation for all on condi
tion of faith.” ’
“ It is not of him that willeth, nor-
of him that runneth, hut of God that
showeth mercy.” Yea, the Lord
showeth mercy’! And why’.so ?. The-
Predestinarian answers, “Just be
cause he would.” And it Is so, or
else the Lord is moved bv some work
or carriage of the subject, wlilch, if ho,
liB, it would appear that the first cause
of mercy to man is in himself,, cc in
his works : and every effect, we know,
is of the first cause that produces it-.