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work, namely, that THE BIBLE is A UNIVERSALIST BOOK, may be very startling to some, and very shocking especially to thousands who have been taught to believe that Universalism is every thing wicked and abominable, and nothing that is good. By this general proposition, we mean to assert that the Bible clearly and abundantly contains the principles and theory of Universalism; that it comprises no doctrines which are opposite to, or inconsistent with, the Universalian religion or philosophy; that its prime Author, the Holy Spirit, and its instrumental authors, the prophets and apostles, were ever actuated in its revelation, by the influence of those two great, all-comprising truths of our Faith, the Universal Fatherhood of God,-the Universal Brotherhood of Man. Who will not confess the perfect propriety of calling that a Universalist Book, which so profusely teaches us of a Universal Creator, a Universal Father, a Universal Governor, a Universal Redeemer, a Universal Familyhood, a Universal Gospel, a Universal, Omnipresent Spirit, a Universal Resurrection, a Universal Re-Creation, a Universal Salvation, a Universal Subjection, a Universal Adoratión, a Universal prevalence of Good,. a Universal extermination of Evil, a Universal Law of Love, Universal sinfulness and unbelief, a Universal Judgment, a Universal Repentance and Reconciliation, a Universal Church, a Universal Gift, a Universal Atonement, Universal Grace, Universal Goodness and Mercy, and a Universal Blessedness? And of all this, besides a great deal more, do we expect to convince the candid reader, in the course of our book, by plain presentations of the Scripture testimony.

To conclude this subject, we will make one more observa

tion, which we address particularly to the believer of Partial Salvation. Suppose the advocates of Endless Misery wère in possession of a Divine Revelation, which should teach them with the clearness of light, that the disposition of God towards His creatures was such, the He had no Desire, Purpose, Will, or Pleasure, that all, but only a part, should be saved; that Christ came not to save, nor to die for, all, but a part only; that the ministration of the Spirit of Grace is for a part of mankind, exclusively; that the eternal Love, and Goodness, and Mercy of God, only embrace a moiety, but not the mass, of human kind; that Justice is an attribute of damnation, and that Wisdom, and Holiness shall be glorified by eternal damnation, as well ast by eternal redemption; that all Punishment is in the future life, that it is never remedial, merciful, and disciplinary, but absolutely endless as God's own being; that the devil and his works, that sin, that pain and anguish, that ignorance, unbelief, and imperfection, that death and hell, shall all be sustained and continued as long as God, goodness, happiness, knowledge, and salvation; that millions shall never repent, or become morally subject unto God, nor ever serve and worship him; that salvation is wrought only in this world, and if not obtained here, that God will at death abandon the soul forever; that God created a hell in the beginning, and fixed endless torments the penalty of sin at the dawn of creation; and superadded to all this, suppose that Revelation to be filled with infinitely profound lamentations of the Lord, that the creature wills of myriads shall eternally prevail against His own, and nullify the intentions and desires of His nature; that Evil is an unconquerable princi ple, and the King of Evil an immortal King, whose mischief

never shall be remedied, whose booty never can be regained;-suppose, I say, that the doctrine of endless woe was distinctly declared in this Revelation in all this variety of aspect and phraseology,-and moreover, that it flowed as naturally from sound reason, and from the teachings of nature, as from the revealed attributes and course of Providence, then would not endless misery be undoubtedly the truth, and would not that Revelation be AN ORTHODOX BOOK? The answer is a unanimous YEA! Well, then, if in the course of this volume we succeed in proving exactly the reverse of each one of these particulars, with respect to our own Revelation, will you not fairly concede the same thing to Universalism, namely, that the Bible is a Universalist Book?

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INTRODUCTION.

'COME now, and let us reason together.' 'Let us choose to ourselves what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.' Let us 'judge even of ourselves what is right;" let us 'Prove all things, and hold fast that which is GOOD." Let us 'Believe not every spirit, but TRY the spirits, whether they are of GOD-[worthy of Him, and in accordance with His creation, providence, and word,]-because many False Prophets are gone out into the world.' "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,' and 'is earthly, sensual, devilish.' 'But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, FULL of mercy and good fruits, WITHOUT PARTIALITY, and without hypocrisy.' 'The simple believeth every word; but the prudent man looketh well to his going; a wise man feareth and departeth from wrong.' 'The simple inherit folly; but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.' 'Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge.' 'Beware lest any man spoil you through [pretencive] philosophy and vain conceit, after THE TRADITION OF MEN, after the rudiments of the world, and not after CHRIST.'

'What saith the Scripture?' "To the law and to the Testimony, [then ;] if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.' 'Lo! this that we have searched out is true; hear it, and know thou it for thy

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good.' 'I think myself happy because I shall answer for myself this day touching all the things whereof we are accused.' *I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause.' 'O that I might speak to the Almighty; and I would have confidence in arguing my cause before God. For truly, ye are forgers of sophisms !-Physicians of no value, all of you! O, that ye would be entirely silent, and it would be to your wisdom! Hear, I pray you, my reasoning, and attend to the arguments of my lips. Would ye speak falsely for God? for Him will ye utter fallacy? Do ye flatter yourselves that ye can deceive Him or evade His searching, as man deceiveth his fellow man? Surely He will rebuke you if ye secretly have respect to persons. Should not His excellency restrain you, and His majesty fill you with awe? Your remembrances of Him are as the light ashes, and your conceptions as the rotten clay.— Hold peace, and let me speak, and then let anything come upon me! In regard to this, I will take my flesh in my teeth and my life in my hand,-yea, though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; I will still vindicate my cause before Him, and He also shall be my salvation. Attentively hear my words, and to my doctrine give ear.

Behold, now, I

have set in order my cause, I know that I shall be justified. Who is he that will plead with me? for I shall guide my tongue, and in the truth I will give up the ghost.' 'If it be

*In many of these passages from the book of Job, the improved translation of Mr. Barnes is chiefly followed, in preference to the sometimes less expressive construction of the common text. It may be as well also to observe here, that the renderings of quite a number of passages cited in the course of this work, are, upon the best authorities, varied from the standard King James' version; though in general, and on the whole, Universalists are no more at variance with the venerable English Bible as it is, than, and in some cases not hall so much, as, other persuasions.

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