Page images
PDF
EPUB

however great, is a curable wound; but a bruise on the head (sufficiently great) produceth death. Hence we read, in the New Testament, "As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, so he (Christ) took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Heb. ii. 14, 15.) From the above testimony, I believe the devil, whatever we are to understand by that epithet, will be finally destroyed. Yes, completely destroyed, so that he will no longer exist: which leads me also to eonclude that the devil is not a creature of God, no, not in any sense of the word.

Passing on, we read, that God will not " curse the ground any more for man's sake-while the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest shall not cease." (Gen. viii. 21, 22.) We feel just as sure of this, therefore, as we are, that "it is impossible for God to lie." (Heb. vi. 18.) The gospel promise made to Abraham is also predicated on the same immutable principle; and by that promise all the nations, families, and kindred of the earth are blessed. (Gen. xii. 3. xviii. 18. xxii. 18. Acts, iii. 25. Gal. iii. 8.)— The inspired apostle declares that the seed, in whom the promise was made, is Christ; (Gal. iii. 16;) hence all nations, &c. are blessed in Christ the seed of Abraham. That this blessing is not only spiritual, but that it contains all spiritual blessings, we are assured, not only from Gal. iii. 8, referred to above, but, also, from Eph. i. 3, and on.

The Psalmist, David, says, (Ps. xxii. 27,) " All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindred of the nations shall worship before thee." This perfectly corresponds with the song of those whom the revelator saw, (Rev. xv. 2, 4,) “stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing,"-(0 how beautiful

[ocr errors]

are the words of their song!)" who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou only art holy for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."This also agrees with the testimony in Psalın lxxxvi. 9: "All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name."

But lest some should say that these prophecies only refer to the Millennium, or to some glorious reign of Christ on earth, it may be observed, that there are some nations, which, as nations, at least, are entirely extinct: and therefore, if all the nations now on the earth should worship and glorify the name of the Lord, this would not fulfil the prophecy; because there are other nations whom God has made. These must also come and worship before him."And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.→ He will swallow up death in victory: and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for JEHOVAH hath spoken it." (Isa. xxv. 6-8.) Now for a comment on this passage, turn to the words of St. Paul: (1 Cor. xv. 54, 55:) "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death! where is thy sting? O grave! (d, O hell!) where is thy victory?" See also, Hosea, xiii. 14.

Now if this victory be obtained, and ads. hades, the mansion of the dead, be destroyed, when this mortal puts on immortality, it shows that it is after

this mortal shall have put on immortality, that this feast of fat things, &c. is to be made unto all people. As a further corroboration of these facts, read Eph. i. 9, 10. Col. i. 16-20, inclusive.

.

[ocr errors]

But the most remarkable passage of all, and one which cannot be reconciled with a limited salvation, is (Rev. v. 13) in these words: "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." Now, were I permitted to frame a sentence which would exactly comport with my own sentiments, I could not frame one more to my liking. This surely is not the language of miserable beings, beings in torment; yet it is the language of every creature in heaven above, or on earth beneath. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no morc death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev. xxi. 4.) "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." (ver. i. 5.) But, thank God! I read of no new hell! and I trust for this very good reason: because there will be no occasion for any.

[ocr errors]

I read, that " God our Saviour will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." I read nothing which contradicts it. Also, "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and live:" and there is nothing in all the Bible to contradict it. In order for the testimony to be as strong against the doctrine for which I contend as it is in its favour, we ought to be able to find testimony like the following: viz. "God our saviour will not have all men to be saved-God is willing that some

should utterly perish; and that all should not come to repentance and live!" But such testimony does not exist and even if it did, it would not prove the contrary of that for which I am contending. It would only prove that the scriptures contradict themselves, and therefore can be no longer the rule and guide of our faith.

If the scriptures only contained as strong proof against the salvation of all men as they do in favour of that glorious hypothesis, it is my humble opinion, not only that they would be, but that they ought to be, discarded by every rational mind. Let us read, "God so hated the world, that he sent his only begotten Son into the world, not to save the world, but that the world through him might be condemned !” and who would trust in such scripture for salvation? Answer: Not one. Now, to the eternal praise of our heavenly Father, in gratitude let it be written as with the pen of a diamond on each of our hearts, thạt exactly the reverse of the above sentence are the words of Christ.

But as we would not wish to introduce evidence more than sufficient to prove a fact, I shall dismiss this article, and come to the last thing proposed; viz.

2. To point out this deliverance; and show by what means it shall be carried into effect.

Perhaps none would object against the idea of the whole creation's being delivered from the bondage of corruption, in a natural sense, provided it could be proved that a part of them would afterward be consigned over to endless misery. This (according to scholastic divinity) appears to be agreeable to Sound ORTHODOXY; i. e. that even the wicked shall be delivered from their graves, and their bodies prepared by the almighty power of God, to endure endless pain and suffering in a lake of material fire and brimstone. But such ones do not consider that an incorruptible and immortal being is not susceptible

of suffering. They do not consider that there are some things, of which the human mind can conceive, which are impossible, even for a God to perform. (Heb. vi. 18.) Such are those things which are contrary to his nature; or contrary to the nature and fitness of things. How can an immortal body suffer? For that which causes pain, or annoys the body, must, if continued, finally produce a dissolution; and an immortal body cannot be dissolved. All suffering must be either tolerable or intolerable: if tolerable it may be endured; if intolerable, it must be short. For the very moment that pain or suffering becomes intolerable, it destroys all sense. And as pain naturally serves to imbecilitate, or weaken the constitution, it must, as a natural consequence, if continued, become intolerable. Hence suffering must eventually cease, upon any calculation whatever. A full conviction of this has led some to suppose that the second death will be a second dissolution of the body that the wicked will not be raised with incorruptiole, but with corruptible bodies, and therefore die a second time, in a natural sense. This idea appears to have arisen from a groundless conclusion that the wicked will suffer in natural sense after the resurrection, in a lake of material fire and brimstone, or in hell; but as the scriptures do Not justify the idea of a corruptible resurrection, I shall take up no more time respecting it.

It is now taken for granted, and I believe all will concede to the idea, that a deliverance from the bondage of corruption, in a natural sense, can be nothing short of a deliverance from a mortal to an immortal state; from a corruptible, to a state of incorruption; in which state no being can possibly suffer in a natural sense, any more than light can suffer by the power of darkness.

But the deliverance from the bondage of corruption, of which the text more particularly speaks, is

R

« PreviousContinue »