UNIVERSALISM by Roswell F. Cottrell

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · March 11, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 11

UNIVERSALISM

By Roswell F. Cottrell

BY ELD. R. F. COTTRELL.

UNIVERSALISM and Calvinism are built upon the same foundation,—the assumed immutable decrees of the Almighty. Calvinism teaches that God “foreordained whatever comes to pass;” that salvation or damnation does not depend upon man’s agency, but upon the irresistible will of God; that a certain number, and not only that, but certain individuals of the human race, are elected to salvation, and cannot by any possibility be lost. Universalism differs from this only in that it makes the elect to include all mankind. It teaches that God “will have all men to be saved,” not merely in the sense that he is willing and desirous that this should be the case, and has made provision for it, on condition of man’s acceptance, but that the irresistible will of God is pledged that all men shall be saved.

Universalism assumes to reason. It does not draw its conclusion so much from what God has said he would do, as from what they claim it is reasonable that he should do. Reason is a good thing; and if God has given us reasoning powers, we certainly ought to use them; and on no subject more than that of the revelation which he has given us. But the standard of appeal is outside of ourselves. God has given us his word; and we should bring our reason to the test of that word, and not try the word of God by our reason. His reasoning is above ours; and we should take his word as authority, and base our reasoning on that. We should seek to find the harmony of every part of the word, knowing that until we find that harmony, we have not the whole truth, but only a partial, one-sided view of it, at the best.

But Universalism assumes that certain things are reasonable; and if anything in the Bible conflicts with that, it fails to convince. Its advocates seize upon one Scriptural idea, such, for example, as that “God is love,” and while they extol the attribute of love, and build fanciful theories upon it, they refuse to learn the truth that God is justice, as well as love. The love of God is truly a most cheering and exalted theme. They will accept the testimony that God is love, and dwell upon it, and found any amount of reasoning upon it to favor their doctrine; but speak of the wrath of God, and of a time to come when it will be poured out without mixture,—wrath and nothing but wrath, no mercy mingled with it,—and they will not believe a word of it.

They will expatiate upon the thought that God is a kind and loving Father, as he truly is, all men being his children, as they are by creation; and then they will draw upon the sympathies of their hearers by a contrast between the conduct of a loving and pitiful father toward his children, and that of a God who would consign his own offspring to the fiery torments of an endless hell, such as is described in the writings of those called orthodox, where they must suffer and writhe in the most intense pain and agony while the ceaseless ages of eternity shall roll.

In this way the minds of the hearers are wrought up to such a degree of excitement as to be blinded to the sophistries which are to follow. They proceed to state that God is immutable in his attributes; so that if he loves sinners at any time, he will love them forever. They forget to state that God has a righteous law, which is of more value in his sight than the life of its transgressor; that he hates sin, and must ever hate it; that his justice is as unchangeable as his love; and that the two are exercised in perfect harmony, there being no antagonism between them.

True, we are all children of God by creation; but the Bible describes a class as “children of the devil” and “children of wrath.” There are no good promises to the children of wrath; and such are all by nature (Eph. 2 : 3.); but they are “fitted to destruction.” All the heirs of the promises of God have become his children in a better sense, by compliance with certain prescribed conditions. Jesus taught his disciples to do good to all. “That ye may be,” said he, “the children of your Father which is in Heaven.” Matt. 5 : 45. Again, an apostle says, “Wherefore come out from among them [the children of wrath], and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6 : 17, 18. Those who obey the conditions, become the children of God in a peculiar sense; and there are special promises to them as a class. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.”

These things are ignored by the teachers of Universalism. They make all alike the children of God, and infer the eternal salvation of all, against the most positive testimony of the word of God. They leave a part of the truth untold. For example, they read in Acts 3 : 21 of the “restitution of all things,” and claim it as proof of the restoration of all men. But this phrase is qualified by another; it is the restitution of all things “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” It is simply this: There will be a restoration of all things which the prophets have promised should be restored. Uncover the sophistry, and all is plain.

Now what has God by his prophets promised should be restored? The most ancient prophecy of which we have a record is that of Enoch, the seventh from Adam. Said he, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 14, 15. Does not this seem more like retribution than restitution?

We notice a few things spoken by the prophets. Speaking of Christ, Moses said, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” Deut. 18 : 19. Peter applies this prophecy to Christ, and says, “Every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” Acts 3 : 23. Will restitution come after this destruction? “He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Prov. 29 : 1.

Job teaches “that the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction; they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.” Job 21 : 30. In connection with this we cite the apostle Peter: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment to be punished.” 2 Pet. 2 : 9. According to these testimonies, the wicked do not receive their punishment as they pass along through life, nor are they cast into torment before the day of Judgment. God hath appointed that day. See Acts 17 : 31. The wicked are reserved and brought forth to the day of wrath. Whence are they brought forth? “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5 : 28, 29. The resurrection to life is restitution.

Again the apostle says that the earth is “reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Pet. 3 : 7. Perdition is not restitution. But he does promise a restitution. “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” Verse 13. The heavens and the earth are to be restored. This was promised by the prophet Isaiah. Chap. 65 : 17. The righteous alone have the promise of dwelling there. The phrase, “wherein dwelleth righteousness,” signifies that no unrighteousness shall be there. The new Jerusalem will be there, “And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Rev. 21 : 27.

“Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5 : 5. “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.” Dan. 7 : 27. “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” Ps. 37 : 29. But when the righteous are restored from death to immortal life, so that they can inherit the renovated earth forever, where will the wicked be? Let the inspired word answer: “For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth.” Ps. 37 : 9–11. To be cut off, and not be, so that a diligent search for his place cannot discover it—is this restoration? Again, of the righteous he says, “Their inheritance shall be forever.” “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs; they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” See Ps. 37 : 9, 10, 11, 18, 20, 22.

What prophet or apostle has foretold the restitution of all men? It is hard to perceive how men can be restored after having been “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.” 2 Thess. 1 : 9. How can those be restored “whose end is destruction”? Phil. 3 : 19.

Universalists claim that all men must be saved, because the purposes of God’s grace cannot be frustrated, but must be accomplished. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” From this they argue that as his grace has appeared in behalf of all, therefore all must receive the benefit of it. But this very text refutes their argument. The expressed purpose of this grace is to teach men. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2 : 11, 12. Is the purpose of this grace attained?—do all men live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world? If not, the design of it is not fulfilled in respect to all men. And if it has failed of its design in respect to a part of mankind in this world, where is the assurance that it will save all in the world to come?