“ASLEEP in Jesus.” Oh how blessed, how sweet, how quiet, is the rest of God’s saints. No sorrow, no pain, no fear. Nothing shall disturb the sleep of the righteous dead; and they shall rest until the resurrection morn. Then, at the sound of the trump of God they shall awake with songs of thanksgiving, and everlasting joy upon their heads. Then shall they realize the fulfillment of that glorious promise made so long ago by our blessed Saviour to his disciples, as he was about to leave them. While they were conversing with him upon his departure their hearts were grieved, they were sad, because their Lord, their friend and sympathizer was going to leave them; and they were filled with doubt and fear. But Jesus told them if he went away he would come again, and receive them to himself, that where he was they might be also. He told them to not let their hearts be troubled, neither to be afraid. He said in his Father’s house are many mansions, and that he went to prepare a place for them, and when he had accomplished his work, when he had prepared the place, they might look for him, for he would come again. Oh, how blest were those disciples who stood in his divine presence, and listened to those blessed words of hope and cheer which fell from his gracious lips! Thus, while they were sad and despondent at the thoughts of his departure he cheered them with words of love and hope. He said he would not leave them comfortless; he would pray the Father, and he would send them another comforter to abide with them until he should return. And at parting, he blessed them with peace, his peace, the peace that passeth the understanding of man. How blessed to wait for the coming of our Lord.
If we sometimes feel impatient, let us remember that he has not left us comfortless, he blesses us with his Holy Spirit, he knows all the fears and sorrows which we feel because of his absence; he pities us just as he did the disciples when he was with them. He is preparing a place for us. He will soon, very soon, come to take us to himself. The night is almost past, the day is dawning. Watcher! be faithful; the Lord will soon appear to his waiting ones. He will never leave us, never forsake us; but will guide and keep and save us for his name and mercy’s sake.
Mrs. Delia Walker.
New London, Wis.
Grace versus Law.
By Editor
It is surprising to what inventions people resort in order to evade obligation to God's law. Everywhere in the Old Testament they find the law of Moses, but never the law of God. Obedience to law is made synonymous with transgression; at least it is treated as a kind of violence offered to the grace of Christ, to make the ten commandments the rule of life. The pardoned criminal is expected to obey the laws of his country, to love and not to hate, nor to sneer at those laws, and by obedience to show thankfulness to the sovereign who pardoned him. In fact his after conduct is expected to reflect honor upon the laws which he once violated.
Just so it should be with the pardoned sinner. He has not been pardoned that he may defy the law of God, but that he may honor it when the condemnation is removed, by obeying it, and thereby showing that he loves God with all the heart. But many seem in one way or another to cast opprobrium upon the ten commandments. They are called Mosaic, and therefore are not the Christian's rule of life. The changes are rung upon the words: "Ye are not under the law, but under grace;" as though an ellipsis of the word condemnation were impossible in that sentence, and wholesome law were obnoxious, and grace a license. Starting with the assertion that the ten commandments are Mosaic, they are declared not to be moral.
Then the Sabbath is attacked, for this class think the Sunday to be of Christ, while the Sabbath is of Moses only! They say it was not commanded before the flood, and hence it must be Jewish; but why do they not tell us that idolatry, blasphemy, dishonoring parents, adultery, and lying, were not, so far as the record goes, forbidden before the flood, and hence are Mosaic inhibitions only, and have been done away by the death of Christ? The antinomian spirit manages to publish itself abroad, much to the inconvenience of many in the churches. Rather than be drawn into this wordy cant of "grace and no law," we should think that brethren would vastly prefer the Sabbath and the harmonious relations of law and gospel.
Recently we heard a Baptist deacon express himself on this wise: "I wish the teachers of the Sunday-school and the brethren would join me in a pledge not to use the word grace for the next twelve months." Of course there were some to protest against the proposal, but we wish it success—for as used it is meaningless, or it is used to parry obligation, and to disown the eternal law which Christ came to magnify and make honorable. The sophistry of their reasoning is apparent: "Take the decalogue for your rule and you must take as your atonement Aaron's priesthood and sacrifices." This reminds us of Christian Sabbath-keepers in Austria and Russia who are not allowed to call themselves Christians because they keep the Sabbath, but are obliged to be denominated Jews!! For ourselves, we choose the decalogue—the ten words, written in the heart by the favor of the Lord Jesus. This is our preference, and to this end Sabbath-keepers live and preach, and will contend earnestly till the glorious appearing of their Lord.—Sabbath Memorial.
Honest Controversy
I LIKE controversy when it is thoroughly honest. I do admire to see two large and generous minds approach a subject at opposite quarters, and then to watch the new lights that flash over it in a thousand relations that were not obvious before. It lifts us out of the ruts of our sect and party, in whose treadmill we have been grinding all our lives, and mistaking it for the universe. But controversy with small minds is the smallest business that is done in this world. It slides inevitably into the word catching, and ends in personalities. The moment I saw a man consciously trying to put my language to a different use from what I had put it myself, I would stop short with him, and say, "I am glad to compare ideas with you, but I have no time for word-catching."
Will He Come?
By C. N. Stuttle
SHALL we be prepared for that great and awful day that is about to dawn upon the world, when the Lord shall appear in the clouds of heaven surrounded with an innumerable throng of shining attendants? When the dead in Christ shall rise and the living wicked shall be slain by the brightness of his coming?
How anxious were the disciples to know and understand the time of the end. They came unto their Lord privately and asked, "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matt. 24:3.
Should we be less anxious than they to know just where we are? Shall we believe that all things continue as they were from the beginning? Let us not endorse what men may say or teach, but take the word of God as the man of our counsel. Hear the answer given to their inquiry:—
"Take heed that no man deceive you." Matt. 24:4. "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage."
Noah used his greatest efforts to convince the people of their errors, but their whole study was to gratify their own passions and desires. The faithful Noah labored a hundred and twenty years to deliver his message to that people, that they might forsake their evil ways that in the infinite mercy of God he would have pity upon them and they might yet be able to avert their doom.
Noah entered the ark and they knew not until the flood came and swept them all away. "So shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Will the people of to-day take heed to the message that is being given at the present time?
Listen again to the words of our Lord: "The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven."
The signs have been fulfilled, and the great day fast approaches. Can you, dear reader, be still careless and indifferent to the many warnings that ring in your ears? "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
And he still further says that the generation that shall see these things shall not pass till all be fulfilled. How important that we be found keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Let us take heed to ourselves lest at any time our hearts be overcharged with the cares of this life so that that day come upon us unawares; "for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." Luke 21:34, 35.
C. N. STUTTLE.
Vernon, Mich.
The Times in which We Live.
By Editor
THEY are active times. Many run to and fro, and knowledge is increased. The political, moral, and social worlds are all theaters of intense activity. The very foundations are shaken and the landmarks removed. Old truth is superseded by new fancies, and one can hardly tell where the old paths are. Society is a seething caldron of conflicting theories and opinions.
They are wicked and perilous times. Crime, including murder, rape, robbery, and sins of every hue abound on every hand. We shudder as we open our daily paper. We are afraid to have our children read it. Fraud seems to be the rule, and honesty the exception.
The world spirit has largely crept into the church, and one might almost as well try to find the lines of longitude and latitude upon the surface of the earth, as in many cases to find the line of distinction between the church and the world.
They are skeptical times. Many deny the Lord who bought them. Professed Christian men and ministers deny the resurrection of the body, the second coming of Christ, the punishment of the impenitent; and so on, we might go through the entire round of doctrinal truth. Scarcely a doctrine of the New Testament but has been called in question in some professed Christian pulpit. It has been well said that if Tom Paine were now living, he might be Rev. Thomas Paine, and might give expression to his sentiments from a nominally Christian pulpit.
They are the last times, the last days, the beginning of the end. Every month, almost every day brings this truth out clearer. The indications all point in one way.
"Thy tokens we with joy confess,
The war proclaims the time of peace,
The earthquake speaks thy power;
The famine all thy fulness brings,
The plague presents thy healing wings,
And nature's final hour.
"Whatever ills the world befall,
A pledge of endless good we call
A sign of Jesus near.
His chariot will not long delay;
We hear the rumbling wheels, and pray
Triumphant Lord, appear,"
So wrote Charles Wesley. We believe it all save, "Nature's final hour." God hath made the earth for the children of men. Nature will be purified, but not destroyed. Throughout eternal ages it shall show forth the power and glory of God. God's resurrected saints are not to float in cloudland, or wander like ghosts and phantoms in a region of dreams and myth. A place, a home, not a mere state, will be our eternal portion. O! that so many would stop this twaddle about heaven being only a state—Christ says a place, and I believe him.—J. S. GILBERT, in Messiah's Herald.
A Whole Family in Heaven.
THE following eloquent passage is from the pen of the Rev. Albert Barnes:
"A whole family in heaven! Who can picture or describe the everlasting joy? No one absent. No father, nor mother, nor son, nor daughter are away. In the world below they were united in faith, and love, and peace, and joy. In the morning of the resurrection they ascend together. Before the throne of God they bow together in united adoration. On the banks of the River of Life they walk hand in hand; and, as a family, have commenced a career of glory which shall be everlasting. There is hereafter to be no separation in that family. No one is to lie down on a bed of pain. In heaven never is that family to move along in the slow procession, clad in the habiliments of woe, to consign one of its members to the tomb. God grant in his mercy every family may be thus united."
Infidelity
INFIDELITY is ignorance, ignorance is darkness, knowledge is light. Knowledge by reading and thinking must be won. It cannot be explained from father to son.
Inefficiency of the Ministry.
By Editor
WHEN we assert that the preaching of the present day, in all popular denominations, is ineffectual to stir up the consciences and reach the hearts of the people, we are accused of being censorious and fault-finding. Were we the only ones who saw the matter in the same light there might appear better reason for the accusation. Dr. Wayland, in his book on the "Ministry of the Gospel," speaks at length on the subject, and, in part, gives the reason.
He considers the method of theological training defective. He says:—
"Our theological students are collected together in large dormitories, where they associate with no others than themselves, and, for three years, read books and attend lectures and recitations, being, in many cases, even discouraged from preaching, unless at the close of their course. Their views of the ministry are formed not from the observation and experience of actual life, but from the conversation of young men with each other. They of necessity enter the ministry with no practical knowledge of its duties; and that they should be ignorant of the best methods of presenting the truth to living men, is only a thing to be expected. Were men in other departments of life to pursue a similar course, must it not lead to inevitable failure?
"In the next place, the business of a minister is to address men in public on the most momentous of all subjects. Is it not desirable, then, that he should learn to address assemblies with the greatest possible effect? Ought he not to be a public speaker rather than a public reader? I do not, of course, mean to advise that men should be taught to speak when they have nothing to say. When I use the word extempore, I do not suppose that a man is to address an audience of intelligent people without any preparation; or, as some of our older ministers used to boast, that they did not know what text they would take until they entered the pulpit. I would have young men taught not merely the force of the Greek article, the meaning of the aorist, and the difference between the particles; I would have them familiar with the very ideas and spirit of the word of God, thoroughly imbued with the great doctrines of the gospel, as they are revealed by Christ and his apostles, and not as they are announced in systems of theology."
Again, he considers the popular style of writing and reading sermons to be erroneous, cramping the preacher, and that it imparts dullness rather than interest to the hearer. On this he says:—
"When we write in a quiet study, we may it is true, and if we believe what we preach we actually do, look up to the Holy Spirit for his guidance and direction. But still the tendency is apt to be rather to the intellectual than the moral. In writing we strive to present some doctrine clearly, to express it correctly and rhetorically, and if we have done this to be satisfied. We cannot rise to that feeling of earnestness which enables us to press home the truth which we have presented, directly and affectionately upon the conscience. We feel that we cannot write what we know we ought to say; at least this, I must confess, has been my own experience. During the preparation of the manuscript there is none of that sensibility of the presence of an audience that makes a preacher tremble in his knees, without which it is said that no one ever spoke well. The sermon is arranged according to the rules, and by this test the writer knows that it is a good one, that the audience ought to like it; and with this he is too prone to be content. He enters the pulpit with more or less of this assurance. He has no need to pray for the assistance of the Holy Spirit so far as the matter is concerned, for that is all prepared already. He may pray that it may be received into good hearts, but he has no wish that it be different from what it is. He has no fear of breaking down, if only his voice and eye-sight remain; for it is all plainly written out to a syllable before him. He reads it with such animation as may be natural to him, with none at all, looking steadily at his manuscript, and rarely or never catching the eyes of his audience. If he makes a gesture, it is with his eyes fixed on his paper; one hand on the line which he is in danger of losing, and the other sawing the air without any kind of significance. When he closes, he perhaps feels that he has not succeeded in arresting the attention of the people. He has labored hard, but the result has not corresponded with the pains that he has taken. Something has been the matter, but he does not know what it is."
"Where, but in the pulpit, would written addresses to a popular assembly be tolerated? Were a lawyer to read to a jury a finely written dissertation, bearing as much on the case before them as many of our sermons do on the salvation of the soul, would he not soon put the whole panel to sleep? Were the same mode of address adopted by senators and representatives, would the member find himself surrounded by nothing but empty benches?"
And he appeals to his brethren in the ministry in the following manner. The point is easy to be seen:—
"But we do not apply the same rule to others which we assume for ourselves. We declare it is impossible for us to address men from the pulpit on the subject of religion, without writing all we have to say. We leave the church, and descend to the lecture-room to attend a conference meeting. We expect our private members to address the audience on the very same subjects, but we never expect them to use a manuscript. What should we say, if, when we called upon one of our brethren to speak, he should excuse himself on the ground that he had not anything written? What sort of a conference meeting would we have, if nothing were spoken which had not been written out, and then read after the manner of the pulpit? I fancy that the minister and the readers would very soon constitute the entire audience. Why should we expect our brethren, engaged in the ordinary pursuits of life, to use a manner of addressing an audience which we declare it impossible for us to acquire after eight or ten years of study devoted to preparation for this very duty?"
We say that he presents the reason in part. The above extracts are sufficient to show that our statement is true, and that the truth has received the attention of some of the wisest and best in the ministry. But there is another reason outweighing all these.
Truth is progressive in its development. Bible truth forms no exception to the statement. There are truths in the Bible which ever remain the same, and their relation is much the same to all men of all ages. There are other truths which differ from these in being applicable to a certain generation or in a certain age. In the words of the apostle Peter, there is a "present truth." And every age has had its present truth—a truth made especially applicable by the events and circumstances of the age. Such were the proclamations of Noah, and the prophets; of the apostles; of Luther, and all the reformers.
Our own age is not an exception in this respect. We live in one of the most eventful ages in the history of the human race. Look whichever way we will, and events of startling significance present themselves to our view. From one end of the earth to the other, the nations are in a state of anxiety and disquietude. With the blessings of abundance in most lands, and such means of transportation as were never before known, people are starving to death, even by millions. The Bible—the gospel of peace—is printed in every tongue and carried to every land, as if the merciful God would leave the race without any excuse; yet crime increases; man is everywhere a foe to his neighbor, and distrust and dishonesty are all-most all-prevailing. With the accumulated light of past centuries resting on the medical profession, pestilence stalks abroad, and none to stay it.
Many important prophecies have been fulfilled, and these show that others, of the utmost importance, are about to be fulfilled. The symbols of the books of Daniel and the Revelation clearly prove that we are in the closing period of this world's history. The subject of the second coming of the Lord Jesus to this earth is receiving the attention of many of the best minds and the most devoted hearts in the world. The signs given by the Saviour which precede his second coming have been fulfilled, and even now "men's hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." Scoffers ask, in derision, for the promise of his coming (2 Peter 3:3), and the worldly-minded servant says, "My Lord delayeth his coming." Matt. 24:45-51.
These things as having any relation to the fulfillment of prophecy and to Christian duty, are entirely ignored by the ministry of our day. This is generally true; the exceptions are only exceptions. Instead of present truth being presented, dry essays are read, touching upon anything but the soul-stirring truths which God's word and providence have developed for the present time.
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The Spirit of God always accompanies his "present truth" when it is preached in faithfulness. And this alone gives efficiency to the work of the ministry. Worldly methods, fashionable styles, worldly themes, and a world-loving church; in these there is no power to attract or to convert.
Beloved reader, we make our appeal to you. As you love eternal life, seek to know these things, and be "established in the present truth." 2 Peter 1:12. God has not forsaken his own work; but man has gone far from God. By the truth we may be sanctified and saved, "in the day of the Lord Jesus."
A Most Singular View.
By Editor
A writer in the Herald and Presbyter, the Presbyterian paper of Cincinnati, Ohio, giving a description of the Seventh-day Adventists of Battle Creek, Mich., closes up his article with the following paragraph:—
"Leaving out the question of what constitutes the true Sabbath, the utter annihilation of the wicked, and saying nothing about "immersion," they are a sect that all Christians would do well to pattern after in many respects. What the church needs to-day is a positive Christianity. It needs—and the world demands of it—an outward exemplification of that spirit we claim to possess inwardly—a showing forth, by our daily walk and conversation, by our honesty in business affairs, that we are 'Israelites indeed' and in truth, 'in whom there is no guile.' Are there not many more professors than possessors?"
He seems to think we would be a commendably peculiar people if we would discard our peculiarities! He is not alone in this. Many have expressed themselves in the same manner; they will be ready to accept the effect whenever we will put away the cause which produces it. Individuals have often said to us that they loved our preaching; they admired our zeal in trying to spread the truth; they were convinced that the preaching of the age is not what it should be to convert the heart and to reform the life; and that our success would be assured if we would drop the seventh-day Sabbath, the near coming of Christ, the destruction of sinners, and such like objectionable doctrines. What a short-sighted view. As well might his neighbors have said to Samson, "We admire your display of courage and strength; but we object to your fashion of wearing your hair so long. If you will consent to be shorn, we will be glad to make an alliance with you, knowing that your strength may be of service to us in our battles." Samson gave an answer to such reasoning. "If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man." Judges 16:17.
So as Seventh-day Adventists we say to our critics: Our strength lies in the things to which you object. Our love for the Sabbath is indispensable to proper regard for the authority of God and his law. Our belief in the advent near urges us on to diligence in warning our fellow men, and urging them to accept the Saviour before he ceases to plead for them and comes to take vengeance on his foes. Our belief in the mortality of man guards us against that greatest of all of Satan's deceptions, modern spiritualism. And not the least in the list, our belief in spiritual gifts, to which the strongest objection is urged, insures unity in our faith and efforts, and the correct application of the word of God to our hearts and lives. Remove these and you take away our strength. These are the cause of all the effects which you commend. Our strength is not in ourselves, but in the "present truth" which God has graciously given us for the last days.
A correct faith lies at the foundation of a correct life. If the tree is good, the fruit will be good. We are very far removed from antinomianism. We do not believe that people are saved by faith without works; but we believe in "the obedience of faith." Rom. 16:26; that by adding to our faith the Christian graces we shall have an entrance ministered to us into the kingdom of Christ. 2 Peter 1:1-11.
"Having Eyes, They See Not."
By Editor
The Prophetic Conference in New York has called out sermons on the subject of Christ's coming, from very many of the ministers of the various cities. This doctrine of Christ's second advent fares no better among the doctors than he fared in person among the doctors at his first advent. A report from Chicago shows the following result.
Dr. Everts believes that the successful proclamation of the gospel constitutes the second coming of Christ.
Dr. Thomas does not believe at all in a literal or personal coming.
Mr. Parkhurst believes in the second coming, but only after the gospel has been universally accepted.
Mr. Peeke speaks hard things of the doctrine and those who believe in it.
Dr. Owen believes the book of Daniel refers to the Jewish people and has no reference to the last days or the coming of Christ. Thinks the whole subject of the time is purposely left in obscurity; but he shall know about it when it is necessary. (Of course without the aid of God's word !)
Dr. Crafts is inclined toward the doctrine of the near, personal, and pre-millennial coming of Christ.
Dr. Perrin believes in the personal second coming of Christ, but the gospel is first to be given to the world, the Jews are to be converted, and antichrist will appear. And, his coming cannot now be near, as a sect must first arise who deny the coming of the Lord. This, he says, has not yet been.
On this we would recommend Dr. Perrin to walk around and take a look at some of his neighboring D. D.'s and their congregations. The Universalists as "a sect" deny the second coming of the Lord; and some of the most highly esteemed ministers in his own city utterly deny it, and so it is all over the land. No scripture is more clearly fulfilled than that which speaks of last-day scoffers who deny "the promise of his coming." We fear another scripture will be fulfilled in the case of these wise men. That day will come upon them unawares. These things seem to be wonderfully hid from "the wise and prudent" as this world measures wisdom. They who come trustingly to the word of promise, as little children, will not be in darkness that that day shall overtake them as a thief. 1 Thess. 5:1-4.
Catholic Increase.
By Editor
THE New York Tablet, a Catholic paper, November 23, speaking of the Catholic church in the United States, says:—
"In the year 1850—twenty-eight years ago—there were in the entire United States only six Catholic archbishops—one of whom was an American, three of Irish birth, and two of French origin—and twenty-seven bishops. There were 1,800 priests, 1,073 churches, 29 ecclesiastical institutions, 17 colleges, and 91 female academies. There are now 11 archbishops, 5,548 churches, 5,634 priests, 21 theological seminaries, with 1,121 ecclesiastical students, 74 colleges, and 519 academies. Here is a growth in twenty-eight years of 44 prelates, 3,834 priests, 3,475 churches, and 477 seminaries, academies, and colleges. The Catholic population was estimated in 1850 to number 3,000,000 souls; to-day it is known to be not less than 6,408,000, and by some authorities it is believed to exceed that figure by one-half."
It must not be supposed, however, that this increase is by growth in this country. A large proportion of the priests are foreigners, Irish and Italian mostly. But their influence is as great as that of American priests could be—perhaps greater.
They have 74 colleges, 21 theological seminaries, and 519 academies and select schools, besides 2,180 schools of lower grade. Their academies are principally for females, of which the Tablet says, "many of the pupils are the daughters of Protestant parents." And many Protestant parents have lived to deeply regret that they ever sent their daughters to them. The largest of these academies is in San Francisco.
Many other interesting statistics are given in this article, all going to show that the power of the Roman hierarchy is fast increasing in the United States. They are as a unit in politics, and their influence in elections is courted by some and felt by all.
Humble Inquiry After Truth
A pious and humble inquiry after truth is commendable, which is always ready to be taught, and studies to walk in the sound doctrines of the word of God.
Natural Immortality.
By John Nevins Andrews
By natural immortality is meant the doctrine that man is immortal by nature. This theory asserts that God gave to the first man a deathless nature, and that all who are descended from him inherit that nature. Of course this is not asserted respecting the bodies of men, but it is asserted of their souls. Every human being is, by this theory, held to be the possessor of immortality. Not only is it held that every wicked man in gospel lands possesses a deathless nature, but also that every individual of all the countless multitudes of heathen is an immortal being. Several important consequences follow from this doctrine:—
First, that when each human being dies, the soul, or real man, remains alive. If the person dies in Christ, this immortal soul goes into the presence of God to dwell in heaven until the resurrection. If he dies in sin, his soul goes into hell, into the torments of the damned, there to continue till the resurrection of the unjust.
Secondly, that when the day of judgment arrives, these souls are summoned from heaven and from hell to stand at the bar of the Judge for the decision of their cases.
Thirdly, that both the righteous and the wicked, being re-united to their bodies, the righteous are returned to the joys of the blessed, and the wicked to the torments of the damned.
Fourthly, that the wicked, possessing immortal, or deathless natures, shall be incapable of dying, or perishing, or being consumed, or devoured in the fire, and shall live therein to all eternity.
These things are worthy of careful thought. Here we have all men rewarded or punished before they are judged. Then we have all summoned to the judgment after having been already assigned to their respective portions in heaven or hell, ages before this, or at whatever time the individual died. And, finally, all the wicked shall live eternally in hell fire.
Now these conclusions necessarily follow if men are immortal by nature. For there is such a thing as death in the world, and there is a day of judgment, and a place into which the wicked will be cast after the judgment. These are great facts, but if men are immortal by nature, they involve these most serious difficulties.
It is true that natural immortality is supposed to be in itself a very precious and desirable doctrine. But many who firmly hold it have no definite idea of what it involves. The innumerable multitude who die out of Christ go direct at death into hell fire, and when the judgment has set upon their cases, they are turned into it again to live therein eternally. What makes this a most agonizing reflection to every thoughtful mind is, not merely that some of our friends are already in the place of the damned, but that millions of heathen who have had at best only the dim light of nature, must live eternally with the lost, and so also must all those children who have died in sin after barely crossing the line of accountability.
Now do not these things indicate something wrong in this theory? Is immortality so common a thing that all men have it by virtue of their existence? Must sin continue to exist as long as God shall sit upon his throne? Shall countless millions suffer either mental or physical anguish, or both, to all eternity, who, nevertheless, have had barely light enough to know, to some extent, the difference between right and wrong? Is it so light a thing in God's sight to put men into the place of the damned that he casts them in thither without waiting for the session of the judgment? And is there afterwards some doubt in his mind as to the propriety of this action which causes him to bring them forth from thence to judgment? What questions can be raised at that tribunal that have not been settled by the direction of the Judge before men come to it, if men enter heaven or perdition when they die?
Certainly these are serious questions, and they are asked in no uncandid spirit. Has God in creating man fixed the matter by irrevocable decree that every individual of the race shall live for endless ages? Is there no condition affixed to the privilege of living in the universe of God? Has he tied his own hands that he cannot even cause those to cease to exist who form fixed characters for evil? And is there nothing short of endless pain for every individual of our race who is not actually worthy of a place in the holy city?
It will not be a sufficient answer to this question to say that the suffering of such will be comparatively light, for endless pain, even where that pain may be such as human fortitude can endure, is not light if it be known to the sufferer that it shall never cease. What but despair can fill such a breast? And who ever found despair a light thing?
Nor will it satisfy the inquirer to be assured that persons of comparatively small degrees of guilt shall be in some way admitted to the holy city. The Bible never speaks thus. God proposes to take into his presence only those who possess moral worth. If this be wanting, those who are found thus can never pass through the gates of the city of God. This very idea that all men must live forever has caused many schemes to be originated that should either take all men into heaven at death, or should do it ultimately, or that should take in nearly all, or, failing in this, that should make the best place in hell and the poorest place in heaven only one degree apart in excellence.
Now is it not lawful to inquire whether this doctrine of inherent or natural immortality is really found in the Scriptures? It involves difficulties in the very nature of things which are certainly serious enough, and which call us to thoughtful consideration. It is no subject, however, for angry disputation. The matters which are connected with this inquiry are of the most serious character, and should never be treated except in the most candid and devout spirit.
We must respect the conscientious feelings and prepossessions of those who differ with us on this subject. Indeed, many consider natural immortality one of the most precious truths of the gospel. In their estimation, the man who questions it is infidel at heart. They cannot see how any one can do this unless he denies future existence. And some even argue from it that those who do not believe man now immortal must actually, if consistent, deny the existence of God.
Such prejudices, however, are not to be despised nor to be treated with lightness. Let us consider others as we would be considered in like circumstances. We think we have something better than the doctrine that men are immortal by nature. Let us first of all show that this more excellent doctrine has made us the better for having received it into our hearts. Let us show that we are not bigots, and that we have not a bitter spirit towards those who do not agree with our doctrine. If others think that in denying natural immortality we deny the doctrine of accountability to God, and that the fear of God is not before our eyes, let our course of conduct show that they are in these things wholly mistaken.
We shall inquire concerning the true source of immortality, whether derived from Adam the first, by natural descent, or given by Adam the second, at the judgment, to those who are by him counted worthy to receive it. We ask the candid attention of those who think differently from ourselves. We shall never give you just occasion to complain of what we say respecting the subject in dispute. If we do not show that immortality, as the gift of God through Christ, is more scriptural than is the doctrine that it is inherited from the first man, do not accept the views we offer. But if we do show that both Scripture and reason teach that immortality is to be given only to the just, and this too when their trial is finished, we ask you not to despise what we say, and not to count us enemies of Christ.