The Reaction by W. C. G.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 25, 1870

The Reaction.

By W. C. G.

BELIEVERS in the unconscious state of the dead, the mortality of man, and the final destruction of the wicked, have always claimed for these doctrines that they furnish a complete antidote for Universalism. The difficulty with minds of large benevolence in reconciling the dogma of endless misery with their ideas of the justice of God, together with the belief that all men must exist forever in some condition, has forced them to accept of Universalism as a refuge from the repugnant and Heaven-dishonoring theory of everlasting torment. Their positions are also greatly fostered and strengthened by the prevailing and popular methods of interpreting and spiritualizing the Scriptures; for with a consistent and reasonable interpretation of the Bible there is but little in its pages that can be construed in favor of universal salvation.

To evade the force of the literal testimony concerning the mortality of man, and the absolute destruction of sinners, orthodoxy has led the way in spiritualizing the Scriptures; and Universalism has gone but a step further in her wake by spiritualizing the literal threatenings of the word of God against transgressors. If the literal and unqualified declaration that the soul that sinneth shall die, can be construed to mean that it shall live forever in misery, why may it not, with equal consistency, be made to mean a final restoration to a state of happiness?

But, as indicated in the above title, a reaction is taking place; not, however, in the manner we would wish to have it, by the reception of the truth, but by a further spread of Universalistic views among the orthodox churches. Instead of renouncing the error of inherent immortality, which directly leads to that of endless misery, they choose to hold to the prime error, giving up the secondary one by taking another in its place, equally erroneous and unscriptural, but more reconcilable with the justice of God.

The first steps toward this reaction were taken by the renunciation of the belief in literal fire and brimstone. For the last twenty-five years, but few minds could be found in the ranks of orthodoxy sufficiently bold to preach literal fire as the punishment of the wicked. The language has been construed as figurative; and although there is such a place as hell, there is no literal fire and brimstone, these terms being used as figures to represent the remorse of a guilty conscience, &c.

But now a step further has been taken, and even the locality of hell is denied any literality. In a sermon preached by Henry Ward Beecher, on a recent Sunday, as reported by the New York Tribune, he said:

“Imagination is the pathway between the flesh and the spirit. It is that which gives to every man aspiration. Men despise it because it is not a measuring quantity. We are taught that it is not safe to build on, but I aver that in the economy of God’s providence the human race has been instructed more through its imagination than through its reason. We are not to suppose that there is a hell—literally, a place of fire and brimstone. I don’t believe it, and you don’t believe it, and you ought not to believe it any more than you are to believe that Heaven is really paved with golden paving-stones. No one believes it; if they did there would be more misers anxious for their soul’s salvation.”

So it seems, according to Mr. Beecher, that “in the economy of God’s providence, the human race has been instructed more through its imagination than through its reason;” and, consequently, hell is an imaginary place. That this belief is really one of the tendencies of the age, and fast becoming popular in “evangelical” churches, is indicated, not only by its being preached by Mr. Beecher, the leading orthodox clergyman of this country, but also by the following, from The Universalist, a leading organ of that denomination:

“The whole Christian world is becoming Universalist. And this leads to the statement of the true reason why the Universalist organization has not advanced so rapidly as some ‘evangelical’ sects. It has had in hand the business of converting other sects to Universalism. In this department of its work, it has made such progress that the whole aspect of Christian thought is changed. It has put a leaven into every existing branch of the Christian church, and into ‘the world,’ that is working grandly toward the inevitable result—the eradication of the dogma of endless torments from Christian theology.”

But perhaps it may be objected that this is Universalist testimony, and therefore not so reliable as if coming from those not prejudiced in its favor. Then we reply by quoting, from The Independent, a response to the above:

“However the fact may be accounted for, it is unquestionably true that there are many in the evangelical churches who do not believe in the eternity of future punishment, and that there is less disposition than there once was to excommunicate such persons. Whether this class is likely to increase or diminish in future, and whether the orthodox churches are likely to become more or less tolerant of this departure from their creeds, is a question respecting which opinions will probably differ. . . . We have an impression that Mr. Greely, and other prominent Universalists, anticipate a time, not far distant, when the belief in universal salvation will not be treated by the orthodox churches as a heresy demanding expulsion, but when individual Christians will be at liberty to think on this subject as they may or must. If that time ever arrives, and the Universalists are found to be orthodox on other points, the denomination may perhaps be swallowed up in the evangelical fold. We are content to watch the general tendencies of denominational life, irrespective of creeds, without assuming the function of a prophet in an attempt to predict the final result.”

While it is undoubtedly true that belief in universal salvation is finding its way largely into the orthodox churches, we are also gratified at occasional indications which obtrude themselves upon the public notice, that the error of endless torment is in some measure being supplanted by the Bible truth concerning the destiny of wicked men. Some are opening their eyes to the fact that God has threatened everlasting destruction upon the wicked instead of everlasting torment, and hence can comprehend the justice of God, as well as his mercy, in his declaration that his anger at the wicked will cease “in their destruction.” May the truth go onward in its march, until the honest in heart are chosen out from the world, and from the churches, who shall take the truth as their shield, that they may “be hid in the day of the Lord’s fierce anger,” which will “consume” the wicked until “they shall be as though they had not been.”

W. C. G.