How often do we find this little word of two letters used in the Bible, and what solemn consequences hang upon it! How it is interwoven with all the plan which God has proposed for the salvation of man, and made the point on which his destiny is to turn; and he either be appointed his place in bliss, or cast down to death.
When the Lord said to ancient Israel, "Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, and ye shall be a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation," he also said: "If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant &c." And after they had been established in their land he promised to perpetuate their city, if they would keep his Sabbath; and if they would not hearken, he said, "I will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." Jer. xxiii, 24, 27.
By reading the next chapter, we see that in all God's promises of blessings, if that nation to whom he has promised does evil they lose the blessing they otherwise would have received. And when the Lord pronounces a curse upon a nation, if they turn from their evil, the curse will be withheld from coming upon them. Jer. xviii, 7–10.
When the Lord speaks to his people of the goodly heritage that is before them, he says "if ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured &c." Peter after speaking of adding to our faith all the graces of the Christian says: "if ye do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Says Jesus: If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
We might multiply this list, to almost any extent. If, is a word which represents contingency, and shows that the object concerning which it is used may be lost or gained according to the course pursued by the person or persons to whom the language is addressed.
With what show of propriety could any one claim, that all the promises we have introduced were to be fulfilled without any conditions being kept? and yet that must be the case if God has unconditionally elected a portion of our race to salvation, and reprobated the residue. If those who worship the beast and his image were destined from the foundation of the world197to be damned, what design could the Lord have in warning them against that which is made a consequent on such worship? and why in that very warning, should he represent the thing as contingent and leave a chance to hope for escape when, in fact, it is not contingent, and they could not escape if they would? If this were the case, would it not present God more in the character of some beast of prey, which after having taken some of its weaker fellows delights to see their fruitless efforts to escape its grasp?
"But," says one, "does not the Bible say that God works all things after the counsel of his will?" and if he works all things after the counsel of his will, who hath resisted his will? This may all be true, but that is taken for granted which is not stated. We will look at the text and its connection. It is in Eph. i, 11. "In whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."
Before admitting unconditional predestination from this text we inquire, 1st, who knows that God has willed the salvation of a portion of mankind without conditions? 2nd, who knows that this is his purpose? All that we can know of God's will or purpose is what we learn in his word. What do we learn in the scriptures that God's will is? Christ tells us, "This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up again at the last day." Again: "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." John vi, 39, 40. From this we learn clearly God's will. Not that he has willed the salvation of any person without an effort on their part; but if they believe on Christ God has willed that they shall have eternal life. But if you ask what is the counsel of his will, please read Rom. ii, 6, 7, and there you will see that an effort must be made on our part to secure it. God counsels us to seek for immortality, and shows us if we do seek we shall have eternal life. Who doubts then that he will work this matter and all others after the counsel of his will? Or who doubts that we have been predestinated according to his purpose? That is that God has predestinated that those who should believe on Christ should be saved. By reading Eph. i, 4, we see that we have been "chosen in Christ," Verse 5, "Predestinated unto the adoption of children." And by reading verses 9, 10, we see that God's purpose is to gather together in the dispensation of the fullness of times all who are in Christ, both in heaven and on earth.
But you say, did not the Lord create Pharaoh on purpose to have him rebel and thus show his power in him? Well, you may have supposed the scriptures taught such an idea, but I cannot see it thus: The text referred to is Rom. ix, 17, 18. "For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." We do not understand from this text that the Lord hardens a person's heart previous to any act of rebellion on their part; for we read [Deut. vii, 9,] that the Lord keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. "Then the text does not teach that the Lord will have mercy on any individual irrespective of character; but he will have mercy on 'them that love him, and keep his commandments.'" From what is said of Pharaoh we do not understand that his being "raised up" has reference to his birth and rearing up to manhood; but to something that occurred while Moses was interceding with him, to let Israel go. So we read verse 22, "What if God willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." What made Pharaoh a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction? According to what we have quoted from Deut. vii, when men hate the Lord he repayeth them to their face, to destroy them. Then Pharaoh could not be a vessel of wrath till he had himself hated the Lord and rebelled against his righteous laws.
When we turn to Ex. ix, 15, 16, where the Lord addressed this language to Pharaoh concerning his being raised up, we read, "For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, (Margin, Heb. made thee stand) for to show in thee my power" &c. When Pharaoh refused to let Israel go and asked, who is the Lord that I should let Israel go? he became a confirmed enemy of the Lord, a vessel of wrath. The Lord's vengeance did not immediately fall on him, but he endured him with much long suffering, and "raised him up," or rather made him stand, that he might show his mighty power in him. So the text would be found at last agreeing with the idea of free agency of man and conditional salvation. With this view of the subject we see there is a responsibility resting upon us if we would be saved, and we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Predestination as commonly taught destroys the idea of our responsibility. I once heard a Prof. in Rochester N. Y., while laboring zealously to establish the unconditional election of all men, say: "I have no sympathy with the idea that any responsibility rests upon us. God has given a certain number to Christ to save, and the responsibility of their salvation is laid entirely on Christ; he is responsible for their salvation, and if he fails to save us it is not any fault of ours." May the Lord keep us from falling into such a paralyzing doctrine.
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
Hanover, Oct. 31st, 1859.