Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 2, 1858
THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED:
By M. Hull
[BRO. SMITH: I send you this, as reported by my brother, Danl. W. Hull. Though not full, it contains the main ideas. If you think proper, you are at liberty to publish in Review. M. HULL.]
THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED:
A Discourse given at Russiaville, Ind., Nov. 8th, 1858.
BY M. HULL.
RESPECTED AUDIENCE: I have been talking about the precepts of God's holy law. I now propose to talk a short time about its penalty. My text will be found in Matt. vii, 13, 14:
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
From the time that Moses says, "I set before you life and death," down to the close of the book of inspiration, life and death are set before the human family—life as a reward of obedience, and death as a penalty for transgressing God's law. Notwithstanding the promise of life occurs from thirty-seven to forty times in the New Testament, it is every time placed upon conditions. There is not one promise that the finally impenitent, or those who live in the transgression of God's law, will live eternally, either in happiness or misery, heaven or hell.
The promises of life are every where conditional.
Jno. iii, 14. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Why? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." Christ came as the fruits of God's love, for a reconciliation to the world. Not because God is angry at the world, as disciplines teach, and Christ came to appease his wrath; but he came to reconcile the world to Him, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life. In this text, life, and perish, are opposites, and I will prove before I get through, that that which is perished is not alive—that perish always implies death.
In verse 36 of this chapter, we find that "he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." I should quote largely from Jno. v, and vi, were it not that the promise of life occurs often. In chap. vi, eternal life is promised no less than six times, and each promise is conditional.
John x, 10. "The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." Query. Did Christ come to impart life to an immortal soul? to give eternal life to that which cannot die? to give us that which we have inherited from Adam? We cannot think our Saviour came on an errand of supererogation.
By examining our Saviour's words to Peter, [Mark x, 30.] we find that eternal life is promised in the world (aion, or age) to come, and based upon the contingency of forsaking all for Jesus.
1 John v, 9-11. The language of this scripture is so harsh that I would not dare use it were it not found in apostolic writings. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son." Can I believe a record that God has given, and believe I have an immortal soul? Let us see. Verse 11. "And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life; and this life is in" us? No. In Adam? No. "And this life is in his Son?" When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. But who has life? "He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Now if you make the wicked live eternally, you make them have the Son of God eternally; and consequently they enjoy eternal happiness! Now who is it that makes God a liar? The class that say all men will live eternally, whether they have the Son or not, or those who deny this?
We turn back to the text and find the same ideas couched in that. First, we find the injunction, "Enter into the strait gate, because broad is the way and wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat;" and on the other hand we find a "strait gate" and a "narrow way," that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it. Find what? Life! These scriptures are in opposition to theories of this age, for the latter, in contradistinction to what we have read, all testify that men will live eternally whether they find the strait gate or not!
The wicked are compared to wood, hay, stubble, and other combustible substances. In referring to the passages containing these comparisons, I necessarily prove their destruction, although I do not aim at this in this division of my subject.
I will, then, first refer you to Job xxi, 17, 18. "How oft is the candle of the wicked put out, and how oft cometh their destruction upon them. God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind; and as chaff that the storm carrieth away." In this text they are compared to stubble and chaff. The first three verses of the first Psalm, contain a description of the righteous who are like a tree planted by the rivers of water; but verse 4 says, the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the storm carrieth away. Verse 6 declares they shall perish.
Isa. v, 20-24. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust!"
Daniel, in speaking of the kingdoms of this world at the time when the kingdom of God is established, compares them to the chaff of the summer's threshing floor, which the wind carrieth away.
Hosea xiii, 1-3 says, "When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel, but when he offended in Baal he died. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen; they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney."
We now turn to the prophecy of Nahum, and for the benefit of our Universalist friends, I will read the second verse of the first chapter. "God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth and is furious, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies." Verses 9, 10 read, "What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end; affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."
Malachi iv, 1-3. "For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch; but unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet,10in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts."
As before remarked, I have not quoted this scripture to prove that the wicked should be destroyed, or burned up; but simply to show the comparisons.
We will now show you what they are compared to in the New Testament. You will all recollect that Paul compares them to wood, hay and stubble. In Matt. iii, 10, they are compared to trees. "Now also the axe is laid unto the root of the tree," &c. In verse 11 he says, "I indeed baptize you with water; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." I believe this is a wrong translation. It is not true that the wicked will be baptized with the Holy Ghost, or that the righteous will be baptized with fire. Whiting renders it, "He shall immerse you in the Holy Spirit or in fire." If you will turn to Rev. xx, 9, 10, you will find that it is the wicked who are immersed in fire; while Acts ii teaches that it is the disciples who are immersed in the Holy Ghost.
Matt. iii, 12, says, "He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." I know that there is some quibbling upon the word, unquenchable, but that which has been cast into unquenchable fire must be burned up. This was ocularly demonstrated to my mind not long since, from seeing a court-house in Iowa City on fire. The fire engines were brought, and every thing was done that could be to quench the fire. But they decided that the fire could not be quenched, and they went to work to save other buildings. The result was, the house was destroyed. The fire was unquenchable; but it is not burning yet.
It may not be amiss here to say a word about the undying worm. Some suppose the worm to be those who are cast into the fire; but in Isa. li, 8, we find it is a worm which shall eat them like wool.
We now come directly to the question, "What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Pet. iv, 17. I am aware that some consider this an unimportant question. But we do not consider it such. At least, Peter is interested enough to ask the question. As truth never looks more beautiful than when placed by the side of error, we will give you the opinions of various writers on this point.
Mr. Todd says, "They are cast into the great ring of eternity which hath no end."
Prof. Finney says, in describing the state of the wicked, "We may add and multiply until figures are exhausted, let each figure represent a million of ages, that after having suffered the pains of hell until these figures are thus exhausted, we have no less days to roll in torments than when we were first cast in."
He also states that the torment increases eternally, insomuch that they suffer more in one hour of the second thousand years, than they did in all the first thousand years, and he thinks it is so hot when they are first cast in, that if they were taken out and put into a chaldron of red-hot potash, they would freeze to death instantly! (Laughter.) I do not see anything in this to excite mirthfulness. I am only mourning over the wisdom of this world. I do not wonder that Paul said it was foolishness with God.
We will now answer Peter's question. Heb. vi, 8. "That which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned." See also Phil. iii, 18, 19. "For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things."
David bears testimony upon this subject in Ps. lxxiii. He commences by saying, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart; but as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps were well nigh slipped. (Or to use the language of modern Methodism, David had almost backslidden.) For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (We want Universalists in particular to notice this chapter. David was envious because the doctrine of present rewards and punishments was not true.)
He says, "There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain, violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart could wish." In verse 16 he says, "When I thought to know this it was too painful for me." David could not endure the thought that the doctrine of present rewards and punishments was not true. It was too painful for him! How long? "Until I went into the sanctuary, then understood I their end." David has now learned the end of the wicked—learned in the sanctuary of God. Then he is the witness we want on this occasion. What is it, David? "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors." Then inasmuch as David professes to know something about it, we will quote largely from him upon this subject.
Ps. v, 4-6. "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight, thou hatest all workers of iniquity; thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing; the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man."
In Ps. xxxvii, we read seven threats to the wicked, and seven promises to God's people. David commences by saying, "Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." What a change there is in the mind of David. We read awhile ago that he was envious at the prosperity of the wicked. But why not fret because of evil doers? "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." Then comes the promise to the righteous. Trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
In verse 9 he says, "For evil doers shall be cut off, but those that wait on the Lord 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, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The meek are not inheriting the earth now, they are not delighting themselves in the abundance of peace now. Our Saviour says, "In the world ye shall have tribulation."
Verse 18 says, "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever; they shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied; 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." To illustrate we will suppose this candle is made of the fat of lambs. It is consuming, and unless extinguished must consume into smoke. Just so with the wicked.
Verse 22 says, "For such as be blest of him shall inherit the earth, and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off."
Verse 28 says, "For the Lord loveth judgment and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." But, says the objector, I always thought fire was a kind of preserving element, which would preserve the wicked forever. "But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever."
Verse 34 tells us when they will get their inheritance. "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it."
What has Solomon to say upon the subject? He says, [Prov. xi, 19.] "As righteousness tendeth to life, so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death." He also tells us the candle of the wicked shall be put out. And he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
For the benefit of our Universalist friends we will turn to Prov. xi, 31. The Universalists have sounded it from Dan to Beersheba that the righteous will be recompensed in the earth, much more the ungodly and the sinner, whilst the Limitarians, as they are called, have wished it was not in the Bible. For my own part I have no difficulty in harmonizing it with the doctrine of future rewards and punishments. I have already proved that the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, and much more the ungodly and the sinner, and that will be when Satan encompasses the camp of the saints and that beloved city about, and fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. We know that this text can never be harmonized with the idea that the righteous will be recompensed in heaven beyond the stars, and the wicked in a subterranean region somewhere under the earth. Nevertheless, it does not sustain Universalism.
We will now turn to Isa. i, 28. "And the destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed." The objector says, I believe they will be consumed; that is, their bodies will be consumed; but I do not believe their souls will. You don't; will you believe it if I will read it to you? If you will, you shall be favored with one expression of that kind, at least. Isa. x, 16-18. "Therefore shall the Lord the God of hosts send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire; and the light of Israel shall be for a fire and his holy One for a flame, and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day; and shall consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body, and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth."
But says one, I do not believe the spirit can be consumed. I have not time here to present an argument upon the spirit, but I will read one text showing you that the life of the spirit depends upon the life of the body. Isa. xxxviii, 16. "O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit; so wilt thou recover me and make me to live."
(Concluded next week.)
EARLY RISING AND PRAYER.
By Henry Vaughan, the Silurist.
When first thy eyes unveil, give thy soul leave
To do the like; our bodies but forerun
The spirit's duty; true hearts spread and heave
Unto their God, as flowers do to the sun.
Give him thy first thoughts then, so shall thou keep
Him company all day, and in him sleep.
Yet never sleep the sun up; prayer should
Dawn with the day; there are set awful hours
'Twixt heaven and us; the manna was not good
After sun-rising; for day sullies flowers;
Rise to prevent the sun; sleep doth sins glut,
And heaven's gate opens when the world's is shut.
Walk with thy fellow-creatures; note the hush
And whispering amongst them. Not a spring
Or leaf but hath his morning hymn; each bush
And oak doth know I AM. Canst thou not sing!
O leave thy cares and follies! Go this way,
And thou art sure to prosper all the day.
Serve God before the world; let him not go
Until thou hast a blessing; then resign
The whole unto him, and remember who
Prevailed by wrestling ere the sun did shine;
Pour oil upon the stones, weep for thy sin,
Then journey on, and have an eye to heav'n.
Mornings are mysteries; the first, the world's youth,
Man's resurrection, and the future's bud,
Shroud in their births; the crown of life, light, truth,
Is styled their star; the stone and hidden food:
Three blessings wait upon them, one of which
Should move—they make us holy, happy, rich.
When the world's up, and every swarm abroad,
Keep well thy temper, mix not with each clay;
Despatch necessities; life hath a load
Which must be carried on, and safely may;
Yet keep those cares without thee; let the heart
Be God's alone, and choose the better part.
[Henry Vaughan, the Silurist.
Faith and Works.
By H. S. Gurney
[Bro. Smith: I have an English work in my library, written by Geo. B. Cheever, D. D., from which I make a few extracts. H. S. Gurney.]
A MAN of great intellectual powers, and ardent, not yet perfect, piety, once heard two pilgrims of apostolical authority conversing in the way to heaven. One of them said, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. The other said, Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. The man went away and reported that there was a quarrel between those two, and that the latter of the two was strawy in his sayings. The mistaken man was Martin Luther.3
Now there is so far from being a quarrel between Paul and James, that there is not even a difference. The two passages are only opposite side of the same great truth. We were once traveling with a little company of missionaries in Turkey, when we came in sight of a beautiful, distant olive-orchard on the side of a hill, with the wind agitating the branches, and turning the under side of the leaves to the sun. There arose quite a contest among us as to the color of those olive-leaves. Some asserted that it was pure dark green, for that was universally the color of the olive. Others said as confidently that it was a silvery gray, appealing to the sight before us. When we came to the orchard itself, we found both assertions to be true, the under side of the leaves turned up by the wind to the sun in our first position, showing them of a silvery gray, while the upper side with the sun falling on that, in our next position, showed their natural color of a beautiful, fresh green.
So here in these two texts are the two sides of the same previous olive-branch of truth, the great distinguishing truth of the gospel, the truth of justification and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. One text shows the side towards God in Christ, the other the side towards man; both are equally true, indeed are one and the same truth.
It is at one and the same time an undeniable truth, that faith without works is the only true religion, and yet that faith without works is no religion at all, and also, that works without faith are no better than sin.
A religion of works is selfish, self-seeking, bargaining, distrustful religion. A religion of faith is a disinterested, self-denying, self-forgetting, confiding religion. A religion of works is scrupulous, fearful, cramping, prison-like and superstitious. A religion of faith is unsuspicious, fearless, open-hearted, generous, and free. . . .
There are only these two religions, the true and the counterfeit, faith without works, and works without faith. The religion of faith is the only true, the only possible religion for fallen beings. For such there can be no such thing as a religion of justifying works. Such beings have no works to offer but works of sin, or mingled with sin, and therefore works needing to be forgiven. But if you present to God as the ground of your salvation works needing to be forgiven, you present not piety, but impiety and presumption. You present to him as merit what can deserve and bring nothing but condemnation. As a fallen being, you can present nothing to him but faith; that is, you can only trust in his mercy without works, having no works to bring but your sins, or the good things of God spoiled by your sins, and having nothing that you can do but just submit and trust, willing that he should do what he pleases. . . . If you are a fallen being, a sinful creature, you can have no works to bring but what are proofs of sin. Therefore, the only true religion possible is that of faith without works, that of submission and trust, as a guilty, lost sinner. . . . There cannot be a religion of justifying works, which is not a religion of lies. And no matter how elevated, refined, and noble, or excellent the works may be supposed to be, the supposition of justifying merit in them, of a purchase of salvation by them, rots and putrefies them. For even love itself presented as merit, and faith itself presented as a justifying work, becomes a vain palpable lie. The very fact of presenting it as merit, for reward, proves that it is not true love, or true faith, but a forgery. . . . It is evident that faith without works is the only true religion, the only religion possible for mankind. But here some one will turn upon me and say out of God's own word in the apostle James, that faith without works is dead. And yet we say that faith without works is the only true religion possible for mankind. Very well. There is no contradiction here, and both these propositions are perfectly true. By faith without works James means a faith which does not produce works, which is no faith at all but devils' faith, believing, trembling, disobeying.
There is a great difference between faith without works as the way of salvation, that is a reliance only on the unbought, undeserved mercy of Christ without works, and faith not producing works, which is a dead faith. Faith without works is sure to produce works, and will show itself by works, and is true piety; that is submission, trust, confidence in God, the acceptance of his way of salvation, without any trust in ourself. A man thus coming to God by faith without works, comes indeed not bringing any works to rely on, not bringing to God anything as a ground of acceptance and pardon, but trusting, believing, having faith only.
But this faith is not dead, though it be faith without works; but it is a faith that will produce works, a living faith, or else it is a lie; it is no faith but death. As a faith producing works, it is a religion of works, and in this view the only true religion of works in the world, or possible, is the religion of justification by Christ alone, through faith alone without works.
That is the only religion that produces true works of piety, the religion of faith without works. But in order that it may be a living faith, a faith which will produce works, it must be a faith without works, a simple trust, a submissive resting in God's mere love and mercy, and not on works. But the apostle James means by faith without works, a faith not producing works, which indeed is false and dead. There is no difference between Paul and James, nor ever was, nor ever will be, although the one declares that there is no true religion but that of faith without works, and the other that faith without works is dead.
Bible vs. Nature.
By H. F. C.
WHAT do you think of the Bible, friend worldly-wise? "Why, I think it contains some very good principles; but to believe the whole of it would be most unreasonable. It presents such unjust ideas of God, showing him to be a God of fierce anger, cruel, delighting in bloodshed, commissioning his people to destroy whole nations, men, women, innocent children, and even the beasts, cattle and sheep belonging to these nations, which certainly could not have known wickedness. I cannot believe in such a God as that, or in a book that attributes such things to God—God is kind, merciful. He will not destroy his creatures. He is love."
So then you have not much confidence in the Bible, simply because, as you say, its account of God makes him, in his dealings with men sometimes to appear cruel and unkind? "I confess it." Well, suppose you lay aside the Bible; what book should we read to learn God truly in your estimation? "O, the book of Nature, most certainly—the God of Nature is not an angry, life destroying Being, he is a God of kindness and love."
I thought you would say so—your father's family are all great lovers of nature, I believe; you, I presume, have read the book of nature frequently, perhaps nearly through; but your manner of speaking makes me think you must have forgotten some part of the story. You recollect well, no doubt, what was said about its having a God, and about his omnipotence and wisdom; but do you remember its account of the God of nature, how that in A. D. 272 he left his people in Britain without food so that they ate the bark of trees; also in A. D. 310, so that 40,000 perished; and in Italy, that they devoured their own children; also A. D. 1124, so that the dead lay in the streets unburied? Do you remember that the God of nature destroyed in Constantinople, A. D. 717, by pestilence, 300,000 persons; also A. D. 1671, 200,000 more in like manner; and that by famine and plague he destroyed so many that the living could not bury them, A. D. 1077? Have you forgotten that among the Eastern nations, A. D. 1385, he cut off by a pestilence called the black death, 20,000,000? You must bear in mind also that the God of whom nature speaks has frequently shaken the earth and caused it to swallow up whole cities with their inhabitants, small and great.
Once, A. D. 357, in Asia, Macedonia, 150 cities and towns were destroyed, and human life past all calculation. A. D. 1005, for three months an earthquake's power was felt which was followed by pestilence, in which it is said one third of the human race died. These are some, but by no means all, of Nature's reports concerning the cruelty and severity of her God. Do you say, "Nature's God is not to be learned from these things." I reply, how else can we know her God except from her works, her exhibitions of his providential care? and judging from these things is not Nature's revelation of God manifold more unlovely, unmerciful, and severe than the Bible revelation of the same being? Yet, notwithstanding, your confidence in the book of nature is firm; how unreasonable then to reject the Bible for the same things which you allow in Nature. But you say, "Nature has another side to the picture." Very well, so has the Bible. The Bible is not all Moses and Moabites; Ahab and Amalekites—it is not all judgment, it is full of mercy; it is not all condemnation, it is full of pardon; it is not all Sinai, it has a Calvary; it is not all death, it has life; not all punishment, it has glorious, eternal rewards, without money and without price. Nature has suffering, toil and pain. It promises no relief, no rest, save in the grave. Nature promises death, but no life from the dead. Nature has work that must be done—it offers no reward beyond the grave. Nature blames the wicked and curses the good, favors the rich, oppresses the poor—ends all alike in the grave. In all these things she speaks of an unjust God, a God delighting in afflicting, and sparing of even small blessings.
Have you gained anything by choosing the God of Nature and rejecting the God of the Bible, friend worldly-wise? I think not. The Bible speaks of momentary or temporal suffering, storms and toil; but it also tells of eternal joy, rest and glory. It speaks of this world now, groaning and full of trouble. It tells of it by and by, renewed and full of God's glory. It reminds of death now, but promises to all who will accept by faith, life from the dead in the world to come—the earth renewed. Think of these things, my friend, and perhaps we'll talk again soon. [H. F. C.—World's Crisis.
The Dust-covered Bible.
Some years ago a clergyman in Ireland took for his text one Sabbath morning, "Search the Scriptures." In the course of his sermon, he quoted a passage from John Wesley, to the effect that the Bible "sometimes had dust enough on its cover to let you write 'damnation' on it." One of his hearers was struck by the remark, and on her return home repeated it. She was overheard by her brother, who had causelessly absented himself from church that day. The thought fixed itself in his heart like an arrow. He returned to his room, and took down his Bible. Looking at its dusty cover, and scarcely knowing what he did he wrote the appalling word of the preacher.
He looked at, read it again, and bursting into tears, flung himself on his knees, and confessing his past sins, sought grace that he might prize it more in the future. The Bible became his companion, and to his dying hour he bore witness to its sustaining power, and rejoiced in the God it reveals.
See what came from a seemingly random word spoken eighty years before.
Speakers and Hearers
By Dr. Emmons
SPEAKERS AND HEARERS.—Hearers will always give speakers their attention, if speakers will give hearers something to attend to. That the former may be interested, it is needful that the latter be interesting.—Dr. Emmons.
My Conscience does not Condemn Me?
By Wm. Bell
THIS is the answer that a great many professors give when interrogated in regard to the correctness of their position or acts. It is pretty hard to understand what is always meant by the term conscience. But conscience certainly is a blind guide, when uneducated by reason or an enlightened judgment. Conscience cannot decide what is right. Its only voice is, be right. Whatever the judgment decides is right, the conscience will approbate; and whatever the judgment decides is wrong, it will disapprobate. Thus, the Hindoo mother's conscience never gives her rest until she devotes her child to the crocodile, because her dark and benighted judgment has been taught it is right to do so. So there are a great many persons at this day, and in this country, who are occupying positions, and doing what would not stand the test for a moment if they were examined in the light of the Bible, but they have made the teachings of their church, or party, their standard of right.
This explains how some persons can live in violation of a plain command of the Bible, without any remorse of conscience, while they will show a great deal of penitence when they are convinced they have violated the rules of their church. I have heard professors say, and I am sorry they were Wesleyan Methodists too, that the same amount of dress that would be wrong for a person to wear in one community would not be wrong in another. If this be correct we cannot commit sin in dressing if we do not transcend the fashions of the community in which we live. This is making the fashions of the community the standard of right in regard to dress in place of the Bible.
How easily we are deceived! O, how carefully should all persons go to the Bible, examine its sacred pages, and learn their duty? And we, brethren, who profess to be reformers, should be careful, lest while we make the Bible our standard on many points, we let the allurements of the world pervert our judgment on others. May God help us to examine his sacred word, and make its teachings the rule of all our action.
Yours for undefiled religion.
[WM. BELL.—Wesleyan.