8. Is 46. 10. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Is. 53. 10. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. Upon these two texts of scripture we remark: 1. That God has a counsel and pleasure of his own, which belongs exclusively to himself to perform, independent of the agency of man. This counsel will stand, and this pleasure will be performed. With respect to this, it is declared: "He doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him what doest thou?" [Dan. 4. 35.] But 2, God has a counsel and pleasure to perform, connected with the moral agency of man; a part of which man himself is to perform, or it remains undone. This I will now prove. The Psalmist testifies: "Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness." [Ps. 5. 4.] As God is unchangeable, his pleasure has always been that wickedness should not exist; yet wickedness has existed for nearly six thousand years. Now, God has not performed all his pleasure with reference to the destruction of wickedness, for this reason; it requires the co-operation of man to bring about this result. If God absolutely performed all his pleasure, in matters with which man's agency was connected, then it would be an impossibility for man to commit sin, or to displease God in any way. This conclusion is too obvious to be called in question: The converse also, must be equally self-evident, that is, if man can, and actually does displease God, then the pleasure of the Lord is not always done. Let us see: "But with many of them God was not well pleased.” [1. Cor. 10. 5.] Then it follows, that he was displeased, which proves that his pleasure is not always done. Again: "Before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God." [Heb. 11. 5.] In this case the pleasure of the Lord was performed; but it was owing to the obedience of Enoch. Again, says the apostle: "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." [Heb. 10. 38.] In such a case the pleasure of the Lord would not be done, which is another confirmation of the truth of the above positions. 3. The fact that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in the hands of Christ, is no proof that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in the hands of the wicked, or that the wicked will all be saved. These are two very different propositions. The pleasure of the Lord that Christ had to perform did prosper in his hands. Hence we hear him say: "Not my will but thine be done." (Luke 22. 42.) This proof-text cannot embrace every thing in the Universe which is according to the pleasure of the Lord: if so, then Christ would long since have done away with sin, and every species of evil, for we have it positively declared that the Lord has no pleasure in them; and hence it must be according to his pleasure for them to cease. 9. Is. 53. 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and • shall be satisfied. This text comes far short of proving Universalism. It is assumed that all that Christ desired he should see accomplished, and thus be satisfied. But this is not the case. He desired the salvation of Jerusalem as a city, when he said: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem-how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." (Math. 23. 37.) Christ was not satisfied in this case; for he complains and says: "Ye will not come unto me that you might have life." (John 5. 40.) But did he really desire them to come? Certainly. Hear him entreat: "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ;” [Math. 11. 28.] but they did not come, and consequently the Saviour was not satisfied in the Universalist application of this text. Again: Christ desires the salvation of all men in this life, as much as he does in the next; but is he satisfied? By no means. This difficulty stares Universalism in the face, but it cannot dispose of it. Christ however is satisfied with what he has done in bringing about, and completing a plan of salvation; and in the out-come, if but a few are saved, the Saviour will be satisfied: because no blame can be reflected upon him, and because those who are not saved might have been had they been disposed; and therefore their damnation is just. Thus: "He shall see of the travail of his soul [i. e. those who have believed and obeyed the gospel,] and shall be satisfied." 10. Is. 55. 11. So shall my word be that goeth forth out : it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Universalists assume that this scripture proves their doctrine from the fact that God has sent forth his word to effect the salvation of all men; and he declares that it shall accomplish the thing for which he sent it. But we shall soon discover that this argument, like most others, has its foundation laid deep in sophistry and misapprehension. Look at the first word in the text: "So shall my word be." How? Read the preceding verse, and it will tell. "For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater;" (Then comes in the text:) "so shall my word be." How? "As the rain." This solves the whole difficulty. The rain comes down and prepares the soil, that man may have seed to sow and bread to eat; provided he attend to the ordinances of Nature,-the ordinances of plowing, sowing, reaping, gathering into his barn, and preparing for use. But the rain brings bread to no man independently of his own exertion and co-operation. "So shall my word be," says God: "it shall accomplish that which I please;" upon the same principle of the rain which comes down from heaven; it shall bring the blessings of the gospel within the reach of man, and if he, by attending to the means of grace, "lay hold" of the rich boon of "eternal life," he will be blessed; but if he, like the sluggard, will not plow by reason of the cold, he shall beg in the immortal harvest and have nothing. Thus Universalism is against itself in bringing into its service this declaration of the prophet, and for this reason: it is thus admitted that the word of God is sent forth to secure the future and immortal salvation of man;-this shows in the first place, that man's future salvation was, and is in danger, which Universalism denies; and as the word of God accomplished its object upon the same principle that the rain gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, which is by our attending to means; then it follows, that none can enjoy the future salvation only such as comply with the conditions which the word of God has enjoined. 11. Lam. 3. 31. Is. 57. 16. For the Lord will not cast off forever. For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. 1. These two declarations of scripture have been reiterated by Universalists, until they are worn thread-bare, without once appealing to the context to know who "the Lord will not cast off forever." In the chapter from which the first text is quoted, Jeremiah is lamenting his own afflictions, and those of his brethren, and says: "the Lord will not cast off forever," that is, such as return from their evil way, and reform at the chastisements of the Lord. This is confirmed by verse 25: "The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." But he changes the subject at the close of that chapter, and speaks of the destiny of those who are the enemies of God, and of his people: who were not subjects of this merciful chastisement. "Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands; give them sorrow of heart; thy curse upon them; persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord." [Lam. 3. 64-66.] This does not look much like Universalism: To recompense them in anger, and with sorrow of heart;-to curse them, and persecute them, and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord! If this be Universalism, it is such indeed with a vengeance! 2. The context of the other quotation is also against Universalism. When the prophet Isaiah testifies that the Lord "will not contend forever," he refers (as does Jeremiah,) to those who are chastised, and who are thereby led to reformation, and not at all to the wicked who wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived." He refers to these latter characters in the following verses, in contrast 66 "But with those with whom the Lord would not contend forever. [says he, showing the contrast,] the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace to the wicked, saith my God." [Verses 20, 21.] If a man is wicked all his life, he has no peace. If he should die, and go into eternity wicked, still he has no peace. If he is raised from the dead wicked (which he will be, as we shall hereafter prove,) then he will remain without peace, and continue like the troubled sea when it cannot rest. Thus the context is against Universalism in both cases, which is another case of Universalism against itself. 3. But we have Universalism still more against itself in trying to make these two texts testify in its favor. By doing so, it admits that forever, and "cast off forever," means to all eternity. It would not suit the theory at all, to say that forever means a limited duration, Let us try it. "The Lord will not cast off for a little while." This will not work, for Universalists contend that the Lord does cast off a little while, but he will not cast off forever, i. e. eternally. Very good. Hear now what David says to Solomon: "If thou seek him he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off forever." [1. Chron. 28, 9.] That is, he will cast thee off to all eternity, which this application of the passage admits to be the correct meaning of that phrase ! 12. Ezek. 33. 11. Say unto them as I live saith the Lord 1. This text is quoted by Universalists to prove that none will be finally lost. They must therefore necessarily admit that the dying here spoken of refers to an eternal death beyond the grave as this is what they quote it to disprove. 2. Here Universalism is against itself by the admission, for the remainder of the verse proves conclusively, that the wicked would die that death, or be finally lost, unless they returned. "Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways; for why will you die?" This difficulty cannot be evaded by denying this death to refer to the future state: for mark the fact, Universalists start out upon the assumption that God's pleasure cannot be frustrated; and it is his pleasure that the wicked should not die; hence it cannot mean the death of the body, or a death in sin; for they admit that they do die these deaths; it cannot therefore have this meaning, as the pleasure of God would thus be frustrated. There is therefore no other ground left that they can take, according to their views of the pleasure of God, but to refer this death to the future state of existence. 3. But we can prove that it refers to the future and eternal death without such admission. 1. It cannot mean the natural death of the body, for that the righteous have to suffer as well as the wicked :-neither can the wicked avoid it by turning from their wicked ways, which is the case with the death here referred to. 2. It cannot signify a moral death or death in sin, for this reason: The wicked whom the Lord addressed were then dead in trespasses and in sins; and still they had not died the death here spoken of, for he says: "Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will you die?" In the future, not why are you dead? or why do you remain dead? which would have been the case, had he spoken of a moral death. Hence there is no other logical ground to take than that it has direct reference to an eternal death beyond the present life. 4. But says the objector: if this death does refer to the future state, no one need fear it; for God declares he has no pleasure in it. We will prove, however, that the pleasure of the Lord is, and has been frustrated in many instances. First, as God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, either his pleasure is frustrated, or else the text does not refer to any death to be inflicted in this present state of existence. This no man can get over. If however it refers to the future state, then the wicked will die this death unless they turn from their evil ways. But in the next place, there are many things contrary to God's pleasure: "I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts; neither will I accept an offering at your hands." [Mal. 1. 10.] Here the Jews acted contrary to the pleasure of God, and hence his pleasure was frustrated. Again: "For thou art not a God, that hast pleasure in wickedness." [Ps. 5. 4.] As God has no pleasure in wickedness, it follows that in every sin a man commits, he frustrates the pleasure of God." Without faith it is impossible to please God." [Heb. 11. 6.] "Howbeit with many of them God was not well pleased." [1. Cor. 10. 5.] "But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." [Heb. 13. 16.] "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him." [Ps. 147. 11.] "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." [Heb. 10. 38.] These passages show that God has pleasure in some things and some persons, and has no pleasure in others: which proves that things are frequently contrary to his pleasure: and from this it follows that the wicked may, and actually will die the second, and eternal death unless they return from their evil ways, although God has no pleasure in such death. 13. Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? 1. Upon this text Universalists base their argument of God's Universal paternity ;-that God is the father of the whole human family; and consequently that all will be saved. I admit the premises:-that God is the father of the whole human family in the sense of this text, i. e., because he has created them; but I deny the conclusion.-God is just as much now the father of all mankind, as he ever will be, and yet all are not now saved. God |