LECTURE VIII.

TRUE PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION, IN REFER.

ENCE TO THOSE PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO ASSERT OR IMPLY THAT ALL MANKIND WILL ULTIMATELY

BE RESTORED TO PURITY AND HAPPINESS.

2 Pet. iii: 16.—“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

In the latter part of the apostolic age, many false teachers arose, among whom the Nicholaitans and the Simonians were the most remarkable. They perverted the doctrines of the gospel respecting justification by faith; so as to make them a pretence for gratifying the vilest propensities of human nature without restraint. And to gain credit to their impious explications of the doctrines of the gospel, these impostors denied the divine authority of Christ and his apostles, and arrogated to themselves an illumination superior to that of the apostles of Christ. They assured their disciples that they were at liberty to gratify all their passions and appetites, and that Christ would not punish them for these nor any other sins,

These doctrines were extremely agreeable to the corruptions of the natural heart. By embracing these, the wicked could keep up the appearance of being believers in the Christian religion, while they denied all that was offensive in its doctrines, and threw off all that was uncomfortable in its restraints. To stop the mouths of these false teachers, and to guard his brethren against the evil tendency of their doctrines, and to establish them in the belief of

those things which the Lord himself had taught and which his apostles had delivered in his name, Peter wrote this second epistle.

The scriptures are our only rule of faith and practice. In them are clearly exhibited all those truths which are necessary for us to know in order to duty and salvation. But among the subjects contained in the Bible, some are not easy to be understood. This obscurity does not arise from any inaccuracy of expression, but from the grandeur and sublimity of the subjects produced. This is an evidence of the divine inspiration of the scriptures; for had they been originated by man they might have been easily apprehended; but that which emanates from God must of necessity be beyond the comprehension of mortals, unless it were possible for finite minds to grasp infinity. Such being the character of those subjects produced in the volume of Inspiration, we are required to bow our reason to its authority and to suspend our judgment, and wait for further light where a passage is not obvious, rather than commit ourselves to a decision that may prove to be unsound. The Bible is a depth which we shall never fathom in all its parts. It involves a thousand mysteries beyond the short-sighted view of mortals. Yet in its most important features, the truths it contains are clear and obvious. They lie upon its surface, occur again and again, and are stated in every variety of form. They are declared in such terms, and presented with such illustrations, that the vast bulk of mankind may comprehend them as well as the learned few. It is not strength of intellect, but a right temper of mind, that is wanting in order to a true understanding of the Bible.

But owing to a depraved heart, nourished by a wicked life, the unlearned, the unteachable who are averse to the truth, and the unstable who have no fixed religious principles and no firm attachment to virtue, wrest the scriptures. By far-fetched criticisms and false interpretations, they distort, pervert and put to the torture, the plain and obvious as well as the more difficult passages of revelation, to make them speak a meaning different from what the Holy Ghost intended. There is no one instance in which the character of false teachers is more manifest than in their perversion of the plain and

obvious meaning of the Bible. They form a theory of their own which has a tendency to diminish their fear of the divine displeasure, and remove their painful apprehensions of future punishment, and which supports their hope of future happiness apart from present holiness; and then they pervert the sacred truth in such a manner as to support their belief. The reason of this is obvious. While they are crying peace, peace, and while their hope of future bliss is based on the presumption that there is no wrath to come, no undying worm, no unquenchable fire, no hell; the Bible with a voice of seven fold vengeance proclaims, "that it shall be ill with the wicked, for the reward of his hands skall be given him." Hence, like Haman, they find that all their fancied hopes avail them nothing, while the Bible, with its pointed precepts and awful sanctions, like Mordecai at the king's gate, is disturbing their peace and blasting their hopes. Hence they torture the scriptures so as to speak a sentiment that shall accord with the prevailing inclinations of their hearts. But in doing this they will effect their own ruin. They wrest the scriptures to their own destruction. As they do not embrace the love of the truth that they might be saved, God will permit the effectual working of error in their minds to lead them even to believe a lie, that they may be damned who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in iniquity.

What I propose, on the present occasion, is to go into an examination of some of those leading passages of scripture on which the objectors to future punishment rely for support. In doing this, I presume, we shall find a practical illustration of the truth of our assertion, that they wrest the scriptures.

Time will not allow me to go into a minute examination of every individual passage, which is supposed to imply or assert the final salvation of all men. I choose rather to classify them, and by giving in as few words as possible the real meaning of these classes, to enable you to determine what is the true meaning of particular passages.

Much reliance is placed on that class of texts in which Christ is said to have "tasted death for every man," (Heb. ii: 9)—to have

"given himself a ransom for all," (1 Tim. ii: 6)—to have "suffered the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God," (1 Pet. iii: 18} -to be "the propitiation for the sins of the whole world," (1 John ii: 2)—to have “died for all,” (2 Cor. v : 15)—and to be "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world," (John i: 29.) But do these passages assert that Christ will save all men? No-nor do they even imply this. All they assert is, that Christ by his sufferings and death has made a full and complete atonement for sin, and thereby opened a way in which all men may be saved. His work was not confined to any part of the world, but was designed to open the way of pardon to all men. He came into the world with powers and provisions adequate for all men, and made salvation possible to all. But it is one thing that a way should be prepared, and quite another to be found walking in that way. In the parable of the great supper the provision is abundant, and the invitation is full and free; but this did not avail those who refused to comply with it; for it was added, "none of these men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." Nor will the offer of pardon freely made to sinners through the death of Christ, avail us any thing without a cordial acceptance of him. The sacrifice of Christ does not, in itself considered, secure the salvation of any. It is the price or ransom, on the efficacy of which the reconciliation of mankind depends. The benefits flowing from the death of Christ are freely offered; but they can never be enjoyed unless we comply with the conditions on which they are offered. This is an important consideration which many seem to overlook. They read that "Christ died for all;" that the offers of pardon and eternal life are made to all, and hence they conclude that all will be saved. But they should remember that while the offers of mercy are made to all, the promises of mercy are to those only who comply with the terms of the gospel. Although Christ has died for all, yet we read of those "who deny the Lord that bought them," or made them his professed people, "and bring upon themselves swift destruction."-(2 Pet. ii: 1.) The death of Christ avails only on the part of true believers. To all others "he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence."-1

Pet. ii: 8.) They are condemned by the very fact that Christ is come into the world.-(John iii: 19.)

There is another class of texts, in which it is said God "hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked," (Ezek. xxxiii: 11)—is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance," (2 Pet. iii: 9)" who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth."-(1 Tim. ii: 4.) Is it here expressly asserted that all men will be saved? Plainly not. These and similar passages simply express the general benevolence of God, or his readiness to pardon and save repenting, returning sinners. But they do not assert that any of our race will be saved. The argument which the objectors to endless punishment derive from these passages, is this: "Whatsoever God wills, will come to pass. God wills the salvation of all men; therefore all men will be saved." Let us examine this argument. Is not the fundamental principle on which it is based, fallacious? God has a purpose, and whatever he decrees, he will most certainly bring to pass. But it is not said that God has purposed to save all men. He " delights not in the death of the sinner;" and "will have all men to be saved." Will this event then surely come to pass? God is said to have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth; yet he dieth. Jehovah is said to have no pleasure in iniquity; yet iniquity exists. God now commands all men every where to repent, and it is declared that it is his will that all should come to repentance, and the knowledge of the truth. But shall we thence infer that there are no impenitent sinners who are ignorant of the truth? God wills the sanctification of all men. "This is the will of God even your sanctification." He also wills that "all men should be perfect in this life, even as their Father in heaven is perfect." But does this prove that all men are in fact now perfect? By no means. Nor is the fact that God is said to will the salvation of all men any evidence that all will be saved. In 1 Tim. ii: 4, where God has declared by St. Paul, that he will have all men to be saved, the word here translated will is not expressive of a purpose or decree. It is not the same word which the apostle uses in Rom. viii: 29, 30, and other