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| 261.1 | Free grace (1 of 6) | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Sep 09 1993 15:17 | 99 |
| FREE GRACE
Preached at Bristol, in the year 1740, by John Wesley.
From The Works of John Wesley, Third Edition, Complete and
unabridged, Volume VII. Henderickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody,
Massachustts 01960. Reprinted 1986 from the 1872 edition issued
by Wesleyan Methodist Book Room, London.
TO THE READER
Nothing but the strongest conviction, not only that what is here
advanced is "the truth as it is in Jesus," but also that I am
indispensibly obliged to declare this truth to all the world,
could have induced me openly to oppose the sentiments of those
whom I esteem for their work's sake: At whose feet may I be
found in the day of the Lord Jesus!
Should any believe it his duty to reply hereto, I have only one
request to make, - Let whatsoever you do, be done in charity, in
love, and in the spirit of meekness. Let your very disputing
show that you have "put on, as the elect of God, bowels of
mercies, gentleness, longsuffering:" that even according to
this time it may be said, "See how these Christians love one
another!"
ADVERTISEMENT
Whereas a pamphlet entitled, "_Free Grace Indeed_," has been
published against this Sermon; this is to inform the publisher,
that I cannot answer his tract till he appears to be more in
earnest. For I dare not speak of "the deep things of God" in the
spirit of a prize-fighter or a stage- player.
______________
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give is all things?"
Romans 8:32
1. How freely does God love the world! While we were yet sin-
ners, "Christ died for the ungodly." While we were "dead in
sin," God "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for
us all." And how freely with him does he "give us all things!"
Verily, free grace is all in all!
2. The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is
free in all, and free for all.
3. First. It is free in all to whom it is given. It does not
depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree,
neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in anywise depend
either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not
on anything he has done, or anything he is. It does not depend
on his endeavors. It does not depend on his good tempers, or
good desires, or good purposes or intentions; for all these flow
from the free grace of God; that are the streams only, not the
fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root.
They are not the cause, but the effects of it. Whatsoever good
is in the man, or is done by man, God is the author and doer of
it. Thus is his grace free in all; that is, no way depending on
any power or merit in man, but on God alone, who freely gave us
his own Son, and "with him freely giveth us all things."
4. But is it free for all as well as in all? To this some have
answered, "No: it is free only for those whom God hath ordained
to life; and they are but a little flock. The greater part of
mankind God hath ordained to death; and it is not free for them.
Then God hateth; and therefore, before they were born, decreed
that they should die eternally. And this he absolutely decreed;
because so was his good pleasure; because it was his sovereign
will. Accordingly, they are born for this, - to be destroyed
body and soul in hell. And they grow up under irrevocable curse
of God, without any possibility of redemption; for what grace
God gives, he gives only for this, to increase, not prevent,
their damnation."
5. This is the decree of predestination. But methinks I hear one
say, "This is not the predestination which I hold: I hold only
the election of grace. What I believe is no more than this, -
that God, before the foundation of the world, did elect a cer-
tain number of men to be justified, sanctified, and glorified.
Now, all these will be saved, and none else; for the rest of
mankind God leaves to themselves: So they follow the imagi-
nations of their own hearts, which are only evil continually,
and, waxing worse and worse, are at length justly punished with
everlasting destruction."
6. Is this all the predestination which you hold? Consider;
perhaps this is not all. Do you believe God ordained them to
this very thing? If so, you believe the whole decree; you hold
predestination in the full sense which has been above described.
But it may be you think you do not. Do you them believe, God
hardens the hearts of them that perish? Do you not believe, he
(literally) hardened Pharaoh's heart; and that for this end he
raised him up, or created him? Why, this amounts to the same
thing. If you believe Pharaoh, or any one man upon earth, was
created for this end, - to be damned, - you hold all that has
been said of predestination.
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| 261.2 | Free Grace (part 2 of 6) | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Sep 09 1993 15:18 | 94 |
| 7. Well, but it may be you do not believe even this; you do not
hold any decree of reprobations; you do not think God decrees
any man to be damned, nor hardens, irresistibly fits him, for
damnation; you only say, "God eternally decreed that all being
dead in sin, he would say to some of the dry bones, Live, and to
others he would not; that, consequently, these should be made
alive, and those abide in death, - these should glorify God by
their salvation, and those by their destruction.
8. Is not this what you mean by election of grace? If it be, I
would ask one or two questions: Are any who are not thus elected
saved? or were any, from the foundation of the world? If you
say, "No," you are but where you was; you are not one hair's
breadth farther; you still believe, that, in consequence of an
unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, the greater part of
mankind abide in death, without any possibility of redemption;
inasmuch as none can save them but God, and he will not save
them. You believe he hath absolutely decreed not to save them;
and what is this but decreeing to damn them? It is, in effect,
neither more nor less; it comes to the same thing; for if you
are dead, and altogether unable to make yourself alive, then,
if God has absolutely decreed he will make only others alive,
and not you, he hath absolutely decreed your everlasting death;
you are absolutely consigned to damnation. So then, though you
use softer words than some, you mean the self-same thing; and
God's decree concerning the election of grace, according to your
account of it, amounts to neither more nor less than what others
call God's decree of reprobation.
9. Call it therefore by whatever name you please, election,
preterition, predestination, or reprobation, it comes in the
end to the same thing. The sense of all is plainly this, - by
virtue of an eternal, unchangeable, irresistible decree of God,
one part of mankind is infallibly saved, and the rest infallibly
damned; it being impossible for any of the former should be
damned or any of the latter should be saved.
10. But if this be so, then is all preaching vain. It is need-
less to them that are elected; for they, whether with preaching
or without, will be infallibly saved. Therefore, the end of
preaching - to save souls - is void with regard to them; and
it is useless to them that are not elected, for they cannot
possibly be saved: They, whether with preaching or without,
will infallibly be damned. The end of preaching is therefore
void with regard to them likewise; so that in either case our
preaching is vain, as your hearing is also vain.
11. This, then, is a plain proof that the doctrine of predes-
tination is not a doctrine of God, because it makes void the
ordinance of God; and God is not divided against himself. A sec-
ond is, that it directly tends to destroy that holiness which is
the end of all ordinances of God. I do not say, none who hold it
are holy; (for God is of tender mercy to those who are unavoid-
ably entangled in errors of any kind;) but that the doctrine
itself, - that every man is either elected or not elected from
eternity, and that the one must inevitably be saved, and the
other inevitably be damned, - has a manifest tendency to destroy
holiness in general; for it wholly takes away those first mo-
tives to follow after it, so frequently proposed in Scripture,
the hope of future reward and fear of punishment, the hope of
heaven and fear of hell. That these shall go away into everlast-
ing punishment, and those into life eternal, is no more motive
to him to struggle for life who believes his lot is cast al-
ready; it is not reasonable for him so to do, if he thinks he
is unalterably adjudged either to life or to death. You will
say, "But he knows not whether it is life or death." What then?
- this helps not the matter; for if a sick man knows that he
must unavoidably die, or unavoidably recover, though he knows
not which, it is unreasonable for him to take any physic at all.
He might justly say, (and so I have heard some speak, both in
bodily sickness and in spiritual,) "If I am ordained to life,
I shall live; if to death, I shall die; so I need not trouble
myself about it." So directly does this doctrine tend to shut
the very gate of holiness in general, - to hinder unholy men for
ever approaching thereto, or striving to enter thereat.
12. As directly does this doctrine tend to destroy several
particular branches of holiness. Such are meekness and love,
- love, I mean, of our enemies, - of the evil and unthankful. I
say not, that none who hold it have meekness and love; (for as
is the power of God, so is His mercy;) but that it naturally
tends to inspire, or increase, a sharpness or eagerness of
temper, which is quite contrary to the meekness of Christ; as
then especially appears, when they are opposed on this head.
And it as naturally inspired contempt or coldness towards those
we suppose outcasts from God. "O but," you say, "I suppose no
man a reprobate." You mean you would not if you could help it:
But you cannot help sometimes applying your general doctrine to
particular persons: The enemy of souls will apply it for you.
You know how often he has done so. But you rejected the thought
with abhorrence. True; as soon as you could; but how did it sour
and sharpen your spirit of love which you then felt towards that
poor sinner, whom you supposed or suspected, whether you would
or no, to have been hated from God from eternity.
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| 261.3 | Free Grace (part 3 of 6) | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Sep 09 1993 15:19 | 105 |
| 13. Thirdly. This doctrine tends to destroy the comfort of
religion, the happiness of Christianity. This is evident as to
all those who believe themselves to be reprobated, or who only
suspect or fear it. All the great and precious promises are lost
to them; they afford them no ray of comfort: For they are not
the elect of God; therefore they have neither lot nor portion in
them. This is an effectual bar to their finding any comfort or
happiness, even in that religion whose ways are designed to be
"ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace."
14. And as to you who believe yourselves the elect of God, what
is your happiness? I hope, not a notion, a speculative belief,
a bare opinion of any kind; but a feeling of possession of God
in your heart, wrought in you by the Holy Ghost, or, the witness
of God's Spirit with your spirit that you are a child of God.
this, otherwise termed "the full assurance of faith,"is the true
ground of a Christian's happiness. And it does indeed imply a
full assurance that all your past sins are forgiven, and that
you are now a child of God. But it does not necessarily imply
a full assurance of our future perseverance. I do not say this
is never joined to it, but that it is not necessarily implied
therein; for many have the one who have not the other.
15. Now, this witness of the Spirit experience shows to be much
obstructed by this doctrine; and not only in those who believing
themselves reprobated, by this belief thrust it far from them,
but even in them that have tasted the good of the gift, who yet
have soon lost it again, and fallen back into doubts, and fears,
and darkness, - horrible darkness, that might be felt! And I
appeal to any of you who hold this doctrine, to say, between
God and your own hearts, whether you have not often a return
of doubt and fears concerning your election or perseverance! If
you ask, "who has not?" I answer, Very few of those that hold
this doctrine; but many, very many, of those that hold it not,
in all parts of the earth; - many of those who know and feel
they are in Christ to-day, and "take no thought for the morrow;"
who "abide in him" by faith from hour to hour, or, rather from
moment to moment; - many of these have enjoyed the uninterrupted
witness of his Spirit, the continual light of his countenance,
from the moment wherein they first believed, for as many months
or years, to this day.
16. That assurance of faith which these enjoy excludes all doubt
and fear. It excludes all kinds of doubt and fear concerning
the future perseverance; though it is not properly, as was said
before, and assurance of what is future, but only of what now
is. And this needs not for its support a speculative belief,
that whoever is once ordained to life must live; for it is
wrought from hour to hour, by the mighty power of God, "by
the Holy Ghost which is given unto them." And therefore that
doctrine is not of God, because it tends to obstruct, if not
destroy, the great work of the Holy Ghost, whence flows the
chief comfort of religion, the happiness of Christianity.
17. Again: How uncomfortable a thought this is, that thousands
of millions of men, without any preceding offense or fault
of theirs, were unchangeably doomed to everlasting burnings!
How peculiarly uncomfortable must it be to those who have put
on Christ! to those who, being filled with bowels of mercy,
tenderness, and compassion, could even "wish themselves accursed
for their brethren's sake!"
18. Fourthly. This uncomfortable doctrine directly tends to
destroy our zeal for good works. And this it does, first, as
it naturally tends (according to what was observed before) to
destroy our love to the greater part of mankind, namely, the
evil and unthankful. For whatever lessens our love, must so far
lessen our desire to do them good. This it does, secondly, as it
cuts off one of the strongest motives to all acts of bodily
mercy, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and
the like, - viz, the hope of saving their souls from death.
For what avails it to relieve their temporal wants, who are
just dropped into eternal fire? "Well; but run and snatch them
as brands out of the fire." Nay, this you suppose impossible.
They were appointed thereunto, you say, from eternity, before
they had done either good or evil. You believe it is the will
of God they should die. And "who hath resisted his will?" But
you say you do not know whether these are elected or not. What
then? If you know they are the one or the other, - that they are
either elected or not elected; for they will infallibly be saved
without it. It is useless to them that are not elected; for
with or without it they will infallibly be damned; therefore you
cannot consistently with your principles take any pains about
their salvation. Consequently, those principles directly tend
to destroy your zeal for good works; for all good works; but
particularly for the greatest of all, the saving of souls from
death.
19. But, fifthly, this doctrine not only tends to destroy Chris-
tian holiness, happiness, and good works, but hath also a direct
and manifest tendency to overthrow the whole Christian Revela-
tion. The point which the wisest of the modern unbelievers most
industriously labour to prove, is, that the Christian Revelation
is not necessary. They well know, could they once show this,
the conclusion would be too plain to be denied, "If it be not
necessary, it is not true." Now, this fundamental point you give
up. For supposing that eternal, unchangeable decree, one part of
mankind must be saved, though the Christian Revelation were not
in being, and the other part of mankind must be damned, notwith-
standing that Revelation. And what would an infidel desire more?
You allow him all he asks. In making the gospel thus unnecessary
to all sorts of men, you give up the whole Christian cause. "O
tell it not in Gath! Publish it not in the streets of Askelon!
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice;" lest the sons
of unbelief triumph!
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| 261.4 | Free Grace (part 4 of 6) | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Sep 09 1993 15:20 | 93 |
| 20. And as this doctrine manifestly and directly tends to over-
throw the whole Christian Revelation, so it does the same thing,
by plain consequence, in making that Revelation contradict it-
self. For it is grounded on such an interpretation of some texts
(more or fewer it matters not) as flatly contradicts all the
other texts, and indeed the whole scope and tenor of Scrip-
ture. For instance: The asserters of this doctrine interpret
that text of Scripture, "Jacob have I loves, but Esau have I
hated," as implying that God in a literal sense hated Esau, and
all the reprobated from eternity. Now, what can possibly be a
more flat contradiction than this, not only to the whole scope
and tenor of Scripture, but also to all those particular texts
which expressly declare "God is love?" Again: They infer from
that text, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy," (Ro-
mans 9:15) that God is love only to some men, viz., the elect,
and that he hath mercy on those only; flatly contrary to which
is the whole tenor of Scripture, as is that express declara-
tion in particular, "The Lord is loving unto every man; and his
mercy is over all his works." (Psalm 149:9 ? -> cxlv. 9) Again:
They infer from the like texts, "It is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy," that
he showeth mercy only to those to whom he had respect from all
eternity. Nay, but who replieth against God now? You now contra-
dict the whole oracles of God, which declare throughout, "God
is no respecter of persons:" (Acts 10:34): "There is no respect
of persons with him." (Romans 2:11). Again: from that text,
"The children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; it was said unto
her," unto Rebecca, "The elder shall serve the younger;" you
infer, that our being predestined, or elect, no way depends on
the foreknowledge of God. Flatly contrary to this are all the
Scriptures: and those in particular, "Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God; (1 Peter 1:2); "Whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate." (Romans 8:29)
21. And "the same Lord over all is rich" in mercy "to all that
call upon him:" (Romans 10:12): But you say, "No; he is such
only for those whom Christ died. And those are not all, but
only a few, whom God hath chosen out of the world; for he died
not for all, but only for those who were 'chosen in him before
the foundation of the world.'" (Ephesians 1:4) Flatly contrary
to your interpretation of these Scriptures, also, is the whole
tenor of the New Testament; as are in particular those texts: -
"Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died," (Romans
14:15) - a clear proof that Christ died, not only for those that
are saved, but also for them that perish: He is "the savior of
the world;" (John 4:42); He is "the Lamb of God that taketh away
the sin of the world:" (John 1:29) "He is the propitiation, not
for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world;" (1
John 2:2); "He," the living God, "is the Savior of all men;" (1
Tim. 4:10); "He gave himself a ransom for all;" (1 Tim 2:6); "He
tasted death for every man." (Hebrews 2:9)
22. If you ask, "Why then are not all men saved?" the whole law
and the testimony answer, first, not because of any decree of
God; not because it is his pleasure they should die; for, "As
I live, saith the Lord God," "I have no pleasure in the death
of him that dieth." (Ezekiel 18:3,32) Whatever be the cause of
their perishing, it cannot be his will, if the oracles of God
are true; for they declare, "He is not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance;" (2 Peter 3:9);
"He willeth that all men should be saved." And they, secondly,
declare what is the cause why all men are not saved, namely,
that they will not be saved: So our Lord expressly, "Ye will not
come unto me that ye may have life." (John 5:40) "The power
of the Lord is present to heal" them, but they will not be
healed. "They reject the counsel," the merciful counsel, "of
God against themselves," as did their stiff-necked forefathers.
And therefore are they without excuse; because God would save
them, but they will not be saved: This is the condemnation, "How
often would I have gathered you together, and ye would not!"
(Matthew 23:37)
23. Thus manifestly does this doctrine tend to overthrow the
whole Christian Revelation, by making it contradict itself; by
giving such an interpretation of some texts, as flatly contra-
dicts all the other texts, and indeed the whole scope and tenor
of Scripture; - an abundant proof that this is not of God. But
neither is this all: For, seventhly, it is a doctrine full of
blasphemy as I should dread to mention, but that the honour of
the gracious God, and the cause of his truth, will not suffer
me to be silent. In the cause of God, then, and from a sincere
concern for the glory of his great name, I will mention a few of
these horrible blasphemies contained in this horrible doctrine.
But first, I must warn every one of you that hears, as ye will
answer it at the great day, not to charge me (as some have done)
with blaspheming, because I mention the blasphemy of others. And
the more you are to grieve! with them that do thus blaspheme,
see that ye "confirm your love towards them" the more, and that
your heart's desire, and continual prayer to God, be, "Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do!"
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| 261.5 | Free Grace (part 5 of 6) | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Sep 09 1993 15:21 | 102 |
| 24. This premised, let it be observed, that this doctrine rep-
resents out blessed Lord, "Jesus Christ the righteous," "the
only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth," as
an hypocrite, a deceiver of the people, a man void of common
sincerity. For it cannot be denied, that he everywhere speaks
as if he is willing that all men should be saved. Therefore,
to say he was not willing that all men should be saved, is to
represent him as a hypocrite and dissembler. It cannot be denied
that the gracious words which came out of his mouth are full
of invitations to all sinners. To say, then, he did not intend
to save all sinners, is to represent him as a gross deceiver
of the people. You cannot deny that he says, "Come unto me, all
ye that are weary and heavy laden." If, then, you say he calls
them that cannot come; those whom he knows to be unable to come;
those whom whom he can make able to come, but will not; how is
it possible to describe greater insincerity? You represent him
as mocking his helpless creatures, by offering what he never in-
tends to give. You describe him as saying one thing, and meaning
another; as pretending to love which he had not. Him, in "whose
mouth was no guile," you make full of deceit, void of common
sincerity; - then especially, when, drawing nigh to the city,
He wept over it, and said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that
killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee;
how often would I have gathered thy children together, - and
ye would not;" (-Greek annotation shown in text not shown here-
best I can do is this: n0E^noa-xai oux n0E^noaTE) Now, if you
say, they would, but he would not, you represent him (which who
could hear?) as weeping crocodile's tears; weeping over the prey
which himself had doomed to destruction.
25. Such blasphemy this, as one would think might make the ears
of a Christian tingle! But there is yet more behind; for just
as it honours the Son, so doth this doctrine honour the Father.
It destroys all his attributes at once: It overturns both his
justice, mercy, and truth; yea, it represents the most holy
God as worse than the devil, as both more false, more cruel,
and more unjust. More false; because the devil, liar as he
is, hath never said, "He willeth all men to be saved:" More
unjust; because the devil cannot, if he would, be guilty of such
injustice as you ascribe to God, when you say that God condemned
millions of souls to everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels, for continuing in sin, which for want of that
grace he will not give them, they cannot avoid: and more cruel;
because that unhappy spirit "seeketh rest and findeth none;"
so that his own restless misery is a kind of temptation to him
to tempt others. But God resteth in his high and holy place; so
that to suppose him, of his own mere motion, of his pure will
and pleasure, happy as he is, to doom his creatures, whether
they will or no, to endless, misery, is to impute such cruelty
to him as we cannot impute even to the great enemy of God and
man. It is to represent the most high God (he that hath ears to
hear let him hear!) as more cruel, false, and unjust than the
devil!
26. The is the blasphemy clearly contained in the horrible
decree of predestination! And here I fix my foot. On this I
join issue with every asserter of it. You represent God as
worse than the devil; more false, more cruel, more unjust. But
you say you will prove it my Scripture. Hold! What will you
prove by Scripture? that God is worse than the devil? It cannot
be. Whatever the Scripture proves, it never can prove this;
whatever its true meaning be, this cannot be its true meaning.
Do you ask, "what is the true meaning then?" If I say, "I know
not," you have gained nothing; for there are many Scriptures
the true sense whereof neither you nor I shall know till death
is swallowed up in victory. But this I know, better it were to
say it had no sense at all, than to say it had such a sense as
this. It cannot mean, whatever it means besides, that the God
of truth is a liar. Let it mean what it will, it cannot mean
that the Judge of all the world is unjust. No Scripture can
mean that God is not love, or that his mercy is not over all his
works; that is, whatever it prove beside, no Scripture can prove
predestination.
27. This is the blasphemy for which (however I love the per-
sons who assert it) I abhor the doctrine of predestination, a
doctrine, upon the supposition of which, if one could possi-
bly suppose it for a moment, (call it election, reprobation,
or what you please, for all comes to the same thing,) one might
say to our adversary, the devil, "Thou fool, why dost thou roar
about any longer? Thy lying in wait for souls is as needless
and useless as our preaching. Hearest thou not, that God hath
taken thy work out of thy hands; and that he doeth it much more
effectually? Thou, with all thy principalities and powers canst
only so assault that we may resist thee; but He can irresistibly
destroy both body and soul in hell! Thou canst only entice; but
His unchangeable decree, to leave thousands of souls in death,
compels them to continue in sin, till they drop into everlast-
ing burnings. Thou temptest; He forceth us to be damned; for
we cannot resist His will. Thou fool, why goest thou about any
longer, seeking whom thou mayest devour? Hearest thou not that
God is the devouring lion, the destroyer of souls, the murderer
of men? Moloch caused only children to pass through the fire;
and that fire was soon quenched; or, the corruptible body being
consumed, its torment was at an end; but God, thou art told,
by his eternal decree, fixed before they had done good or evil,
causes, not only children of a span long, but the parents also,
to pass through the fire of hell, the 'fir which never shall
be quenched;' and the body which is cast thereinto, being now
incorruptible and immortal, will be ever consuming and never
consumed, but 'the smoke of their torment,' because it is God's
good pleasure, 'ascendeth up for ever and ever.'"
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| 261.6 | Free Grace (part 6 of 6) | TOKNOW::METCALFE | Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers | Thu Sep 09 1993 15:22 | 72 |
| 28. O how would the enemy of God and man rejoice to hear these
things were so! How would the cry aloud and spare not! He would
lift up his voice and say, "To your tents, O Israel! Flee from
the face of this God, or ye shall utterly perish! But whither
shall ye flee? Into heaven? He is there. Down to hell? He is
there also. Ye cannot flee from an omnipresent, almighty tyrant.
And whether ye flee or stay, I call heaven, his throne, and
earth his footstool, to witness against you, ye shall perish,
ye shall die eternally. Sing, O hell, and rejoice, ye that are
under the earth! For God, even the mighty God, hath spoken, and
devoted to death thousands of souls, from the rising of the sun
unto the going down thereof! Here, O death, is thy sting! They
shall not, cannot escape; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken
it. Here, O grave, is thy victory! Nations yet unborn, or ever
they have done good or evil, are doomed never to see the light
of life, but thou shalt gnaw upon them for ever and ever! Let
all those morning stars sing together, who fell with Lucifer,
son of the morning! Let all the sons of hell shout for joy! For
the decree is past, and who shall disannul it?"
29. Yea, the decree is past; and so it was before the foundation
of the world. But what decree? Even this: "I will set before
the sons of men 'life and death, blessing and cursing.' And the
soul that chooseth life shall live, as the soul that chooseth
death shall die." This decree, whereby "whom God did foreknow,
he did predestinate," was indeed from everlasting; this, whereby
all who suffer Christ to make them alive as "elect according
to the foreknowledge of God," now standeth fast, even as the
moon, and as the faithful witnesses in heaven; and when heaven
and earth shall pass away, yet this shall not pass away; for it
is as unchangeable and eternal as is the being of God that gave
it. This decree yields the strongest encouragement to abound
in all good works, and in all holiness; and it is a well-spring
of joy, of happiness also, to our great and endless comfort.
This is worthy of God; it is in every way consistent with all
the perfections of his nature. It gives us the noblest view
of his justice, mercy, and truth. To this agrees the whole
scope of the Christian Revelation, as well as all the parts
thereof. To this Moses and all the Prophets bear witness, and
our blessed Lord and all his Apostles. Thus Moses, in the name
of his Lord: "I call heaven and earth to record against you
this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing
and cursing; therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may
live." Thus Ezekiel: (To cite one Prophet for all:) "The souls
that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear" eternally
"the iniquity of the father. The righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be
upon him." (Ezekiel 18:20) Thus our blessed Lord: "If any man
thirst, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37) Thus his
great Apostle, St. Paul: (Acts 17:3):) "God commandeth all men
everywhere to repent;" - "all men everywhere;" every man in
every place, without any exception either of place or person.
Thus St, James: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it
shall be given him." (James 1:5) Thus St. Peter: (2 Peter 3:9):
"The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance." And thus St. John "If any man sin,
we have an Advocate with the Father; and he is the propitiation
for our sins; and not for ours only, but for the sins of the
whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)
30. O hear ye this, ye that forget God! Ye cannot charge your
death upon him! "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked
should die? saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 18:23, &c.) Repent,
and turn from your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your
ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have
transgressed, - for why will ye die, O house of Israel? for I
have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord
god. Wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." "As I live, saith
the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
- Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O
house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11)
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