DEBATE IN LAFAYETTE--DIE IN ADAM--ALIVE IN CHRIST--THIS WORLD AND
WORLD TO COME--BATTLE GROUND--IN MONTICELLO--A REPLY--A PREACHER
WHIPPED--D. VINES--S. OYLER--I. M. WESTFALL--B. F. FOSTER IN
INDIANA--REVIVAL POETRY--LADOGA CAMP-MEETING--WORSHIP GOD--IN
MICHIGAN CITY--AN EPISCOPAL PREACHER--A WET RIDE--DEBATE IN
DAYTON--DISCUSSION IN JEFFERSON--EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT--END OF THE
WORLD--SECOND COMING OF CHRIST--ETERNAL LIFE--MEANING OF EVERLASTING.
Soon after this, I had an oral debate in Lafayette, with Mr. Jeffries,
Protestant Methodist, of that place, which continued four days. One
of my principal proof-texts was 1 Corinthians, 15th chapter. I spoke
as follows: This is one of the longest chapters in the New Testament,
and in it the apostle discourses on very important subjects--on life
and death, mortality and immortality, the earthy nature and heavenly
nature. There are two general statements in this chapter. 1st. We must
all die in Adam. 2d. We shall all be made alive in Christ. I will
notice these statements in the order I have named them.
1st. We must all die. “As in Adam all die.” This does not say we must
die because a man by the name of Adam did so and so, six thousand years
ago. Adam is a Hebrew word, and signifies _man_. Job says, “_Man_
that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” In the
original it reads, _Adam_, instead of man. That Adam simply means man,
or mankind, is evident from the account of the creation of our race, in
Genesis. “Let us make _man_ (Adam) in our image, after our likeness,
and let _them_ have dominion.” Here the plural verb shows that the word
Adam is employed collectively, meaning _mankind_. “And God created _the
man_ (the Adam) in his own image: in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he _them_.” Here both the application of “male
and female” to _the Adam_, and the plural pronoun at the end of the
verse shows that the man is used generically, and that it is equivalent
to the first of _mankind_. The word Adam, then, was not a proper name,
but an appellative noun for the human species; its application to the
first man, as his proper name, was subsequent and secondary. Hence when
the apostle says, “As in Adam all die,” he means, As in the Adamic
nature, the earthy, corruptible, mortal nature, all die. Adam means
mortal man, and all mankind die in that nature.
2d. The other statement is contained in the same verse--“Even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.” “Made alive in Christ,” is contrasted
with “die in Adam;” and as Adam means the earthy nature, so Christ
means the heavenly nature. Here is universal death in the earthy
nature, and universal life in heavenly nature. All die on earth and all
shall live in heaven. But in the Adamic nature is the _germ_ of the
Christ-like nature, as in the corn is the germ of the future stock.
In this chapter the apostle gives this beautiful analogy thus: “But
some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do
they come?” In answering these questions the apostle shows, that the
germ of the heavenly man is in the earthy man. “Thou fool! that which
thou sowest is not quickened except it die.” The seed corresponds to
the mortal body; the _germ_ corresponds to the spirit in man; and as
the sowing of the seed develops the germ into a beautiful and vigorous
plant, to bask in the sunshine, inhale the air, and drink the dews of
heaven, so the death of the mortal body quickens the indwelling spirit,
and it enters with renewed vigor on its immortal and heavenly life.
The seed then is an emblem of man; its resurrection an emblem of man’s
resurrection. Who can deny a resurrection when the world is so full
of emblems pointing man to that great fact in his own destiny. “So,”
says the apostle, referring to this beautiful illustration, “is the
resurrection of _the dead_”--all the dead, all who die in the earthy
nature. In the words, “It is sown,” the writer seems to refer to the
seed sown in the ground, still making it an emblem of man. Mankind sown
in corruption, dishonor, are raised incorruptible, glorious. The second
body is more glorious than the first, as the rose is more glorious than
the seed. These citations show what the apostle means by the words,
“made alive in Christ;” and remember, that all who die in the Adamic
nature are thus to be made alive.
“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father,” etc. (See verses 24-28). Here we learn what is
to be destroyed. 1. “All rule.” 2. “All authority.” 3. “All power.”
4. “Death.” And mark you, that death is the LAST enemy. My friend
asserts, that death is NOT the last enemy, but that beyond death, and
IN HELL, there are legions of enemies to be the everlasting tormentors
of countless millions of mankind. If the gentleman is correct, death
is not the _last_ enemy, but rather the _first real enemy_, and opens
the door to the fires, furies, and demons of perdition, which will burn
and lash their victims world without end. Let it also be noted, that
the last enemy is to be DESTROYED. The apostle continues his statements
concerning the subjugation of all things to God thus: “And when all
things shall be subdued to God, then shall the Son himself be subject
to him, that put all things under him that God may be all in all.”
This is the END to which mankind are tending, and this consummation
will surely be realized. All sin, error, suffering and death, shall be
abolished; all mankind subdued to God, and God ALL IN ALL. The sum of
this chapter then is this--all mankind are mortal, corruptible, and
must die; death is destruction to the _body_, but life to the _soul_;
glory, honor and immortality, are the rich inheritance of mankind.
“The apostle,” replied Mr. J., “teaches the resurrection of the _body_,
not of the _spirit_, and I admit that he teaches the resurrection of
all the dead, and when that shall be effected the absent spirits will
claim their long lost bodies.”
I rejoined: The gentleman tells us, that the writer of this chapter
teaches the resurrection of the bodies of all the dead. If he is
correct, God will raise the bodies of saints and sinners, Jews and
Gentiles, incorruptible, glorious, heavenly, and when that shall be
done, he will unlock hell, and take the deformed, corrupt, wretched
spirits, that have been imprisoned in that foul dungeon for thousands
of years, and perhaps millions of ages, and put them into those
beautiful, glorious, heavenly bodies. That would be a union of perfect
purity with total depravity, a marriage of heaven and hell, and two
bodies so totally unlike would fly asunder like fire and water. The
truth is, the apostle speaks not of the resurrection of this mortal
body, these bones and muscles, this flesh and blood, but of _the
man_--the inner, spiritual, real man. This body is necessary, while we
are denizens of earth. By means of it the spirit is connected with the
outer world, but when we shall be dwellers of the spirit land, we shall
have no further use of these mortal tabernacles.
In his first speech on the proposition relating to endless punishment,
Mr. Jeffries boasted that he should make short work of me and of my
faith. “I have,” said he, “one text to quote, and one question to ask.
The text is Matthew xii. 31, 32. ‘Wherefore I say unto you, All manner
of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever
speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but
whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven
him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.’ And this is
the question: If the sin against the Holy Ghost was not to be forgiven
in this world, or in the world to come, _where will it be forgiven_? I
once had a debate with Jonathan Kidwell, and I cited this verse, and
asked this question, and it brought the discussion to a _close_, for
Mr. Kidwell could neither answer the question nor explain the passage
so as to save Universalism from total destruction. The debate was to
continue four days, but it lasted twenty minutes.”
I responded as follows: The gentleman pretends that he once “used up”
one man by one question, and one text, and he expects to demolish me in
the same easy and summary manner; but the sequel may show that he is
over sanguine. I will show that the passage on which he so confidently
relies to sustain his monstrous proposition, affords it no aid whatever.
1. If the words, “this world and the world to come,” mean this life and
the life to come, as my friend supposes, then _all sin_, save the _one
sin_ against the Holy Ghost, may be forgiven in the _future state_. The
passage reads, “_All_ manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven
unto men.” The parallel passage (Mark iii. 28) reads thus: “_All
sins_ shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and [all] blasphemies
wherewithsoever they shall blaspheme.” It is as clear as daylight,
from these passages, that _all sins_, except the _one_ specified, can
be forgiven “in this world or the world to come.” If the gentleman is
right in his application of the passage, _all sins but one_, may be
forgiven in the future state of being, and his creed is consequently
_false_, for it asserts that God will not permit a sin to be forgiven
on the other side of the river, but every sin the soul harbors when
it shuffles off its mortal coil, becomes fossilized, immortal as God
himself. He must either abandon his text or his unforgiving creed.
2. The gentleman relies on the word, _shall_--the sin against the Holy
Ghost shall not be forgiven. That word occurs twice in the passage,
and I wish to call his special attention to where it occurs the second
time. ALL SINS SHALL BE FORGIVEN. If _shall_ is to be understood in
the absolute sense in one place, it must in the other, and then the
passage means, that all sin, except that _one_ against the Holy Ghost,
SHALL be forgiven somewhere, either in this world or the world to come.
The passage, then, instead of blasting our blissful hope and cherished
faith, that all sin and wrong will ultimately end, strikes a death-blow
at the gentleman’s creed concerning the immortality of wickedness of
every name and grade.
3. It is by no means certain, that “this world and world to come,”
means this life and life to come. The most learned men of all schools
tell us, that the passage should be translated, this _age_ and _age_
to come, meaning the Jewish age or dispensation, and Christian age or
dispensation. Dr. Adam Clarke takes this view of the words: “Though I
follow the common translation, yet I am FULLY SATISFIED the meaning of
the words is, neither in this _dispensation_, viz., the Jewish, nor in
that which is to come, viz., the _Christian_. _Olam ha-bo, the world to
come_, is a constant phrase for the times of the Messiah, in the Jewish
writings.” Bishop Pearce says, “Rather, neither in this _age_, nor in
the _age_ to come;” meaning the Jewish and Christian dispensations.
“Ah!” said he, in his next speech, “if the sin against the Holy Ghost
was not to be forgiven in the Jewish age or Christian age, when was
it to be forgiven? The Jewish age commenced in the days of Moses and
ended when Christ was crucified; the Christian age commenced then,
and will not end till death shall be swallowed up in victory. _When_
and _where_ can that sin be forgiven? Will Mr. Manford answer that
question?”
Reply. The Jewish and Christian ages belong to _this stage_ of
existence, and when the Jordan of death shall be passed, we shall not
be living in the Jewish age or Christian age, but in the _spirit age_,
_spirit world_, and the passage does not intimate that sin or any other
sin cannot be forgiven there. The truth is, that the wisdom, the light,
the glory of the spirit world will soon transform every soul into its
image. When the sun crosses the equator, on the twentieth of March,
how dead the vegetable kingdom lies, horror wide extends his desolate
domain. But the sun soon begins to impart his renovating grace to root
and seed, and the result is, a _general resurrection_ on hill, dale and
plain. Nothing can resist his influence; all vegetation comes forth to
newness of life. So the wisdom and love of heaven, corresponding to the
light and heat of the sun of this world, illuminates and warms every
soul, and quickens each and all into newness of life. Say not, then,
that sin cannot be put away from the soul on the other side of the
river. We should not cheat ourselves by delaying to live a Christian
life till middle age, or till we enter the spirit land, but in the
words of Dr. Watts,
“While the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest sinner may return.”
The _lamp of life_ will burn forever, and the time or place will
never be known, where and when, the sinner cannot return to truth, to
virtue--to God. Every tree and shrub is invigorated and developed by
the sun’s life-giving beams, so the great spiritual Sun does not shine
in vain; every soul will be blessed by his divine emanations. In the
language of the Bible, “All nations whom thou hast made shall go and
worship before thee O Lord, and glorify thy name.”
“You forget,” said my opponent, in his last speech on the above
passage, “that those who committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, were
in danger of _eternal damnation_.”
No, sir, I have not forgotten that; neither have I forgotten, that if
the sin named is absolutely _never_ to be forgiven, the sinner who
commits it is not in _danger_ of suffering damnation, but is _sure_ of
suffering it, just as sure as he has sinned. There is no remedy, his
doom is sealed. These words, then, clearly imply, that the punishment
named may be arrested. This is an important consideration. Again, the
word, _eternal_ is from the same Greek term that _world_ is, and Dr.
Clarke, as we have seen, says it means _age_, and learned men of all
denominations admit it signifies age, time, life-time. I have now
noticed every point the gentleman made on this noted passage, and it is
evident that it affords the dogma of immortal wretchedness no support.
I delivered several lectures at the Tippecanoe battle ground, and
became acquainted with many persons, who have ever since been steadfast
friends. This place is six miles north of Lafayette. There is a marsh
on one side, and a small stream, with a narrow bottom, covered with
thick woods, on the other. The distance from the swamp to the stream is
about three hundred yards, and on this narrow belt of ground General
Harrison’s army was encamped, and the battle fought. No military man, I
suppose, would deem that a safe camping-ground in an enemy’s country.
But Harrison did not expect the Indians would fight, but rather treat
for peace; but he should have been more cautious. He repelled the
attack, with heavy loss to his army, but if he had been defeated, his
force would have suffered sorely, for the Wabash river was in his rear,
only one mile distant, and that without bridge or boats.
I also preached in Monticello, and was replied to by a Methodist
minister. My text was, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
and he that believeth not shall be damned.” The gospel, I said,
comprises the theological and moral doctrines that Jesus taught. He
told men, that God was the Father of the spirits of all flesh; that the
high and the low, the rich and the poor, the wise and the ignorant, the
black and the white, the slave and his master, were alike the children
of God, and belong to and compose one family; that the physical,
intellectual, and moral bounties of God’s store-house were accessible
to all, and that the Master of the feast invites all to partake freely
and live. He had doomed none, and never would doom any, to eternal
starvation. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,
and ye that have no money, come, buy wine and milk without money and
without price.” If we are wise and partake of this feast of fat things,
we live, are blessed with salvation, and the kingdom of God, which is
righteousness, joy and peace in the holy spirit, reigns in the soul.
But if we shun the rich provisions of the Father’s board, walk on the
other side, choose darkness, error and sin, rather than light, truth
and virtue, woe be to us. Every heavenly principle, every law of God
condemns us, till we set our faces heavenward, and turn our steps
upward.
“There was not,” said the preacher, “one particle of gospel in that
sermon. Mankind were lost and ruined by the fall of Adam; the seal of
eternal damnation was _burnt_ deep into the hearts of all, by Adam’s
apostasy, and God became incarnate to make it _possible_ for man to be
saved. Those who believe in the incarnate God are saved from hell, from
the wrath of God, and the curse of the fall; but those who reject the
crucified Jesus, are lost beyond redemption, and the seal of damnation
will burn deeper and deeper into their immortal souls; they will be
abandoned by God, Christ, angels, and all the saints will say, _amen_.”
He was one of the most orthodox preachers I ever heard. When in the
pulpit, he was always harping on the mysterious jargons of Orthodoxy,
with his face elongated, and a countenance bordering on despair; but
out of the pulpit he was a boy, and a foolish boy too. When preaching
in Logansport, shortly after General Tipton died, a noted citizen of
that place, he cried, “There, General Tipton, that old sinner, is dead
and gone to hell.” A son of Mr. Tipton, soon after, met the preacher
on a long bridge at Logansport, and with a whip gave him a pretty hard
thrashing. He begged for mercy, and promised not to talk in that style
any more.
During the first two years I resided in Lafayette, I seldom met a
minister of my faith. There were only two others in Indiana at that
time, and they were in remote parts of the state, and being aged
men did not preach much, but after that time I had more ministerial
associates. D. Vines, of Frankfort, spoke some in public, and received
Letter of Fellowship. His intentions were good, but his qualifications
meager. He subsequently became a Swedenborgian, or a Spiritualist, and
I have lost sight of him. Samuel Oyler, of Jefferson, also entered the
ministry. He preached three or four years in the south part of the
state, and then came out a lawyer, and, I understand, he succeeds well
in that profession. I. M. Westfall, of Thornton, left the Methodist
church, of which he was a lay-member, and commenced preaching without
any preparation, save strong faith and ardent zeal. He possessed a
good mind, and soon became a popular speaker. He remained in Indiana
about one year, and then moved to Iowa City, Iowa. He continued in the
ministry till recently. At the present time he resides in Minnesota,
and is practising medicine. At Perrysville, where I had preached
monthly for two years, a meeting-house was erected, and a society
organized. Being in Oxford, Ohio, I met with B. F. Foster, a young
man, who had just commenced preaching, and prevailed on him to move to
Perrysville, and take charge of the society in that place. He, however,
soon left P. and located in Terre Haute, where our friends were
building a fine meeting-house. He has resided in Indiana ever since,
and is a popular and useful minister. He has been for many years pastor
of the society in Indianapolis, and at the present time he is State
Librarian.
An Association, embracing the country from Terre Haute to Lafayette,
called the Wabash Valley Association, was organized. The meeting that
organized it was held in Perrysville, and it was an enthusiastic
gathering. Seven or eight societies were represented, all recently
formed. Many went on horseback, in wagons and carriages, thirty, forty,
and fifty miles. Our friends were alive with zeal, and did not mind
traveling fifty miles to a good meeting.
The United Brethren held a noisy meeting in Warren county, and the
following lines were very popular with the Brethren, and they often
sung them:
The devil is mad,
And I am glad,
_Glory, O hallelujah_.
The devil may pout,
But I will shout.
_Glory, O hallelujah_.
I noticed this meeting, and quoted their popular hymn in the _Teacher_,
and the Brethren in that county were very indignant. At their next
meeting one of their preachers took up the matter. “That little
Universalist preacher,” said he, “that lives in Lafayette, and prints
that Universalist paper, is mad because we sing about his daddy.”
I attended, on a dark and gloomy night, a fanatical camp-meeting of
the Methodists, near Ladoga. It was held in a dense forest. When a
mile from the camp, I heard the noise of the nocturnal worshipers.
Arriving on the ground, the scene that opened to the vision, beggared
description. The whole camp seemed to be in an uproar. Preachers were
preaching, exhorters exhorting, singers singing, shouters shouting, and
jumpers were jumping. Some seemed to be suffering intense agony, others
as happy as clams at high water. Some kept their seats, while others
were hopping, skipping and jumping like chickens with their heads cut
off. One man ran past me without looking to the right or left. “Where
are you going?” said I. “To glory.” A preacher screamed as loud as his
lungs would allow, “The devil is in the camp, and must be driven out.
Get the horn, form in line, march round the ground three times, blow
the horn, the devil must be driven out, the walls of Jericho shall
fall.” The procession was formed, the horn was blown, and the march
was made. Whether Satan left the camp, and the said walls fell at this
demonstration, the master of the ceremony did not see proper to inform
us. I left the ground about midnight, when the excitement was under
full headway, and my reflections while walking back to the village were
as follows: Is this the proper way to worship God? Does he require
us to make fools of ourselves, and act like bedlamites? Is religion
fanaticism? Is regeneration an hallucination? I will not believe a
word of it. Religion consists in love to God and man. Noise, uproar,
fanaticism are not worship, are not religion, are not regeneration.
God speaks to the soul with the still small voice of inspiration and
intuition, and the truly pious make but little outward demonstration.
Empty wagons make much noise, heavy laden ones pass our streets
without hardly being heard. But then I do not wonder at the noise,
lamentation, agonizing, and every other extravagance, of these people.
They think God is frowning on this world, that his wrath is kindled to
its hottest pitch, that he has already banished most of the dead to
the infernal regions, and that during every moment of time crowds are
driven from earth to hell, and that we all stand on the very brink of
a bottomless pit. No wonder the victims of this terrible belief are
nearly insane. Strange they are not all raving mad. O God, enlighten
their minds concerning thee, whom to know is life eternal.
I visited Michigan City by request, and delivered four discourses.
The Episcopal clergyman of the place, took the trouble to go around
town, and destroy all the notices of the meetings that were tacked
up, and to tell the people not to go near me. But large congregations
attended, and all seemed much interested. In one of my lectures I gave
a history of the “rise and progress” of the Episcopal Church. Stated
that it was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity; that Henry
VIII., universally admitted to have been the most beastly monarch
that ever reigned in England, was the first Episcopalian, and the
father of the sect; that church from Henry’s day to this day has been
a proud, arrogant, insolent, overbearing concern; in England it draws
half of its support from unwilling pockets, from those who belong to
other communions; that it cares not who starves provided its priests,
bishops, and lords live in indolence, race horses, chase foxes, and
drink brandy; it never took but one short step from the Catholic
Church, the mother of harlots, and it was now creeping back into the
arms of its old mamma; but there are some live men and women in the
church, and they deplore the stupidity, coldness and old hunkerism of
the lifeless body to which they are bound.
The distance from Lafayette to Michigan City, is about one hundred
miles, and for fifteen miles on each side of the Kankakee river, there
was not, in those days, a house. It commenced raining on my way to
Michigan City, when I had reached the south margin of that wilderness
of prairie, and it poured down in torrents till I made the first house,
thirty miles distant. It was a swamp nearly all the way, and the
flood of that day made the road, such as it was, nearly impassable. I
sometimes thought I should have to return; but about ten at night I
reached a cabin, drenched with rain, covered with mud, and as hungry as
a bear.
A Presbyterian elder, by the name of Smith, was eager for a debate, and
he was gratified. We occupied the Presbyterian church in Dayton, and
the poor elder did one pretty hard day’s work. He was frightened out of
most of his wits; his nerves were unstrung, and his hand so trembled
he could not hold his Bible to read his texts. I pitied him, but dealt
as hard blows as I could strike. He was disgusted with himself, and
proposed, a few weeks after, to try again, hoping to do better. We
spent two days at Rossville, near his home, and he then willingly
retired without further debating.
A few days after this affair, I spent four days in discussion with
Mr. Coon, a Scotch Presbyterian, and Calvinistic “up to the hub.” He
was a prominent man in his church, intelligent, and well educated. He
subsequently published a book of three or four hundred pages, against
the doctrine of the Restitution, and in defense of eternal punishment.
The discussion was held in Jefferson; and though the weather was
intensely cold, a large number attended. Mr. Coon was a strong man, and
all were anxious to hear. He had thoroughly prepared himself for the
work. It required two or three men to carry his books to and from the
church. I had my Bible, and perhaps two or three other books. He talked
English, and Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew. Mr. Taylor, a Presbyterian
minister, who had just closed an eight days’ debate with John O’Kane,
of the Campbellite Church, was one of the moderators, and he prayed for
Mr. Coon, imploring the Lord to help him on that important occasion.
“These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous
into life eternal,” (Matt. xxv. 46,) was one of his proof-texts. “It is
evident,” said he, “that this passage teaches the endless punishment
of the wicked, for the following reasons: 1. It relates to what would
transpire at the _end of the world_. This, and the preceding chapter,
is an answer to the questions, ‘What shall be the signs of thy coming,
and of the _end of the world_?’ Matt. xxiv. 3. 2. ‘These’ were to
go into everlasting punishment when Christ would come the _second
time_, and that event was to take place at the end of the world. 3.
Everlasting is from the same Greek word that is rendered _eternal_,
and consequently the everlasting punishment is to continue as long as
the eternal life. If one will end so will the other end. 4. The best
scholars tell us, that the Greek word here rendered everlasting and
eternal, signifies _endless duration_.”
I replied: Mr. Coon tells us, that his text was to be fulfilled at the
end of the world spoken of in Matthew xxiv. He is doubtless correct.
Now, learned men of all denominations tell us, that _world_ there
means the Jewish Dispensation, and the _end_ of the world the end of
that Dispensation. Most of them translate the passage, “end of the
AGE.” It is so rendered by Doddridge, Macknight, Whitby, Pearce, Le
Clerc, Hammond, Wakefield and Kenrick--all learned men, and save one
or two, advocates of endless misery. The word, _world_ is often used
in this sense in the New Testament. “Now once in the end of the world
hath Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
Heb. ix. 24. Christ did appear at the end of the Jewish Dispensation
for that purpose. The Jews divided time into _two ages_--the _age
before_ Christ, and the _age after_ Christ. The _first age_ ended, as
Paul says, “when Christ appeared.” The end of _the world_, then, took
place eighteen hundred years ago, and _then_ the gentleman’s text was
fulfilled.
2. When Christ was to come the second time, some were to go away
into everlasting punishment. When was he thus to come? In this same
discourse Jesus speaks of that coming, and affirms, that it would take
place in _that generation_. “And then shall appear the sign of the
Son of man, ... and they shall see the Son of man coming.” He then
states when he would come: “This _generation_ shall not pass till all
these things be fulfilled.” Matt. xxiv. 30, 34. On another occasion,
addressing his disciples, he said, “But when they persecute you in this
city, flee ye into another; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not
have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come.” Matt.
x. 27. He would come so soon that the disciples would not be able to
visit all of Israel’s cities. At another time he said, “For the Son of
man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then
he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto
you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till
they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” Matt. xvi. 27, 28. He
was to come the second time before some who heard these words would
die. He intimated that the apostle John would live to witness this
coming. “Peter seeing John, saith to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man
do? Jesus saith to him, If I will that he _tarry till I come_, what is
that to thee? Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that
the disciple would not die; yet Jesus said not to him, He shall not
die; but, If I will that he _tarry till I come_, what is that to thee.”
John xxi. 21-23. It requires considerable effort to misunderstand these
plain declarations. Jesus told his hearers, that he would come the
second time, 1. In the generation in which he lived; 2. So soon the
disciples would not have time to visit all Judah’s cities; 3. Before
some he addressed would die; 4. That John, the beloved disciple, might
live to see him come. In the face of all this testimony, Mr. Coon tells
us, that coming is _yet a future event_! But the truth is, that coming
took place at the _beginning_ of the Christian Dispensation, at the
_ushering in_ of the Gospel Age, at the _setting up_ of the kingdom of
God. The revelator, who was the disciple John, says, he “saw the holy
city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.” Rev. xxi. 3.
Judaism had passed away, Paganism was dead, and a new order of things
had commenced--old things had passed away, all things had become new.
The world had entered on a _new era_. This is what Christ meant by his
coming in _power_ and _glory_.
3. The gentleman truly says, that everlasting and eternal are from
the same original word. He then _assumes_ that “eternal life” in his
text means endless blessedness, and then _infers_, that “everlasting
punishment” means endless wretchedness. His assumption and inference
are alike fictions. According to the New Testament, the Christian, in
this world, is in possession of eternal or everlasting life. “He that
believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE.” “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, HATH
EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation, but IS PASSED
from death unto life.” John v. 24. “This is LIFE eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent.” John xvii. 3. Eternal life is gospel life--_spiritual life_,
and every Christian man and woman is now in possession of this life.
When a person is _alive_ to every thing holy and good, possesses the
spirit of Christ, and lives the life of Christ, it may be truly said
of him, he “HATH everlasting life.” So, when a man’s character is the
reverse of this, when he is a son of error and sin, it may be truly
said of him, he HATH everlasting punishment. If everlasting life can be
enjoyed here, cannot everlasting punishment be suffered here? Again,
a person may be a Christian to-day, and consequently in possession of
everlasting life; but his love may wax cold, he may become a sinner,
an unbeliever, an infidel; he will then be no longer in possession of
everlasting life. So, an infidel and a sinner of to-day may become a
saint, like St. Paul; he then passes from death to life, from suffering
everlasting punishment to the possession of everlasting life. But, by
everlasting punishment, Jesus had direct reference to the temporal
desolation that was soon to befall his countrymen at the end of the
Jewish Dispensation. The kingdom was to be taken from them, and they
were to be cast out into outer darkness, till the fullness of the
Gentiles should come in.
4. Mr. Coon informs us, that the Greek terms, _aion_, _aionios_, mean
endless duration. These are two forms of one word. _Aion_ is a noun,
and _ios_ added to it, forms the adjective. This word occurs in these
two forms three times in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of
Matthew. In the twenty-fourth chapter, the disciples inquired of Jesus,
“What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the _end of the world_?”
These two chapters answer these two questions. Now, _world_ is from
_aion_, the same word rendered everlasting, and eternal, in the text.
There was then to be an _end_ to _aion_. Mr. Coon tells us, that this
word means _duration without end_, and in the same speech cites the
same word to prove that it (_aion_) is to _end_! One passage explains
the other. In one place Jesus speaks of _aionios_ punishment, without
stating whether he means endless or limited time; in the other place
the apostles inquire concerning the _end_ of the _aion_, and Jesus in
answering their question, tells them, that it _shall end_, “but,” he
adds, “the _end_ is not yet.” Many things would transpire before that
event would occur. “He that endureth to the _end_ shall be saved....
And the gospel of this kingdom shall be preached in all the world for
a witness to all nations; and then shall the _end_ come.... Verily,
verily, I say unto you, _this generation_ shall not pass, _till all
these things be fulfilled_.” Matt. xxiv. 6, 13, 14, 34. We have, then,
the word of Jesus for it, that _aion_, and consequently, _aionios_,
everlasting punishment, may end. I will give the true definition of
_aion_, according to learned men--all believers in endless woe:
SCHLEUSNER.--“Any space of time, whether longer or shorter, past,
present, or future, to be determined by the persons or things spoken
of, and the scope of the subject--the life or age of man; any space in
which we measure human life, from birth to death.”
DONNEGAN.--“_Aion_, time; a space of time; lifetime and life; the
ordinary period of man’s life; the age of man; man’s estate; a long
period of time; eternity. _Aionios_, of long duration; eternal,
lasting, permanent.”
SCHREVELIUS.--“_Aion_, an age, a long period of time; indefinite
duration; time, whether longer or shorter, past, present or future;
life, the life of man. _Aionios_, of long duration, lasting, sometimes
everlasting, sometimes lasting through life.”
This is the definition learned men give the word. I will now show that
the Bible attaches the same meaning to it.
1st. _Everlasting._ “And I will give unto thee and thy seed, all the
land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” Gen. xvii. 8.
“And I will make of thee a multitude of people, and will give this land
(Canaan) to thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession.” Gen.
xlviii. 4.
Now, was this possession to be endless? No, for it ceased long ago!
But let me read still more: “Unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting
hills”--“The everlasting mountains were scattered.” Hab. iii. 6. The
gentleman believes that the everlasting hills and mountains will all be
destroyed when the world comes to an end!
“For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood.” Exod.
xl. 15. “And he (Phinehas) shall have it, and his seed after him, even
the covenant, for an everlasting priesthood.” Num. xxv. 13. “And this
shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the
children of Israel once every year.” Lev. xvi. 34. Was the priesthood
to be of endless duration? or has it not long since been abolished by
the priesthood of Christ? Such, my friends, is a sample of the Bible
use of this word.
2d. _Forever._ “He (Solomon) shall build me an house, and I will
establish it forever.” 1 Chron. xvii. 12. This house although
established forever, was long since torn down and destroyed! “For
the land which thou seest, to thee (Abram) will I give it, and to
thy seed forever.” Gen. xiii. 15. “You will keep it (the passover) a
feast by an ordinance forever.” Exod. xii. 14. Was the observance of
the passover to be of endless duration? “They shall be your bondsmen
forever.” Lev. xxv. 46. Were they to be bondsmen throughout duration?
“I went to the bottom of the mountains; the earth with her bars was
about me forever”--that is, three days! Jonah ii. 6. “The righteous
shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” Ps. xxxvii. 29. Are
the righteous to dwell in a land endlessly? “And his master shall bore
his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever,”--that
is, as long as he live. Exod. xxi. 6. “And they shall dwell in the
land that I have given my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers have
dwelt, and they shall dwell therein, forever; and my servant David
shall be their prince forever.” Ezek. xxvii. 25. This needs no comment.
“But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to
generation,”--from _genea_ to _genea_. “For I have told him that I will
judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knoweth.” Will the
Almighty be endlessly judging the house of Eli? And if to judge forever
does not mean endless judgment, why should to punish forever mean
endless punishment? Can any one tell? Paul, writing to Philemon, says
of Onesimus,--“For perhaps he departed for a season, that thou shouldst
receive him forever”--not endlessly, surely!
This noted passage, then, affords no evidence that punishment will be
inflicted duration without end. Dr. Samuel Johnson, the great moralist
and writer of the last century, speaking of this passage, and others of
like character, says: “They may admit of a mitigated interpretation.”
The discussion continued four days--closed Saturday evening. I
delivered a _practical_ discourse on Sunday morning, made no reference
to the debate, and at the close organized a society. Mr. Coon preached
in the afternoon, and the discussion was his _text_. He misrepresented
me, the good faith, and poured out volleys of abuse on all who did not
subscribe to his fire and brimstone creed. I replied in the evening,
and handled Calvinism without gloves, but he kept out of the way.