MOVED TO TERRE HAUTE--LECTURED IN FORT WAYNE--A DISCUSSION
THERE--DR. THOMPSON--VISITED ILLINOIS--OPPOSITION--DISCUSSION
IN CHARLESTON--PRAYED FOR--CALLED INFIDEL--DEBATE IN GREEN
CASTLE--CONDITIONS OF SALVATION--GOD’S WILL--ALL ARE SPIRITS--FORM
OF THE TEACHER CHANGED--J. BURT AND J. H. JORDAN, EDITORS--OLIVER
CROMWELL--FOUNDATION OF CHARACTER--IN MANY PLACES--A
CELEBRATION--MEETING IN THE RAIN--FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION--DEBATE
IN MARTINSVILLE.
In 1843, I moved the _Teacher_ to Terre Haute, ninety miles down the
Wabash river, as I deemed that place a better location than Lafayette
for its publication. Also made that town my head-quarters. The country
north and west of Lafayette, in those days, was thinly settled, but in
the southern portion of the state, there was a denser population, hence
a better field in which to circulate the _Teacher_. I still continued
my monthly circuit on both sides of the Wabash river, from Terre Haute
to Lafayette, preaching in twenty different places. B. F. Foster was
pastor of the Terre Haute society, and a meeting-house was being
erected in that place. But soon my services were so urgently demanded
west and south of Terre Haute, that I dropped some of the places on the
circuit, and supplied the wants of friends elsewhere. I did so with
much reluctance, as there was no one to take my place. There were then
thirteen societies within that circuit where there was not one when I
first visited that region, and one meeting-house was finished, and two
being built.
At the earnest solicitation of Dr. Thompson, of Fort Wayne, I visited
that place, and delivered a series of discourses. These were the first
sermons on the Restitution ever delivered in that town, and they
caused much excitement. An Episcopal clergyman proposed debating with
me, and we accordingly spent two days in discussion. The assemblies
were large, and, I trust, much good was effected. Dr. Thompson was a
prominent citizen of Fort Wayne, and an intellectual and christian man.
Three years after, while a candidate for Congress, he died, lamented
universally where he was known. While on that journey, I preached in
Huntington, Wabash, Peru, and several other places, where Universalism
was hardly ever heard of before.
I took a trip westward into Illinois, and preached in Elbridge,
Paris, Grand View, Brewetts’ Creek, Bloomfield, Oakland, Charleston,
Shelbyville, Cold Springs, Marshall and Greenup. In not one of these
places had the people heard a discourse in defense of “the restitution
of all things,” and, of course, my preaching was a great curiosity.
In Paris, a minister lifted up his warning voice, but would not let
me occupy his house to reply. He wanted his people to hear his side
only. I, however, made an _expose_ of his sermon in the Court-house, to
a large assembly, and obtained a large number of subscribers for the
_Teacher_. In Oakland, I found some excellent friends, and subsequently
preached there monthly for two years. In Charleston, the meetings
stirred up sectarianism to its depths, and a preacher by the name of
Tichner dared me to debate with him. Not being badly frightened by his
bluster, I agreed to debate with him four days. The first proposition
was, “Immortal blessedness is conditional!”
In my first speech in the morning, I showed the result of the
position, that immortal blessedness is conditional in the sense Mr.
Tichner intended. If he is correct, I remarked, but a small portion
of mankind will ever partake of that blessedness. 1. All children,
dying in childhood, are lost, as they comply, in this world, with no
conditions. 2. Idiots neither believe nor obey the gospel in this
world--comply with no conditions here--and will never, consequently,
partake of immortal blessedness. 3. All who lived and died before
Christ’s advent, complied with no gospel condition, hence all those
countless millions are lost--forever lost. 4. Pagans, Jews, Mahometans,
since Christ’s day, have all gone down to their graves, without faith
in Christ or the gospel, and therefore they are all lost beyond
redemption. My friend is a Campbellite, and will not admit that any
comply with gospel conditions, who are not immersed in water--down
then goes Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, yea,
all who are not immersed. If he is correct, only one here and there
will be saved, while the mass of mankind, nearly all, will be doomed to
suffer immortal agony, for one of his propositions affirms the endless
punishment of the unsaved. The gentleman may not believe all this--I
cannot say how that is--but I am dealing with his proposition; and it
involves the ruin of nearly all mankind. I once heard him deliver a
sermon on the conditions of salvation, and in that discourse he did
not intimate that one could be saved without immersion. His creed
unchurches all but his little sect, and sends all to perdition but his
party.
He had another speech to make before adjournment, and he occupied only
half of his allotted time, but said not a word about what I had shown
to be the result of his proposition. In my reply, I called attention
to my former speech, and to the fact that no attempt had been made to
refute it, and remarked, that the gentleman must either show that my
deductions are false, or abandon his proposition. He must do one or the
other. He dared me to debate with him, boasted that he would annihilate
my faith the first day before noon, and many of his friends are here
to see him do it. We adjourned till two o’clock in the afternoon. Met
according to adjournment. Mr. Tichner and his friends were in trouble.
They knew not what to do. They saw that I had their man in my grasp,
and meant to hold him. I looked on, but said nothing. Finally, one
of his brethren came to me, and admitted that I had the advantage of
brother Tichner, and wished me to release him. The preacher looked
blue; he did not know which way to turn. I pitied him, and proposed
that we drop the first proposition, which we were to debate two days,
and take up the second proposition--“Will all mankind enjoy immortal
blessedness?” He readily consented, and the discussion then went on.
Mr. Tichner and his friends were much mortified at the result of
the debate. He soon ceased preaching, went to California, and made
shipwreck of his faith and character.
I lectured in Greenup; and while there, a preacher prayed the Lord,
either to convert the Universalists, or send them to hell, and he did
not seem to care which disposition was made of them. A Presbyterian
minister in Grand View, delivered a labored sermon against “Infidelity
in all its forms,” and, of course, “the grace of God which bringeth
salvation to all men,” was one of its worst “forms.” “That phase of
infidelity,” said he, “is the best baited of the whole batch. Read not
their books, their papers, their _Teacher_--hear not their preachers,
talk not on that subject with any of the believers in that damnable
system. Pray for them, but don’t talk with them. It is a heresy hot
from hell, and have nothing to do with it.” A Methodist divine in
Shelbyville, gave notice that he would, the Lord permitting, preach
a sermon against Universalism, the next Sunday. But notwithstanding
this opposition, I thanked God and took courage. Many rejoiced in the
testimony they heard, and resolved that their lives should correspond
with the purity of their new faith.
Being in Green Castle, Ind., I heard a discourse by James Mathes,
concerning the conditions of salvation, and at its close, I delivered,
at his request, a short sermon. Without controverting any of his
positions, I attempted to show, that all mankind would finally comply
with gospel conditions of salvation. When I got through, he proposed
a debate on the subject of my discourse. In due time we met in Green
Castle, and devoted two days to the investigation of that subject.
Mr. Mathes was, and still is, a prominent man in his denomination. He
said in the discussion, “There are three conditions of salvation: 1st,
Faith; 2d, Baptism; 3d, Repentance. He, and he only, who complies with
these conditions, is entitled to salvation.”
I answered, If the gentleman on the other side is correct, but a small
squad of mankind will be saved, for he earnestly denies, that any one
can comply with one of the conditions named, in the other world. We
must believe, repent, be immersed in this world, or be lost forever;
no opportunity for salvation will be granted beyond the grave; God’s
mercy is confined to this life, but his vengeance will extend through
eternity; his mercy is only the evanescent spark of a flint, but
his wrath will burn forever; this life is only the infancy of our
existence, but his creed makes it the hinge on which our destiny turns;
now, man is a moral agent, but death will destroy that agency, and he
will be compelled to lie down in sin and darkness through the eternal
ages; death bounds God’s mercy--beyond it, the righteous will need
no mercy, and the wicked will be allowed none. I cannot subscribe to
such a partial, malignant and cruel creed. I believe in conditions of
salvation, and that a soul will never be deprived of complying with
those conditions. The conditions, in sum and substance, are, knowledge
of the truth, and love to God, and love to man; and no one can be
saved in this world or in the next world without that knowledge and
love. That is the strait and narrow way; there is no other way to be
saved in time or eternity. True, all do not possess that knowledge, or
exercise that love in this world, but as the light and heat of the sun
are not confined to this world, but extend to all the worlds in the
solar system, so God’s mercy is not exhausted on earth, but extends to
all time, and to all worlds.
It is certainly God’s will that all shall be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. ii. 4.) The gentleman, though, denies
that truth in toto. True, he admits, that it is God’s will that you,
and I, and all who now live on earth, shall be saved, but he contends
that all the sons of error and sin, as soon as they leave this world,
are deprived of all power, of all opportunity, to reform their lives,
and must lie down in sin and error eternally. But mark the text, “God
will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.”
It is God’s will now that all shall be saved. God is unchangeable; he
is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. Men may change their will,
purpose, but his will, his purpose, is the same through all time,
through all eternity. It was God’s will six thousand years ago, that
all should be saved; it is God’s will now that all shall be saved; it
will be God’s will six thousand years hence, yea, through the eternal
ages, that all men shall be saved, and come to the knowledge of the
truth. As it is God’s will now, that all shall be saved, all are now
capable of salvation--none are reprobated, none are cast away; and as
it always will be God’s will that all shall be saved, all ever will be
capable of salvation--none will be reprobated, none cast away. What is
true of God’s nature, character, and will now, ever will be true of
God’s nature, character and will, hence the golden gates of salvation
ever will be open to mankind. We read that the heavenly city has gates
all around it, on the east, west, north and south, and that they are
never shut by day or by night.
I know it is a very common notion, and Mr. Mathes preaches it, that
the ignorant and vicious will have no opportunity to become wiser or
better in the other world; that as they breathe their last breath, and
heave their last sigh, they will be compelled to remain forever. And to
prove this monstrous dogma, I have heard persons repeat such home-made
texts as these: “As the tree falls so it shall lie;” “As death leaves
us, so judgment finds us;” “If you die in your sins, where I go ye
cannot come.” I need not inform you, that these are all spurious
texts. Perhaps it will be asked, does not the Bible say, “There is no
repentance in the grave?” Nothing of the kind is in the Good Book.
And even if it were there it would not contradict my position. What
is in the grave? Nothing but the body, and that cannot repent, in the
grave or out of it, dead or alive. Where is the spirit when the body
is mouldering in the grave? The wise man informs us, “Dust returns
to dust as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” This
is the destiny of _all_. The body is from the earth, the spirit from
God, and when the copartnership between the body and the spirit are
dissolved, the body descends, and the spirit ascends; the one to
its mother-earth, and the other to its Father-God. Man is a spirit;
Christ and the apostles talked to spirits; I am addressing spirits;
all revelation--its precepts and promises--are addressed to spirits;
and when the great Gentile apostle said, “God will have all men to be
saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth,” he was speaking of all
spirits, whether in this world or in the eternal world, whether in the
body, or in the house not made with hands. I repeat, wherever a spirit
exists _unsaved_, it is God’s will that he shall be saved, and God will
even work in all to will and to do his pleasure.
Mr. Mathes admits, that it is God’s will that sinners shall be saved
while they are in this world, but he contends that it is his will
that sinners in the spirit world shall _not_ be saved. Now why this
difference? Why is it God’s will that I shall now be saved, and at the
same time his will that I shall not be saved beyond the grave, if I
should there need salvation? Is not reformation of character a good
thing any where and every where? I take it, that God’s government is
the same in all worlds, and at all times. It is perfect, and therefore
uniform and unchangeable. He now requires all, and ever will require
all, to learn the truth, and walk in the ways of life, and therefore he
never will _compel_ a soul to lie down in sin, darkness and death, one
moment, in time or eternity.
When the third volume of the _Teacher_ commenced, it was changed to a
quarto form, and issued semi-monthly, instead of monthly; and James
Burt and J. H. Jordan, became associate editors. Mr. Burt was recently
from the East, where he had preached several years. He was a good
writer, and a worthy man. He was connected with the paper one year,
when his name, at his request, was dropped, and he ceased preaching.
Mr. Jordan was not a minister, but a school teacher. He subsequently
became a physician, and at the present time, is editor and publisher of
the Indianapolis (Ind.) _Gazette_, a daily and weekly paper, conducted
with vigor and ability. He wields a strong pen, and is an influential
writer. For several years, Dr. Jordan assisted me in issuing the
_Teacher_, and his contributions were always perused with much interest.
I opened a new field about this time, in the southern part of Indiana.
Lectured in Bowling Green. Oliver Cromwell resided there--a descendant
of England’s great Protector. He was an aged man, intelligent, and an
ardent defender of the liberal faith. He said the Protector was his
great-great grandfather.
A zealous Methodist class leader tried to reply to one of my sermons.
“If your faith is correct, why all this labor? Why form societies,
build meeting-houses, support ministers, or try to serve the Lord in
any way?” I answered thus:
I understand from the gentleman’s remarks, that he supposes that the
fear of hell, and the hope of heaven, are the only reasons why we
should attend to the duties of life; and according to the confession
of sectarians generally, these are the moving causes of all their
christian efforts; hence their first and last objection to Universalism
is, that it removes all inducements to live a virtuous life. This
degrading objection is in the mouth of nearly all, from the doctor of
divinity to the most humble member. If we take them at their word,
they organize churches, build meeting-houses, employ ministers, send
missionaries to the heathen, to escape hell and reach heaven; they
pray, preach, attend meetings, go among the heathen, to escape hell and
reach heaven; they deal justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God,
to escape hell and reach heaven. According to their own confession,
these are the only motives that urge them onward in their christian
course. Now, this is all wrong; they build on a false, dangerous
foundation; they build on the sand; they are influenced, governed
solely by selfish considerations. They work for pay, and pay they will
have or turn rebels. Piety with them is a ticket past hell into heaven.
Now, this is a wretched foundation for a christian life. In truth,
character built on such a basis, is hay, wood and stubble, and liable
to be consumed at any moment, hence so much back-sliding among Orthodox
church members. They stand on slippery places.
Universalism lays a better foundation, presents better motives for
living a christian life. It makes a _reasonable_ appeal to man’s hopes
and fears, but its strong foundation is in _principle_. It teaches that
we should revere the truth, and practice righteousness, because we
love truth and righteousness; should love God and man because of the
goodness of God and the goodness in man; be truthful because we love
the truth, and deal justly with our fellow men because we love justice
and righteousness. When character is built on such a foundation, it is
as permanent as the everlasting hills. It takes time to form character
of this kind, but when the work is done, it is well done. Such persons
do not need conversion at every camp-meeting in their county.
Lectured in Spencer, Gosport, Bloomington, Martinsville, Morgantown,
Franklin, Columbus and Nashville. In all these places the liberal faith
had not before been preached. But I found in most of them an elect few
who had long cherished it amid all sorts of opposition. Faithful souls!
They were true to their convictions, though standing alone, targets
for bigots to shoot at. In Bloomington I lectured several times, and
a minister tried to point out my errors, as he termed the noblest
and most glorious of truths. Mr. Labertew, a merchant, and zealous
friend, resided there. He subsequently built a meeting-house at his own
expense; but there not being sufficient number of believers to act with
him in keeping up meetings, he sold it. Held a meeting in Gosport; the
house was full, and several hundred were out of doors; and although the
rain poured down in torrents, they remained through the services. Here
I subsequently had many conflicts with those of the partial faith. Near
Nashville I attended a Fourth-of-July celebration. After the dinner
was over, and the patriotic speeches made, I gave the people a sermon.
Lectured in Martinsville in the Court-house; a clergyman replied, and
arrangements were made for me to have a debate in that place with Mr.
Scott, a Methodist presiding elder. It was to continue four days. He
had recently debated with J. Mathes, and coming out of it victorious,
all were sure he would make short work of me, and my faith. But they
were disappointed. Mr. Scott got mad, and left the rostrum, declaring
that he would discuss no more with me. But the moderators persuaded him
to continue the allotted time. After he got through, another minister
tried his hand at the work, but many thought he fared worse than his
predecessor. Weighing about two hundred and fifty pounds, and as fat as
butter, he kept in good humor. Lectured in Columbus and Franklin. In
both places I soon after had discussions. This was a laborious journey,
for it was war, war, from the beginning to the end of it.