"All the wicked will God destroy:”—Ps. 145:20;
“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be."—Ps. 37:10;
“They shall be as though they had not been."—Obadiah 1:16;
“For they shall be punished with everlasting destruction."—2 Thess. 1:9.
Does the doctrine of endless misery “commend itself to every man's conscience"? Like Paul, we wish, by a "manifestation of the truth," to thus commend the doctrine of destruction. 2 Cor. 4: 2.
An argument now often used to prevent research and reform on the reexamination of our creeds is, that new and delusive errors are constantly springing up in our day. Many patented inventions on trial are found to be useless, and when the patents for steamboats, the telegraph, etc, came out, if all had refused to try them, because most patents proved useless, much more good sense would have been manifested than is shown in this argument; for they could affect us but a few years, while Christ has said, to break the least of his commands will "make us the least in the kingdom of heaven." “Be not carried about with every wind of doctrine," is now perverted, (as was the one quoted on the pinacle of the temple.) and made to mean, ”alter not the creeds,“— "bring no new things out of the treasure-house" of God's Word. Our creeds are two and three hundred years old, and were made when we half emerged from Popery, and "all new and old things" are in them!!! The motto of churches as to doctrines, seems to be,
"What has been always customary,
Legal becomes and necessary."
Ergo, it's legal and necessary to teach immortality, and an endless hell. Prof. Finny has been censured for teaching perfectionism in practice, but a far worse perfectionism is being manifested by all sects as to doctrine.
I will here only suggest the importance of the subject examined in these pages. (1.) The teaching of endless woe, is casting gloom over the church of God. (2.) Driving our land into Universalism and infidelity. (3.) If it's not in the Bible, it awfully slanders our Maker. And (4.) The doctrine of destruction [of the wicked], if in the Bible, and understood, will remove these evils; or, at least would immensely lesson two of them, and entirely end the slander of the Almighty.
All well-balanced minds would see that the "Judge of all the earth" would be just in such a penalty for rebellion and impenitence.
"When I have finished an argument, and to my own mind exposed error, I have often been severe in reproof; but I have hoped the reader would feel like David—
"Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil which shall not break my head." Ps. 141 : 5.
My reproofs are mostly designed for two classes—the learned in the original languages; and those who have had this subject brought to their minds and for some cause refuse to investigate, or only partially do so, and then denounce and ridicule it. The persecutors of Galileo refused to look through his telescope, lest they should be convinced his theory of astronomy was right, and peradventure themselves would be persecuted. The reason I lay the blame on ministers is, they have ever been and still are the leading enemies to reform and persecutors of reformers—the laity must lead in reform in doctrines. They have also the most time to learn the truth in this matter, and as yet have generally neglected it and cried the loudest against it. The history of the church proves my charge, that ministers oppose reform. In the sequel I will show it.
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones lest they provoke to a like practice. Dobney and others have written on this subject in a kind spirit, but have received little else but missils of abuse. Argument has been thought too gentle a weapon to battle them with, or else they have had none to use, and still concluded they must fight in some way,
“Take heed, lest you be found fighting against God."
What is to be the destiny of ourselves or of our race, beyond the brief period of this life, all must admit, is a question of vast importance; and especially so from the sad fact that we are conscious of being sinners, and knowing that sin merits and receives punishment in a greater or lesser degree and extent. Reason prompts us to learn, if possible, what the ultimate penalty of God's broken law is to be. We are prospective beings, living more on the future than on the present and past.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast.
Man never is, but always to be bless'd.*
Thoughtless and unfeeling indeed must he be who thinks not of, and is not moved by a view of an endless duration beyond the grave. It is true that all are not sure of an endless existence, neither from reason nor yet from the Bible, as I shall endeavor to show; but it is a truth that there must be an endless future, and a truth that all desire existence in that future, provided it can be a happy existence. It is also a soul-cheering truth that God has fully promised such an existence to all who come to Christ as the Bible directs; or in other words, to all it denominates the righteous.
But what will be the final doom of those the Bible denominates the wicked, is far from being settled in the theories and minds of men. Scores of volumes have been written, and thousands of sermons preached on their destiny. But what have been the theories proposed and discussed? Why, taking for granted, as all creeds have done, that all men are immortal, one party has contended that the wicked must exist in endless misery; and the other that they will ultimately be restored to holiness and happiness in some way, and at some period. Neither party are correct in my humble opinion.
The issue has been wrong, and with it confusion does and ever must exist, while it's continued. The only plain penalty revealed in the Bible, our only guide, is literal death to the wicked—extinction of being, soul and body, "at the judgment of the great day," —"the wages of sin is death." Rom. 6.
A few have contended for this doctrine for ages, as may be seen by the Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, article destruction; but the tradition of centuries and the power of popular opinion, have prevented general investigation. But about ten years ago, Rev. Geo. Storrs, then of Albany, N. Y., wrote a small work on the subject, entitled — "An Inquiry—Are the Wicked Immortal? In Six Sermons." Some 25,000 of this work were soon (mostly gratuitoush-.) scattered through the States and Canada, and reprinted and spread in England. This awakened an enquiry and convinced thousands of the truth of the doctrine. In 1846, Rev. II. H. Dobney, and Rev. E. White, of England, published larger works, the former of which has been extensively spread in both countries. Soon after Rev. Wmt Glen Moncrieff, of Scotland, followed with some small works. The churches of these ministers adopted their views. Of late, Rev. J. Panton Ham, of Bristol. England, has written largely, and two periodicals have been started, one by Ham. and one by Moncrieff. Three of these ministers I have named in England, are Congregational and one a Baptist; all literary men. More than twenty different writers have published works in the United States and Canada; and several periodicals are published which warmly advocate: "Life only through Christ, and the utter destruction of the wicked." The Bible Examiner, by George Storrs, of New York, is nearly exclusively devoted to this one subject.
From fifty to seventy-five ministers in the United States advocate the doctrine, and their numbers are constantly increasing. Most of the Advent Societies hold to it, and I know of three Baptist churches which fellowship it. A large number in the different churches believe the doctrine, who say but little about it, except to its open advocates. In brief, the number who now hold the view are so large, and so decided in spreading light, that all efforts to stop its progress must be vain, and a general investigation must soon take place, at least in the United States and Canada. When that comes, the doctrine of endless woe must soon fall , for it can no more stand before the light of God's word, than Dagon before the ark of God. It shows either great weakness or ignorance of the theological book world, to say this doctrine has been investigated. Had it been in the field of controversy as Universalism has, it would have triumphed long since.
Many ask, and often sneeringly, "Why this doctrine was not discovered and embraced before?" The opposers of Luther, and temperance, etc, often asked the same question, and in the same spirit.
"Numbers are no mark,
That we shall right be found,
A few were saved in the ark
For many millions drowned."
Many also refuse to read our works, and say, “we have the Bible.” I ask then why hear preaching if they need no aid to learn the connection of the Bible on any doctrine and duty? I should have saved a year's hard study, had I possessed a work like the one I here present—that is, with all the texts on future punishment, collected and arranged, and their connection with other texts shown, by which their meaning is ascertained. The reader will see too that much time is required to look up good authorities for their meaning in the original.
Another common objection to further research and change is, that the preaching of endless woe has been blessed to the salvation of millions. This I deny—I will briefly give my reasons for so doing. Paul was determined to know nothing among the people, "save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." The orthodox have ever preached this grand central truth, and also depravity, faith, repentance, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit; and these truths are blessed, while error mixed with them is forgiven. Luther preached the absurdity, that prayer changed the bread and wine into the real body and blood of Christ! and I ask if it was this or justification by faith alone,' that God blessed ? Orthodox Quakers are blessed, and I ask if it is for preaching against baptism and the Lord's supper?
President Edwards is often referred to as an example on this point; as great revivals attended his preaching. All acquainted with his writings know he was powerful in convincing of sin, (the Spirit's great work) and in presenting Christ; and could not his 'sovereign God' bless these truths, even with great error by their side? And further, most now admit that Edwards greatly erred in preaching literal fire for the sinner's home, and that, immensely worse than a glowing furnace, an oven, or a brick-kiln"!! I ask if this was also blessed? All will say no, but it was forgiven. On the same ground then, and with equal authority, I affirm, that preaching the horrid doctrine of endless torment was never blessed, but forgiven. “Christ must have a seed to serve him,” and as all sects err more or less, those which preach Christ must gather them.
It is a sad fact too, that more millions of Universalists, and what is far worse, of infidels, deists, and atheists, have been made by the popular doctrine, than of real saints. The church too has been crowded with "stony-ground hearers" by it.
There is meaning and truth in the following seemingly harsh anecdote. At a public convention, Prof. Finny requested to introduce a certain doctrine, and was opposed by Dr. Beecher, who remarked— “When the devil has any dirty work to do, he always obtains good men to do it."
I affirm, with full confidence of being right, that a denovo examination of this great subject is imperiously demanded, and when light from God's word is offered, it is sin to refuse it, either for want of time, as is a common excuse, especially with ministers, or because popular opinion enables most Christians to float along in comparative ignorance of the Bible, as to the true penalty of God's law.
"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him."
"Prove all things, hold fast that which is good."
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