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.