The ending of the Jewish age and nation, was to involve the ruin of multitudes of that people. Jesus often warned them of that coming calamity; told them, that unless they reformed they would all perish in the approaching storm. That national desolation is called “wrath to come,” “damnation,” “everlasting punishment,” “furnace of fire.” “Whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.” Isa. xxxi. 9. “Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you.” Ezek. xxii. 18-22. These passages illustrate the meaning of “furnace of fire;” they tell us where it is—in Jerusalem, not in eternity, as the gentleman imagines. In the text the wicked Jews are called “tares;” in the above quotations they are termed “dross,” “dross of silver,” “lead,” “iron,” “tin.” At the end of the Jewish state, the righteous,—the gold and wheat of the nation,—were saved, but the “tares,” the “dross” were destroyed by famine, pestilence, and the sword. This passage, then, certainly has no reference to the destruction of this earth, nor to any calamity to man beyond the grave.
Although I find no evidence in the New Testament of the destruction of this earth, I conclude from analogy, that it is destined to be destroyed. Everything that lives on the earth has its birth, maturity, and death. This is true of every plant, animal and man. And is it not so of the earth? The matter that composes it may be eternal, but there was doubtless a time in the distant past when this globe had no existence. It is supposed that the sun once occupied all the space in which the solar planets are now revolving, and that those planets, with their satellites, were then parts of the sun; but by the operation of the laws of the Creator, governing that immense mass of matter, portions of it became detached from time to time, and commenced their revolution on their axis, and around the mother globe. Those detached portions are now the planets which belong to the solar system. If this hypothesis be correct, the earth had a beginning. It has passed through wonderful changes since the day of its birth;—it has condensed, cooled, and become fit for the growth of vegetation, and for the habitation of animals and man. And will it not in time lose its vitality like a decrepit old man, and finally die, and return to the sun whence it came? Is not this to be the fate of all the planets? And will not the sun himself lose his life, luster and glory, and fall into the vortex whence he came? And will not this decomposed matter again be vitalized, and form other globes? And is not birth, growth, death, and decomposition going on, not only among plants, animals, and men, but in all departments of the material universe? And has not this process been everlastingly going on? and will it not continue to go on forever and ever?
Lectured in Columbus several times; and in going there got rather a cold bath. Came to a stream, and being informed by a man living on its bank, that the water was shallow, plunged into it without any hesitation, but soon found that it was past fording and very rapid. When I reached the opposite shore was wet through, and the weather being very cold, my clothes were soon frozen from head to foot. Rode several miles in that condition, and when I reached Columbus, which was in the night, was about as cold as a living man can be. A preacher replied to me in a very bitter spirit, and I took occasion to exhibit some of the contradictions of his brethren, thus:
It is believed, that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, but that nine tenths of the world will be forever lost. It is believed, that Jesus tasted death for every man, but that millions will receive no benefit from it. It is believed, that Jesus will reign till he has subdued all things to God, but that a majority of mankind will be eternally unsubdued. It is believed, that all war is unchristian, but that God will keep up a war in hell forever. It is believed, that capital punishment is wrong, but that God will inflict capital punishment on all who leave this world unregenerated. It is believed that we ought to overcome evil with good, but that God will overcome it by inflicting an infinite evil. It is believed, that it is the duty of man to labor in season and out of season to regenerate his fellow man, but that God will defeat his labors by placing multitudes where salvation never can be attained. It is believed, that all mankind are brethren, but that a devil will sever that brotherhood, and drag most of our race into the infernal regions. It is believed, that we should love our fellow men, but that God hates nearly all of them with infinite hatred. It is believed, that we should imitate God, but if we did so, provided the creeds are true, we should be incarnate fiends. It is believed, that there is only one God, but that there are three Gods. It is believed, that man is by nature religious, but that he is by nature totally depraved. These, and many others, are the contradictions of what is called Orthodoxy. Can that religion be of heaven which so abounds with absurdities and contradictions?
I subsequently had a discussion in this place with J. Wright, a Campbellite minister. Salvation, said I, in one of my speeches, is the theme of the Bible—of Moses, the prophet, Jesus and the apostles. But what is salvation from? Mr. Wright says, it is from a future endless hell, from the wrath of God, and the power of satan. He described in burning words the horrors of that infernal pit he wants to save us from. He described it beautifully, and I noticed that some of his brethren seemed to be delighted with the charming picture he presented. They, doubtless, are sure of a comfortable seat in the heavenly mansion, having had their sins washed away in yonder stream, and expect to have the supreme satisfaction of seeing us, sinners, writhing in the flames of hell, the victims of devils, and the cursed of God. They laugh now in anticipation of this great joy to come. I envy them not their spirit nor their hopes. But what is salvation really from? According to the Bible, it is deliverance from sin, error, condemnation, moral death. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus ii. 11-15. This is a clear statement of salvation. It is deliverance from “all iniquity”—soul-purification—and is effected by the grace or truth of God, teaching us to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously and godly” amid the evils of this world. “These things speak and exhort,” adds the apostle. Let this be remembered by those who assert that a present salvation is nothing, is not worth striving for, if there are not eternal fires beyond the grave to escape. “Let no man despise you.” Remember this, ye who despise the message of him, who urges a present salvation, but knows nothing of salvation from the wrath of God, nor the torments of perdition.
The first time salvation is referred to in the Bible, it relates to deliverance from iniquity. “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. iii. 15. Here we have the cheering assurance, that sin, symbolized by the serpent, shall be crushed, ruined, destroyed, and Adam’s race, consequently, delivered from its blasting, deadly embrace—but not a word about salvation from the future hell Mr. W. talks so eloquently about. In Mal. iii. 2, 3, the mission of Jesus is clearly stated: “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Jesus is the refiner; truth is the fire; man, created in the image of God, is the gold; the dross is man’s falsities. As the refiner with his fire separates the gold from the dross, saves the one and destroys the other, so Jesus, by the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, purifies our souls, separates the earthy from the heavenly, saves the one and destroys the other. Not a word here about deliverance from the flames of hell, or the wrath of God. The earthly father of this soul-refiner was instructed to call his name Jesus, because he would “save his people from their sins;” and during his ministry on earth, Jesus labored to that end. “Reform!” cried he, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,”—not the kingdom of hell, mark you. We should reform, live pure and right, from heavenly considerations—not from motives of an infernal nature. Nineteen twentieths of the sermons of this age would not be uttered if all the preachers understood that text.
At last, the great Reformer died, and the apostle tells us why he died. “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Cor. v. 15. Jesus lived, labored, died, and rose again, that we might “live unto him.” But we are told by the popular creed, that it was the end and aim of Jesus, whether living or dying, to placate the wrath of God, and save us from a burning hell. After the Master’s death, the apostles continued his work, and it is well known that they labored faithfully for the present salvation of their fellow men. The chief of them said, “Jesus, whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Col. i. 28. He preached to make men perfect in gospel virtues—not to redeem them from a fabled world of woe. The apostle’s words to his pupil, Timothy, are very comprehensive: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. ii. 16, 17. The object of all heavenly influences is summed up in these brief words. To perfect our character, and cause us to abound in good works, is the ultimate of revelation. And how much more rational is this than the popular notion, that it is a device to satisfy justice, appease heaven’s wrath, and rescue us from hell’s flames.
The discussion was to have continued four days, but Mr. Wright’s friends closed it on the evening of the second day. He remarked to an acquaintance of mine soon after this, that he had rather debate with a ten-acre field full of sectarians, than with one Universalist.
From Columbus I journeyed to Nashville, and delivered three discourses. “It is too good to be true,” said a preacher, at the close of one of the sermons. I remarked, That is the strongest objection I know of to this soul-cheering faith. That ourselves, relatives, friends, all mankind, are the children of God; that he loves us with a love many floods cannot quench; that we have all commenced a life that is never to end, and are destined to grow wiser, and better, and happier, forever and ever; that we shall again meet the loved and lost of earth, and with hand in hand, and soul linked to soul, forever tread the courts of the New Jerusalem—that all this is our glorious future, I admit is hard to believe. That we are born to so rich and glorious an inheritance is hard to believe. There are many other blessings our heavenly Father has provided for us, we might think the same of under certain circumstances. Had it been our sad lot to have been confined to this date in a dungeon, never to have known father, mother, brother, sister, never to have seen the face of a friend, or to have heard the voice of love, never to have seen the green earth, the bright sun, or blue sky, and told to-day for the first time, that the beautiful earth and star-spangled sky exist as we now behold them, full of beauty for the eye, music for the ear, and love for the heart, and that in a short time we should exchange our dark, damp, cold cell for this glorious world, where we should meet father, mother, brother and sister, would we not be apt to exclaim, “It is too good to be true!”
A man who has been an Atheist all his life, never heard of a God, or of a future life, when told for the first time that there is a God who governs the world, and guides the destinies of men, and that he is immortal and will live forever, I say when these facts are first revealed to him, he would likely say, “It is too good to be true.” A family that has ever been doomed to want, sickness, disappointment, and sorrow in every form, when informed that a kind friend has deeded them a comfortable home, and provided for their future support and happiness, and that within a few days they will come in possession of all these blessings, when informed of this they would probably unbelievingly exclaim, “It is too good to be true.”