Delivered several discourses in Mt. Vernon, a pleasant town on the Ohio river, and then proceeded to Evansville, where I also lectured. A preacher here replied in a very abusive manner, and I paid but little attention to him. This offended the gentleman, and he dared me to a discussion. I refused to have anything to do with him, as Christ had said, “Cast not your pearl before swine.”
Returned to St. Louis through Booneville, Vincennes, Lawrenceville, Olney, Salem, Carlyle, and lectured in all those places.
About this time I had a discussion in Carlyle, Ill., with Mr. Stafford, a Presbyterian clergyman. We were to continue the discussion four days, but he brought it to a close at the end of the second day by going home, as he said, to find a calf that had jumped out of the lot. Whether he found the calf I cannot say, as he did not return to report his success. He knew nothing of the liberal faith, save what he had learned from its enemies, and was poorly prepared to meet the arguments in its favor.
He charged our people with denying the Bible, and I replied, We do not deny the Bible. We believe it contains a record of God’s revelation to man. We do not say that every book, chapter, verse and letter, from Genesis to Revelation, is inspiration. The Bible makes no such pretention. Considerable part of the Old and New Testaments is historical; and intelligent and well informed men, can write history correctly without inspiration, especially if they are eye-witnesses of what they relate. Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith,” was guided and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. His soul was in perfect harmony with the Great Soul of the universe, hence he said, “I and my Father are one.” “He who hath seen the Son hath seen the Father also;” hence, truth, from the Fountain of truth, flowed into his soul as naturally as water flows into a sponge; hence to do his Father’s will was his meat and drink; hence the wisdom he uttered was the wisdom of God. He is then the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Teacher and Savior of man. He is a medium through which God speaks to, and blesses the world. Moses, the prophets, and the apostles, were also divinely illuminated, but not in the same degree Jesus was, for he was blessed with the spirit “without measure.” Jesus is the central figure among those anointed men. He was “in the form of God,” and in the “express image of his person,” by nature and by character. He is a sun, but they are stars. You may call this denying the Bible, if you please, but I am sure this affirms the Bible.
He found fault with our name—Universalist—said it was not scriptural. I remarked, It is admitted the word is not in the Bible; but the idea often occurs in that book. 1. God is the universal Father of mankind—“have we not all one Father?” 2. He is a universal Savior—“the Savior of all men.” 3. Jesus is a universal Savior—“the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” 4. God’s will is for universal salvation—“who will have all men to be saved.” 5. God’s grace brings universal salvation—“for the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men.” 6. There will be a universal ingathering into Christ—“gather together all things in Christ.” 7. There is to be a universal deliverance from earthly corruption—“the creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” 8. Universal righteousness will finally prevail—“by the obedience of one shall many—the mass—be made righteous.” 9. Universal reconciliation shall finally be effected—“God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.” 10. There shall ultimately come a period of universal praise to God, and confession to God’s glory. (Phil. ii; Rev. v. 11). There will be a universal blessing of the nations, families and kindred—“all nations, families and kindred of the earth shall be blessed.” 12. There is to be a universal resurrection to a heavenly condition—“in Christ shall all be made alive.”
There is propriety, then, in the name. The Arminians were once called Universalists, because they believed in a universal atonement. We believe in a universal atonement, and in the universal efficacy of that atonement. In Europe, very learned men, men who master all the sciences, are called Universalists. It is an honorable name, then, a learned name, an appropriate name for those who recognize God as a universal Father and Savior, Christ as a universal Redeemer, and who rejoice in the hope of the universal destruction of sin, suffering and death, and the universal reign of truth, virtue, life and salvation. Universal means catholic. Our church, then, is the true Catholic Church—all of Adam’s race will finally be members of it, and partake of its blessings. What is called the Catholic Church is a very partial church. Notwithstanding the propriety of our name, I seldom use it—it sounds a little too sectarian for my taste. Some of my brethren are so in love with it, they hitch it to almost every thing. That may be all right; but I am not so deeply in love with the name as some seem to be. I had rather be called a godly man than a Universalist, whether I deserve the appellation or not; and I had rather hear my church called “the church of God,” than a Universalist church.
Returning to St. Louis, I lectured in Lebanon, and a man said the sentiments I advocated lead through Deism to Atheism. How is that? I replied. I am with the New Testament in believing in a God for ALL, and a Savior for ALL. Is there any Deism or Atheism in that? Orthodoxy is the first step downward, for it teaches a God for ALL, but a Savior for PART. It makes the first departure from the gospel. Deism is another step in the same direction, for it says a God for all, but a Savior for NONE. Atheism is at the foot of the ladder, for it proclaims a God for NONE, a Savior for NONE. There are, then, three downward steps from Christianity or Universalism, to Atheism—ALL—PART—NONE. Orthodoxy is the half-way house between Universalism and Infidelity.
Being requested to visit Florence, up the Illinois river about one hundred miles, to hear a discourse against Universal Salvation, and to reply if it was proper, I arrived by packet on Sunday at eleven o’clock, soon after the preacher had commenced his sermon. He spoke three hours, and made out, he supposed, a pretty strong case. After one hour’s intermission, I replied to the discourse, which also occupied three hours. The preacher, and his congregation, heard me through; and at candle lighting of the same day, I delivered another discourse in the same place. In my answer to the gentleman’s discourse I offered twenty-five objections to endless misery, and twenty-five objections to his view of a great judgment day; gave twenty-five proofs and arguments, that virtue and vice are rewarded in this world; furnished twenty-five reasons from Scripture for believing in the final salvation of mankind.
A few days after this, I lectured in Naples, Ill., and while the congregation were singing the second hymn, a Methodist preacher passed me a tract, which I had seen before. Many years ago, immediately after Hosea Ballou had delivered a discourse in some town in Vermont, Samuel Haynes, a Congregationalist clergyman, a gentleman of color, and pastor of a white congregation, and of considerable education, ability, and much wit, arose and preached a sermon from the words of the serpent to mother Eve, “Ye shall not surely die.” The thing was afterwards published and scattered far and near. The tract the preacher gave me was Haynes’ sermon. The serpent is represented as a Universalist preacher, and his words, “Ye shall not surely die,” as the essence of Universalism. Being in a humor for it, I took parson Haynes’ text for my text that evening, followed his arrangement, adopted some of his language, and put the “boot on the right foot,” I spoke as follows:
The Holy Scriptures are a peculiar fund of instruction. They inform us of the origin of creation; of the primitive state of man—his ignorance, folly and degradation. It appears that he was placed in the garden of Eden, with full liberty to regale himself with all the delicious fruits that were to be found, except what grew on one tree; if he ate of that he should SURELY die on the DAY of transgression, (Gen. ii. 17,) was the declaration of the Almighty. Mark the language—he was not to be punished in the next world, but in this world, and on the day, at the very time he sinned. Let this be remembered, for it is God’s truth.