"Here you designedly, I think, mistake." "Those texts of scripture which you have quoted from Rom. 8th chapt. are not to be applied as you apply them, neither doth the apostle apply them so. And methinks you know they are not, if you consider the connexion from the 28th verse of the chapter to the end. And that passage of scripture quoted from 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22, 23, is only to be applied to real christians; and this, sir, I presume you know; but it would not suit your and your scheme of Universal Salvation to apply them so."
Here I am accused, 1st of designedly mistaking you! And, 2d of a wilful misapplication of the sacred word! To these high charges, sir, I beg the privilege of pleading not guilty; and, after making my defence, of submitting my cause to impartial judges.
With regard to the designed mistake, my defence is that no mistake was made by me either designed or not designed.—I have examined and find that I quoted you verbatim. I also find that I fully agreed with you in the sentence quoted as to what was necessarily signified by it. I applied the sentence according to my own mind; but did not pretend nor say that you applied it as I did. Where then is the designed mistake? Could an action lie against a man for murder if no body were found, on which murder had been committed?—Could an indictment for theft be supported against a man if no property were missing from the owner? Is it proper to bring an allegation thus, without pointing out some sort of mistake? I will not be so uncharitable, sir, as to suppose that you designed to bring a false accusation in this instance. No, sir, you are not capable of such wickedness; I have ever believed you to be an honest, sincere christian; and that opinion is so congenial to my feelings that I shall never give it up while I can find a reasonable excuse for retaining it.
My opinion is, that you, finding that I had made such ready use of your sentence apparently to my own advantage, thought I designed to mistake you, and feeling a little disagreeably on the occasion, did not look minutely to see if you had rightly apprehended me, or not.
With regard to the wilful misapplication of the sacred word my defence is to be made from the sacred text itself. In this defence, sir, it is sufficient if I give you reasons which induce me to apply the scripture as I do. It is not necessary that I convince you or any body else that my application is right, for we are all liable to err. What I shall aim at is to show that if my applications are not correct yet I am not guilty of wilfully misapplying the sacred text. 1st. Of the passage in the 8th of Rom. the following are my reasons for a general application of that scripture to mankind.
1st. The whole human family, at least, is made the primary subject of the apostle's application as may be seen by looking at the 19th verse and onward. "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now; and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
I understand by the above quotation that St. Paul meant the same by the "whole creation" as he did by the "creature" who was "made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope." And this creature which he calls the "whole creation" he says shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. This is the apostle's primary application of the love and mercy of God. In a minor sense he is particular as may be seen in the above quotation, "and not only they," that is the whole creation at large, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." I know of no way to understand the apostle here to mean otherwise than that the whole human race groan and travail for the same deliverance and redemption that those do who are blessed with the first fruits of the spirit. Nor do I find any expression, in relation to this subject, more significant of the deliverance of those who have the first fruits of the spirit, than of the deliverance of the whole creation, or creature made subject to vanity. By turning back only to the 5th chap, we find the apostle laboring the subject of grace and salvation in just as extensive a manner. See verse 18th, "Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men unto condemnation, even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Consistently with this positive and particular declaration of the apostle's belief in the justification of all men through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we find his following testimony. See 1 Tim. ii. 4, &c. "Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time." Heb. ii. 9. "But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Rom. iv. 25.—"who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification." v. 8. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
In the above testimony the apostle says, that Christ gave himself a ransom for all men, that he, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man, that he was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification, that his death for sinners is a commendation of God's love to them. Now I am willing to acknowledge to you, sir, and to all the world, that I can make no sense of the above testimony without applying it to all mankind. In the apostle's observations in the close of the 8th of Rom. of nothing being able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, there is a perfect analogy with the foregoing testimony. The love of God which is in Christ Jesus, was commended to a sinful world in that Christ tasted death, by the grace of God, for every man. If one of all those for whom Christ died can be separated from that love by which Christ died for him, I know not why the whole may not be, by the same argument.
2d. Of the passage in 1st Cor. 3d, &c. This passage, you say, you presume I know ought not to be applied to any but real christians! See the text. "Therefore let no man, glory in men; for all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." Are you willing, sir, to presume that I know that the apostle Paul did not mean to dissuade any but real christians from trusting in men? This you must presume in order to presume that I know the text ought to be applied to none but real Christians. Is not the sense of "no man" as universal in the negative, as the sense of "all men" is in the positive? Why did you not attempt to give some reason for such a presumption? I hope dear sir, you will not allow yourself to think, even for one moment, that I am so uncharitable as to suppose you presumed thus, contrary to impressions of your own mind, though you cannot think any worse of me than is implied in the presumption. I tell you, sir, that I seriously believe that the above text ought to be applied to all men; I believe it is wrong for any man to put his trust in man, according to that scripture; and I believe it to be perfectly right to exhort all men to put their trust in God who has given his son to die for us all, and who will with him freely give us all things richly to enjoy.
I do not doubt your sincerity in the above presumption, but I doubt your having paid a suitable attention to the subject before you thus presumed. Hasty judgments and sudden conclusions frequently make work for repentance; but the true christian will, on cool reflection, be willing to acknowledge his faults and to remove unjust accusations.— "By their fruits ye shall know them." On considering the usage with which I meet in this unsolicited and unexpected correspondence, I cannot but call to mind the very different treatment which the devil received from an heavenly dignitary, who dared not to bring against his opponent a railing accusation! As a further evidence that the text in Corinthians ought to be applied to all men, or to men in general, see the words of the same apostle to the Ephesians, chapter iv. 8, 11, &c. "Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers."—Now look again to the passage in Corinthians, "For all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas," &c. These were the gifts given unto men. The question now is, were those gifts which were given unto men, given to any but real christians? See Psalm lxviii. 18, to which the apostle alludes in his words quoted from Eph. iv. "Thou hast ascended on high; thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." Are you willing, sir, to presume that I know that the prophet David and St. Paul meant to apply those scriptures to none but real christians? I must acknowledge my suprise at such presumption. I will now take my leave of those accusations, just remarking that I feel no fear in submitting my case to any impartial tribunal.