Joel Hume's Second Affirmative Speech
on His First Proposition
HUME'S SECOND ADDRESS,
ON HIS FIRST PROPOSITION.
Gentlemen Moderators, Ladies and Gentlemen:- I have risen before you for the purpose of prosecuting the discussion of the proposition read this morning, and as our time is very short, I must necessarily be brief. I shall fail to a great extent of introducing the amount of proof which I intended to bring forward at the commencement of this discussion. If I have made no mistake in counting, in my hour's speech, I introduced seventy-five passages of scripture, to prove the doctrines of election, of choice, the doctrine of atonement, and the final perseverance of the saints. I now propose to introduce a few more on the subject of choice, and a few more on the atonement. I shall take such course my mind may suggest; then I will, if time permits, make some remarks in answer to our friend's discourse; but I desire first to get in my proof. You remember that he said, no doubt I had reserved some passages of scripture that bore more directly upon the point, and upon which I more directly relied for my proof; he anticipated me correctly. I now ask your attention to 2 Timothy i, 9: "Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." That is right close, almost the language of the proposition. If my brother undertakes to reply to that, and gives this explanation, that Paul and Timothy were chosen in Christ, then I take this ground, that whatever was necessary to secure the salvation of Paul and Timothy, was equally necessary to secure the salvation of other sinners. Could it be possible that Paul and Timothy were so much worse than this, that they had to have grace given them before the world began, and to no others? I ask, if they were not chosen, how was grace given them before the world began?
Turn to Ephesians i, 1-4: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus; grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love."
What does my proposition say? That the "elect or Church of Christ was chosen in him before the foundation of the world." How much does this last quotation lack of its being not only the doctrine, but the very language of our proposition? The apostle here thus declares, the saints, the Ephesians, the faithful in Christ were chosen of God in Christ, before the foundation of the world. I ask, were these God's elect? If that be so, the proposition is settled beyond a possibility of doubt; for these people, whether the church or not the church, were chosen of God in Christ, before the world began. I will anticipate an objection to my explanation of this passage and reply to it. I have no doubt but it will be assumed, as has been done before, that this has special reference to the apostles, and can not possibly be made to apply elsewhere. I remark, it is consistent with common sense, that we can bring no more out of a conclusion of a matter than is in the premises; if we bring matter out which is not in the premises, it is a violation of sound philosophy. Here is Paul the apostle, the saints of Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus, and these are they which are chosen in Christ, before the foundation of the world. Further, if our brother should say this refers to the Jews, allow me to tell you that the Church at Ephesus was composed of gentile believers, and these gentile believers were embraced with the chosen of God in Christ, before the foundation of the world.
One more quotation, and I have done on that particular point. I quote from Rev. xvii, 14: "These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with him, are called, and chosen and faithful." In order to ascertain when they were chosen, turn back to Ephesians i, where the apostle says they were chosen before the foundation of the world. I will leave that part of the subject for the congregation to determine - whether "choice" has been proved as laid down in the proposition, while I proceed to notice the doctrine of atonement. In order to do this, we must learn in a theological point of view what is meant by atonement. Turn, if you please, to Leviticus xvi, 11, 24, 27, 30, 34: "And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself."
I would just ask my respected brother, whether they can find a text in God's word that authorizes them to believe that anybody else were included under that dispensation than Israel? Now the 30th verse: "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." We discover the object in that atonement was to cleanse the people or remove their sins for one year. This kind of an atonement had to be made every year. This was God's order to the high priest, in regard to the making that atonement special for Israel. I believe there were seven nations lived round about Israel. Of these seven nations that lived about Israel, there were none of them included, for there was no offering made for them, nor for any other character under heaven, but Israel. We told you in our first speech, that the Lord saved Israel, and said that the seed of Israel should be justified; this atonement is then made for Israel.
We will now read the 34th verse: "And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses."
There is the idea I am arguing for - "And he did as the Lord commanded Moses." You see the Lord expected this atonement for the sins of Israel, and the period of cleansing was for one year. And when the atonement had been made, there was no remembrance of sin for that year. I might refer you to Leviticus xxiii, 27, 28, but they are similar to the above. Exodus xii, 16; Hebrews viii, 17, 21, all teach the same thing - the duty of the high priest to offer once a year an atonement for sin for Israel. xxxv, 10: "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." What is the difference between ransomed and redeemed; what is the difference between redeemed and atoned for? Here we have the testimony, that whoever they be, no matter what their names, nor where they are, the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion, and they shall obtain joy and gladness. Does the Lord talk thus? He does. And now, I ask you, my dear, dying congregation, do you believe God will be disappointed? If only a part of the ransomed of God return, then the language of God must fail; but he says emphatically, the ransomed of the Lord shall return.
I now ask you to notice the thirteenth chapter of Hosea, fourteenth verse: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes." I notice this passage, to prove the final results of this redemption can not fail; and that a failure of the benefits growing out of this redemption cannot possibly take place. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death, and the destruction of the grave. Matt. I, 21: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." That means more than the Adamic sin, don't it? The strength of the argument on the other side has been that Christ's mission was to redeem from the Adamic sin; here the angel says, he shall save his people from their sins - sins, in the plural. We understand that they are saved from their sins. A manifestation of that fact I would regard as sufficient to lead the sinner to rejoice in its truth. Turn to Matt. xxvi, 26, 27 and 28: "And, as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said: take, eat; this is my body: and he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." We had some talk about the word many, before dinner. I told the people that many folks, in the town where I live, had the small-pox, but did I mean that they all had the small-pox? I told the people that many houses were blown down by the storm, but were they all blown down? That many stars fell from heaven, but did I mean that they all fell? Does any man understand the term many to mean all? Here is the language our Savior used when his blood was represented by the wine, and his body by the bread; he tells us that the blood was shed for many for the remission of sins. I would just make this remark, and pass along: If this was made for the race, the word many means the race. If the sins of the race were remitted, then nothing can keep them out of heaven. Mark x, 45: "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." I think this has been noticed, and I will pass on. Mark xiv, 24, records the same on the occasion of the supper: "And he said unto them, this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many." All these go to prove the doctrine of atonement, made by Christ for the remission of sins. Mark, the idea of an atonement was made, and if the race was redeemed by it, then Universalism is true; for if the race are redeemed, I repeat, there is no condemnation. Turn to Heb. Ii, 10 and 17: "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons into glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." I will refer now to Heb. ix, 9. ("Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience.") But first we will read the twelfth verse: "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." There the apostle tells us that by his blood, that he entered once into the holy place, and by that entering has obtained eternal redemption for us. See fourteenth verse: "How much more shall the blood of Christ, through the eternal spirit, offered himself without spot to God, to purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." You see the object and design of that atonement is to effect a complete salvation of that family; every line here goes directly to sustain this point. We will refer now to first Epistle of John ii, 2: I make this quotation to show you positively, and beyond all doubt, that the interpretation we have had of Christ's mission (to redeem us from the claims of the Adamic law) is not the interpretation of the Bible - it reads thus: "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." Let us discuss as much as we may, in regard to the meaning of the term in the propitiation, the fact is established that it was sins, not one sin for which he died; that it is sins that are washed away, not one sin. This being the fact, we have the doctrine appropriately presented, that without shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. Christ by that one effort, has perfected them that are sanctified. Jude says, first verse: "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called."
Now, I will give some little attention to my friend's argument. In his other speech he told us that the gospel is the power of God to every one that believeth. No man believes that stronger than I; but mark, it don't say to unbelievers. Hence, before the gospel can be the power of God to a man, he must be a believer. He made wonderful work about my quotation: "As many as were ordained to eternal life were redeemed." I consider that a great principle is involved here. Our brother told us of some great men who had examined this, and they said it would be proper to say, that those who believed then, or at that time, were ordained to eternal life; I have no doubt he would like to have it read that way, but it won't read that way, but just the other way: As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.
(Time expired.)
Copyright c. 2003. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
