Benoni Stinson's Third Speech
on Hume's First Proposition
STINSON'S THIRD REPLY
ON THE FIRST PROPOSITION.
Gentlemen Moderators, Ladies and Gentlemen:- I now rise to reply to Elder Hume. For his life he can not see my criticism on the first chapter of Ephesians. If there is any difference between my opponent and the view I expressed, my criticism is correct; but if there is no difference between the views, he is correct. He brought up the sheep again, and told us they were his sheep before they heard his voice. The text says, "I know my sheep, and they know me." This, I consider, precludes the possibility of that knowledge, in the absence of becoming personally acquainted with the scripture. The only other text I noticed particularly is the 25th chapter of Matthew. He quotes from it, to prove that a kingdom was prepared for the sheep before the foundation of the world. This he tried to illustrate by goats having sheep skins on, but he says he don't mean me. I am much obliged to him; I do not suppose he meant anybody. I will only say the devil must be remarkably ignorant to put on sheep skins for the purpose of catching sheep; for that is as impossible as to draw down the throne of God. "Come ye, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world." Look at this--prepared for you who have been in it from the foundation of the world! If the kingdom is prepared for you from the foundation of the world, when are you allowed to come into it? My brother scored me yesterday about conditional salvation. What does Christ say of it? "Because I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; I was hungry, and ye fed me not; I was naked, and ye clothed me not." Does not Jesus Christ in this recognize conditions? Are not these conditions that will come up in the judgement of God? What does he say to them? Does he tell those on his left hand that they were goats from the foundation of the world? Does he say to them, depart into everlasting fire because Christ never knew you; because you are not elected; because you have no lot in the economy of redemption through the atonement? No, no; he tells them to take their leave; for says he, I was a-hungered, and ye fed me not; I was naked, and ye clothed me not; a stranger, and ye took me not in. Does he not show them something they might have done in life? But because they neglected to do it, it has become the ground of their condemnation forever.
So much for conditional salvation. But to make this doubly sure, we will quote from Revelations xxii,14, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." You discover here a chain of truth that never can be incorporated on the doctrine of election.
With reference to his remarks upon the point that all that Christ died for will be eternally saved, we have a few texts which have some reference to that point. Hebrews vi, 4-6, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." I do not quote this to prove the doctrine of falling from grace. He has not left me the necessity of proving the possibility of falling from grace, because he has failed to show that Christ died for only a part. My object is to show that there is a possibility of some being lost who have once been righteous. 2 Peter ii, 1, "But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." Mark, "even denying the Lord that bought them." How did he purchase them? Was there any kind of commercial arrangement made by which they were bought, outside of the atonement? Here he says there will be false teachers among them in the church, "who will bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them." Here is a people who brought swift destruction upon themselves, who denied the Lord that bought them (I might add, bought them with his blood), and yet they bring themselves to swift destruction. One more quotation. Hebrews x, 26, "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin." Will my brother say that to sin willfully, after we had obtained a knowledge, is impossible? But here we see it is possible, and the apostle says it is impossible for him to be renewed, because they rejected the only sacrifice made for sin--there remaineth no more. But we will connect this with the language of Jesus Christ, where he says, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men, but the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come." Here we have it stated that the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven them either in this world or in the world to come, and that those who commit this sin, whether elect or not, are in danger of eternal damnation.
In the tenth chapter of Romans, we have a contrast again between the Jew and the gentile. Here we meet my brother's quotations from the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of Romans. I have not time to quote in full, but allow me to say, that it teaches, among other things, that the Jews were the true branches of the tree, but they were broken off, and the wild olives grafted in because of belief. He has taken the ground that if a man once belonged to him (the Lord), he belonged to him forever; but let God vindicate himself. He here says that the gentiles were the wild olives, and that he will call them his people that are not his people. My brother may make a compromise between his bold declarations and the declarations of God's word. I have alluded to this to show that the wild olive branches were grafted in (see Romans xi, 11-24), and that they had not been believers once, and that these wild olives were not the people of God.
In his remarks on the eighth chapter of Romans, where he read the ten verses, he undertakes to prove the doctrine of predestination. Admitting that every word proved what he thought it proved, does it prove that Christ did not die for any but the elect? or does it prove that any that Christ died for never can be lost? It simply showed that there were some whom God had upheld continually. You will bear in mind that he has never attempted to free his proposition from the definition I gave it in my first speech. He is silent upon that subject. He has not denied that his system of redemption, implied the doctrine of reprobation, but I will refer you to John Calvin, and to Saint Augustine, who flourished in the fourth century. I affirm that the doctrine of predestination, as he teaches it, was never known in the Christian Church before the fourth century. Saint Augustine was candid. He brought this doctrine from Africa. He was conversant with the oriental languages and customs, and it was from them he received the idea. When he introduced it into the Christian Church, it was considered an innovation upon the gospel, and it was a matter of contention till the sixteenth century. After that time Calvin revived the doctrine; but neither of these great men have ever undertaken to free it from reprobation.
Here, then, we have a system that does not only tell us that Christ never died for some people, but that they have no lot or part in the atonement; they came into the world with a corrupt nature, a nature which they have had no agency in bringing upon themselves. I allude to the new born of every age, both elect and reprobate. Those that come into the world with a corrupt nature--and all do--have no chance of getting to heaven under this system. They must be excluded, unless there is some system by which they can be regenerated and made fit for the kingdom of God. In view of these facts, there is a large majority of those who come into the world who sin because it is their nature: and it follows, as a matter of course, that they sin on till they die. And my friend tells us they will have to be condemned. We have often heard of infant damnation. I say, better they be damned before contracting personal guilt--before they have sinned--if it is true that there is no salvation provided for them. Hell might then, perhaps, be endurable; but no, with personal guilt upon this imperfect nature, loaded down with sin, they are to be drawn hopelessly into dark, deep damnation, when they never could have avoided that course. Do you expect me to admit this? Are you surprised that I have taken the negative of this proposition? I say it stands opposed to all that is sacred. It stands opposed to the death of Christ by limiting the atonement.
One more remark: if he only atoned for a part, how much more would he have had to suffer for the whole race? I charge him (Hume) with limiting the vicarious value of that atonement. Did he just suffer enough for the elect? In order for the others to have had even a possibility, would he have had to suffer more? I object to his doctrine, as being prejudicial to the glory of God, and the honor of his throne. His justice, goodness and mercy are over all the work of his hands. I object to it, as being prejudicial to the best interests of the human race. No man who acts consistently with that belief will ever reform, unless he is irresistibly compelled to it; and we know that this is not done, only in a few cases. Our brother, tells us, in the interpretation of his own case, he had something to do in coming to Christ. Here is a system that tells a sinner that if he is not elected there is no salvation for him. If this is to be his doctrine, how is he to know whether he is elected or not till God reveals it to him and that by the irresistible influence of the operation of the Holy Spirit? Is it not reasonable, then, that the sinner should feel easy and secure? He would be the greatest fool in the world to make a single effort until God Almighty brought him into harness. Take this doctrine to the unconverted sinner, let him believe that it is true, will he ever make another effort under heaven, till light forces him into it? No; and he will be consistent with the doctrine if he does not.
Let me apply one more text. God says: "Behold, now is the accepted time; to-day is the day of salvation." If they are to wait till God reveals it to them, does it not make the sinner transgress God's own word? God tells the sinner, in another place, "I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me." Yet this doctrine tells the sinner he is perfectly safe, and he can wait God's time to bring him in. If he be not of the elect, he is no more than the rich man crouching beneath the deep cloud of dark damnation. These are only a few of the objections we might urge. God tells the preacher to go through the world and offer Christ to the world--all the world--but according to this doctrine, every time he makes that offer, he preaches that which is false.
(Time expired.)
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