Part 8

The man that thinks of “eternal life” merely as eternal _conscious existence_, has no adequate conception of the meaning of the term. It is used to express the entire state of glory, with all that pertains to it. In the same sense the phrase “second death” is used to express the state of perdition, including all that is in it. The terms “saved” and “lost” are used in the same sense. “Saved” includes the entire inheritance of the saints; all they shall have and enjoy. “Lost” includes all that shall be inflicted on the condemned; the entire state and all that is in it.

Mortality is never applied to the soul of man in Scripture, nor is immortality. We never read of a mortal or an immortal soul, nor of a soul being made mortal or immortal. Mortality and immortality are applied to the body and not to the soul. The body is mortal, but in the resurrection will be made immortal.

It is infinitely wiser to teach men how to _keep out_ of hell, while they are out, than to teach them how to _get out_, after they are in hell, or to prove that they will cease to exist. We do not think much of men that study how to _pick locks_ and escape from prisons; but we esteem the men who teach how to _keep out_ of prisons by avoiding the crimes on account of which men are imprisoned. There is no benevolence in tampering with the divine penalties in any way, either in out-and-out denying the existence of any punishment after death, or modifying it. The Bible contains its clear discrimination between the righteous and the wicked, and unequivocally declares that it shall not be with him that does not serve God as with him that serves him. It is not in vain to serve God. It would have been better for Judas if he had not been born, as clearly stated by our Lord. There is a sorer punishment than death without mercy. There is an “everlasting punishment,” and no sound learning can make this mean everlasting _non-existence_. Non-existence is not punishment, else we were always in punishment till we were brought into existence. There is a punishment where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. There is no more evidence that this will ever cease to exist than that the state of glory itself shall cease to exist.

DESIGN OF MIRACLES.

Miracles are necessary to give a new institution and confirm it to the world, but when it is given and confirmed, no miracle is needed to perpetuate it. It required miracles to confirm the mission of the apostles and prove to the world that they were from God. So would it require miracles now to confirm the missions of any other man or set of men claiming to be specially called and sent as the apostles were, and in default of any miracles, we do not believe any men are now called and sent, as they were. The divine attestations that established the apostolic mission, among the people of their time, against their established religion, all their prejudices and every worldly consideration, was committed to record, and will establish it to all the generations to come. The same testimony that proved a man guilty of murder one hundred years ago, will prove him guilty forever. It does not require that witnesses continue to be sworn and testify to prove it to other people. In the same way, the testimony that proved the divinity of Christ, at the beginning of his reign, has been committed to the record and will prove it forever. There is no new testimony, and none is needed. Those who lived in the time when the Lord was on earth, saw him, or saw those who did see him, or, at least, many of them did; they saw many of his wonderful works, or many who did see them; they heard the prophecies uttered by him, or saw those who did hear them, but did not live to see the fulfillment. We did not see him, nor witness his miracles, nor hear him utter the prophecies alluded to, but we now have the faithful records of history in which we find accounts of the fulfillment of his wonderful predictions extending down through the ages, for more than eighteen centuries. We do not, therefore, need a repetition of the miracles, or the prophecies, or their fulfillment. They stand there, firm as the everlasting hills, serving God’s eternal purpose; confirming the divine mission of his Son, and the New Covenant, of which he is the Mediator.

When did these miracles cease? They ceased when the apostles died, and all on whom they laid their hands. Every pretense of a miracle from then till now, has been nothing but a _lying pretense_. Not a genuine miracle has been done.

We have in the Bible the clear statement that the spiritual gifts—the supernatural gifts—would be superseded by “a more excellent way;” that tongues should cease, prophecies should fail, and knowledge—the supernatural gift of knowledge—should be done away. In accordance with these statements, these gifts have ceased, and thus fulfilled Paul’s statement, and proved that the Spirit of God was in him. The eternal Spirit saw, and, through him, foretold that these gifts should cease, as he did in the Apostle John, at the close of Revelation, the conclusion of the sacred canon, that nothing more was to be added, and nothing taken away. This ended the revelations from God. We have had not one word since, and will not have till the end of time.

CAIN’S WIFE.

We do not know “who was Cain’s wife,” only that she was _Mrs. Cain_. We do not know that it is of any more importance to us who Cain’s wife was than who the wife of any other man was or is. We must not fall out with the Bible because it does not gratify our curiosity in giving us information on many little particulars of no consequence to us. We do not know who President Grant’s wife was. We, no doubt, could easily have found out, but it was of no importance to us to know, and we have never tried to learn. Yet it is of as much importance to us, and as much in reference to our salvation, as to know who Cain’s wife was. We can not give information that is not in the Bible. The Bible does not tell who Cain’s wife was.

WHAT IS ESSENTIAL.

We single not out baptism and make it essential, nor conversion—as a whole—and make it essential; but we single out what the _Lord requires_, not only in regard to conversion, or making Disciples, but in regard to the life or the practice required of those in Christ, in which they are to continue after they have turned to the Lord; everything in the law of God, and maintain that it is _all essential_. The will of God is essential, and that which is not in the will of God is not essential. The will of God, or what is required in the law of God, must be done. That which is not in the will of God, or is no part of the law of God, is not to be done at all, or not to be introduced as religion, or any part of it, nor is the peace of the church to be interrupted with it. The only way to avoid the trouble about the _unessentials_ is simply to leave them out—to have nothing to do with them. What regard can a man have for the welfare of the Church, the peace of the people of God, and the triumphs of the faith, who will not only have himself what is not required, not essential, and what he admits is not required, but force it upon others?

WHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT.

We _know_ it is right to “Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly; and with all wisdom _teach_ and _admonish_ each other by _psalms_ and _hymns_ and _spiritual songs_; _singing_ with gratitude in our hearts to the Lord”—to “be filled with the Spirit; _speaking_ to one another in _psalms_ and _hymns_ and _spiritual songs_; _singing_ and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.” This _can_ be done, and _we know_ it is right; but that a man can make melody in his heart to the Lord “with an organ,” a fiddle, banjo, clarionet, lute, fife or jew’s-harp, we do not know, nor do we believe it. We want to do what is written, and enjoin it on others, to do it. What is not written we do not want to do. When the Lord so minutely describes _how_ we are to do anything, we want to do it in that _way_. The _way_ he prescribes will do the thing commanded; some other _way_ might not do what is commanded at all.

INFANT SIN—INFANT SALVATION.

In our generation, a vast amount of ink and breath is wasted in writing and preaching about infant sin, infant salvation, idiots, etc. There is one thing certain about it, and that is, that our writing and preaching about infant sin, infant salvation, Christ dying for infants and idiots, never saved an infant, an idiot, or anybody else. We do not, by our writing and preaching about them, make them sinful or righteous. It is simply writing and preaching _about_ them, and not _to them_, and certainly can do them no good. It is purely curious and speculative, pleasant for men and women to talk about, who will not love and obey the Savior themselves.

There are some things so clear in themselves that all can see them on the mere mention of them. Infants and idiots can not understand, believe, receive, reject, or obey the gospel. They can not repent, pray, praise God or rejoice. The gospel is simply not addressed to them. Infants and idiots are plainly and simply not _gospel subjects_. How are they then to be saved? What salvation do you mean? Salvation from _sin_, do you say? What sin? They never _sinned_, and have no _actual_ sin, as the schoolmen style it. They are under no guilt. They never transgressed any law, human or divine. They never rejected Christ nor the gospel. They have no _personal_ sin or guilt; no personal condemnation, and need no personal justification. The justification we receive in believing and obeying the gospel, is from our _own sins_, actual sins, sins we have committed ourselves. Infants have no sins of this kind and need not this justification. The remission of sins received, in turning to God, is for _sinners_; those who, in their own persons have committed sins, and not for infants, who have never sinned—who have no sins of this kind. They have no guilt, no condemnation, and need no salvation from “old sins,” as Peter has it, or past sins. They have no sins of this kind.

But, then, this is only a partial view of the matter. We all need something more than this. We need another salvation beyond pardon, or salvation from actual sins; we need to be ransomed from the grave, raised from the dead; our bodies changed, glorified, immortalized. The infant and idiot need this. This salvation is future. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” “By one man, sin entered into the world.” “In Adam’s fall, we sinned all.” But we are not under the guilt of Adam’s sin; only under the consequences. These consequences came on us without our will, volition or consent; without our action. We had no power to avert the calamity. It came on us unconditionally. The first Adam, without our volition or action, involved us in it. The second Adam, the Lord from heaven, unconditionally removes it from us. Without our volition or action, he takes it away. The first Adam involved us in death. Our turning to God, becoming christians and obtaining remission of sins, does not save us from death. We all die the same as those not Christians. After we die, the best of saints, we need the same ransom from the grave, as infants do. To be made alive; to be changed, immortalized and glorified. This is the salvation from Adam’s sin, or the consequences of it, and this is needed for the saints and infants alike.

“If one died for all, then we are all dead.” I. Cor. v. 14. This includes infants and idiots. Christ then died for all. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The same “all” that die in Adam shall be made alive in or by Christ. Christ, then, died for all,—all that die in Adam,—and will make the same “all” alive, or raise them from the dead. He, then, in dying for all, died for infants and idiots, and secured for them resurrection from the dead, and they need to prepare them for the world to come.

They can receive no gospel, and need none; they can not repent, and need no repentance; they can not pray or commune, and need no prayer or communion; they need no religion, and are simply not subjects of religion. They need no church. The gospel, repentance and remission of sins, the church and all that is in it, is for pardoned persons—those washed from their sins—the redeemed by the blood of Christ, and not for those who never sinned, had no guilt, and needed no pardon—those who have no faith and know not the Savior.

OUR AUTHORITATIVE RELIGION.

We have not time to elaborate it now, but we can state, that there is one religion that is the _supreme and absolute authority_—that is simply the religion of Christ. There is nothing but human authority in any other. That religion presents a heaven and a hell, the one as certain as the other. It is not to be tampered with, nor trifled with. It offers life and threatens death. It has justification and condemnation, its rewards and punishments. It has God in it, Christ and the Holy Spirit, prophets, apostles and martyrs. Men submit when they come to it, and yield to it, in doing which they submit and yield to its Divine Author. The secrets of men will be judged by Jesus Christ according to the gospel. If we expect to enter the everlasting city, we must listen to the Bible.

REFLECTIONS FOR DANCERS.

While we were in Carlisle, Kentucky, in May, we learned that Bro. Reynolds, who was engaged in an interesting meeting a few miles off, had announced that he would preach on _dancing_ on a morning. As we had no appointment for preaching that morning, Bro. Jones proposed to take us to the place to hear Bro. Reynolds. On arriving we found a good audience in attendance, and Bro. Reynolds prepared for his work. He pressed us to address the people, but we declined on the ground that he had announced his subject, the people had come to hear him, and that we were interested in the matter and desired to hear him. He then entered upon his work.

Bro. Reynolds is a _self-made_ man, and not a man not _made at all_, but made in the genuine sense, an effective and telling man. He is a cool, deliberate and pointed speaker; speaks with perfect ease, and interests an audience from first to last. He is simply _himself_, and imitates no one. We decided before he was near through his discourse to write out an epitome of it, but one thing after another has hindered us till weeks have passed, and we took not a note, and we fear now that our article will be but little more than _an article about the discourse_.

MOTTO. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” I. Thess. v. 21.

This means to _test_ or _try_ all things, consider their claim, and determine which are good. Hold that fast.

Exod. xv. 20, we find an account of dancing: “And Miriam the prophetess, and the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” Several things are to be noticed in this dancing. 1. It was in daylight. 2. The women alone danced. 3. It was a religious exercise, in rejoicing over their wonderful deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the pursuit of their enemies, and to the praise and honor of God. They were religious people, praising and honoring God.

Exod. xxxii. 19, we have an account of dancing: “And it came to pass as soon as he” (Moses) “came nigh to the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing, and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.” We are not informed who danced in this instance, but the whole procedure was idolatrous. The shouting and dancing were in devotion to the molten calf.

Judges xi. 34: “And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came to meet him, with timbrels and with dances, and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.” 1. This dancing was in daylight. 2. One female danced alone. 3. She simply danced in joy to meet her father, and her dance was soon followed with a terrible calamity.

Judges xxi. 19-21: “Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, yearly, in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway, that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come you out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.” This dancing was in daylight. The females alone danced. We are not told what the object of the dancing was.

I. Sam. xviii. 6: “And it came to pass, as they came, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.” 1. This dancing was in daylight. 2. The women alone danced. 3. It was rejoicing in view of a special favor of God.

I. Sam. xxx. 16: “And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating, and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.” In this case the dancing was with eating and drinking, and for amusement. It was revelling. They were not religious people, but the wicked, and the calamity soon came upon them.

II. Sam. vi. 12-14: “And it was told King David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bear the ark of the Lord, had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen epod.” This dancing was in daylight. David alone danced. It was a religious exercise, in devotion to the Lord.

I. Chron. xv. 29: “And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul, looking out at a window, saw King David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.” This dancing was in daylight. David alone danced. He danced as a religious exercise. It was not dancing for amusement.

Psalms cl. 4: “Praise him with a timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs.” Also, Psalms cxlix. 3: “Let them praise his name in the dance.” This also is a religious exercise.

Eccl. iii. 4: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” We do not remember the point made on this. We have seen from the Scriptures already cited, that in the former ages, when they danced as a religious exercise, it was always in daylight, and in no case promiscuous dancing of men and women together, and the _time_ for it was when the Lord had wrought some great deliverance or brought some signal, given some great victory.

Job xxi. 11-18: “They send forth their little ones like a flock, and the children dance. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him?, Lo, their good is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked is far from me. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind, as chaff that the storm carrieth away.” Here we have a terrible description of the dancers for pleasure, amusement; of their godless character and utter ruin.

Mark vi. 22: “And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatever you will, and I will give it to you. And he swore to her, Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give to you, to the half of my kingdom. And she went forth and said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste to the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.” Here we have a fine sample of the taste, the spirit and refinement of the dancer and her mother. What had John the Baptist done that his head should come off to gratify the mother of a dancing damsel? John had said, “It is not lawful for you” (Herod) “to have your brother’s wife.” This insulted Mrs. Herod, and she sought and obtained revenge through her dancing daughter and a rash vow of the king. What a reward this for dancing and pleasing the king—the head of the best man in his kingdom, a prophet from God! This was dancing for pleasure, for amusement. This dancing for amusement, pleasure, is revelling, and excludes from the kingdom.

Gal. v. 21: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Bro. Reynolds gave a definition of the word “revelling,” and the original Greek word _komos_, which it represents, which we have not at hand and do not recollect; only that dancing for pleasure, amusement, with eating and drinking, is revelling, and they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. He also made a happy hit on the clause, “such like”—that is, “revellings and _such like_”; that it included the plays of folly, the innocent games for amusement, etc.

We are sorry that we have forgotten so much of the comment and so many of the good points in the discourse. It was in grand contrast with much that we have. He is not trying to determine _how much folly and sin_ we can practice and still be saved, but _how fully men and women can be saved from all folly and sin_. The Lord strengthen his hands and the hands of every other man walking nobly in resistance against the demoralizing influences now upon us.

SPIRIT OF INDIFFERENCE.