Should it be urged that this was a proverbial mode of speaking among the Jews, I admit it. Dr. Gill, in his notes on this and the parallel passage in Mark xiv. 21, says, "This is a Rabbinical expression frequently used in one form or other, and sometimes as our Lord spake it." But what does this prove; that our Saviour lied, and that it was good for Judas that he had been born? Would he have used language that implied infinitely more than was intended to be conveyed? Should it be urged that Job and Jeremiah used such language in reference to themselves.-(Job iii. 3. Jer. xx. 14, 18.) I would ask what this proves? When Job cursed the day of his birth he was enduring a great amount of bodily and mental suffering; and he had not had those views of the divine perfections which produced in him true humility, and submission to God, and which led him to abhor himself and repent in dust and ashes. Being unhumbled, and cherishing no hope in the mercy of God, and suffering the most extreme anguish; no doubt he felt that it would have been good for him not to have been born. But the subsequent history of Job proves, that in this case he spake unadvisedly with his lips. Jeremiah, when he cursed the day of his birth, was under the influence of powerful temptation. And here we see the weakness of the best of men, who are but men at best. But we are not to infer from hence, that it would have been good for Jeremiah that he had never been born. But Christ spake as never man spake What he said was always to the purpose. He never spake unadvisedly with his lips. We therefore conclude that when he said, it would have been good for Judas if he had not been born, he would have us understand that the crime of Judas was so exceedingly aggravated, and that his punishment must necessarily be so great, that even an eternity of bliss could not counterbalance it. There can be no meaning to this passage, if it does not express the endless duration of future punishment. It follows, that in relation to one individual the sufferings of hell will be eternal. If of one, then it is equally certain and proper that all the finally impenitent should perish forever. The punishment of Judas proves also, that sinners cannot plead the decrees of God as an excuse for their sins. God will punish crimes for what they are in themselves considered. His own inscrutable purposes, in relation to human actions, will not change the nature of these actions, or screen the sinner from the punishment which he deserves. In Matt. xviii. 23, &c., we have the parable of the servant who owed ten thousand talents and had nothing to pay. This servant his Lord ultimately commanded to be thrown into prison, and there be confined till he should pay the whole debt. How evident it is that this man could never pay the debt, and must remain there forever. The moral of this parable is, "so shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." We are greatly indebted to God. We owe him ten thousand talents and have nothing to pay. Now in order to obtain forgiveness of God, we must possess a forgiving spirit. It is indispensably necessary to pardon and peace, that we not only do justly, but love mercy, and walk humbly with God. If we show no mercy, we shall have judgment without mercy. We shall be cast into the prison of hell, and must there remain forever and ever. "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved, shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life."** According to the plain declaration of scripture, all impenitent sinners are defilers. They are neither cleansed from the filthiness of the flesh, nor the spirit. Their hearts and consciences are defiled. They all work that which is abominable in the sight of the Lord. Such being their true character they will in no wise be permitted to enter the heavenly city. Therefore not only will not all men be saved, as some will be excluded from the * Rev. xxi. 23-27. heavenly city; but some may have not their names written in the Lamb's book of life; and this is a further evidence that all will not be saved. VI. THOSE PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE WHICH SPEAK OF THE WICKED AS PERISHING, BEING CAST AWAY, REJECTED, BURNT UP AS CHAFF, &C., TEACH THE SAME DOCTRINE. "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God."* "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one we are a savour of death unto death, and to the other, the savour of life unto life." Perishing is here put in contrast with being saved. "But these are natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption."‡ "That which beareth briers and thorns is rejected; but the chaff will be burned up with unquenchable fire." By the chaff, here, is represented the wicked. They are represented as being driven away like chaff before the wind. Job compares them (chap. xxi. verse 18.) to the chaff which the wind driveth away. They are also represented as chaff which the fire consumes.-(Isa. v. 24.) This image is often used to express judgments. "Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff."—(Isa. xl. 1-15.) By the unquenchable fire is meant the eternal sufferings of the wicked in hell. The image is used to express extreme suffering, since a death by burning is one of the most horrible that can be conceived. "As the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire."** Let such testimony speak for itself. If all are finally saved there is no propriety in speaking of any as lost, perished, rejected, and cast out, at the end of the world, into unquenchable fire. We may be assured that the compassionate Saviour and his apostles would not 2 Pet. ii. 12. ** Matt. xiii. 40, 41, 42. * Cor. i. 18. deceive, or use words to torment and tantalize us. They would not tell us of hell-fire which had no existence. We may be sure evcry word is full of meaning. If they meant to say the wicked will suffer, then they will suffer. To these passages might be added, as every one knows who is conversant with the Bible, a multitude of other passages declaring the same truth, in the same unambiguAnd they must be considered as teaching the doctrine of annihilation or eternal woe. That they do not teach the doctrine of annihilation we shall hereafter show. They must then teach the doctrine of endless punishment. Perdition, destruction, &c. are ever in scripture set in opposition to destruction. But where is the contrast, if those who are cast away, rejected, lost, destroyed, be finally saved? ous manner. VII. THE DOCTRINE IN QUESTION IS TAUGHT IN ALL THOSE TEXTS I WHICH INTIMATE THAT A CHANGE OF HEART AND A PREPARATION FOR HEAVEN ARE CONFINED TO THE PRESENT LIFE. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, and call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."* "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded: but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as a desolation and your destruction as a whirlwind. When distress and anguish cometh upon you, then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early but shall not find me; for that they hated instruction and did not choose the fear of the Lord they would none of my counsel, they despised my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own devices."+ These and many similar passages teach us that an has a limited time to prepare for the retributions of eternity be no successful calling upon the Lord, and cons * Isa. Iv. 6, 7. that there will iently no salva ; 1--31. tion after a limited period. If God shall never answer their calls, and they shall find they will never be saved "Great God, on what a slender thread Hang everlasting things! The eternal states of all the dead Upon life's feeble strings! Infinite joy or endless woe Waken, O Lord, our drowsy sense, "While ye have the light walk in the light, that ye may be the children of the light."* Christ is the true light that will not deceive us. "He coming into the world enlightened every man.”(John i. 9.) By his own personal ministry, and by his spirit and apostles, light or teaching is graciously afforded to all. This light however is in the gospel, and not in the creature, until he who was sometimes darkness is made light in the Lord. But it is the duty of all to believe in this light, to subscribe to the truths which it discovers, and to walk in the path to which it directs us. By and by God will take from us the light of the gospel which alone can show us the way to Christ, and then we shall have no longer an opportunity of becoming the children of the light, but shall wander endlessly in mistakes and errors and woe. "While they (the foolish virgins) went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, sayJohn xii. 36. |