Part 19 (1/2)
JOSEPH WALTON.
Mr. Hosea Ballou, _Pastor of a Church_.
LETTER V.
FROM THE REV. HOSEA BALLOU TO THE REV. JOSEPH WALTON.
PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 15, 1811.
_Rev. Sir_,--Yours of the 11th inst. is before me, and according to my _promise_ I hasten to pay _an early attention_ to its contents, notwithstanding you express a _hope_ that I should write to you no more on this subject. In your desire, sir, that I should write no more I believe you to be _really sincere_, for I believe you to be a man disposed to give your friends as little trouble as possible; but I have several reasons for answering your last, which, when I have stated, I presume, will fully satisfy you that my answer is required in justice to myself.
1st. I find myself accused of _baseness_, of which, were I guilty, the forfeiture would be that of _confidence_.
2d. I find my preaching misrepresented, and that in direct violation of my own declaration in the present correspondence.
3d. I find questions proposed for my discussion, which renders it reasonable that you should have an answer, as I was in hopes of obtaining to the questions which I stated to you.
4th. I find you quite off from the subjects of your admonitions, not attempting to support them, nor yet willing to exonerate me from charges.
5th. I find the scriptures of our blessed Lord and Saviour quoted with a manifest design to limit his grace and salvation.
I might go on and state a number more reasons why I conceive it to be my duty to reply, but the five already given will undoubtedly satisfy your mind; and they furnish subjects sufficiently ample for an epistle. To them I shall conform myself, and endeavour to be as concise as is consistent with the importance of the subject.
1st. Your accusation is in the following words:--
”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 pa.s.sage 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 pa.s.sage 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 G.o.d. 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 G.o.d. 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 G.o.d. This is the apostle's primary application of the love and mercy of G.o.d. 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 G.o.d and one mediator between G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 _G.o.d_, 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 G.o.d'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 G.o.d, which is in Christ Jesus, there is a perfect a.n.a.logy with the foregoing testimony. The love of G.o.d which is in Christ Jesus, was commended to a sinful world in that Christ tasted death, by the grace of G.o.d, 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 pa.s.sage in 1st Cor. 3d, &c. This pa.s.sage, 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 G.o.d'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 G.o.d 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 pa.s.sage 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 G.o.d 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.