Morning Star

Universalism,

During the Newbury debate, Elder Crafts conversed with a young man who had once professed religion, and was at that time a wicked backslider, one of the worst. He asked him if he would not return again to the service of God, informing him how the precious cause of Christ was bleeding on his account.

The young man said:- "I will wait and see how this debate comes out; and if the negative can be sustained, I have nothing to fear." Here, then, is the result of believing "the peace and safety doctrine."

How exactly and graphically are its teachers described by the living word of God in the following passage. "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way by promising him life." Ezek. 14:22. Had the prophet lived in 1843, and heard the arguments of the sect, he could not have better described them. While the soul of the Christian is grieved, and "rivers of water run down" his cheeks because men keep not God's law, his heart is made sad by these false prophets, for they strengthen his hands in his sins that he does not return from his wickedness by promising him life, eternal life!

"Among the accursed, who sought a hiding place in vain, from fierceness of Jehovah's rage and from the hot displeasure of the Lamb, most wretched, most contemptible, most vile,— stood the false priest, and in his conscience felt the fellest knaw of the undying worm. And so he might, for he had on his hands the blood of souls, that would not wipe away."

O how must such men feel in that day when God shall set in judgment on their works, upon their words, and souls. How will they then curse, and forever curse that fatal day they engaged as ambassadors of hell. How will the frantic groans of murdered souls pierce through their swollen hearts. How will they lament that they trifled with the wrath of Almighty God, that they derided his dreadful threatenings of eternal damnation and wo. How remorse must prey upon their frightened imaginations, and despair sting, perpetually sting, their ruined souls, as down they sink in that unfathomable abyss, where endless horrors dwell!

M. W. A.

In the Newbury discussion, we quoted the words of Christ- "Broad is the way that leads to destruction," in proof of the affirmative of the question, &c. when our friend replied, that had he professed our faith, that would have been the last text he would have quoted, for "to destroy meant to annihilate! and consequently their punishment had an end." He said the same of the words of Christ where he said, "Fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." We then read Jude 5. "I will therefore put you in remembrance though you knew this, how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward (destroyed) annihilated them that believed not." So many annihilated! Ps. 101:8. "I will early (destroy) annihilate all the wicked of the land." "The wicked all gone!! Hos. 4:16. "My people are (destroyed) annihilated from lack of knowledge." The unbelieving Hebrews, all the wicked, and God's people all annihilated!!! and behold our opponent is standing here to prove they are all safe in heaven-that they are not annihilated. Wonderful to tell. We then gave him the following syllogism to untie: -

Those persons who are annihilated are not made eternally holy and happy.

The unbelieving Hebrews and all the wicked are annihilated;

Therefore:- Some persons are not made eternally holy and happy.

It was in vain that he struggled to get out of this dilemma.

M. W. A.