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10 THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN. ,' . I •


I it seems imnossible to doubt that, had OUll Sa­I


vior designed to teach the doctrine in question,


._ I so : uulJ1~~ Ji. o~ S a fact would have been clearly


._ I --- expncitiy revealed. Luke, 16: 26. ( 3)


TIlE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN.


: MENDON, JUNE 1, 1840.


NOTES.


( 1) We will amend this statement a little so


- as to conform it more nearly to our ideas; viz.


That punishment is commenced in the mental


and bodily sufferings of this life, and will be


continued in the mental sufferings of the future


life until the wicked, having received according


to their works, shall be thoroughly humbled,


subdued and reformed by Je sus Christ, and


through his regenerating grace made meet for


that state in which God shall be all in all.


( 2)" Inconsistencu and folly!" What charm­ing


and convincing words! It is all consisten­cy


and wisdom, is it, to b~ lieve that the wicked


will be punished to harden and confirm them in


sin- so that they shall beef no other use to all


eternity but to curse, and blaspheme, and be


miserable?! 11 is all consistency and wisdom,


to believe that God will inflict a punishment


which continually makes the wicked worse and


worse- which continually strengthens the ma­lignity


of their hatred and rebellion! How can


those who know God by the power of his love in


their hearts cherish such opinions of his char­acter


and dealings?!


...


dency to make men holy and fit them for


heaven• .,( 5). •


( 1.) The scheme ofrestoration d. esUoYs the


whole doctrine of salvation by grace. The Bi­ble


declares that there is no other name through


which we cnn be snved, except that of Christ,


( Acts, 4: 12,}-- and that we have redemption


through his blood, the for~ iTeness of sins.~


Ephes, 1: 7. But if the wicked suffer the just


punishment of their sins in hell, and arc there


purified, they can be just IUl well saved without


Christ IUl with him. Indeed they neither want II.


Savior nor can they have any. Moreover, it ici


manifest that upon this scheme, sinners can nei­ther


receive forgiveness through the blood of


Christ, nor in any other way i- for having suf­fered


the proper penalty of the law, they have II


right to deliverance on the footing of justice.


It is mere mockery to say to a culprit that he re­ceives


forgiveness ,. according to the riches of


grace," while at thesame time he haerpaid in


his own person" the wages of sin." ( 6.)


( 5) \ Vho has ever affirmed that" mere" suffer­ing


of punishment would win" the wicked heart


to loyalty and, love?" ' Ve believe that suffer­ing


is one menns J nder the divine government


of deterring, humbling, and subduing the sin­ner-


not that it is the only means or the princi «


pal means of his actual conversion to holiness: '


Punishment may be a means of bringing the


wicked to know the evil of sin, and to seekthat'


} rood which they can find only in Christian holi- '


ness. And He who makes it such a means does


undoubtedly accompany and follow it with such


other means and such influences of bis Holy


Spirit, as are necessary to sanctify the 80111: ­But


perhaps all this seems like" fully and in­consistency,"


to ' the writer of our Tract. He


and his brethren trust a great deal more ' to the


t'EA- R of .. mere suffering and punishment," than


they do the reality itself. The)' all preach the


terrors of hell- of" mere suffering and puni~ h-~


ment," with a view to convert sinners here on


earth, but they scout the idea that those who


cannot be converted by thefcar of it, should be


overcome' by its actual endurance! If, however,


th'edread of it is so efficaciou8, whyshould the re- '


ality be utterly inefficacious? This is a kind of


reasoning not so easily comprehended. ' Viii it '


be said by those who preach the fear of " mere


suffering and punishment,". that this fear is not


what converts the sinner. For what then do


meYpre acllit? Will they say'-: as a meansof


arresting, awakening, and deterring sinners, so


that grace may find an opportunity to act upon


their hearts. Very well; and why should there


be so ~ uch "' inconsistency and ' folly" in our be- ­lieving


that God will make as good a use of the "


thing itself hereofter, all he does of the fear of


it here? Moreover, are there not numerous in­stances


in the present life'in which great judg­ments


have effectually humbled , those, who for.


a long " time " remained impenitent amid rich


and vari ~ J exhibition; of paternal chastisement,'


forbearance and mercy?" Such reasoning " ill '


not stand. It will not bear examination. '


But furthermore; does any body believe that


" sorcerers, whorernongers, murderers, idola­ters,"


& c. lire to practice their arts , and vices.


and crimes in the future world? And does any


body ' believe that companionship with such


characters hereafter is to be a companionship in


action? Is it not believed that this compahion­ship


will be one merely of condemaation, sham;


and suffering? Ho,~ then may we inferthat s~ clt


a companionship will necessarily harden and


confirm the soul in sin? He who looks at ' th~


matter as it is, will see how disingenuous it is


to argue after the fashion of this Tract.


( 6.) So then, sinners cannot be savedby grace


if they are punished according'! to, their' works.


Does grace do nothing for the sinner but save


him from deserved punishment? So, too, si~.


ners are not saved by Christ, ifu~ de~ his media-'


torial dispensation he regards every man accoe­ding


to his works- above all, if he puhish. e~'


sinners in order to subdue nnd bring them ioto.


a state of mind to be . influenced by the Holy '


, ~ t


Spirit. The physician ' does not cure the pa-tient;'


it is only the distress occasioned " by a.


part of his medicine, that cures him! His skill


and attention are nothing. Ag~ in, there is for­giveness


of sins in no sense except that of re­mitting


deserved punishment! Whoe~ er is pun­ished


justly cannot be said to be forgiven.


Jerusalem received of the Lord's hand double


for all her sins, therefore it was absurd to" cry


that heriniquity was" parlioned." ' See · ' Isa. 40:


2. Why do not men discriminate? The sin- "


ner might be justly punished for the deeds done '


in the body, or for any other supposable deeds; '


what then; would'this be all that is necessary


to'fit him for he~ ven? Must ' he ~ ot be delivered'


from sin itself, ( rom the love , anddominioh of

Page 10 from Volume 1 of The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840