VoL. XXI ALLEGHENY, PA., DECEMBER 1, 1900 WHAT HOPE FOR THE INNUMERABLE NON-ELECT? No. 23 [Continued from our last issue, “Make Sure of Winning in God’s Election.’’] In our last issue we found abundant Scripture evidence that God is selecting a little flock from amongst mankind to be joint heirs with our Lord Jesus in the Millennial kingdom. That fact being proven, it cannot be questioned that all the remainder of mankind are non-elect. The question now is, What provision has the great Creator made for this class numbering at least fifty thousands of millions of all the families of the earth? Is this condition hopeless or not? According to orthodoxy it is hopeless—the theory being that all the non-elect of mankind were predestinated by God to be sufferers of eternal torment; but we find no Seripture whatever in support of such a theory. So surely as God did elect or predestinate an elect class he must equally have predestinated and foreordained that there would be a non-elect class. And to suppose that he foreordained that this non-elect class should suffer eternal torment would be to suppose God a monster, devoid of every sentiment of justice, not to mention love. And if God did not foreordain the non-elect to eternal torment, neither could he have authorized any to use eternal torment as a threat against the non-elect—neither to intitnidate them nor for any other purpose. Indeed, what object. could there be on Cod’s part in endeavoring to scare the world of mankind into striving to be of the elect little flock, when he had already predestinated that only a small number comparatively could be of this elect flock? The whole matter, viewed from any such standpoint, is unreasonable. Let us notice, on the contrary, that this eternal torment theory may properly be charged with nearly every deflection frome the doetiine of the necessity for holiness of life on the pat of Gods people. Everyone who has read with care the Seriptures already cited which refer to the elect class must reahze that the standard which God has set “for the very cleet”?? is a very high standard: and that comparatively few— sunt. only—ever attain to that high standard. AJL will aeknowl dee that very few of their friends and neighbors, parents ind caildrer, brothers and sisters. husbands and wives, who have dicd, could have any hope of being in the “elect class,” accoidiny to the high -tandard for that class set in the Seriptress and yet the awfulness of the theory they hold respectmy the non elect has driven them to so modify the standard «t Christian living that would be acceptable to God as to inclufe these dear taends, Pint. day by dav, and century Ts ceotusy, as deaths cecur in every family connection, the tendency, under the influence of the pupular error of eternal tor mert is to lewer in the minds of all Christian people the stardord af {rite holaess, - oWhat manner of persons oueht we ty be? Phe fineral discourses in nearly every case help for ward this work of underminmeg the Christian standard, and dropping it to a worldly level of morality—and scarcely even thet, because even persons who are netoriously immoral, unpest. extortionists, ete, and who have very little indeed te commend them, are felf te be not sufficiently bad to be eternally tormented: and under the theory that they must go either to a heaven ot eternal bliss or to a hell of eternal torment they are, in thelre ucighbors’ minds, admitted generonsly to fhe former rather than consigned to the latter. Vobaft incalewtable harm has been introduced into the faith apa hopes of Christendom through this God dishonoring docfive of eternal toriaent. whieh implicates the great Jehovah i the chiete-1 eoulyutor of Satan,—the planner, ihe designer of ett hae aceoredited devilishness, the one without whose cooperation Satan could not have done all that he, as ordinarily paetored has dene and is damg,—dominating a host of fire preet and pom proof devils pitchforks in hand, tormenting aofiions of hunnanity, delivered into their power by the Almighty, and by some in-erutabie power rendered fire-nroof but net puun-proof THE GRNEROSITY COMMENDABLE BUT THE THEORY WRONG We cannot but sympathize with the greater goncrosity cf car day whieh i3 gradually coming to disown such a theory, and we must also savmpethize with that sentiment which has sought to reseue from such an awful future the loved ones of the present life, however evil and injurious they may have been. But while thi- inerease of benevolence igs commendable it igs bringiny the remedy from the wrong quarter. It is bringing a remedy which, winle it is to some extent consoling to the heart momentarily. uevertheless leaves a terrible fear, lest peradventure the high standards of the Scripture may be required, and that all not coming up to them will ruffer excrutiatingly In others it leads to doubts, not only €355 -356) respecting the eternal torment, but also respecting the eterna! bliss: and additionally it casts serious doubt upon the Book of divine revelation which is the only foundation for heavenly hopes, because they believe it to be also the authority for their “hellish fears.” WHAT SAY THE SCRIPTURES RESPECTING THE NON-ELECT? In the Seriptures the non-elect are of two classes: First: Those who in the present life were (1)enlightened, (2) justified through faith, (3) called, and accepting the call were sanctified and begotten of the holy spirit, and started on the course with a view to making their calling and election sure —but who have not made it sure, but on the contrary have failed, by not coming fully up to the requirements. This class in turn is Scripturally divided into two parties :— (a) Those who sin wilfully after that they have received a knowledge of the truth, and been made partakers of the holy spirit, ete. For those there remaineth no more a share in the sacrifice of Christ—no further mercy, opportunity or hope To them the result i. the second death—--nonentity. Heb 6:4-6; 10°26, 27. {b) The other class consists of those who, while at heart preferring righteousness and truth, and loving the Lord, have not become copies of God’s dear Son, in that they fail to attain to his Spirit of full devotion of heart to the doing of the Father's witl—rather they permit themselves to become overcharged with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, and thus fail to complete that sacrifice accordiny tc their covenant, and hence tail to make ther calling and these election sure. For these the Lord has a gracious provision as suggested in Nev. 7:13-15. They will not be utterly con founded, because they have trusted in him (Psa 22 5), and he will surely carry them throuch. Yet the Lord's interven tion on their behalf must he strictly along the lines of his covenant and general plan—he cannot interfere with their free moral agency; he will not coerce their wills. but he ern and will bring them to such a place of experience as will test them and compel them either to renounce their loyally to him or to seal that loyalty with their lives Those who renounce the Lord will, of course, in so doing bring upon them elves the penalty of the second death. hut those who, under such compulsory circumstances, are faithful. eannot be counted as of the same likeness with God's dear Son. who, without compulsion, voluntarily gave up his life in the Father’s service. The little flock of the elect church will contain all of this class, and to tnem will be granted the kingdom, and to ait with Christ in his throne, and to be the temple of God and to have the crowns. (Rev. 3:21; 1 Pet. 5:4) But the others, who will “come up out of great tribulation,” having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, altho they will have suffered equally as much as the elect (more indeed, if the mental conditions are taken into consideration) will not get a crown of victory, but a palm of victory; will not get a seat in the throne with their Lord, as his bride, but nevertheless an honorable place before the throne as servants. They will not become pillars and stones in the living temple of God, but they will have the honorable privilege of serving God in his temple, the church. This class is not prominently referred to in the Scriptures, nor in the types and symbols even; because none were called to this position, but. as the Apostle declares, “Ye were al] called in one hope of your calling’—to the highest place of joint heirship. (Eph. 4:4) The position attained by these is an unpromised one, of the Lord’s abundant mercy. Second: The second class of non-elect from the Scriptural viewpoint is the world of mankind. including three classes:— (a) It includes those who have never had any knowledge of God’s provision of grace in Christ, and who consequently could not have gone on further io be of the called elect clas: of this age. (6) It includes those who have heard of the grace of God. but in that indistinct, indefinite manner which does not bring conviction—those who have seen in Jesus something wonderful and great and admirable, but who have never seen him from the Lord’s standpoint of Redeemer and Saviour—their eves being blinded to the manifold evil influences of “the god of this world,” business or pleasure or love of money or distracting religiovs dogmas. These, not having seen and not having accepted Christ as the Redeemer, could go no further [2732]
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