FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Laurensburgh, Ky., Jan. 13, 1841.

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

Laurensburgh, Ky., Jan. 13, 1841.

DEAR BROTHER BEEBE:—I from time to time am made to rejoice on reading the many excellent things in relation to the Kingdom of God our Saviour, as brought to view in your paper by yourself and other beloved brethren in the Lord, who, I believe, are earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, standing fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made them free, and not again being entangled with the yoke of bondage. The eternal union of the Lord Jesus Christ with his people is so plainly brought to view in the scriptures of divine truth that I am greatly at a loss to know how any one, heaven-born and heaven-taught, can for a moment deny it. Sever this union, and for my hope for heaven and immortality is gone; for in the absence of this, in my view of salvation by grace, not one of Adam’s rebellious sons and daughters could ever be brought to the knowledge of the inheritance of the saints. It is in this connexion with the glorious fulness of God’s all-spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, that not the fulness of God’s time, the Lord Jesus, our precious Elder Brother in the bosom of God his Father and our heavenly Father, before time, left the riches of his heavenly inheritance for his joint heirs the younger brethren, came to this world in time, clothed with humanity, the God-man—not in the nature of angels, though that would have been inferior to his Godhead—not the seed of Adam, for if the union bound him to all of them, and it was stronger than death, (and most certainly it would have been, for neither life nor death could have severed it) then all of them are united to him and must and will be saved; for it is God’s will they shall, since Jesus says all that the Father hath given him shall come unto him, and he that cometh to him he will in no wise cast out. Now can we stretch the mantle of Christianity or bible promises, supported by the law and testimony thus far? I think not; for the law and the testimony inform us that some of Adam’s fallen race are not saved. If so, then the chain of union is parted; and if one link in the golden chain can be broken, then Immanuel’s throne can no where stand secure, and the very foundation of the righteous would be destroyed—subversive would be the effort of the modern scribes and Pharisees, though seated in the sanhedrim or synagogue in Moses’ seat, teaching the tradition of men for the doctrine of God our Saviour, prophesying by sea and by land in order to cure the defect and unite to Christ. The same vain effort it appears is not only trusted in and practised by sinners in time but, as brother West has well remarked, by devils in torment. God says it cannot prevail in time, and Abraham, the father of the faithful, says it cannot in eternity.

But Christ took on him the seed of Abraham, God’s promised and elected seed in him their Head and Eternal Life before time,—this union then existed. I do not mean flesh and blood; for they were in time derived from the union with the good man, as God called him in creation, and natural, as Paul called him when referring to the same period of time. Then when both witnesses have testified, their evidence collected is that Adam in creation was a good natural man, and being flesh and blood he could not inherit the Kingdom of God, but was fitted and capacitated for the enjoyment of that station in which God had placed him: so in creation he could not inherit the Kingdom, and consequently could not fall. But Christ was born of a woman and made under the law to redeem them that were under it—not the world, but all that were with him and in him—not to condemn the world, for it was condemned already—not to destroy the law and prophets, but to fulfil them: it pleased the Father to give his life a ransom for many; to bruise him, to put him to grief, to make his soul an offering for sin, that he should die the just for the unjust.—But Christ risen from the grave, conquering it and abolishing death, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel, and ascends into heaven. God exalts him a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins unto Israel; and he ever liveth to make intercession for us; and he will be heard; for it is according to the will of God.

Now Christ’s intercession and his eternal union and intercession I view as one; and I believe that he saves those only for whom he atoned; and for them he intercedes.

Atonement is either general or special. If the former, all men are atoned for; if the latter, all men of Adam are not. It will not do to say, according to my understanding of the scriptures, or in my humble opinion, general atonement and special application: for that view of the scriptures in my humble opinion, destroys the eternal union in the Godhead. What shall we say that the Holy Spirit refuses to apply the atonement, to take of the things of God and shew them unto the sinner? When it was the will of God that Christ should die for all, and Christ according to that will did die for all, will the Spirit refuse to apply to all the virtue of his death?

Nor will it do to say as some do, that salvation is offered to all by the Spirit, and all who choose to accept have it applied. This position is as erroneous as the other: for it contradicts God in two instances. First, Christ says, Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you. Second, The callings of God are effectual, for he worketh in the sinner both to will and to do of his own good pleasure. But this is the strong hold of general condemnation, on the sinner’s refusing to accept of salvation. If this doctrine be true those who are so zealous in sending the gospel to the heathen, would do well to reflect a little: for they have no hope that all who hear the gospel will receive the application by the Spirit. Then the conclusion is, Those to whom the Spirit does not apply the atonement are condemned. Upon this principle of general atonement, when carried out in practice, they send condemnation, or damnation, perhaps to thousands—and yet in reports of their condition from time to time they appeal to the sympathy of the christian community for aid to relieve them from their state of condemnation. I would say, for one, if the doctrine of gospel condemnation be true, they ought, in my humble opinion, to withdraw their operation as soon as possible, before they are the means, by the gospel, of damning any more of them.

If damnation is the effect of the gospel when preached by missionaries in a heathen land, then surely it is not the gospel of Christ, but another gospel: for the gospel of Christ Paul was not ashamed of, because it is the power of God unto SALVATION to every one that believeth, Jew and Greek. But really I am inclined to think, according to the reports of our missionary friends, that the gospel they preach at home and abroad, does not possess the power of the true gospel, as they are so frequently calling for money, I suppose, to give it power. Now of this Yea and nay gospel I verily believe that the apostle Paul would have been ashamed, because it would have dishonored his Master, and, instead of magnifying the riches of his grace, reproached him, and brought him down to the standard that the people anciently measured him by, (the wisdom of this world) so that they thought him altogether such an one as themselves. But, thank God, their rock is not as our Rock, our enemies themselves being judges.

Now salvation is either by works alone, or by works and grace, or by grace alone. The last of these positions, God says is true; and I rejoice as a poor sinner that it is so; for it is the only ground of my hope, if I entertain a hope at all. Yet I am often doubting whether I am born of the Spirit of God, for I feel well assured that if other poor sinners are as unworthy as myself, they must be constrained to acknowledge that they that are in the flesh cannot please God: For when I would do good evil is present; my mind too is like the fool’s eye:—and if heaven could be mine on condition of one good act, I most certainly should lose it. By nature I am so prone to sin that my works are all unclean: so that if I am ever permitted to appear justified before God, it must be in the righteousness of Christ my Lord, and that by God’s grace. At times, my poor heart with joy, love and gratitude, tries to praise God for his everlasting love, his inestimable grace, his everlasting lovingkindness, his eternal redemption, his everlasting atonement, his justification, his sanctification, in a word, for all spiritual blessings given me, as a poor sinner, in Christ Jesus before time began,—and may I be permitted to say Eternal justification, not with an intention, I hope, of wounding the feelings of any of the beloved brethren in the Lord who may differ with me in this expression; for I must acknowledge through God that by many of them through your paper my poor heart has often been comforted. May God still continue to pour out of the rich treasures of his grace upon them, filling their souls with his wisdom from on high, that they may still be enabled to administer unto his saints. But it seems so congenial with the glorious plan of God’s salvation (to my poor limited soul in the knowledge of salvation) to think that in accordance with that plan justification is eternal, that I feel I do and must so believe it, from the consideration that it is one of the spiritual blessings in Christ; that Christ would be incomplete without it; that it was ever in him; that God is in Christ and Christ is God; that God is eternal, and therefore justification is and must be so. If it were not eternal, how could Abel, Abraham, Moses, David, and the cloud of witnesses who died in the faith of God’s elect, have gone home without having been justified; it seems to me they could not. I conclude that they went straight home, not having to wait till Christ came at the appointed time of God the Father, to die in time and rise for their justification, that they should have received, what Christ said to the thief on the cross, This day shalt thou be with me in paradise. He having not yet risen in time. If they immediately (or, if you please, the day they died) did not go home to their Father’s house, then pray tell me where they did go? But I leave this important subject to abler pens.

And now I find that I have written much more than I intended; the most of which when you sift it, if your patience will permit, perhaps you will find to be chaff. If so, with the breath of disdain blow it to the winds. It is for your disposal.

As ever, I remain
Yours in tribulation, in hope of eternal life,
JORDAN H. WALKER.

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

Putnamville, Ia., Jan. 13, 1841.

BROTHER BEEBE:—In my communication of Aug. 15, published in the Signs, Vol. viii., No. 16, I informed the brethren that the Hittites, Amorites, &c., were still in our land, and that the worst enemies we have to encounter are those of our own household; such as say they are Old School Baptists, while they are, at the same time carrying on a full correspondence with the mission churches and associations; these, as I informed you, are making greater havoc among the people than any thing we have witnessed since A. Campbell’s whirlwind passed by us. In that communication, it is said I implicated Elders John Jones and Reuben Coffey, of the White Lick Association. I will give you a brief sketch of their track and leave your readers to judge whether they did, with its help or not.

Elder Jones asserts roundly that he is not a missionary; that he is an Old Fashioned Baptist; but we are prepared to prove, if necessary, that he has the reputation of preaching “T. W. Hayne’s atonement,” a full description of which would swell any letter to too great a length; but I will give you an outline of it:

In the first Volume of his “Regular (or more properly irregular) Baptist,” No. 6, page 49, “The atonement for sinners is effected by the intercession of Christ, with his own blood, in heaven;” and page 90, “The atonement itself did not consist in the death of the victim; it is no where so represented in the bible; the death of the victim was only preparatory.” In page 92, “The atonement is not made by the sufferings of Christ alone;” and on same page, 34 proposition, “It will now be shown that Christ did not make the atonement on Calvary, but that he makes it in the heavenly world; in the tabernacle, not made with hands;” and on same page, “That the atonement is made in heaven is confirmed by what is said,” Heb. ix. 13, 23, 24; and in page 94, “We come to the unreasonable conclusion that Christ makes atonement in heaven and no where else;” and on same page, “As a propitiatory sacrifice, CHRIST DIED FOR ALL THE WORLD OF ADAM’S RACE, OR IS PREPARED TO ATONE FOR ALL!!!” This Elder J. came to our meeting-house at Deer Creek, Putnam Co., Ia.; and also to the Mill Creek, and our old Regulars, (true as steel) seemed to shut their pulpits against him; and as I do most sincerely believe, from a contentious spiteful spirit, and with a design to retaliate, he reared, on the next day, his standard near a central ground between these two churches, some two or three miles from each, and held a protracted meeting for nine or ten days in succession; and at the revival work he went, converting, reviving and baptizing, and this Elder Coffey came to his aid with sundry others. Now Elder Coffey is quite a gentleman, and no coward; he owned openly that he was a missionist, and has never denied it that I am aware of, either here or in North Carolina where I was well acquainted with him; as we were both born and partly raised in the same county. Of the converts made by these men and means, they constituted what they have denominated the New Providence church, and Mr. Jones is their preacher. Since its organization, this church has received some that have run to them from other churches, with or without letters, and some that were excommunicated; thus they travel on. Elder Coffey visited, preached and administered the ordinances for the Big Walnut church, a sister church near us, until these disorders with other missionary matters divided the church asunder; the mission party retained the meeting-house, and the Old School party were not allowed even to hold their meetings in it. Of this fact, I am but too well acquainted; being (for want of a better,) the pastor of that church.

Subsequently Elder Jones, and, as I think, in company with Elders Ryneherson, Kirkendall and Van Cleve, the last two being notoriously in disorder, and as is well known, for several years past, excluded from the Regular Baptist connexion, held a protracted meeting at New Maysville, Putnam Co., Ia.; and on that occasion took fourteen of the members of the New Maysville Regular Baptist church, and constituted them into a church, and called it the New Maysville Regular Baptist church; thus making a rent in a church in good standing in Danville association and in a prosperous condition, although a newly constituted church and in a newly settled region of country. They had, when I visited them last September, the whole of a good framed meeting-house, pulpit and seats, and Elder Case to their pastor, with fifty-six members; but now, “How have they fallen!” Distress, backbiting and tumults have taken the place of peace, unity and gospel order.

Now brother Beebe, although I did not call them little foxes that spoil the vines; yet if the character applies to those with whom I once lived in love and harmony, who have now left me (for I did not leave them,) they must excuse me, as well as they can for writing the former communication. They are now trying to pull down what I am laboring to build up. All that I have written is but a faint description of our distress; I could refer to the divisions in a little flock that is still in the Eel River association, equally divided to a member; and out of some seven, but I do not wish to ascribe these sad divisions to the above named Elders. Now to conclude, let us note well the admonition of the Apostles, “Be ye of one mind.”—“Mark them that cause divisions among you, contrary to the doctrine that ye have learned,” &c.—Mark the allusions to the case Philetus, Hymeneus, Alexander the copper smith, &c. And the exhortation of Peter to feed the flock of God, (not scatter them) and let us withdraw ourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly.

Yours as ever,
BENJAMIN PARKS.