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Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-06-08 00:00:00

and with much apparent force; while upon due examina-
tion it will appear that they are altogether misapplied
when so used. St. Paul, speaking of the Old Testament
scriptures, said, " Whatsoever things were written afore-
time. were written for our learning."
Now, my friends, let me have your serious and
patient attention, while, with all practicable brevity, I
present, and then remove, a serious difficulty. It is a
difficulty more embarrassing than is commonly supposed
or felt by the advocates of toleration ; while under cover
of it, as I have shown you, the advocates of intolerance
seem to have scriptural authority on their side.
" I will sing of mercy and judgment," said the Royal
Prophet. These two comprise the history of the world,
and the character of all God's dealings with mankind. In
one case mercy is shown, in another judgment is executed.
In one case long-suffering patience is manifested, in ano-
ther summary vengeance is taken. Abraham, in base,
cowardly unbelief, once and again desired his wife to deny
that she was his wife, thereby exposing her to imminent
peril among strangers ; and Abraham is treated with con-
tinued mercy. Achan steals a wedge of gold and a gar-
ment from the doomed spoils of Jericho, and Achan is
treated with instantaneous judgment ; he and his are
stoned to death. Jacob, by systematic and deliberate ly-
ing, deceives his aged and blind father; and Jacob is
treated with mercy and patience. Korah and his corn-
puny rebel against Moses, and immediately judgment falls
on them ; they are swallowed up in an earthquake. David
is hunted by Saul, who desires to take his life ; be gets
Saul into his power once and again, and refuses to injure,
in the slightest degree, his inveterate enemy. Elias is
summoned to the presence of the king by men who had
personally done him no harm, and he calls down fire
from heaven, and consumes them at his feet. There
is a strange diversity here. In looking to the Old
Testament for examples, this is perplexing ; for which
line of conduct may we expect God to observe
towards us ? and which line of conduct should we
observe toward others ? Is David our example, who
refused to injure his enemy ? Or is Elias our example,
who called down fire to consume the messengers of his
enemy ? Are we to follow the example of Joseph, who
returned good for evil to his persecuting brethren ? or are
we to follow the example of Joshua, who drew his sword
and exterminated a host of strangers ? Or if we take the
whole Bible for example, and follow all, as all written
for our learning, who shall say when the exercise of
patience should end, and when the infliction of judgment
should begin ? Some persons have said, rashly, I think,
that the judgment and the vengeance commended by some
of the writers of the Old Testament only prove the lingering
barbarism of that age—that men were then but partially
enlightened, and that such instances are not examples to
be followed at all at any subsequent period. I said I
thought this was rashly spoken ; and by way of accounting
, for and clearing up the difficulty now rising in our minds,
it is insufficient, because you notice that we have not only
to account for judgment commended by some of the Old
Testament writers, but actually performed by God him-
self. We cannot account for the sudden destruction of
Korah and his company by pleading lingering barbarism
in Moses, for it was not Moses who did it, but God opened
the earth which swallowed the rebels. We cannot account
for the destruction of Ahaziah's messengers by pleading
lingering barbarism in the bosom of Elias, for it was God
that did it with fire from heaven. Here then, confessedly
is something requiring explanation. lam not afraid to
meet the difficulty. (Interruption, and cries of "Turn
him out 1")
Dr. M'NEILE.—It is you who cry order who cause the
interruption. If you will leave any one who makes any
interruption to me, I have no doubt we shall be good
friends.
And now what is the explanation of this ? For
how, with these difficulties, this manifest perplexity before
us, shall we adjust our references to the Old Testament ?
I answer, the Old Testament is a book of types. This is
readily admitted as far as the doctrines of the Gospel are
concerned, exhibited in the sacrifices and other ordinances
of the ceremonial law, and applied in the epistle to the
Hebrews. But the thing is true to a much greater extent
than this. The Old Testament is a book of historical
types. as well as of doctrinal and experimental types.
The Old Testament contains types. as well as prophecies,
of all that it was the purpose of God to do in this our
world ; of all that He intended to do during the present
Christian dispensation, and all that He intended to do at
a period subsequent to this dispensation ; of all that belongs
to the bruising of the heel of the seed of the woman which
we see going on, and of all that belongs to the bruising of
the head of the great serpent, which is not yet : types of
all these things are found in the Old Testament—examples
of what the disciples of Christ should do, following Him
now under His first advent, and of what the disciples of
Christ shall do, following Him in due time at His second
advent. See how there were types of both of these in the
Old Testament. For centuries the inhabitants of the old
world were borne with in long-suffering patience, wicked
as they were ; and that period of long-suffering patience
from God was typical of the present period in which we
live. Then came the deluge, typical of a period subse-
quent to the present, at the second coming of the Son of
Man. He says so Himself : "And as it was in the days
of Noe ; they did eat, they drank, they planted, they
builded, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
and knew not until the flood came and destroyed
them all ; so shall it be in the day when the Son of Man
shall be revealed." The same is true concerning the
cities of the plain. They had a period of patience, typical
of the present Christian period ; and then came vengeance
and judgment, typical of the coming period_ So distinctly
it was with the Amorites. A reason assigned for keeping
the Israelites so long in Egypt, before they were put in
possession of the land promised to their fathers, was that
the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. They could
not have the land without dispossessing the previous pos-
sessors; but to dispossess them was a judgment upon
them, and it was not to be performed until their iniqui-
ties were full. And God told Abraham distinctly, that it
was not until. the fourth generation that his descendants
should have possession of the land, because, He said,
" the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." The time
for judgment came, the iniquity of the Amorites was full,
and then the sword of Joshua was unsheathed by the
commandment of the Lord God of Israel. Now, at this
present time, we are in the antitype of the several in-
stances of patience. Now " the Son of Man is not come
to destroy men's lives, but to save them." He is not
come to take vengeance. He is not come to execute judg-
ment now, He is not come to introduce the antitypes of
any of those fearful scenes ; He is come to prolong the
antitypes of the periods of patience recorded in the Old
Testament ; He is come to " seek and to save that which
was lost." "The Son of Man is not come to destroy
men's lives." Hear what He says Himself of His present
errand into the world : " I judge no man," He says ; " if
any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him
not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the
world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My
words, hath one that judgeth him." What is that?
"The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him"
—"shall judge him in the last day." "The time is coming
when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the
Son of God, and shall come forth"—tojudgment. These two
periods mark the distinction I set before you. He is not
come to judge, but He will come to judge. Now He is
merciful, and His disciples also should be merciful. "Be
ye merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful." Will
our Father in heaven be always merciful so as never to
execute judgment ? No. He will execute judgment, and
when His time comes for executing judgment;, then the
disciples of His son shall execute judgment also. Now,
He is tolerant of the evil as of the good : now He makes
His sun to shine and His rain to descend upon the just
and upon the unjust without distinction ; now, He bears
with all, and so should His disciples now hear with all.
Then, He will be intolerant ; then, He will take ven-
geance ; then, so will His disciples. It is a part of His
promise to them, that then, they shall dash their enemies
to pieces like a potter's vessel.
" I will sing of mercy and judgment," of the Christian
dispensation and of that which is to follow, of the anti-
type of the records of patience in the Old Testament, and
the antitype of the records of judgment in the Old Testa-
ment. Thus we learn how to discriminate, how to refer to
the Old Testament for example; thus we learn to refer to
the types of patience as our example ; if we would be fol-
lowers of God in this period while He is patient, and to
the types of vengeance for our example, when we shall be
followers of God in the day when He shall take vengeance ;
for then a sword shall be in the hand of His people to
execute the judgment written. " Such honour have all
His saints."
It was a wise saying of one of the ancients, Distinguite
ternpora, et concordabunt scripturce. We may add, dis-
tinguish the times, and intolerance will have no shadow
of scriptural support. Rome has not distinguished the
times, and therefore she quotes scriptural types of God's
future judgments as if they were examples for the Christian
Church now to follow. This is the stronghold of her in-
tolerance so far as it claims to be authorised by scripture.
It is a practical anticipation by men of the predicted judg-
ments of God. (Hear, bear, and cheers.)
11. I shall now proceed to show that this is an integral
and essential part of the system of the Church of Rome ;
not, it is true, essential to the existence of that Church in
an imperfect and restricted condition, waiting and hoping
for better times, but absolutely essential to the perfection
of the system as it aims to be, and declares it ought to be.
I appeal to what has been well called the primary axiom
on which the whole system of Romanism is founded,
namely—that as there is one power in the universe su-
preme over all, that is God ; and, as with respect to all
mankind, God has delegated His supreme power to one
mediator, that is Christ ; so Christ has delegated His
supreme power to one man, that is the Pope. This is the
proton pseudos, the gigantic lie of the system. Starting
from this foundation, it is declared, defined, and pro-
nounced to be necessary to salvation, that every human
creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
This subjection includes temporal things as well as spi-
ritual. Directly and primarily the Pontiff's power is
spiritual ; but as the soul is superior to the body, and in
every respect its sovereign director and guide, so the spi-
ritual power is superior to the temporal, and in every
respect its sovereign. The Pope is Christ's viceroy as well
as Christ's vicar. This principle pervades the Canon
Law.
AVotce. in theboxes.—Did:you recommend the destruc-
tion of Catholic priests from your pulpit ? (Loud cries
of " No, no, no," and confusion.)
Dr. MiNeiee.—l am ashamed of you. Why will you
disturb us ? There will be no disturbance if you leave
him to me ; none whatever. (Cheers.) If the gentleman
will have patience, and allow me to go through my argu-
ment, I will show him the difference between religious
opinion and religious intolerance. lam proving this
point, and whether friend or foe, I ask a little patience.
(Cheers.) lam quite certain of this—were the gentle-
man lecturing, and I in the box, I would keep quiet.
The GENTLEMAN.—I beg to apologise. (Cheers.)
Dr. M'NEILE.—See now he apologizes ; and you ought
to apologise for your interruption. (Applause.) I was
showing that intolerance is inherent in, and essential
to, the Church of Rome; that the Pope exercises
the place of Christ. (Hear, hear.) Not his place,
as he is now in heaven, exercising patience and

mercy to all, but his place as he shall be up,
ercising judgment unto death upon all who
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