The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1864-03-18

guide, the world he has made
Suppose ten years since a friend had
said, "Mr. Webster, will God permit sls-
very to endure forever ?" Would YOU
have replied, don't know, Sir. There
are more slaves by thousands now than
70 years ago, and the prospect seems
gloomy enough. Men say Freedom
MUST win the day." But il God did not
prevent slavery how can he abolish it :?
And if God can put it down at all, why
don't He do it now, and let the oppressed
go free T.? Or, would you have said,
"Brothsr, the Lord regns, and Slavery
must die. In the divine plan agencies
are at work certain to effect that result,
and God beholds even now the end &C.
complshed ?"
Ifa pious mother should implore you,
"Prsy, pray for my prohigste boy, that
God will change his heart, and make him
sober, christian man" Would you reply,
"God did not prevent that son from be,
coming drunken sot-why beg God to
reclaim him 2 Or, "mv dear woman
you expect little too much of God
God has done his best, for the last ten
years,to convert that boy, and--gA1LHp
whats the use of praying more ?
God can't change his heart unless the
boy is willing o.
Turn to facts. /. Evil exists, Sin
exists. God did not prevent them. 2
God has sent His Son TO save men from
the sin he did not prevent, to destroy evil
which he permitted to exist. viii God
succeed or fail =?
1t was shown that God purposes the de.
struction Of sin. Gen. 3. Is proof text
You ask, |. Is the term shqii absolute
1t is Gods prophecy aud must be fulfil
led. 2. Does serpent mean evil, or sin
II is the being, or thing by which sin
came. "Could sin exist without any
moral being in which to inhere ~. What
tempted the first sinner to sin ?
John |. l9. was quoted. Christ "shall
take away the sin of the world" With
you Christ has simply opened a way by
which the world may rid itself of sin, if
it only will. But, suppose, the world
rejects and no man is saved, how has
Christ taken away the sin of the world ?
John 3. 10 Christ was manifested
"to destroy the works OF the devil" You
say "it is not an absolute promise" Is
that argument? Did Christ come to
destroy the devl--if the devil would let
him
Heb, 2. IA, Is, was cited, for the same
poirt |. Does devil mean elm =? II a
personal devil is the cause of sin, his de-
s.ruction is the destruction of sin. II
svil is personifed then evil must die. e.
"That destruction means annihilation. -
The word means to deprive Of all vitality
or power. 8. care all men in bondage p
The point not material, Text cited as
proving the destruction of the devil, moth
ing more. "That the full mission of
Christ will be accomplished" Why the
term iuH?" If Christ fails at one point
He may everywhere, and suffer utter
defeat "He shall see of the travail Of
his soul and be satisfied" "Will partial
failure satisfy him p
Again, Rom s. IS. 81. You note de-
feet in the argument. |. A complete an
tihesis assumed, 9. "The free gift is
provisional not absolute" Paul states
not the philosophy of the case, but The
facts. l. By the disobedience Of Adam,
in fact all men are sinners. BY the obe-
dlence Of Christ in fact, all are made
righteous Suppose tie free gift to be pro
visional. Then Paul shows how far, in
fact, the provision will be applied. Men
become sinners voluntarily, yet all men
are sinners. Men become righteous vol
unfairly, but all shall become righteous.
Nor do the texts you cite nullify this.
Many a man has believed in ain,for years
who subsequently has been quickened
into newness Of life And many man
receive the grace of God in pain who
has afterwards experienced its redeeming
powerl. But shall grace conquer sin?
Pauls testimony is pIaih:' "by the obe-
dienbe of one shall all Be nsads' righteous.
You cite negative texts. They obvi-
ously are out Of place, and properly be-
long under the second question.