Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-18


GLASGOW. NAV 1--we know that all
things work together for good to them that
love God. to them who the called accord
Ing to his purpose. For whom he did fore
know he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son. that he might he
the first born among many brethren.'-Rom.
s:2s. %
Coming to the land Of that sturdy man Of
God. John Knox. 1 am reminded of his able
contention for the doctrine Of election-its
Scripturalness and its demonstration Of ths
greatness, majesty and sovereignty Of the LORD
our God. We surmise, however. that the gooo
mans heart must frequently have been sorely
distressed with the logic OF his own STgu-
ment: that the eternal woe of nine-tenths OF
our race was as unalterably fixed in ADVANCE
OF their birth was the eternal JOY or the
blessed handful predestnated to be saints ana
10 share the heavenly Elories. We may well
thank God. dear friends. that in the clearer
light now shining uDon the scriptures we may
discern the errors handed down to us from
the dark ages. without losing our appreciation
OF Divine foreknowledge and Divine soVerE
CiRntv.
While It is true that it would be difficult
TO estimate the value of the doctrine OF Divine
foreknowledge taught by Brother Knox, not
only in this nation. but also throughout the
world, intoxicating a reverence Tor the Al
mighty. IT Is also true that II would be dlltl
cult to estimate tie amount of damage whlch
has resulted to Christendom and Throughout
the world from his teachings respecting the
Divine treatment Of the non-elect. This Sc
rious error has alenated the hearts OF thou-
sands from God and from His Book. Let US
look together at the doctrines OF election pre-
destination and foreordination. from the scrip
tural standpoint. that we may note it's beau
ties and be drawn the nearer to the Lcrd ana
to His Book in true reverence and worship
FOREKNOWN AND PREDESTINATED.
Our text declares that whom God ola fore
know them He also did predestinate, but we
notice that the predestination is stated only
as respects the church and not in respect
TO others This fact does not escape the at
tention of others. but they have reasoned erro-
neously. that II God foreknew an elect church,
. blessings
and honors this would imDlv that the re-
mainGer OF mankind non-elect were TO be tor-
tured eternally. The logic of this position IS
unsound and II is quite unscrlptural 10 say
that all Of the non-elect will be consigned
to an eternity of torture at the HANDS OF IRE
rroof demons in fulfillment Of Divine pre-
destination fixed before creation. There is no
Scripture whatever to this effect, and Brother
Knox and others were in error to the extent
that thew wove into their theories matters not
According to the Scriptures. we'll as ac-
cording TO human Judgment as expressed ID
the laws Of civilization. the highest, the Sc
verest penalty to be enforced. is the death
penalty, the taking away OF the life not use''
in harmony with the Creators reasonable
righteous requirements. This is the scrip,
time. we were blind: The wages OF SIN Is
death" The soul that sinneth. 1t shall di =
"All the wicked shall He destroy They
shall perish as brute beasts" They shall ne
destroyed with an everlasting destruction
(the second death.-Rom. 6:23; Eek. 1874;
Thus seen. the very severest results posi-
BILE to ncn-election would be extinction-the
second death. But the Scriptures 9early snow
that God has gracious purposes. It for the
elect only but also for the no elect, and
that in His due time the non-elect snail t'
brought to a clearer knowledge of the Truth
and to a full opportunity OF harmony with
their Creator and through Christ Jesus the
re-attainment of all that was lNst in AGant
and Of all that redeemed by the precious
sacrifice Of Christ. Thus. as the Scriptures
declare. there is a common salvation dude
81 in which all of Adams children shall be
privileged to have share There is also a
special salvation, high calling or GOD
in Christ. which is referred to as so great
salvation which began to be (preached) spoken
by the Lord. and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard him." (Heb. 2;3) Thls spe
cial or gIHat salvation is the one which ouI
Lord hath provided for the elect while the
common salvation" is His provision for the
noa-elect.
Does II not seem strange that Brother Knox
and others his cOadiutors In getting away
from much of the smoke of the dark ages
failed to even think of a salvation or the non
elect in Gods providence2 Their eyes. behold
ing the awful and bliRhting errors respecting
eternal torment. totally blinded them to God
provisions for the non-elect: for they reasOneS
that II God had predestinated them to eternal
torment and had In advance of their creation
prepared great place of torture ana IRE
proof devils and fuel enough for eternity, ther,
surely he could have no plan of salvation Tor
them. The entire promise was wrong. 1"
death into which thew went was not eterna'
Hebrew word "Sheol'' and the Greek WORD
"hades." And thew can have no release from
the tomb. no return to consciousness or pam
or pleasure until the second coming or tha
Redeemer In the morning OF the resurrection
Thank God. then. for the rolling away of
the mists of darkness and error which permits
us to see in the Bible that the common
salvation" Gods provision for the world, viii
be a restitution. a restoration to human per
Paradise Thank God for the promises to the
effect that then the knowledge or the glory
of God shall FIJI the whole earth as the waters
cover the great deem and that the sun Ot
righteousness shall arise with healing in his
beams" that nothing shall hurt or destroy
or iniure in all Gods HOLY kingdom and
that 1.-THE wayfaring man. though simple, need
not err therein" ana that q broad highway
shall be there as way OF salvation-a much
Travelled wav-and that all the redeemed of the
Lord from mankind shall be privileged 70 go
up thereon out of sin and death conditions to
conditions of life everlasting. We thank God
too. that those who shall refuse 20 make
proper progress and shall fail of that com
mon salvation" uecGSse Of willful sin, will
not be permitted to live endlPssly in sin nor
in torment. but will be utterly destroyed in
the second death. because God is able 20 &c
stroy both soul and BODY in Gehenna, the sec
ond death We thank God also that the elecr
church. under Christ. the CAPTAIN OF tEeir
rious work of the Redeemer. in blessing all
the families of the earth in bringing to them
that common (generaO salvation
YOUR HIGH CALLING.
If once we dreaded to think of Gods grace
towards in accepting us as members OF
his elect church. because Of the opposing
thought o. the damnation of the non-elect
we may new correspondinglv rejoice the more
in cur privilege of election. seeing that II
means our privilege of sharing in the world :
uplift under the direction Of Emmanuel, our
Lord, during His MiIennial reign. The apos-
tie speaks of the prospect of the elect as
our high calling" and. again. 'our heavenly
calling" The Thought is that we are called
to a verv high honor and wonderful distinc-
tion and that on heavenly nlane The Cos
pei church is invited to experience a chansa
Of nature from human To Divine, from the
highest Of the earthly natures to the highest
of the heavenly natures-far above angels and
princpalties and powers and avery name that
Is named-''toint-heirs with Christ, partial
ers of the Divine nature" members OF t.
bride. the lambs wife"
Truly do the Scriptures tell that not mani
would be able to hear. to appreciate, to under
stand, to accept this high calling. The Divine
ARRANGEMENT Of the call is electice, selective
II appeals to some and does not appeal to
others. 1t has an attraction for some and not
for others.
If we had here a box of sawdust and scat
tered through il a paper Of tacks until the
latter were quite hidden from view sur
rounded and covered IN the sswdust, We know
that we could take a MAGNET and by passing
it 10 and fro amongst the sawdust, the magnet
would attract to itself everv tack. 1t might
indeed exercise a still further attraction upon
some OF the sawcNlst. but the mold would Pc
so slight that we could blow it, off, while ths
tacks would be firmly held nv reason of their
RESPONSIVENESS to the magnetic influence. The
box of sawdust represents the world of man
kind. The tecks of the ILLUSTRATION represent