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THE P- RXCTICAL · CH RI ST IAN.
VOL. I.
De" Voted to T. · uth and Righteousness.
MENDON, 1\ IAS S., JANUARY 15; 1841. No. 18.
THE PRACTXCAI, CHRISTXAN
Is published twice every calendar month- e- at
: One Dollar per annum, payable always in advanc e
- no credit beyond No, 2 of each volume, Persons
respousible for six copies receive the seventh
gratis. No subscription received for Iess than one
ye ar.
Hegular Contributor. to the Work,- ADIN
DAL'LOU , ( Editor and Publi shing Agent ;) DAVID
' R. LAM. ON , GEORGE W. STACY, DANIEL S.
, v'IUTN Er , WILLIAM H. FI SH, SAMUEL J.
l\ IAY.
All letters, rem itta nce. and communic ation s In
b e sent ( po st paid) to AnIN lJALLOU, Mendon,
MUlls.
' Ve love all, but can flntter none, Th erefore
we solicit no person to subscribe who is not willing
we should uuerull OUI moral convi ctions as freely
': I S the winds blow and th e wat ers run, To all
- s uch , of what soever name or persuasion. we make
· our respe ctful sa luta t ion, and would say " Come
, and sec ifany good thing can come out of Naza:
reth. "
EXPOSITION OF : E'AITH.
CHAPTER V.
SECT IOl( 2.
God never did or will violate man's fre e moral
agency.
'.' lllave set befor e thee litis da. 1J life and good,
and deatk and evil." Dna . 30. 15.
It is assemial to free moral II gCIII~ y that its
' po~ sesso r should he cOllsciou,. of his Ireedom
10 choose between di ssimilur obj ect s, As th ere
call he no c ho ice without di ssim ilnr olojecis
pres enlllil, so th ere cnll he no frecd olll without
the pow er to c hoos e hetwecn th ose olojects. Thon
gh n lJIOII SIJP~ hefore hilll th e gre lltest
vurielY of di ~ silllilllr o hjt~ c ts, ye t if' hy any
meuus hc is so stra ile lled us to leelthut he can lint
dionse freely 1I1110Ug . them, hut IIl11 st contille
' himself to one oll ly, he do cs not act th e
purt of II frce 1II0ral nJ,: el1l. A IIll1n mllY LJe so
terrifi ed , ( II' so lilsc illa ted li S to lose ull power of'
d elihcra tion. The lllnth'es IIddr essclr to his
fi: mr, 01' to his hop es, inrercst, or ruliug f1l1 ssion,
IIl iIY. U~ so overwhelllling us to nnman Ililll. ;
l'llUs llnntanned he is no longer 1I free moral
~ l l: c n t . . . Thlltllgen cy is violated by the pr essure
· < I f un irresistihle illtlll ~ n ce. Thus in former
tt imes illnocent p cr~ on s were tortnred illlo con fessioll
sof' guilt, 11\ 1(\ siOl: ere heliever s into, re"
lIu ncilltions oftheh' faith .; wllkh how. ever las ·
. t cd only ' till they were ease d of their excn .... i ·
.1ltillg pain. Other: l agnin were flattered uy
prollli ses ofpardon and hopes of Iiherntion to
~ lI a ke the most false alit! groundless acknowl
· ~ d ;; e lll e ll l s. Now ifGcid overpoY> ers th e hu,
mfln mitul with tcrror lIut! distress, 01' ifhe
e1utrlns nnd iutoxicates it with a uy irr es isl ihle
inflll en ce, so that it sea ses to feel th e con.
scionsne ss of inwllrd freedolll to choos!', or to
,( 10 ' otherwise than it is 1II0ved, tl, en he v ioilltes
. ' 1II1111' S free morsl agency. The proposition
ll , efore ns is that God nev el' Ilid or , will do thi s.
_ A nti why will he not do this?- Ij~ c ause su ch
; nn act would su bvert th e wh ole st ruc tll re of
. hi s mornl system unll ulld ermine th c happi.
~ ess . of th e universe. I. f he conld I'educe one
free 111oraI ag ent to n mere 1lI11chine, 01' to ab ·
ject s la very, h!, might Ii) r th e slim e reason an nihilate
th e e nt ire moral free, lolII of' the cre-
_ Wed, 11lliv ~ rse. Then of co urse his moral go 1- ,
cr nme nt mu st cense. ' Vhcn th er e are no Ion ·
gei'. frec n'lOrulllgents to ' be instrucled,,, com:
lI\' a ntltld , allm ~ lilsh~ d, punishell and rewarded,
: t he gOl'e l'lllllent of tlte nnlurnl worlel will he
' Illllfiicien t fOl' ; 111. It is now snffic ient for the
: p roper cOlltrol ofminernl s, vegitllbl es nnd an'
i rnals, ( i. e. mallcr in gen eral.) Butthe nohlest
~ vork of the Creator is th e free rnti on al · n, in,!. ·
F~. rman, rational · accountnble nllln- the desIt
ine. d heir, of' , illllnortlliity- nll other ueings nlld
It iiU; gs of' th illt en'estrin) glohe wer e cr cn; cd. AmI
without minds- immortal minds, Ii'e, e
, JlJOl; al agent8__ what would the nniverse uc?
Nothing inl. leerl Imt u splend i. 1 s how without
, s pectnto rs- n SUl. llptuolIS fea st witholll gucsts;
4f! lagnificellll'hilosophical nppnl'lltus without
. e ither masters 01' slllde n ts to lise it. It is tlte
gl ~ ry of heaven that all . its illhubitants are
~ v flUt they . are f1\ 01II choice , not nccc $ sity. C)
ne free mind, holy from preference, righteous
from choice, is morcgloriou s mHI more
blessed t111~ 11 whQlc millions of automata,
brutes 01' sl ll1 · es. Anel . lIlthough so many
myriads choose sill and misery, yet it is better
th at nil th ese should freely Bin, thnn that hy
compulsion th ey should only se em to obey. And
this the more especially, since wo have hope
that a bitter ex pe r ience will ultimately prepnre
them to choose holiness and happiness. Anyhow,
free moral agency must stuud , 01' the
whole system crumbles into ruin, A free
moml agent who makes himself'misernble is a
nobler and happier being, than uny mere mnchine
, animal, or fated child of absolute necessity,
can be. For th ese and oth er reason s
God never did 01' \ vill viol at e man's free moral
agem: y.
111m asked if God isJmlifferent to th e sin
and misery of any part of mankind? Certain_-
Iy not. He loves nil; he wills th e hnppiness o f
all j he pours his blessings on all ; he hrenrh es
his spirit over ull ; he cau ses numberl ess moral
influ enc es to ope ra te o n nil; lie is unwill ing
that any shouId perish, but wo'uld have nil
come to repentance ; he delights in beh olding
. the good per Sel'ere, and in seeing th e s inful
res tore11; he h IS ; 0 pleasure in th e d eath of
the transgressor; he is doin g what can cons
iste n tly be done, to induce 1111 to come unto
him and receive eternal Iifc; and it is not to
hc doubted that 10 all ete rn ity he will contin ue
to act on th e same ben ev olent and red eem ing
principle. Hut if so , why did he e ve r "~ l'lnit
s in , to come into th e w orld, a nd why d oes he
not now imme. lintely terminat e sin III III mi scry
? Because free moral agency abllled is
hell er than no Ii'ce mornlngen cy at all . He
conld have prev~ Ule, 1 sill ; hut' in , d oill l-; so he
lIIust ' lrave Illude man a llespicllble IIIl1chine,
in capahle of holin ess lind happines, Wonld
wc ruth er hnl'e huen creat ed so- fore vel' honnd
110\\' n in chu in s of nc': eFsiry lind contelllptthan
to he wh at we are ? Go, llII ight now ins
tulltly pnrge th e ' nnil'erse of sin, by annihilatin
g' li- ee moralngenry ; hut th e rem ed y wOllld
be worse thnn th e di sense. Besid es Ire hns 1111
illfillitely= belleunethQd- of removing Ih e e vil,
and which ho is in course ofnpplying effcctually
to the world ofthe infect ed. Who wonld
cnl off · his child's hend to ease him ori be
hewl- nehe? \ W h9 could hili'll down his hou se
of n cold willter's- night for th c snkc of wnrlll'
ing ' himself over ilS [' oals? Who would demoli
sh all th e herbs nnd planl s of II valuabl e
gnn len . to kill a c rop of weells ? ' Vou]' 1 wc
II/ Iv, e' God qu en ch the ~ un for the snke of g iving
us reli ef from th e excessive heat of mid ·
sUlllm er. Then surely we would not hove
the Fatlrer of Spirits extinguish fre e mornl
Ilgency in order to do awny sin. S in is a gren t
und dreadful evil, but th e extin etion of fre e
m01'/ l1Ilgen cy woulll he' u greater . It is tfler efor
e wise 8lld good in God to pr eserve m01' ll1
/ i'eedorrr, notwithstanding sin for a time is irs
ins eparahle in cid cnt. Then , say s the Iwnr er,
,,);" ou make the Almi;; hty Crentor the suhjec t
oLm inevitnhle neccssity to . <: Iloolle uetlVeen
two e vils, a greater and lesser ( i . e. between
free moral agency nnd its abuse, lind II univer se
of nccssii8lcd 8I1tom8ln.") Yes, I can come
to- no other conclusiGn. Bnt is not this derog.
atory to the charnctcr of God ' as th e infinite
First Cause? _ I sce not how. Is. it d er ogntory
to his charactel' to say thnt he cailllot pro'
d uce directly contrary effcct s / i'om tire s~ mc
cause at the sUllie instnlll? Does it . dishonor
God to admit that he C8nnot mnk e w8t e ~ run
np hill and down at the snme tim e, by th e
same law,- that he cannot make a melal hoth
gold and lead at the . snme mornent,- that he
cannot rear two mountains Ulljacent to e: u: h
other without a vall ey between ' them,- thllt
he con not make th e same being nt th e samc
i'nstant both a urllle and n I, oly an gel? ' V'hy
th en is it derogat ory to his ch amcter to sa y
thnt he cannot create beings Ii'ee moml ag cnts
without making them liabl e to sin? How
could they have power to do right, withom '
eqllul power to ,10 wrong ' J 01' · whn't hett er
could man possibly have ueen rendcr ed hy II
compulsory, involuntary I; ghteou sn ess ( if thi s
be not a contra dic tion in tel'ln s) lhun he is now?
" Hut why," says the querist, " might not man,
nil free as he was and liable to sin- why
might he not have uniformly chosen holiness
and hnppiness?" Aye, surely, why not?-
Why do es not the inquirer himself uniformly
prefer holiness to sin? Cunhe tell? I s there
nny oth er answer to he giv cu, th un that the
choice was s in and misery in preference to the
o ppos ite ! W e ure all prone to complain that
God ever permitted us ' to make ourselves
wretched, and we nre but too will ing to turn
off th e blame ofour follies upou some other
ngent, in stead of humbly r epenting and for
snk iug th em. Some are reurly to reproach
Goll ,. o'hers to lay all upon the Old Serp ent,
and others to curse Adam. Hut until we all
ev ince 1I1l10re hearty love of moral rectitude,
WC mu st sit down lind take shame to ourselv es.
If we will, we fIIay be what we ought to be.
B~ Ius never imagine that Go ,1 violates
th e . oral agency of man. He holds it too
sncr I. Ile forces no soul either to heav en 01'
to hell. Nor will he force any who nrc already
there to rema in there. ' H is moral govcrn
me nt is a government of free minds, all
of whom ' he will s should be happy by choice,
hn! ~ I h o~ e c hoice ' he never , iid or will overWhelm
hy irresistible iuflueuces. If the saint
c hoo se s to upostntlze, he does not compel him
to re rnuiu in his nllegiance, If'the sin ner prefers
darkness to light, he does not compe l his
COliversion, And if, on the other hund, the
sinner turns from his evil way, anti sum! for
mer cy, he compels him not to remain in sin ,
hu t has mer cy on him. This I humhly believ
e wil l he th e principle of his mornl governme
nt to all ete l'lJity. It nevcl' will be true
thm SHilllS ar e saiuts, or sinners sinne rs , fl'Om
nccessiljj. SOllie one may be curions to kllow
on \ vhut I rely 1' 01' the final triumph of holi ·
ness ol' er sin- since I havp. opened so will e a
,1001' for uillllan! dnd to choose sin ifthey will?
He it under sto od then, 1 do not rely on blind
fate, nor onnhsolute . Iecrees, nor on any inevilshl
c nccessi lY, 1101' on nl'hitrary power, nor
ou an y for ee whatsoel ' er, other than th at in.
l' in"' ll, le 111 01' 111, for ce wh ich is inher ellt in
truth, right, alld holiness. If sin i~ a - match
for holin ess, hatre, 1 for love , fillsehoOlI for
trlllh, folly for wisllom, nnd evil for good, th e
c I'c nt is lIonhtful. Othcrwise God will ce r ·
tainly overcom'j and . lIestroy the spirit wl, lich
wo rk elh in th e child ren of disouediencc. 1\ Iy
confiden ce is unwllverillg in the su pe r iori ty of
holin ess ol' er s ill. ] heli eve, therefore, lhat
s in must corne to an e; 111. But Ii: ee morul\
agen cy will not peltish in the struggl e. It will
he cnlighte ne, l, s: mctifi ed and perfecfed, so
that God shlillue all in all. This is my fitith
a ud hop c. •
It is important, howel ' er, that I sh ould
guard your minds Ii- om a ll misnpprehen siou
on thi s s uhject. You already perceive that I
represent God, tlot ns a nentral in regul'llto
the 1lI0l'llichuracter and cOlldition of mankind,
hut ~, s profoundly int cr est ed _ in the va~ t concern
of inducing all to hecome holy an, I hnP 7
py, hy any IInll by e very means, not inconsistc
nt with th eit' free momJ agency, and th e es •
tllblislted prin ciples of his government. The
greut struggl e is hetween God, ' on the one
haud endc a " oring to sav e Ii'ee mornl ngents
witholll impairing th eir Ii'cedom, nnd th e natul'lll
pronencss, on the other hund ofall finit e
bein gs to abli se their free moral agency. The
IIInin point · to he gnined is th e inducing
ofa right ch ,? ice, nn; 1 un hnbitual prefer ence
of good to evil. To effec t . thi s God has put
into opcrut ion the whole sys tem of moral in ·
f1uen ces, restrain ts, and cor recth · e s.
. It i. 1I0t eas y always to determine , the ut ·
most limit to which the Father of th e universe
goes in th e application of motives to the humun
mind. It is not to ue douutetl that his
love of mun, nnd h is eternal desire to S1\\' e
him, would Icud hil il to npply at the propel'
time all th e mornl force to lhe minds of' men,
which can ue lI[ lplied withoni destroyillg their
free moral IIgency. There nre on Scripture
rccord some rcmarkal! le cases of conversion,
and ofnhnndonment for a time to IlUrclness of
heart. But of one thing we may be sure in
all th cse cases, that God did not destroy, p" ralyze
or s us pe nd th e consciousness of mornl
freedom- i. e. ofu pow er to do otherwise thnn
\ l'HS don e. It docs not appear thlit th e persecu'ting
Sanl was bereft of his rea son 01' free
moral agen cy, though he was of his sight, by
th e ' wonderful vision which he had on his
way to Dumnscu s, lIe Was brought to a
pause, nnd enveloped in darkness for three
days, during which he se ems to have reflected,
delib erat ed, inquired and resolved with all
moral freedom, Ph araoh, an examp le of the
other kind, is often referred to Its.' a futed vesse
l in the hnnrl of God, in capll~ itl of any thing
but sin. The nuth con cerning Phuraoh is, he
first wilfully nhu sed his fre e mornl ageney ;
then God hardened his heart by withdrawing
his spiri t from him- i. c. those restraining
moral influences to which men are ordinarily
s ubj ect, and this WlIS II preliminary purr of his
punishment. I cnn tuke no other than this
view of th e snbject. Here then It question .
nrny ari se, how fur men, abnndoned to condign
punishment for great sins, ore free momI
ag en ts during the process of th eir retriburion,
. Tile Scr iptures very c1enrly and solemnly
teach, that it is a part of God's ways with the
\\ jHiJl lVi ck~ , to give them up under certain
circumstunces to u reprobate mind, thnt they
may lie filled with th eir own chosen evil, und
that, it is ngr eeahle to his henevoleuee :. 10 reo
fuse for a while a ll mercy and deliverance to
such rellrobates- even though th ey cry in the
bitt erness of th eir ungulsh for his compassion.
Hence we find suc h testimonies as these: " necause
I have cull ed oncl ye refused; 1 have
st retched out my hand nnd no man regarded ;
hilt ye hav e set at uuuglit all my counsel and
would 1I0n e of Illy reproof; I also ' will laugh
lit YOUI' calamity j I will mock when youl' fear
come th ; wh eil your feal' cometh as ; Iesolatioll
and your destruction co; neth as a whirlwind;
wh en distress and anguish cometh upon
you. Then shall dI e)' call upon me, but I
willllotllnswer; th ey shall se ek me early, . but
th ey s hull uot . find 1110: For tha t' Ihey hated
knowled ge, alHl did not choose the fear of the
Lord : tlley wouId Ilon e o f my conusel: they
despised all Illy reproof: Therefore shall'they
cut of th efmit oftheil' own way, ( Inti 1. Je filled
with th eir own devices." I'rov. l: 24- 31. I
sninh IJOlds similar Illngua~ e to the I'euellious
Israelites in th e 65th chuptel" of his prophecy;
aud ' eth er of the prophets in se veral insiances.
011 u certain occasion Jeremiah was forbidden
to pmy JOI' th o peopl e, God declarin:; that
I, e would no longcr hcar a supplication for
th elll; hecauso fol' their gl'eatwickedllesHhe had'
fiulllly abandoned th en; to inevi!;, hle punish- '
Inent. NcbndlUnezzar was ca st off lIeven
)' ears, fOl' the humhling of his pri, le. To ' Ismel
! ly th e pl'ophet Hosen we find this language
held :-'-" Fol' I will he unto Ephraim as
n lion, nnd ns a young lion to the house of Ju.
dah: I, cv en I, will tenr, and S'! ( lwny: I will
tak e away lind nol1e sha ll rescue. I will go
and relllruto my plnce till they acknowledge
lh eir offence, and Imek my face: in their at:
flicti on they _ will sec k me eorly." HOBea 5: 14,
1 ~. Our Lortl in his pllrnul e ofthe IlOor deutor,
wh o wellt out nnll acted th !! part ofan unreleuting
creditor, represents him as condign-ly
punished in the enrl uy being cast into prison
till he s hould pay the uttermost farthing. Also,
James testifi es concerning those who
show no IIICI'Cy, tltat they " they shall receive
jndgHlcllt withoutlllcrcy." From snch Scriptu
~ es it is alJllnduntly evident triat God exem.
plarily and coudignly punishes wilful sinners,
nnd that for II time he withdl'llws his grace
from . them, that th ey may ue the Inoresignally
su bd ued hy th e judgments drawn down upon
th eir heads. '
I am willing to gil'~ these cllses their fuJI
weight , nnl\ to se t them forth as illustrating
the fearful condition of all who sin against
greatli'ght, lind hnrden th emselves hy- wilful
reueJl · ion. For whil~ noue of them singly, nor
all of tll olll coll ectively, cuu justly be adduced
to pl'ove the illlplacuuility ofa God, all whose
dealings end in lIIercy, they 111.11)' remove olle
dangerous pr esulllption from our minds: viz.
tl ; e pl'esulllption that it willue equnlly ensy at
nil times for us to repent lind escape our IllIn. ishment.
Tllel'e al'e favorable sensons for
al'el'ting tim \\' I'nth to come, fnr I'epenting,
seek ing divine pal'don, and secllring the benefits
o( Christ ' s mediatiou. Thel'e al'e days of
VOL. I.
De" Voted to T. · uth and Righteousness.
MENDON, 1\ IAS S., JANUARY 15; 1841. No. 18.
THE PRACTXCAI, CHRISTXAN
Is published twice every calendar month- e- at
: One Dollar per annum, payable always in advanc e
- no credit beyond No, 2 of each volume, Persons
respousible for six copies receive the seventh
gratis. No subscription received for Iess than one
ye ar.
Hegular Contributor. to the Work,- ADIN
DAL'LOU , ( Editor and Publi shing Agent ;) DAVID
' R. LAM. ON , GEORGE W. STACY, DANIEL S.
, v'IUTN Er , WILLIAM H. FI SH, SAMUEL J.
l\ IAY.
All letters, rem itta nce. and communic ation s In
b e sent ( po st paid) to AnIN lJALLOU, Mendon,
MUlls.
' Ve love all, but can flntter none, Th erefore
we solicit no person to subscribe who is not willing
we should uuerull OUI moral convi ctions as freely
': I S the winds blow and th e wat ers run, To all
- s uch , of what soever name or persuasion. we make
· our respe ctful sa luta t ion, and would say " Come
, and sec ifany good thing can come out of Naza:
reth. "
EXPOSITION OF : E'AITH.
CHAPTER V.
SECT IOl( 2.
God never did or will violate man's fre e moral
agency.
'.' lllave set befor e thee litis da. 1J life and good,
and deatk and evil." Dna . 30. 15.
It is assemial to free moral II gCIII~ y that its
' po~ sesso r should he cOllsciou,. of his Ireedom
10 choose between di ssimilur obj ect s, As th ere
call he no c ho ice without di ssim ilnr olojecis
pres enlllil, so th ere cnll he no frecd olll without
the pow er to c hoos e hetwecn th ose olojects. Thon
gh n lJIOII SIJP~ hefore hilll th e gre lltest
vurielY of di ~ silllilllr o hjt~ c ts, ye t if' hy any
meuus hc is so stra ile lled us to leelthut he can lint
dionse freely 1I1110Ug . them, hut IIl11 st contille
' himself to one oll ly, he do cs not act th e
purt of II frce 1II0ral nJ,: el1l. A IIll1n mllY LJe so
terrifi ed , ( II' so lilsc illa ted li S to lose ull power of'
d elihcra tion. The lllnth'es IIddr essclr to his
fi: mr, 01' to his hop es, inrercst, or ruliug f1l1 ssion,
IIl iIY. U~ so overwhelllling us to nnman Ililll. ;
l'llUs llnntanned he is no longer 1I free moral
~ l l: c n t . . . Thlltllgen cy is violated by the pr essure
· < I f un irresistihle illtlll ~ n ce. Thus in former
tt imes illnocent p cr~ on s were tortnred illlo con fessioll
sof' guilt, 11\ 1(\ siOl: ere heliever s into, re"
lIu ncilltions oftheh' faith .; wllkh how. ever las ·
. t cd only ' till they were ease d of their excn .... i ·
.1ltillg pain. Other: l agnin were flattered uy
prollli ses ofpardon and hopes of Iiherntion to
~ lI a ke the most false alit! groundless acknowl
· ~ d ;; e lll e ll l s. Now ifGcid overpoY> ers th e hu,
mfln mitul with tcrror lIut! distress, 01' ifhe
e1utrlns nnd iutoxicates it with a uy irr es isl ihle
inflll en ce, so that it sea ses to feel th e con.
scionsne ss of inwllrd freedolll to choos!', or to
,( 10 ' otherwise than it is 1II0ved, tl, en he v ioilltes
. ' 1II1111' S free morsl agency. The proposition
ll , efore ns is that God nev el' Ilid or , will do thi s.
_ A nti why will he not do this?- Ij~ c ause su ch
; nn act would su bvert th e wh ole st ruc tll re of
. hi s mornl system unll ulld ermine th c happi.
~ ess . of th e universe. I. f he conld I'educe one
free 111oraI ag ent to n mere 1lI11chine, 01' to ab ·
ject s la very, h!, might Ii) r th e slim e reason an nihilate
th e e nt ire moral free, lolII of' the cre-
_ Wed, 11lliv ~ rse. Then of co urse his moral go 1- ,
cr nme nt mu st cense. ' Vhcn th er e are no Ion ·
gei'. frec n'lOrulllgents to ' be instrucled,,, com:
lI\' a ntltld , allm ~ lilsh~ d, punishell and rewarded,
: t he gOl'e l'lllllent of tlte nnlurnl worlel will he
' Illllfiicien t fOl' ; 111. It is now snffic ient for the
: p roper cOlltrol ofminernl s, vegitllbl es nnd an'
i rnals, ( i. e. mallcr in gen eral.) Butthe nohlest
~ vork of the Creator is th e free rnti on al · n, in,!. ·
F~. rman, rational · accountnble nllln- the desIt
ine. d heir, of' , illllnortlliity- nll other ueings nlld
It iiU; gs of' th illt en'estrin) glohe wer e cr cn; cd. AmI
without minds- immortal minds, Ii'e, e
, JlJOl; al agent8__ what would the nniverse uc?
Nothing inl. leerl Imt u splend i. 1 s how without
, s pectnto rs- n SUl. llptuolIS fea st witholll gucsts;
4f! lagnificellll'hilosophical nppnl'lltus without
. e ither masters 01' slllde n ts to lise it. It is tlte
gl ~ ry of heaven that all . its illhubitants are
~ v flUt they . are f1\ 01II choice , not nccc $ sity. C)
ne free mind, holy from preference, righteous
from choice, is morcgloriou s mHI more
blessed t111~ 11 whQlc millions of automata,
brutes 01' sl ll1 · es. Anel . lIlthough so many
myriads choose sill and misery, yet it is better
th at nil th ese should freely Bin, thnn that hy
compulsion th ey should only se em to obey. And
this the more especially, since wo have hope
that a bitter ex pe r ience will ultimately prepnre
them to choose holiness and happiness. Anyhow,
free moral agency must stuud , 01' the
whole system crumbles into ruin, A free
moml agent who makes himself'misernble is a
nobler and happier being, than uny mere mnchine
, animal, or fated child of absolute necessity,
can be. For th ese and oth er reason s
God never did 01' \ vill viol at e man's free moral
agem: y.
111m asked if God isJmlifferent to th e sin
and misery of any part of mankind? Certain_-
Iy not. He loves nil; he wills th e hnppiness o f
all j he pours his blessings on all ; he hrenrh es
his spirit over ull ; he cau ses numberl ess moral
influ enc es to ope ra te o n nil; lie is unwill ing
that any shouId perish, but wo'uld have nil
come to repentance ; he delights in beh olding
. the good per Sel'ere, and in seeing th e s inful
res tore11; he h IS ; 0 pleasure in th e d eath of
the transgressor; he is doin g what can cons
iste n tly be done, to induce 1111 to come unto
him and receive eternal Iifc; and it is not to
hc doubted that 10 all ete rn ity he will contin ue
to act on th e same ben ev olent and red eem ing
principle. Hut if so , why did he e ve r "~ l'lnit
s in , to come into th e w orld, a nd why d oes he
not now imme. lintely terminat e sin III III mi scry
? Because free moral agency abllled is
hell er than no Ii'ce mornlngen cy at all . He
conld have prev~ Ule, 1 sill ; hut' in , d oill l-; so he
lIIust ' lrave Illude man a llespicllble IIIl1chine,
in capahle of holin ess lind happines, Wonld
wc ruth er hnl'e huen creat ed so- fore vel' honnd
110\\' n in chu in s of nc': eFsiry lind contelllptthan
to he wh at we are ? Go, llII ight now ins
tulltly pnrge th e ' nnil'erse of sin, by annihilatin
g' li- ee moralngenry ; hut th e rem ed y wOllld
be worse thnn th e di sense. Besid es Ire hns 1111
illfillitely= belleunethQd- of removing Ih e e vil,
and which ho is in course ofnpplying effcctually
to the world ofthe infect ed. Who wonld
cnl off · his child's hend to ease him ori be
hewl- nehe? \ W h9 could hili'll down his hou se
of n cold willter's- night for th c snkc of wnrlll'
ing ' himself over ilS [' oals? Who would demoli
sh all th e herbs nnd planl s of II valuabl e
gnn len . to kill a c rop of weells ? ' Vou]' 1 wc
II/ Iv, e' God qu en ch the ~ un for the snke of g iving
us reli ef from th e excessive heat of mid ·
sUlllm er. Then surely we would not hove
the Fatlrer of Spirits extinguish fre e mornl
Ilgency in order to do awny sin. S in is a gren t
und dreadful evil, but th e extin etion of fre e
m01'/ l1Ilgen cy woulll he' u greater . It is tfler efor
e wise 8lld good in God to pr eserve m01' ll1
/ i'eedorrr, notwithstanding sin for a time is irs
ins eparahle in cid cnt. Then , say s the Iwnr er,
,,);" ou make the Almi;; hty Crentor the suhjec t
oLm inevitnhle neccssity to . <: Iloolle uetlVeen
two e vils, a greater and lesser ( i . e. between
free moral agency nnd its abuse, lind II univer se
of nccssii8lcd 8I1tom8ln.") Yes, I can come
to- no other conclusiGn. Bnt is not this derog.
atory to the charnctcr of God ' as th e infinite
First Cause? _ I sce not how. Is. it d er ogntory
to his charactel' to say thnt he cailllot pro'
d uce directly contrary effcct s / i'om tire s~ mc
cause at the sUllie instnlll? Does it . dishonor
God to admit that he C8nnot mnk e w8t e ~ run
np hill and down at the snme tim e, by th e
same law,- that he cannot make a melal hoth
gold and lead at the . snme mornent,- that he
cannot rear two mountains Ulljacent to e: u: h
other without a vall ey between ' them,- thllt
he con not make th e same being nt th e samc
i'nstant both a urllle and n I, oly an gel? ' V'hy
th en is it derogat ory to his ch amcter to sa y
thnt he cannot create beings Ii'ee moml ag cnts
without making them liabl e to sin? How
could they have power to do right, withom '
eqllul power to ,10 wrong ' J 01' · whn't hett er
could man possibly have ueen rendcr ed hy II
compulsory, involuntary I; ghteou sn ess ( if thi s
be not a contra dic tion in tel'ln s) lhun he is now?
" Hut why," says the querist, " might not man,
nil free as he was and liable to sin- why
might he not have uniformly chosen holiness
and hnppiness?" Aye, surely, why not?-
Why do es not the inquirer himself uniformly
prefer holiness to sin? Cunhe tell? I s there
nny oth er answer to he giv cu, th un that the
choice was s in and misery in preference to the
o ppos ite ! W e ure all prone to complain that
God ever permitted us ' to make ourselves
wretched, and we nre but too will ing to turn
off th e blame ofour follies upou some other
ngent, in stead of humbly r epenting and for
snk iug th em. Some are reurly to reproach
Goll ,. o'hers to lay all upon the Old Serp ent,
and others to curse Adam. Hut until we all
ev ince 1I1l10re hearty love of moral rectitude,
WC mu st sit down lind take shame to ourselv es.
If we will, we fIIay be what we ought to be.
B~ Ius never imagine that Go ,1 violates
th e . oral agency of man. He holds it too
sncr I. Ile forces no soul either to heav en 01'
to hell. Nor will he force any who nrc already
there to rema in there. ' H is moral govcrn
me nt is a government of free minds, all
of whom ' he will s should be happy by choice,
hn! ~ I h o~ e c hoice ' he never , iid or will overWhelm
hy irresistible iuflueuces. If the saint
c hoo se s to upostntlze, he does not compel him
to re rnuiu in his nllegiance, If'the sin ner prefers
darkness to light, he does not compe l his
COliversion, And if, on the other hund, the
sinner turns from his evil way, anti sum! for
mer cy, he compels him not to remain in sin ,
hu t has mer cy on him. This I humhly believ
e wil l he th e principle of his mornl governme
nt to all ete l'lJity. It nevcl' will be true
thm SHilllS ar e saiuts, or sinners sinne rs , fl'Om
nccessiljj. SOllie one may be curions to kllow
on \ vhut I rely 1' 01' the final triumph of holi ·
ness ol' er sin- since I havp. opened so will e a
,1001' for uillllan! dnd to choose sin ifthey will?
He it under sto od then, 1 do not rely on blind
fate, nor onnhsolute . Iecrees, nor on any inevilshl
c nccessi lY, 1101' on nl'hitrary power, nor
ou an y for ee whatsoel ' er, other than th at in.
l' in"' ll, le 111 01' 111, for ce wh ich is inher ellt in
truth, right, alld holiness. If sin i~ a - match
for holin ess, hatre, 1 for love , fillsehoOlI for
trlllh, folly for wisllom, nnd evil for good, th e
c I'c nt is lIonhtful. Othcrwise God will ce r ·
tainly overcom'j and . lIestroy the spirit wl, lich
wo rk elh in th e child ren of disouediencc. 1\ Iy
confiden ce is unwllverillg in the su pe r iori ty of
holin ess ol' er s ill. ] heli eve, therefore, lhat
s in must corne to an e; 111. But Ii: ee morul\
agen cy will not peltish in the struggl e. It will
he cnlighte ne, l, s: mctifi ed and perfecfed, so
that God shlillue all in all. This is my fitith
a ud hop c. •
It is important, howel ' er, that I sh ould
guard your minds Ii- om a ll misnpprehen siou
on thi s s uhject. You already perceive that I
represent God, tlot ns a nentral in regul'llto
the 1lI0l'llichuracter and cOlldition of mankind,
hut ~, s profoundly int cr est ed _ in the va~ t concern
of inducing all to hecome holy an, I hnP 7
py, hy any IInll by e very means, not inconsistc
nt with th eit' free momJ agency, and th e es •
tllblislted prin ciples of his government. The
greut struggl e is hetween God, ' on the one
haud endc a " oring to sav e Ii'ee mornl ngents
witholll impairing th eir Ii'cedom, nnd th e natul'lll
pronencss, on the other hund ofall finit e
bein gs to abli se their free moral agency. The
IIInin point · to he gnined is th e inducing
ofa right ch ,? ice, nn; 1 un hnbitual prefer ence
of good to evil. To effec t . thi s God has put
into opcrut ion the whole sys tem of moral in ·
f1uen ces, restrain ts, and cor recth · e s.
. It i. 1I0t eas y always to determine , the ut ·
most limit to which the Father of th e universe
goes in th e application of motives to the humun
mind. It is not to ue douutetl that his
love of mun, nnd h is eternal desire to S1\\' e
him, would Icud hil il to npply at the propel'
time all th e mornl force to lhe minds of' men,
which can ue lI[ lplied withoni destroyillg their
free moral IIgency. There nre on Scripture
rccord some rcmarkal! le cases of conversion,
and ofnhnndonment for a time to IlUrclness of
heart. But of one thing we may be sure in
all th cse cases, that God did not destroy, p" ralyze
or s us pe nd th e consciousness of mornl
freedom- i. e. ofu pow er to do otherwise thnn
\ l'HS don e. It docs not appear thlit th e persecu'ting
Sanl was bereft of his rea son 01' free
moral agen cy, though he was of his sight, by
th e ' wonderful vision which he had on his
way to Dumnscu s, lIe Was brought to a
pause, nnd enveloped in darkness for three
days, during which he se ems to have reflected,
delib erat ed, inquired and resolved with all
moral freedom, Ph araoh, an examp le of the
other kind, is often referred to Its.' a futed vesse
l in the hnnrl of God, in capll~ itl of any thing
but sin. The nuth con cerning Phuraoh is, he
first wilfully nhu sed his fre e mornl ageney ;
then God hardened his heart by withdrawing
his spiri t from him- i. c. those restraining
moral influences to which men are ordinarily
s ubj ect, and this WlIS II preliminary purr of his
punishment. I cnn tuke no other than this
view of th e snbject. Here then It question .
nrny ari se, how fur men, abnndoned to condign
punishment for great sins, ore free momI
ag en ts during the process of th eir retriburion,
. Tile Scr iptures very c1enrly and solemnly
teach, that it is a part of God's ways with the
\\ jHiJl lVi ck~ , to give them up under certain
circumstunces to u reprobate mind, thnt they
may lie filled with th eir own chosen evil, und
that, it is ngr eeahle to his henevoleuee :. 10 reo
fuse for a while a ll mercy and deliverance to
such rellrobates- even though th ey cry in the
bitt erness of th eir ungulsh for his compassion.
Hence we find suc h testimonies as these: " necause
I have cull ed oncl ye refused; 1 have
st retched out my hand nnd no man regarded ;
hilt ye hav e set at uuuglit all my counsel and
would 1I0n e of Illy reproof; I also ' will laugh
lit YOUI' calamity j I will mock when youl' fear
come th ; wh eil your feal' cometh as ; Iesolatioll
and your destruction co; neth as a whirlwind;
wh en distress and anguish cometh upon
you. Then shall dI e)' call upon me, but I
willllotllnswer; th ey shall se ek me early, . but
th ey s hull uot . find 1110: For tha t' Ihey hated
knowled ge, alHl did not choose the fear of the
Lord : tlley wouId Ilon e o f my conusel: they
despised all Illy reproof: Therefore shall'they
cut of th efmit oftheil' own way, ( Inti 1. Je filled
with th eir own devices." I'rov. l: 24- 31. I
sninh IJOlds similar Illngua~ e to the I'euellious
Israelites in th e 65th chuptel" of his prophecy;
aud ' eth er of the prophets in se veral insiances.
011 u certain occasion Jeremiah was forbidden
to pmy JOI' th o peopl e, God declarin:; that
I, e would no longcr hcar a supplication for
th elll; hecauso fol' their gl'eatwickedllesHhe had'
fiulllly abandoned th en; to inevi!;, hle punish- '
Inent. NcbndlUnezzar was ca st off lIeven
)' ears, fOl' the humhling of his pri, le. To ' Ismel
! ly th e pl'ophet Hosen we find this language
held :-'-" Fol' I will he unto Ephraim as
n lion, nnd ns a young lion to the house of Ju.
dah: I, cv en I, will tenr, and S'! ( lwny: I will
tak e away lind nol1e sha ll rescue. I will go
and relllruto my plnce till they acknowledge
lh eir offence, and Imek my face: in their at:
flicti on they _ will sec k me eorly." HOBea 5: 14,
1 ~. Our Lortl in his pllrnul e ofthe IlOor deutor,
wh o wellt out nnll acted th !! part ofan unreleuting
creditor, represents him as condign-ly
punished in the enrl uy being cast into prison
till he s hould pay the uttermost farthing. Also,
James testifi es concerning those who
show no IIICI'Cy, tltat they " they shall receive
jndgHlcllt withoutlllcrcy." From snch Scriptu
~ es it is alJllnduntly evident triat God exem.
plarily and coudignly punishes wilful sinners,
nnd that for II time he withdl'llws his grace
from . them, that th ey may ue the Inoresignally
su bd ued hy th e judgments drawn down upon
th eir heads. '
I am willing to gil'~ these cllses their fuJI
weight , nnl\ to se t them forth as illustrating
the fearful condition of all who sin against
greatli'ght, lind hnrden th emselves hy- wilful
reueJl · ion. For whil~ noue of them singly, nor
all of tll olll coll ectively, cuu justly be adduced
to pl'ove the illlplacuuility ofa God, all whose
dealings end in lIIercy, they 111.11)' remove olle
dangerous pr esulllption from our minds: viz.
tl ; e pl'esulllption that it willue equnlly ensy at
nil times for us to repent lind escape our IllIn. ishment.
Tllel'e al'e favorable sensons for
al'el'ting tim \\' I'nth to come, fnr I'epenting,
seek ing divine pal'don, and secllring the benefits
o( Christ ' s mediatiou. Thel'e al'e days of
Page 69 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841
Creator
Ballou, Adin
Date
1840
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Citation
Ballou, Adin, “Page069,” Digital Commonwealth , accessed May 18, 2013, http://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/items/show/509.
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