Love's Final Victory Part 15

Their time will come. The Saviour's operations are not limited to one age. His love is from everlasting to everlasting; and so are the means at His disposal. In this age we see but the beginning of the outgoings of His grace. We cannot conceive of Him being satisfied till the last soul of the human race is redeemed.

I shall not go farther along this line than simply to remind you that it is written that G.o.d will be "all in all." That is a wonderful expression when we look into it. What does it really mean? Does it not mean that G.o.d will be all in all? That is--He will be everything in everybody. I take it that this is the real meaning of the words, Everything in everybody! O mystery of love and power divine!

I apprehend that the significance of the words "all in all" is not fully appreciated or understood. See, for instance, the way in which the words are used in that hymn, "That Christ is all in all to me."

The words, "all in all to me" seem to be used as an attempt to emphasize the force of the sentiment, "all to me." That is, He satisfies my every want. But I apprehend that the words have a much larger meaning than that. It is not myself alone, but everybody that is concerned here. It is that Christ is everything to every human soul. Everything that He is, is made over to everybody. What a glorious expansion of the words! "All in all;" that is, everything in everybody. Was there ever such an infinite wealth of meaning packed into a few short words?

UNCOUNTED MILLIONS.

Or, take the message which the angels brought down to earth on the occasion of the Saviour's birth. They told the shepherds that they brought good tidings of great joy to all people. What, then, about the uncounted millions of our race who had departed this life without ever having heard of a Saviour? If they were either in hopeless torment, or in extinction, how could the Saviour's coming be good tidings to them?

And what about the millions that were then living in heathenism, and would die in heathenism? How could the Saviour's coming be good tidings to them? And what about the millions that are living now, and the other millions that will be born who will die without hearing of a Saviour?

How could His advent be good tidings to those? And what about the other millions in Christian lands, who will live and die without any saving power being brought into their life? How could the Saviour's birth be good tidings to any of these myriads of our race?

Only on the theory that the benefits of His coming extend into the next life, could the words be true. If these uncounted millions are in endless torment, or if they are annihilated, the words could not be true. But they are gloriously true if there is a future state of probation. In that case the benefits of the Saviour's life and death extend beyond human life to those myriads who never heard of Him here.

THE GLADDEST MESSAGE.

The angels knew something of the glad purport of their words. Likely they saw this day of grace beyond the bourne of time. I cannot conceive of any other basis on which the words would be true. It was the gladdest message that ever fell on mortal ears, if we take it in this wide application. Likely these angels were able to exult in the prospect of every human soul being redeemed.

In harmony with the pa.s.sage referred to, we have the intimation that Christ will draw all men to Himself. That promise cannot be restricted to the present life. Christ has not drawn all men to Himself. He has not drawn more than a moiety of the human race. But He says He will draw all mankind. That was the prospect that sustained Him. He had a full view of all future ages as well as the present; and He knew what means He would use through all coming time for the accomplishment of His purpose.

The present is only one small part of His administration. He gives no hint of the means that He will use in future aeons for the fulfillment of His designs. That is not for us to know in this life. Indeed such a revelation would only confuse and bewilder us. For consider how such a revelation might involve the revelation of a great many other things far beyond us to understand.

We are confused enough as it is, with the revelation that we have.

Witness the unfolding meaning of revelation from age to age. We realize that enough has been revealed to tax the growing powers of the race. How completely all our thoughts would be drowned if we were given the programme of the ages beyond.

NO SMALLER MEANING.

No; our Lord does a much wiser and kinder thing. By one simple sentence he opens the door of everlasting hope. He says He will draw all men to Himself; but He does not tell us how or when. Those are matters for faith, not for revelation. We can take no smaller meaning from this glorious promise, distort it as men will, to make it fit into some preconceived theory.

Again, we would enquire, apart from all theories to be sustained, what is the meaning of those wonderful words:

"All Israel shall be saved." I know there is a roundabout way of explaining that statement, apart from the idea of Restoration. But it seems far-fetched and strained. When once we grasp the theory of Restoration, the words seem natural and harmonious with the whole argument.

We see that such promises cannot refer to the present life. If they do, what about the Jews of the olden time who lapsed so often into the grossest sin? What about the tears of Christ over the apostate city?

What about the present condition of that race? Are they saved? No! they still repudiate the name of Christ. Do they become extinct when they die? Or do they go into everlasting torment? In either event they could not be saved as promised. Or will they be restored in due time? On no other supposition can we conceive of the words coming true.

To this theory I can conceive of an objection, which at the first glance may seem a formidable one. It is this: If the theory is true, why did it not dawn on the world sooner? Especially when we consider what a boon it would have been to the race, and what a dark mantle of gloom it would have lifted from the heart of the world, why did G.o.d withhold the light so long? Surely there were saints and seers of the olden time who were worthy to be media of such a communication. And surely the generations of the past needed such a spiritual uplift as much as we do to-day. Yet for ages and ages the revelation was not given. Men had to grope in the twilight for centuries, until at length the illumination dawned on a few souls. But the reputed wise men of the world did not hail with joy the new illumination, but generally treated it as a new presumption. And however agreeable with reason and with Scripture it may be shown to be, it will likely not be universally accepted for ages to come. If the theory is really true, and if it comes from G.o.d, the Source of all light, why was this poor world not blessed with it sooner?

I say, that objection may appear a formidable one at the first glance.

Let us examine it with all fairness and candor.

In the first place, I would say that it is not G.o.d's way to give us His revelations all at once. No, not even when He inspires men to write them. Those revelations have a primitive meaning, suited for men of a primitive age. But as the ages go on, and men become more developed, there breaks on them more light from the Word. And that light is brighter very often than even the original writers apprehended. They built better than they knew, for they were writing, not for their own age alone, but for all time. This unique character of the revelation shows that it is divine. And thus there still "breaks more light from G.o.d's holy Word" as the ages move on. Whether or not, then, we see the reason of it, we note the fact that it is not G.o.d's method to pour the full flood of His light on the minds and hearts of men all at once. If we could see no farther than that, we might be content, and reverently say, "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."

As an instance of this growing illumination, take the fact that in the primitive ages there was no clear revelation of immortality. I have no doubt that men of high spiritual calibre believed it; but the revelation came to them more directly from the movement of the Spirit, than from any intimation in the Word. Yea, when men had no Word at all, I believe there were devout souls who had glimpses, more or less clear, of a future world. But the ma.s.s of mankind, even the religious people of mankind, had in most instances no such revelation.

Now if that is true, it becomes less surprising that the most devout souls have had for so long no conception of Restoration. The a.n.a.logy of revelation shows beyond all doubt that Restoration may be true, though for ages and ages men had no conception of it. Nay, they may have been students of the Word through all those ages, and yet have been blind to its higher revelations. That is no disparagement. There is a time for everything; and there is a time for brighter divine light to break on the minds and hearts of men.

Then it may be supposed that if further divine light were to be given, G.o.d would have chosen more worthy mediums for communicating it. But as a rule, it is not through the great and the learned that revelations generally have come; but rather through the humble and comparatively obscure. This is G.o.d's way. He may choose what media He will as well as what time He will. We read that "G.o.d hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and G.o.d hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty." And He did the same thing long ago in giving a written revelation to the world. Some of the writers were n.o.ble and learned, while others were illiterate and obscure. So it is no disparagement to this larger view if it does not come to us through what the world calls respectable channels.

Then it may be noted that truth was given to men as they could receive it. To reveal the whole truth in an obscure age would dazzle more than it would enlighten. G.o.d knows men's capacity for receiving truth; and He adapts His communications accordingly. Jesus could say to His disciples, "I have yet many things to say unto you; but you cannot bear them now."

And, by His Spirit He has been saying those "many things" ever since, as men could receive them. It was a great thing for His disciples to have, for instance, such a clear vision of immortality as they certainly had when Christ ascended on high. That was enough along that line for the time; but now there is breaking on our hearts the larger view of Restoration.

Yes, and we might have had that glorious truth much sooner, if we had not grossly lapsed into sin, and so obscured heaven's light. The fact is, that in the early centuries of the Christian era the larger view was accepted freely. But by and by the church of Rome invented the dogma of eternal torment for its own gain; and that is how we came by our evil heritage. So that in this matter we have lapsed from our early faith; and a sad, sad lapse it was, entailing untold mourning, lamentation, and woe.

But it is a glorious truth that men with the utmost limitation can be used of G.o.d for the highest ends. Elsewhere I cite the case of the Apostle Peter in this regard. He could be used for the conversion of three thousand men by means of one sermon; and later the conversion of five thousand men; and yet he did not believe that the Gospel was intended for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. It is a marvel of divine wisdom and grace that such a poor instrument could be used for such a glorious work. And we have seen the same principle at work in our own time. If Restoration is true, yet men who believed in endless torment, and counted it a prime article of the orthodox faith, were, notwithstanding, the very salt of the earth, and were used of G.o.d in conserving and disseminating the limited truth which they knew. I say, that is a marvel of divine grace and condescension.

We see the same principle also in the domain of Science. Let us not forget that all truth--whether spiritual or scientific--is a revelation of G.o.d. When we make a discovery in either realm--or perhaps I should say when a revelation is made to us in either realm--like Kepler we are really "thinking G.o.d's thoughts after Him." These very thoughts were in G.o.d's mind, else they could not be in ours. What we do know is often a.s.sociated with a vast field of the unknown.

And how slow we are to learn. Just think of a few of the discoveries--or revelations--of late years. And for ages and ages past, men were in total ignorance of these things, though they were close to their hand.

Is it not very suggestive of how little we know yet of the truth in the spiritual domain, to be unfolded to us in due time?

I say, just think of a few of the scientific discoveries we have made of late years. I need not stay to note the wonderful developments in surgery and medicine. They may be regarded as commonplace now; but every one of them was a discovery. Think of the discovery of how to use steam, and all that the discovery has led to. Allied with that, think of the immense quant.i.ties of coal we burn, and only extract a small percentage of its heat as yet. One of these days there will likely dawn on some mind the correct way of using it, and then what a revelation. Think of the tar evolved in the process of making gas, that lately went to loss, and that is now used in dyeing. Think of the telephone wire, and more lately the telephone without wire. Think of the heat, light and power evolved from electricity. Think of the inventions and discoveries that we read of almost every day. The by-products that are now a source of so much wealth and comfort, were not dreamed of a few years ago. Do we not see here how little we know, even in the domain of Science?

And is it to be supposed that in the spiritual realm there is not much more to learn? Our special affinity is for things material; yet in this domain we are only in our infancy. How much more is it so in things spiritual. Surely it does not become us to balk at a new revelation.

In justice, however, to our backwardness in receiving any new spiritual truth, there are some explanations. I have referred to our special affinity for truth that relates to things physical. We have a corresponding slowness to apprehend spiritual truth. But in addition to this, we have to note that the truth in reference to material things is usually subject to demonstration. We can see the thing actually done. It is an absolute certainty; there is no room for doubt. In regard to spiritual truth it is different. "The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation." There is no demonstration. The truth is apprehended by faith, sometimes aided by revelation, or reason, or intuition, or spirit revelation. This is where sin has obscured our spiritual vision; and often we are still made more blind by our material employments and pursuits.

It is not surprising then that we are slow to take up a new spiritual idea. And we ought to be slow, lest we imbibe error in the guise of truth. But at the same time we ought to keep an open and receptive mind, believing that there are vast and high domains of truth yet unrevealed.

In this regard how sad it is that some of the brightest lights that ever illuminated the world were clouded all their days by inherited errors. Take Luther as an example. For years and years he was haunted by the dread of eternal reprobation. And so it has been with thousands and thousands more of the devoutest and sincerest souls. Oh, if they had only known that there is no such thing as eternal reprobation!

XIV.

TESTIMONY OF SCRIPTURE.

The Unrevealed--Scripture and Reason--Bishop Butler's Dictum --Reverence of Kepler--Moral Courage of Sir Oliver Lodge--Increase of Laxity--The Spirit's Almighty Power--Supreme Authority of Scripture --The Proper Sphere of Reason--Fate of the Heathen--Singular Reserve of Preachers--Sin is Abnormal--Union of Divine Power, Wisdom and Love --Reasonableness and Harmony--A Mult.i.tude of Scripture Promises --Discipline Instead of Eternal Torment--Dr. Funk's View--The Great Panacea for Unbelief--Ingersoll--No Divine Failure.

Some have a belief that on topics that are unrevealed we ought to be reverently silent. On certain subjects that may be the correct att.i.tude.

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." But though there are many cases in which we cannot attain to certainty, we may perhaps attain to probability, and a high degree of probability. In many cases that is sufficient; often it amounts to moral certainty. As Bishop Butler says, "Probability is the very guide of life."

With the best use that can be made of Scripture and reason, there are many topics on which we shall not attain to absolute certainty. But if we attain to probability, we have made a great advance. Moreover, the probability of this age may be the certainty of the next.

Besides; it would argue a very unworthy belief in the goodness of G.o.d, to refrain from investigating the domain of truth so far as we can, lest unhappily we should have to discount the forces that make for righteousness.

Religion and science should be united in this search for truth. And we are glad to see that some of the foremost exponents of scientific truth have this idea. As Sir Oliver Lodge says, "It is the duty of Science to examine even into the domain of religion." In fact, Science is religion when its discoveries, as in the case of Kepler, are recognized as the thoughts of G.o.d. Another scientist has truly said that "the highest science is the highest religion."