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EDITORIAL I. L. BEEBE, ) J. L. PTJRINGTON, j aitors - COVINGTON, GA. : :j7IJNEIIMB6a. Remarks on Rise. xviii. 32, and xxxiii. 11. The texts upon which our friend L. iVL Cook, has further requested our views reads as follows, “ For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, iaith the Lord God : wherefore turn yourselves and live ye,” xviii. 32. “ Say unto them, as I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, 0 house of Israel.” xxxiii. 11. In reading the Scriptures particular attention should be paid to thasu'djeet in its immediate connection rel ative to tho-apeaker, the character or peoplfe address-, ed, or spoken of, and the peculiar circumstances then \ existing. The speaker in each of the texts before us, is no other than the Lord Jehovah, and the people addressed are the National people of God. The sub ject is the same in both texts, and we will treat upon ! them accordingly. The prophet was a watchman ; unto to the house of Israel, and as such, it was his | duty to warn the people. It is specially worthy of, notice that Israel was under the Sinai covenant which abounded with rites, ceremonies and carnal ordinan ces, and no other people under heaven have ever been under such a covenant. It was a conditional cove nant, as we have often expressed in our editorial ar ticles, and there v as no salvation from sin, death and hell promised, ini that covenant as the blessings of obedience, nor eternal damnation as the punishment of their transgress! n. The blessings and judgments which they experienced extended only to this life, J and should be so understood. We are aware that le-, galists and work-mongers who vainly suppose that salvation is optional with them to choose or refuse, eonstrue these Scriptures, as they do many others to their own destruction, but to a careful Bible reader, who is inquiring after truth and who desires to know the , trutu experimentally, it will be plainly seen that God , i‘e speaking, not to gospel characters, but to law char- j acters in our texts. The law dispensation revealed the holiness, purity, majesty, aud eternal perfection ; of Jehovah, and Israel being under that written law •r covenant, were obliged to. work day and night, yea •ontinually, to satisfy the law in its just requisitions. When they were obedient, in an outward sense,, they , were blessed, when disobedient,.they were-punished, j But the spiritural nature of the law which demanded love to God with all the heart, soul, might, imndiand strength, the carnal Jews were ignorant of, like thour ■and in our day who contend strenuously for a sys tem. of works of their own invention, and oppose the , vital principles of the doctrine of Christ based upon, j the oath and promise of God. The quest on arises, what was the nature of the j death spoken of that the Lord had no pleasure in ? ; We answer, that it was a state of distress and.misery , that the Jews brought upon themselves by their own j voluntary transgression. And God j ustly dealt with i ttiem according to the nature of the covenant they were under, which was severe punishment for their •ins. They reaped the reward of their own folly and wickedness. Sin is the cause of all the misery and . distress which is experienced by the human family. And sin is the transgression of the law. The calam ities which the Jews or the Israelites were then en during in the Babylonish captivity, was the conse quence of their own wickedness, therefore, God's way SOUTEERN BAPTIST MESSENGER. was equal, but their’s was unequal. We have seen instances of persons who have made themselves very miserable by a wicked course of conduct, and have cried out in their distress, bu-t as soon as they are out of misery, they are the same as before, Therefore it is not the Lord’s pleasure, or in .other words, it is not pleasing to Him, the death of him that dieth. But the inflexible! demand of the law and justice must be executed upon the transgressors But Israel was called upon to repent, to cast away from them all their transgressions, whereby they had transgressed.; and make them anew heart; and a new spirit: fo'i> why will ye die, 0 house of Israel.— j The Lord had no pleasure in theirdeath. therefore, he ‘ says “ turn yourselves and live ye.” But the general construction of this subject in its use ar and application is, that the Lord is very desirous to save all the human family with an everlasting sal-! vation, and that provision is made for them all upon ! oertain terms, or oondltions-to be performed by them. ILe;_ therefore, .is wooing and beseeching them to come to him, if thoy will, as it is not his pleasure that any of them should perish, but that all should be saved. Hfence, turn yourselves and live ye, or in other words, turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die. Now if it is the Lprd!s will that every son and daughter of Adam should be saved, and lie is trying, to accomplish His will and pleasure, and is not able to do it because sinners will not turn and repent, He i certainly does not possess power to punish them for j their sins, and therefore ceases to be the Almighty God of heaven and earth, But as we before stated the people addressed were the carnal Israelites, and the Lord called upon them fco taro, from, their* wicked ways and live. In what sense were they to live? Wh} T they were to live be fore God in the enjoyment of the blessings promised in the covenant.’ Those blessings were not spiritual but temporal such as no other nation on earth ever enjoyed. Therefore it is plain to our understanding that the texts apply alone to National Israel, as they were addressed to that people, and that the life and death spoken of does not refer to their condition after the death of the body. It is a clear case that it was the Lord’s pleasure to punish the Jews for their wickedness in the seventy years captivity in Babylon, hut lie took no pleasure in their wickedness, nor in | the distress or death, they were experiencing. There- j fore, He says, as I live I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his wicked way and live. The Jews returned from their captivity in Babylon,, and prospered for a length of time, but become ex ceeding vile at the time when the Lord Jesus was up on the earth, and as the climax of their wickedness, j they crucified the Lord of glory. - But their destruc-1 tion as a nation was foretold’by the blessed Redeemer.! ‘■‘Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and j wise men, and scribes: and some them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecu f ethem from city tocitv: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed ‘ upon the earth . from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and. the altar..” This had its exact fulfillment upon, that people* We are to learn by the subject before us that God does not countenance or approve of sin or wickedness ; in any sense of the word. It was so relative to Na- tional Israel, as we have already expressed, and there fore we cannot reasonable suppose that He will winkj at it, or approve of it among men in general. Wheth-1 er we speak of it in reference to the voluntary wick- edness of nations, communities, or individuals, God will render to every one according to his works. When we speak of the salvation of the spiiutual Is rael or elect of God, we speak of another covenant, en tirely distinct and seperate from the covenant made with National Israel. Hence what a perversion ot the Scriptures it is for men to introduce that old con ditional covenant, which is done away, and preach i6 to sinnerson reference to salvation. They will take the texts at the head of this article, and apply them to sinners destitute of grace, and sometimes bewilder the feeble of the flock with their pernicious sentimentE. But the truth is, the promises in the new and ever lasting covenant is upon the principle I'ioill and you, shall, and are not yea and nay, but are yea and Amen to the glory of God. Ezekiel had a view of this cov enant whun the Lord spake by him to Israel “Anew heart also will I. give you, and anew spirit will I put within you: and I will takeaway the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.— And l will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk.in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judg ments and’do them* And ye shall dwell in the land (the lapd.of gospel rest,) that I gave to your fathers; and ye shajl be my people, and I will be your God."’ xxxvi. 20*-2& Jfyptnmber this covenant is made with the spiritual Israel of God as expressed by Ezekiel xxxvii. chapter inclusive, and by Jeremiah xxxi. 31 —34,, and substantiated by the testimony of the Apostles. Perishing sinners are saved upon\he prin-. ciple of what God has done for them, and they rejoice in the Sovereignty, Immutability, and Eternal Perfec tion of Jehovah. Why this he to and cry, therefore against the electing love, and predestinating purpose of God in the salvation of sinners, if the advocates of a conditional system were not trusting in their own works for salvation ? Why quote the texts, which we have commented upon, to rebut and confuse inquiring minds aftqr truth, if they did not rely upon their own power and ability to save themselves, or to do some thing towards it ? They will argue that sinners arm guilty before God, but the idea that sinners are alrea ; dy lost and condemned in the transgression of the first Adam, and that the wrath of God abideth upon j them, they ignore and utterly reject. And that it is by grace through faith, without works, in point of merit and justification, they do not believe. The deplorable ignorance of men upon the great subject of gospel truth will never be removed only as it is the pleasure of God to remove it. And to sup pose that God is not able to accomplish His will and pleasure, when it is expressly said, that He worketh all things after the counsel of His will, or the good pleasure of His will,, is to detract from Ilis Power, Wisdom, Holiness, Truth and Justice. And his pre destinating or determinate purpose of love and mercy relative to Ilis people, will certainly be accomplished, for there can be uo accident,, or fortuitous circum stance to intervene in the accomplishment of His will and pleasure. And to suppose that God has no pre destinating or determinate purpose relative to the wicked, is presumption and folly, when it i# express ly declared in the Scriptures thqt “she Lord hath made all thing* for himself: yea oven the wicked for the day of evil.” Prov. xvi. 4. And the Lord said to Pharaoh, “ And in very deed for this cause h-ivel raised thee up, for to show in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” Ex. ix. 16. Worms of the dust will, how ever, say, “Why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, 0 man, who art thou that repliest against God,” &c. Rom. ix. 19, 20. Gavilers and. the enemies of truth and righteousness 93