Chapter XVI: Miscellaneous Subjects (2)

From these texts of Scripture we learn that all manner of sin is pardonable, save one, the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. There is no crime too great, or sin too deeply dyed to be forgiven, except the one designated in these scriptures. Well might it be asked, What is that sin? It is evident that the Holy Spirit (which is the same as the Holy Ghost) is no more supreme or important than others of the trinity; so therefore why should all blasphemy against the Father or Son be pardonable, and the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit be unpardonable. The answer will be found to lie in the nature and office work of the Holy Spirit, as being different from that of the Father or Son. Of course the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one; yet they might well be considered as three, when we speak of their respective offices. The Father, the grand author of all good, the Creator of the world, the one who holdeth all things in his control, the designer of the glorious plan of redemption of fallen man. The Son, the one on whom that redemption depended, who only was found worthy to open the book and loose the seals of the divine plan, and thus make salvation possible. The Holy Spirit, the one who, after the Father and Son had perfected their work, was sent to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He it is that strives with men by way of a kind of inherent knowledge, testifying to them of salvation’s waters flowing free, and that they should forsake sin and plunge therein. By the Holy Spirit is God’s way of manifesting himself to men, convicting them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. True, as Paul says, God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son;” but notice, it is “_hath spoken_.” The Son has done his part, we have his words on record, and he is at the right hand of the Father; and he has himself said that he would go away, that the Comforter (Holy Spirit) might come. And now we are living in the special dispensation of the Holy Spirit.

The sin against the Holy Ghost, as it is commonly called, is also known as the “unpardonable sin,” and the “sin unto death.” See 1 John 5:16. As we before said, the answer to the question, Why is it unpardonable, lies in the very nature of the Holy Spirit’s relationship to man. Are we to suppose that it is some sin too heinous to be forgiven? or that God has decided that this sin is one that bears too heavily against his willingness to forgive? or, in other words, that his great love is not sufficient, were it weighed in the balance with this sin? Nay; that is not the light in which it is to be regarded. This is a sin that is different in its effects from other sins. It is one by which man unprivileges himself to be saved. He disconnects himself, so to speak, from all possible operations or strivings of the Spirit of God with him. He might blaspheme God, or the Son, and it would be the same as any other sin. But he blasphemes the Spirit whenever he takes action against (and casts out, so to speak) that inherent principle in him which tends to draw him to God. By so doing he places himself outside the realm of possibilities, as regards his own salvation: for he severs all possible communication from God to him, unless it be what is manifest by the presentation of awful fear of approaching damnation.

It will be seen that in committing this sin a man by choice wilfully places himself in such a position, in reference to the inner dictations of the Spirit, that the latter is killed or destroyed. He can blaspheme God, and the convictions of the Spirit in him be unaffected, save that continual so doing might lessen them; but when he blasphemes the Spirit—it being so interwoven as to be, in a sense, a part of himself—he involves his own soul, by taking a stand against himself, as it were, thereby unfitting and unqualifying himself to be further affected by the Spirit. He drowns, dissolves, annihilates the inner strivings of the Spirit.

If we examine carefully the quotation from Mark, we see by verse thirty that the reason Christ said what he did about blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was because certain scribes said he had an unclean spirit, and cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Now whether they thereby committed the blasphemy of the Spirit, we do not know; but from Christ’s words that followed, a strong inference could be drawn that they did. It was at least a close step to it, and depended on the degree of inherent knowledge they had that Jesus was the Christ. If they did it ignorantly, it was not blasphemy.

In the sixth chapter of the Hebrews, verses four to eight, the apostle speaks of such as have been partakers of the Holy Ghost, and were enlightened, etc., who, if they shall “fall away,” directly disinherit themselves of the privilege of being renewed unto repentance, and “crucify _to themselves_ the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” By so doing they virtually do violence to the Spirit’s convictions to such an extent that they blaspheme the Spirit. We are persuaded that Paul here had no reference to a person being overcome of the devil in some great temptation so as to commit sin, while at the same time the soul protests against sin. That would not be _falling away_ (as here meant) from the love, neither the faith of God. Indeed, it is the very love of God, as well as the Spirit’s convictions, that causes such a one to have immediate sorrow for the sin committed, and causes the soul to quickly flee to God again. But what the apostle meant by “falling away” was to forsake the Lord, give up the faith, walk no more in the truth or with God’s children, and be content to live in sin. But take notice of the standard which he gives, from which “falling away” may be considered. He says, “those who were once enlightened,” had “tasted of the heavenly gift,” were “partakers of the Holy Ghost,” had “tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come;” if such fall away—forsake the Lord and choose to live in sin—they soon become incapable of being affected by any manifestation of the Spirit or any inducement held out to them—a deplorable, lost condition! bearing only thorns and briers! whose end is to be burned! Now we ask, Who ever saw any one come back to God who was content to remain away from God, after having had the experience described in Heb. 6:4, 5? We have seen some who exactly correspond to the description Paul gives here, but we have never known any such to come back to the truth. May we use this, as the apostle intended it, as a warning against unfaithfulness to God.

In Heb. 10:26-29 the apostle makes mention of the same conditions, only in a different way. Here he speaks of _sinning wilfully_ “after that we have received the knowledge of the truth.” Of course, all sin, to be sin, is done more or less wilfully; but the apostle can not have reference to a sin committed on account of a spiritual lack, while the soul meaningly presses on in the race for God. We know that such a sin does not unfit one to become pardoned again, the Holy Spirit is not blasphemed, and therefore the sacrifice (Christ) still remains, to which the soul may flee. To “sin wilfully” here means more, as is unmistakably implied in verses twenty-eight and twenty-nine. He illustrates by one who despised Moses’ law, as though he now means one who is despising the law of Christ; and he explains himself in verse twenty-nine, where we see he has reference to one “who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.” Here “sin wilfully” comprehends the blasphemy of the Spirit, and he evidently means, by the term, a wilful turning again to a life of sin, a deliberate giving up of the faith, and choosing sin instead. This is also used as a stimulus to the saints to exhort one another, and neglect not the assembling of themselves together, or the provoking unto love and good works, etc.

From these two places in the Hebrews it might be supposed that to be in an unpardonable condition a person must have once been saved. But the apostle in both places is necessarily addressing saved people, and holds up such a condition as a warning against unfaithfulness. He deals in what is applicable to them. But this does not prove that a man who has never known the way of truth may not also place himself where he is unpardonable.

It is safe and Scriptural to take the stand that a person is pardonable so long as he is capable of being sorry for his sin, for God’s sake, or of having a real desire to love and serve God. The promise and privilege is to “whosoever will.” This is as broad as broad can be, and whoever wills can know assuredly that salvation is for him, not withstanding the disputations of the devil to the contrary. In Heb. 12:16, 17 one would infer from the apostle’s illustration of Esau that a person can be in a condition where repentance may be earnestly desired, even with tears, yet impossible to be found. But genuine repentance is not implied here. The margin has it, “He [Esau] found no place to change his mind,” instead of “no place for repentance.” A person may commit the unpardonable sin and still desire to change his condition or lot; he may through fear of eternal damnation desire rather the position of a Christian: but he never repents, he can not repent, it is not “in him” to repent, he will not meet the conditions for salvation, and no one can get him to do so. He may bewail his condition and stand in dread of the judgment, from a feeling of selfish protection; he may be sorry for his sins as a criminal may be sorry for his crime when he is sentenced to be punished: but he has no inclination to godly sorrow; in fact, the spirit of the man and the Spirit of God are incompatible; he has placed himself where the Spirit of God can in no way bring itself to bear upon him. Oh, how awful is such a state! But he is not conscious of any awfulness from having offended God; his awfulness proceeds from a sense of his being eternally lost. The only impulses that might draw such a one to seek the Christian state are those of the selfish kind, just as a man may desire salvation from a belief that it would be conducive to his selfish interest. A person will never get an experience of salvation through such motives; and in the case of the one who has committed the blasphemy of the Spirit, he may have such motives, but he can never have the genuine kind, or in other words, be drawn of the Spirit. Such a sin need not be prayed for. 1 John 5:16. It is certainly a sin unto death.

In conclusion we would say that the unpardonable sin is not to be regarded as some particular sin, singled out from all others, as though it were some form of murder, lying, or stealing, more heinous than the rest. But it lies in the nature of the sin committed, as affecting the relationship with the Holy Spirit. A person may have committed a whole list of the blackest crimes, and yet not have committed the unpardonable sin; or vice versa, a person may have a good standing in point of morality, and yet have blasphemed the Spirit, and severed himself from all possibility of repentance. We would say to every despairing soul seeking salvation, that if you are capable of having the least godly sorrow on account of your sin, or a real, inward desire to serve God, you can rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. If you feel the Spirit of God telling you that you ought to be saved, then salvation is for you. The unpardonable sin deprives a person of the desire to will to love and serve God and obey the truth. So in the language of Scripture we continue to hold out the blessed invitation—“Whosoever _will_, let him take the water of life freely.” Amen.

The Conscience.

When we behold the mechanism of man, we are made to exclaim with the Psalmist, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Man is so constituted as to experience a feeling of joy when a desired object is obtained, or a feeling of disappointment if it is not obtained. When danger approaches he intuitively seeks to avert it, and experiences a feeling of gladness if he succeeds. Among the elements of man’s moral nature the highest and most important, perhaps, is the conscience. Conscience is a principle which God has placed in man’s moral being to teach him what is right and what is wrong. Some have said that conscience is the “voice of God in the soul.” It is a voice that is inaudible to the ear, but we feel it speaking in us, saying, “This action is right,” or, “That action is wrong.” We believe that Solomon was referring to the conscience when he said, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Prov. 20:27.

Where there is no known law, conscience becomes our guide and the standard by which we are judged. For proof of this we will quote Rom. 2:14, 15: “For when the Gentiles, which have not a law, do by nature [a kind of intuitive knowledge of right] the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.” In many circumstances of life we have no written law of God to guide our actions, consequently must be directed by reason and conscience, which are highly analogous. To be perfectly and properly directed by the conscience necessitates a close walk with God. “Keeping in touch with God” is God in our conscious being, impressing us with proper actions, and leading us in the right way, and showing us the relationship existing between the pure soul and the Deity. Where there is no written law of God to direct the actions in a certain circumstance, those who experience a close connection with God will always act the most wisely; because the “candle of the Lord” (the conscience) is a light in them, impressing them with feelings of right in the matter.

The conscious principle in the moral nature suffered greatly in the fall of man, and is seriously impaired by violation of the known laws of God, or laws of conscience. There is a beautiful harmony between truth and a correct conscience. Obedience to the truth is always approved by an unimpaired conscience. When a known truth is violated, a searing influence is introduced upon the conscience, which grows with every violation, until the conscience becomes seared as with a hot iron. Dangers of delusion lie in the fact that after a succession of violations, the conscience becomes so morbid that it fails to be a correct judge of action. After a time a man can violate a plain truth without experiencing any sting of conscience; therefore he concludes his actions are right, because he experiences no condemnation, though they are in opposition to the truth. There is great beauty in the thought, and gratification in the knowledge, that by obedience to the truth we can obtain a sound moral condition, whose conscientious principles are so acute that there is a timely warning at every approach of error.

To possess a purged, pure, and undefiled conscience is our privilege in the economy of grace. See Heb. 9:14; 1 Tim. 3:9; Titus 1:15. To possess an unimpaired conscience and then so meet all our obligations to God and man is to have a conscience void of offense. What implicit confidence we can have in God when in a normal moral condition, and have an uncondemned heart. Enoch walked with God and had the witness (consciousness) that he pleased the Lord. What can bring greater happiness to the heart of man? The man who, having an undefiled moral being has a conscience void of offense toward God and man, experiences a satisfaction and a happiness unsurpassed by any mortal being.

The Two Families.

The Scriptures talk of two classes of people on the earth. The inhabitants of this globe are by the Word of God divided into two great families. One family is termed the righteous, and the other the unrighteous. One is the godly, the other the ungodly. One is the holy, the other the unholy. The righteous family is likened unto or called sheep, the unrighteous family, goats. Mat. 25:32, 33. They are interspersed throughout the earth. When the Son of man is come they shall be separated. One family shall be admitted into an eternity of bliss, the other into an eternity of punishment. One family is represented by a good tree, the other by an evil tree. In the parable of the sower the Savior likens one family unto wheat, and the other unto tares.

Since there are two families there are, of course, two fathers. God is the Father of one of these families (2 Cor. 6:18), and Satan is the father of the other, John 8:44. These fathers are sometimes called masters. “One is your Master, even God.” Now every individual on the globe is either in servitude to one or the other of these masters—never to both. “No man can serve two masters.” “His servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness.”

The Scriptures so plainly locate the dividing line between these two families that all can very well know to which family they belong. Those who are born into God’s family do not commit sin. 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:18. Those belong to the devil’s family who do commit sin. 1 John 3:8. This is very plain. None need be mistaken. Those who do not commit sin are the wheat or good seed, and are children of the kingdom. Those who do commit sin are the tares or children of the wicked one. Mat. 13. Those who do not commit sin have their names written in heaven. But those who sin do not have their names written there (Ex. 32:33), therefore are not members in the family of God.

It is said that some people are mistaken as to which family they belong, but it is “not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” God’s family are righteous, they are holy, they are pure, they are saints. Satan’s family are unrighteous, they are unholy, they do not believe in purity, they commit sin. The Savior has gone to prepare a place for his own so that where he is there they may forever be—glory! glory! Those who live and die in sin can not go to that pure and happy place. John 8:21. Dear friend, get ready. Live a pure, holy life and spend an eternity in the blissful presence of our dear Redeemer. God bless you, is my sincere prayer.

The Two Ways.

This earth is only man’s transitory home. He lives here a few years, then goes to an eternity. There are two abodes or dwelling-places for man in that eternity. One is called heaven, the other is called hell. One is a place of peace and joy, the other a place of torment and woe. One place is called eternal life, the other is called eternal death.

As man enters upon his journey of life two ways are set before him. Deut. 30:15, 19. One way leads to heaven, and is called the way of life and good. The other way leads to hell, and is called the way of death and evil. The way to heaven is denominated the holy way, where walk the redeemed. The ransomed ones go singing on this way with crowns of joy upon their heads. This way shines more and more, brighter and brighter, as it nears the end.

The way to hell is denominated the way of the transgressor. It is a hard way. There is no peace there, no rest. The darkness becomes more dense, and fears increase as it nears the end. The way to everlasting life in heaven is called a narrow way. Mat. 7:14. There are few that walk this way. The way that leads to destruction is a broad way. Mat. 7:13. There are many who are walking in that way. Dear reader, will you not choose the way of life and make heaven your eternal and happy home?

Conclusion Of Part First.

We have now reached the conclusion of the first division of the Gospel Day, namely, The Morning. We have not given the reader our opinion, or our interpretation of the Scriptures, but we have given the pure, simple Bible truths as taught by Christ and the apostles. It is not our doctrine, but the doctrine of him that sent us. What we have taught is in perfect accord with the Bible, and who can gainsay it?

To believe, experience, and live the truths of God’s Word is to be a light in the world. To disbelieve any part, to come short of any part in practical life, is to be to the same extent in darkness. Christ was a light because he was the Word. The early church and apostles were a light because they believed, experienced and practised in life the whole Word. The Bible was written in their hearts as well as in the book. The Bible never changes. God never changes, the nature of faith and grace never changes, and true gospel light never changes. What created light in the first century of this Christian era will create light in any other century, and nothing but what was light in the primitive days of Christianity will be light at any other time. Whatever may be claimed to be light, if it is not the light of Christ, is a false light.

May God help people to see the true light. Oh, glorious light of the morning! Christ and his church in all humility, gentleness, spotlessness and love. In their lowly, inoffensive walk with God, holy, harmless, undefiled, unblamable, separated from and unspotted by the world, persecuted, rejected, and despised by men. Enduring all without a murmur, contented in any and every circumstance of life; counting everything joy, glorying in tribulation, patient in imprisonments, in stripes, in tumults, in hunger, in fastings, in necessities, in afflictions, in distresses, always rejoicing. When reviled, they reviled not again; when they suffered they threatened not, but showing all meekness and gentleness unto all men, loving and praying for their enemies, feeding them when they hungered and giving them drink when they thirsted, preaching the gospel without money and without price, led exclusively by the Holy Spirit, having power with God over devils to cast them out, to heal the sick and lame, to restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, to give speech to the dumb, and to raise the dead. Wonderful light of the gospel morning! Dear reader, we invite you to look upon the picture. See it in its beautiful transparent effulgent light. Pure as heaven, holy as a band of angels, peaceful as the silent, flowing river, harmless as the gentle dove, in a oneness equal with the holy trinity, and conquerors of sickness, sin and Satan. Such was the pure virgin bride of Christ—the church—when she was the light of the world.

O Moon—so fair in the rosy morn,
Reflecting the light of Christ—the Sun,
So spotless and pure in robes of white,
Beautiful, wonderful city of light.