The contradictions of orthodoxy : or, "What shall I do to be saved ?" As answered by several representative orthodox clergymen of Chicago ; with sermons on the same subject by David Swing, D. L. Moody, and others. All of which is carefully examined and critically reviewed in the light of the Sacred Scriptures

Dedication

To my faithful and affectionate Wife,

whose love and admiration for

the Truth is only equaled by

Preface

This little volume is sent forth upon its humble mission with the fondly-cherished hope that it may be the means, under the providence of God, of contributing to the enlightenment of all who chance to read its pages, upon the most important and all-absorbing question that ever commanded the attention or enlisted the sympathies of the human race.

The subject of salvation is infinitely above all other subjects, and includes within its amplitude the highest, purest, and most enduring interests of man's immortal nature. In its presence all other themes sink into comparative nothingness and are lost to view.

It is believed that this subject has been presented in the following pages in such a light, and in such striking contrasts with popular religious errors, as will give all possible prominence to the truth, and secure a hearty acquiescence, as well as ready and willing acceptance of God's simple, yet sublime plan of salvation, on the part of all such as are honestly seeking the " way of life."

That it may strengthen and comfort the saved, and be the means of saving the lost, is both the hope and the prayer of

THE AUTHOR.

HISTORY OF THTS CONTROVERSY.

The within controversy, which occupied such a large space in the columns of the Chicago Times and Tribune during the months of January and February of the current year, awakened such a widespread and profound interest among the learned and leadiug clergymen of all denominations, and called forth such extended notices from both the secular as well as religious press, that its publication in book form seemed imperatively demanded.

To meet this demand, the author has gathered up all the most important matter bearing upon the subject, including the original article which provoked the discussion, and the answers of the several Chicago clergymen to the question, u What must I do to be saved? " Also such sermons as were preached upon the subject by leading divines. To all this is added the reviews of the answers by the author, with such comments upon the sermons as their respective merits seemed to demand. This controversy was so voluminous, and extended itself through so many religious as well as secular journals, and called forth so much pulpit talent, that to publish all that was written and spoken upon the subject would require many volumes much larger than the one now offered. I have therefore selected what I thought to be the. most important, direct, and useful.

In order to increase the interest of the reader, and (?)

viii HISTORY OF THIS CONTROVERSY.

also to answer the question which is often asked, viz. : "How did this controversy originate? " I have thought it proper to give a brief history of its origin, and also explain why it was not continued at greater length.

I was spending the month of December of last year in the city of Chicago ; being wholly unoccupied, I made it in my way to attend the " Gospel Meetings," and other religious exercises of the leading denominations of the city as often as possible. While in attendance upon these meetings I was surprised to witness so little real scriptural knowledge on the part of those who were most officious and prominent in conducting them. I saw young men, as I thought, sincerely and honestly seeking the way of life and salvation. I heard them ask for light and instruction, and carefully noted the answers which they uniformly received; and in not a single instance was the Bible answer given to the humble penitent.

I thought, verily "when the blind lead the blind they must both fall into the ditch." I saw that hundreds of men and women were wandering in the darkness of ignorance, with their understandings clouded, being alienated from God through the moral blindness of their minds. I thought it sad that in a land of Bibles and of churches, there should be hundreds of dying men and women who knew not the plain and simple law of pardon as revealed in the New Testament Scriptures; but what could I do to avert the sad doom or alter the unhappy condition of these dying mortals bound for the bar of God, and without hope or salvation? I said to myself, "I am unknown; I have no possible way of reaching this people; butl

HISTORY OF THIS CONTROVERSY. ix

will ask God for strength and help; and I did, and he opened up the way most gloriously as the sequel plainly shows.

While thinking on this matter, I resolved to write a communication to the Chicago Times, setting forth as best I could the Gospel plan of salvation. *I cannot begin to tell the reader how happy I was in the preparation of that article. I headed my communication "The Difference between Ancient and Modern Gospel Meetings;" and when it was finished I took it to the Times office and left it. I watched the paper carefully every day for two or three weeks, but it did not appear, and I gave up all hopes of ever seeing it in the columns of that paper. I called at the office to get the article ; but was unable to obtain it, or find out what had become of it. So I rewrote and sent it to the Evangelist, and in due time it made its appearance in that most excellent paper, with favorable editorial comments. About this time, much to my surprise and gratification, my first article appeared in the Sunday Times, in connection with extended interviews with the leading orthodox clergymen of Chicago upon the subject matter of my communication, and also an extended review of my article by one Kaklem. I need not tell the reader that I was happy, for he has doubtless anticipated as much.

I at once replied to my reviewer, which reply was promptly published. He then published a brief rejoinder, to which I made an extended reply, which was for some reason rejected by the religious editor of the Times. The reason assigned was that I had misrepre sented my opponent ; though I am satisfied in my own x HISTORY OF THIS CONTROVERSY.

mind that this was only the ostensible reason, and that the real reason was never given. My opinion has been from the first, that my rejoinder was submitted to my opponent for a reply, and he being unable to meet it, advised its suppression. I have good reasons for this opinion ; but I will allow the impartial reader to judge whether I misrepresented my reviewer's position or not. The article was subsequently sent to the Christian Standard, however, and was published in full in that paper.

As soon as the contradictory answers of the several clergymen were published, the discussion began in good earnest. All the religious journals of the country gave it editorial notice, and many eloquent preachers made it the subject of especial discussion.

At the time when* the interest in the subject was at its hight, and hundreds seemed anxious and were inquiring more deeply into the matter, the managing editor of the Times allowed the subject to deteriorate into a discussion upon infidelity, — a subject in which few people, especially those of a religious turn < f mind, felt any interest whatever. This new departure failed to enlist the sympathies of the people or command the attention of the clergy; and soon this religious discussion was dropped from the pages of the Times.

I very much regretted that it could not have been continued as it was originally begun, and yet, I have reason for believing that great good was accomplished by it, notwithstanding its brevity. As soon as it was turned into an infidel channel, I withdrew from the controversy, and began to contribute to the columns of the Tribune.

HISTORY OF THIS CONTROVERSY. xi

The positions taken in my first article are so fully confirmed and established by the interviews and sermons which followed, that one is almost inclined to believe, that it was written after these interviews were had, and after these sermons were delivered. Especially does Mr. Moody say the very things I attributed to him in my original article.

Such is the history of this polemic. May the Lord bless it in this new form ; and may it bring many who are wandering in darkness to a saving knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.

This discussion shows very conclusively that the orthodox world have wandered very far from ancient gospel simplicity. To bring back the primitive Gospel in all its beautiful simplicity is the only object that moved the author to this compilation.

CHAPTER I. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANCIENT AND MODERN u GOSPEL MEETINGS."

To the Editor o/TJte Times:

Having occasion to remain in Chicago for a few weeks, I took advantage of the opportunity to attend some of the so-called " Gospel Meetings," which are being held in various parts of the city, especially at Farwell Hall,

Why these meetings are called " Gospel Meetings " is entirely beyond my comprehension ; for they are neither based upon, conducted by, or in harmony with, the Gospel of Christ; and the end which they are supposed to subserve is in no sense of the word attained by them.

Ostensibly, they are designed to enlighten those who are seeking the salvation of their souls; but actually, they darken counsel by the multitude of meaningless words that savor of the senseless jargon of Ashdod.

I was both surprised and pained to observe the utter lack of Scriptural knowledge, and the profound ignorance of the Gospel plan of salvation which was too apparent lor concealment in all these pretended " Gospel Meetings." " When the blind lead the blind they must inevitably both fall into the ditch."

No person who is intelligent in the Scriptures of truth, or familiar with Apostolic Christianity, could attend these alleged " Gospel Meetings ' without observing the marked contrast between them and the " Gospel Meetings " held anciently by the Apostles and early Christians.

Does the Bible teach a definite plan of salvation? A plan that is simple, plain, and easily comprehended by .he common mind? Does it unfold in plain language man's duty to his God? In short, does it tell the poor sin-burdened sinner what he must do to secure the pleiary remission of all his sins? Are there commands authoritatively offered in the Gospel, which, if faithfully obeyed, constitute those who thus obey them, acceptable children of God? or is the Bible a bundle of moral generalities, promiscuously thrown together, without any regard to logical, systematic, or philosophical arrangement?

At first thought this may seem like a very strange question to propound to this enlightened Christian age; and yet, when we take a survey of the religious world, and note its Babel of confusion even upon the all-important question of salvation, it does not seem so strange, after all.

There are in the neighborhood of six hundred different religious beliefs taught and practiced among mankind; and nothing could be more unlike than the doctrines of salvation which these contending religious denominations are offering to the lost and ruined of our race.

No two churches agree as to what constitutes a Scriptural plan of redemption. Every church has its own peculiar notions respecting the prerequisites to pardon ; and each one is condemning all others as anti-Scriptural and heterodox.

I have sought in vain for a single idea connected with modern ecclesiastical doctrine on which all the churches are a unit. I must confess that after a most patient search through the denominational archives of Christendom, I fail to find one doctrine peculiar to Christianity on which there is even an approximate unity of sentiment ; and these diversities of faiths do not relate in all instances to minor questions and unimportant doctrines ; but the leading fundamental questions of theology — such as are said to be related most intimately to human salvation— are as often matters of controversy among Christians as the less important doctrines of the Bible. It cannot be expected that all men will agree on the secondary and unrevealed questions of ecclesiasticism; but they certainly ought not to differ on what has been clearly revealed, and on the belief of which is suspended the eternal and unchanging interest of the soul.

It is but rational to believe that if the Bible is the revealed word of God (and I am not at all disposed to call the truth of this statement in question), and contains a definite plan of salvation for the belief of mortal man, that plan must be a unit, and not only a unit, but so plain that " none by comment could it plainer make," as Pollock has most aptly said. I think that there is not a recognized religious denomination in this country that professes to be

GUIDED BY THE SACRED SCRIPTURES,

but that believes and teaches that God has revealed • definite and clearly-defined plan of salvation; and yet no two churches teach the same plan.

But I am told that the points of difference are unimportant and secondary, and that on the great central, vital idea of salvation there is the most perfect agreement. I grant that it is very possible that as to the Pact of salvation there may be no important differences , out when we come to consider the means or conditions jpon which that salvation depends, their differances are as wide as the poles and as antagonistic as light and darkness.

I presume the fact of these diversities of religious opinion will not be called in question by anyone, however unimportant and trivial they may think them to te. The real question, however, that concerns us in this paper is: Has God revealed a definite plan of salvation? And if He has made such a revelation in clear and intelligible terms, what is it? What are its first and second steps, its preparatory and initiatory requirements? If a man in deep anxiety asks, " What must I do to be saved?" there should be some positive answer to give to such an all-absorbing question. It will not do to turn him aside with some passing remark or evasive answer. The most sacred and solemn interests of both time and eternity are hanging upon the answer to this great life question ; the issues of life and* death are included within it; the possibilities and opportunities of eternity are hinging upon it. Other and less important questions may be evaded, or even a wrong answer given, without any serious injury to the one propounding them, but when a man, under the awful conviction that he is a lost and ruined soul, without God or without hope in the world, asks from the very depths of his sorrow-stricken heart, " What must I do to be saved?" the answer should be prompt, correct, and full in all its detail of duty and responsibility.

One would naturally conclude from what he hears and sees in the " Gospel meetings " of Chicago, that God aad no clearly defined and plainly revealed plan of relemption adapted to all mankind, but that He improvised a plan for each individual case and every conversion w r as mi generis.

Go to any of those meetings held under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association, or to any conducted by the various orthodox churches of this city, and ask the all-important question : " What must I do to be saved?'' and I venture the assertion, based upon my past experience, that in no two instances would you receive the same answer, and in all reasonable probability, a Gospel answer in none.

If I have read the Scriptures aright, God has revealed in His precious word, a sublimely simple plan of salvation — anthromopolitan in its character; that is, adapted to every man, no matter where he lives, or what his social or moral condition. This divinely authorized plan of salvation contains definite and clearly established facts; simple and authoritative commands; soulinspiring and heart-comforting promises; and severe, but just and awful threatenings.

To believe these Gospel facts, and obey these Gospel commands, enables those who thus believe and obey to rejoice in the comforting influence of these Gosp >.

promises. To refuse to believe and obey these, is to read one's final doom in these awful Gospel warnings.

I cannot better illustrate the manifest difference between ancient and modern " Gospel meetings " and between apostolic and orthodox teachings than to introduce to the reader an ideal seeker after truth.

We will suppose then an honest young man becomes deeply interested in the question of his soul's salvation. His common sense teaches him that there must be some sort of a plan of salvation revealed in the Gospel. Under this impression he steps into Farwell Hall, while one of these modern " Gospel meetings " is in progress. At the first opportunity he arises and addresses the leader of the meeting thus : " I feel, and know, that I am a lost and ruined sinner, without hope and without God in the world ; I am ignorant of the Gospel of Christ, and of the way of life ; I have therefore come in here to ask a plain, simple question : * What must I do to be saved?' " The leader of the meeting says: "Young man, we are glad to see you, and will most willingly answer your question, and render you any other assistance in our power. You must ' come to Jesus.' He has said, 'jCome unto Me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' This is the first thing for you to do; just break away from the world, and come to Jesus." " But," says the young man, " I understand all that; but I don't know how to 'come to Jesus;' that is what I came in here to find out. What must I do? what steps must I take in order to 'come to Jesus?'" Here he opens his Bible, which he has been reading almost constantly of late, and the first passage that meets his eye is the words of Jesus, which read as follows : " No man can come unto Me except the Father which has sent Me draw him," " Here seems to be an insurmountable difficulty in the way of my coming to Christ," observes the young man. The leader of the meeting informs him he must not read the Bible to find difficulties ; but just " come to Jesus and make a complete surrender of himself." The young man retires from the meeting neither a wiser or happier man than when he entered.

Such will be the answer in ninety -nine cases out of a hundred that humble, penitent, believers, will receive in the Chicago " Gospel meetings " when asking what they must do to be saved ! Such expressions as " come to Jesus ;" " Give up all for Jesus ;" " Put your trust in Jesus," with numberless others of a similar nature, are not only meaningless, but sentimentally absurd ; for they afford neither light or relief. They are exceedingly convenient expressions to hide one's ignorance of the plan of salvation.

Having failed to find satisfactory instructions at the " Gospel meeting " at Farwell Hall, our ideal penitent turns his anxious feet towards Dr. Thomas' Church on the West Side. He knows Dr. Thomas to be a titled theologian of at least metropolitan lame. He is recognized as a teacher oi Divine things, and a Christian gentleman of conceded ability.

He finds Dr. Thomas in his study; and after a formal introduction, informs the Dr. of the nature of his mission, by saying : " Dr. Thomas, I am in deep anxiety of mind in regard to my soul's salvation. I want to know in plain terms, what I must do to be saved? " The doctor takes him warmly by the hand, gives him the most cordial greeting, and says : " My Iriend, I shall be most happy to give you advice in regard to the matter that concerns you.

" Have you given yourself to God in prayer? If not, you must pray to God earnestly for the pardon of all your sms." The young man opens his Bible, and his eye falls upon the following passage. " We know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshiper of God him he heareth." " I do not see," says the humble seeker after truth, " that praying will be of any avail in my case; certainly not at the present stag* ot my experience, because I am a sinner, and here I an* informed that God heareth not sinners. Being an alien, I am not supposed to be entitled to the privileges of a citizen of the kingdom. The right of petition belongs, if I understand the principles on which all rational governments are founded, to the citizen not to the alien. Now doctor, please tell me what I must do to get into the kingdom so that I shall have a legitimate right to pray. If your doctrine is true, then, most certainly my case is a hopeless one ; for if prayer is the means of pardon, then tell me, if you can, what hope I have of obtaining the remission of my sins? If prayer is a condition of pardon, and God will not hear one who is not pardoned, what good will it do me to pray ? '

" Young man," observes the doctor, " you will never be converted to God, until you go to Him and bow humbly before Him in prayer, and give up all these doubts and perplexing questions." " But," interrupts the young man, " does God demand that in becoming a Christian I shall give up my reason, and violate His own revealed law? " The doctor dismisses him with a kindly bow, and commends to his careful, prayerful perusal the Psalms of David,

The young man in a state of mental bewilderment, goes out upon the street, saying down deep in his anxious heart: "Oh, that I knew where I might find him, I would order my cause before him, I would fill my mouth with arguments and know what he would answer me."

He continues to soliloquize : " I will go to Dr. Ryder's church; he is a learned and able divine of large experience, perhaps he can answer my question." He soon finds himself in the inspiring presence of the great Universalist clergyman. Dr. Ryder receives himwith his accustomed affability, and bids him take a seat. Our ideal here begins without any unnecessary exordium, and plunges into the very heart of the subject which has given him so much mental anxiety, by sying: " Dr. Ryder, I called to ask you a simple question: I want to know what I must do to be saved? " The doctor smilingly remarked : " My dear young friend, you are not lost; you are in no danger at all ; modern exact thought has shown that the doctrine of future punishment is a heathen fable . Christ fixed your salvation beyond a peradventure when he died upon the cross and became the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. Christ undertook the salvation of the whole human family, and he never fails in anything he attempts to do. Your fears are all unnecessary, and without reason, you have nothing whatever to do."

The young man opens his Bible and reads the following passage : " He is the author of eternal salvation to all those icho obey Jrim" " Now doctor," continued our young friend, " you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God; how about those who do not obey Mm% " " Here by the way is another passage of the same sort," and he reads " Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God ; but they that do His commandments." " Now, doctor, explain to me what commandments are here referred to, and what disposition the Lord will make with those who do not obey them? " The doctor in a good natured way, laughingly remarked, " I have not time to enter into an extended exegesis of these passages to-day, but you come and attend upon my public ministration for a few months, and I will thoroughly indoctrinate you with my ideas of theology." With which remark our -disappointed and downcast seeker after the gospel plan ot salvation, is bowed out of the room. As he walks along the street he is handed an announcement of a gospel meeting which is to be held on the West side. The meeting is to be under the personal management of Rev. Mr. Moody, the great evangelist. He says to himself; " how fortunate that this notice should have /alien into my hands at this time. I have heard of the great revivals, and the thousands of conversions that have followed this great teacher wherever he has gone. He is leading men to God all the time. He makes a specialty of converting sinners to God; certainly he will give me a consistent and a scriptural answer to my question.

I will hasten to the meeting." He arrives at the church just as Mr. Moody is calling .or all who desire the prayers of God's people, to arise to their feet. He springs to his feet and addressing the great revivalist says : " Mr. Moody, I have been trying to find out the way of salvation for several days, but I have made no material progress; I have therefore come to this meeting in the hope of finding light. I wish to ask a question of great importance, important at least to me. I understand that salvation is conditional and that no man can be saved unless he obeys the gospel; for I read in my Bible that Christ when he comes the second time, he will take vengeance on all them that obeyed not the gospel of God. Now I want to know what the gospel is so that I can obey it ? In other words, I want to know what I must do in order to be saved ?" Mr. Moody says in reply : " Salvation is not dependent upon anything that man can do; if it were, then man could save himself." " Well," interrupted the humble enquirer, " I have before me a passage of Scripture, the words of an inspired apostle, addressed to a crowd of anxious enquirers, which reads thus;" with which remark he reads from Acts 2:40; "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." "I mean to say, young mar, that you must seek the Lord with full purpose of heart," said Mr. Moody. " I did not know," replied the young man, " that the Lord had been lost. I supposed that I was the one that was lost, or am I to infer from, your * remarks, that God has gone off in some lonely, secluded place, far removed from the accustomed haunts of mankind, and secreted himself, and that my business is to search in doubt and uncertainty till I find Him ?" "I see," says Mr. Moody, " you are disposed to be captious. You are looking for difficulties not salvation. You are not humble enough. When you get thoroughly imbued with the spirit of humble contrition, you will throw these captious questions to the wind, and the Lord will then appear to you, and not till then."

" I am humble enough," says our young friend, " to obey the gospel, if I only knew what obedience the gospel required. I am not humble enough to go blindly on, in a question of such vital moment as the eternal salvation of my undying soul. If you will only tell me what the gospel is, I will try and obey it : if you will make known to me the conditions of salvation, I will bow in humble and unreserved obedience to each and every one of them."

The great preacher simply says, in reply to this earnest demand for gospel light and knowledge : " There is no hope for you, young man, unless the grace of God gets hold of your heart." " Well," says the young enquirer, almost inaudibly, " I hope, if it does get hold of my heart, that it will be an enlightening grace."

At the request of Mr. Moody, they proceed to pray for the enlightenment and conversion of this young man who is wandering in the " blackness and gloom of ignorance and sin."

The meeting closes, and our friend, discouraged, almost disgusted with the senseless, meaningless platitudes of the so-called " orthodox churches," goes home to read and ponder upon the darkness, uncertainty and mystery that surrounds the way of life, and the plan of salvation.

This young man is now in a fine condition of mind to attend one of Bob. IngersolPs " gospel meetings." The churches have prepared him for the reception of the boldest, most negative, as well as most daring, infidelity. Thousands who to-day are avowed skeptics, and defiant defamers of the Bible, have traveled over the came route, — a route which as certainly leads to skepticism,* if persistently followed, as the gospel leads to life and peace, when faithfully and intelligently obeyed.

The hero of our article, is about to despair of ever finding any clear, rational or scriptural answer to his honest, earnest question ; and while in this half doubting mood, he steps into a little church on Indiana-ave. The preacher is a young man without title, or even metropolitan fame; but he is an earnest advocate of primitive Christianity : a zealous defender of the faith once delivered to the saints. He has no sympathy with modern orthodoxy. He holds to no creed but the Bible. He has no formal confession of faith, other than that made by Christ himself.