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A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation: In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.Ballou, Hosea

Religion

A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation: In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.

Name: A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation: In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.
Author: Ballou, Hosea

Ballou, Hosea

Revelation; Universalism -- Doctrines

What you say of men's explaining scripture in their own Strength and
wisdom, and of their making _havoc_ of, and _mangling_ them by
explaining them in a mystical or literal sense, I find myself rather
embarrassed about. You begin your epistle under the character of a
"friendly admonition," but what you mean by accusing me of the folly
of mangling and making havoc of the scriptures when you do not attempt
to show wherein I ever explained a passage wrong, I must leave for you
to explain when it is convenient. Nor is it easy for me to understand
you when you represent both the _mystical_ and _literal_ explanation of
scripture equally erroneous. You immediately conclude those
observations with the following quotation: "The natural man receiveth
not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto
him." Did you mean that the natural man, supposing the things of the
spirit of God to be foolishness, would say that the spirit _mangled_
and made _havoc_ of the scriptures? This could not be your meaning.

Your concluding query is the following; "My friend, is there the least
room for us to believe from this scripture (meaning 2 Cor. v. 10, 11)
and many others, that the wicked who have lived impenitent and in a
disbelief of the gospel, or without the true knowledge of God, and of
Jesus Christ whom God hath sent, have eternal life in the fruition and
enjoyment of God?" This query I will endeavour to answer as plainly as
possible.

1st. Unless we grant that a man has eternal life in Jesus Christ,
given him before the foundation of the world, we cannot justly call
him an _unbeliever_ because he does not believe he has this eternal
life in Christ. Nor can we say, with the least propriety, that he does
not _know_ the _truth_, because he does not know that which is not.

2d. If we allow that a man has eternal life in Christ, we must allow
him to be an unbeliever if he do not believe it; and that he does not
know the truth as it is in Jesus, if he be ignorant of this gift of
eternal life.

3d. While a man is in a state of unbelief he is not in the _enjoyment_
of the truth.

I conceive, sir, these observations must appear reasonable to any
reasonable man; and therefore I suppose they will appear reasonable to
you.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.