Unitarianism Defended: A Series of Lectures by Three Protestant Dissenting Ministers of LiverpoolMartineau, James
Religion
Unitarianism Defended: A Series of Lectures by Three Protestant Dissenting Ministers of Liverpool
Martineau, James
Unitarianism
The same doctrine is taught more leniently in the 13th article of the
Church of England, so that amongst the theologians, “the natural man,”
as they call him, is in a sad condition, for act as he will he cannot
but sin: if he does good works, he commits sin, and if he neglects them
he is guilty of still greater sins. Quotations in the spirit of those
already adduced might be swelled into volumes from the vast treasures of
Calvinistic divinity. But I shall close these by an extract from the
author I have before mentioned and quoted from, an author, as I have
said, highly popular and largely circulated; and here is a passage of
his on Christ and the last judgment.—“The judge will pronounce the
sentence of damnation on the ungodly multitude. Then shall he say also
to them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting
fire prepared for the devil and his angels:’ ... The Lamb of God shall
roar as a lion against them; he shall excommunicate and cast them out of
his presence for ever, by a sentence from the throne, saying, ‘Depart
from me, ye cursed.’ He shall adjudge them to everlasting fire, and to
the society of devils for evermore. And this sentence also we suppose,
will be pronounced with an audible voice by the man Christ. And all the
saints shall cry, ‘Hallelujah! true and righteous are his judgments!’
None were so compassionate as the saints when on earth, during the time
of God’s patience: but now that time is at an end; their compassion for
the ungodly is swallowed up in joy in the Mediator’s glory, and his
executing of just judgment, by which his enemies are made his footstool.
Though when on earth the righteous man wept in secret places for their
pride, and because they would not hear, yet he shall rejoice when he
seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked
(Ps. lviii. 10). No pity shall then be shown them from their nearest
relations. The godly wife shall applaud the justice of the judge in the
condemnation of her ungodly husband: the godly husband shall say _Amen_
to the condemnation of _her_ who lay in his bosom; the godly parent
shall say _Hallelujah_ at the passing of the sentence against their
ungodly child; and the godly child shall, from the bottom of his heart,
approve the condemnation of his wicked parents,—the father who begat
him, and the mother who bore him. The sentence is just, they are judged
according to their work.”—Rev. xx. 12.
It were surely preferable to labour under the blindest mistakes
concerning the essence of God, or the person of Christ, than be guilty
of believing such atrocious representations as these of their moral
character. The zealous may scout us if they choose, as infidels; but if
Calvinism and Christianity were identical, infidelity would be virtue,
it would be but the righteous rebellion of human nature against creeds,
in vindication of the truth of its own affections, and the rectitude of
its God.
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