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in The Gospel Messenger vol.8 no.4 (1886)
AUTHOR: | Holcombe, George M. |
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Here is where the Universalist, both conditional and unconditional, claim that as Adam’s posterity all are under the law, Christ redeemed all. Being blinded by the god of this world they are not able to understand that redemption implies prior ownership. We therefore understand that Jesus gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. — Titus ii, 14. This plainly shows that we were given to him when he gave himself for us, and he says again, “he prays not for the world, but for those thou hast given me out of the world,” which shows us that all were not given him. Then for a faint illustration: Suppose I owned one thousand sheep, and saw fit to give some party fifty of my flock and afterwards the whole herd go astray together, and go into bondage by the astray laws, can any party but the owner redeem them; can the party I gave the fifty to redeem my nine hundred fifty? All who understand the law know he cannot. Then suppose he goes and redeems his fifty and leaves mine still in bondage, has he injured mine by not redeeming them, or have I injured them by not giving them all to him? We might say they were all in good condition and well cared for before they went astray; but upon their own accord they left and got into bondage and cannot return until they are brought.
This we understand to faintly represent the Adamic family’s relation to God the Father and his Son. Then when the time came according to the purpose and counsel of God the Father and Son, these people were gathered together, and not a shadow of a doubt upon my mind but what God knew from the foundation of the world every one that was present on the occasion, and precisely what they would do. But I can’t think he coerced them in any sense to do his determined counsel, but only withdrew his restraining power from them and let their devilish disposition manifest itself; and in that, the wrath of man, praised God. But when they would have holden him in the sepulcher through their madness, it pleased God to restrain that portion and bring up Jesus victorious over death, hell and the grave, and exalt him at his right hand, a Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to those characters he atoned for in their generations until the last one shall be brought out of bondage, or receive the gift of eternal life, that God, who can not lie, promised before the world began.
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