The Virtues of God in Conflict
Preface
The following is excerpted from a sermon preached by Elder John Leland, born 1754, died 1841. The source is taken from a book titled The Writings of the Late Elder John Leland, published by G. W, Wood, New York, 1845, pages 381 – 405.
JARRING INTERESTS OF HEAVEN RECONCILED.
Colossians 1. 20., “And by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
The reconciliation of Things in Heaven, is the part of the text which I attend to. Let reverence and humility possess my heart, while I develop the character of the Deity—and let all who hear me, at awful distance bow. All the changes that have taken place from the beginning until now, and all that will take place hereafter, give to the Almighty no new ideas—furnish him with no novel matter for consideration. Things which are past, present, or to come, with men, are all in the eternal now of the great Jehovah, and yet he speaks of himself (in anthropopathia) [sic] as if thoughts and designs entered his mind in a train of succession.
The Divine Being is not composed of parts, or possessed of passions like men; he, nevertheless, in condescension to our weakness, speaks of himself as having head, eyes, ears, face, mouth, nostrils, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, feet, bosom, back, heart, soul, etc., as also being jealous, angry, contrary, pacified, reconciled, having his anger turned away, etc.
Our text implies a contention in heaven, and that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ undertook to reconcile the contending parties to himself, by Jesus Christ, and that Jesus obtained a peace among all the jarring interests in heaven, by the blood of the cross. The particulars to be attended to, are,
- 1st. To explain the cause of this contention.
- 2nd. To nominate the parties at variance, together with their respective pleas.
- 3rd. To point out the person by whom, and the means by which this reconciliation was effected.
First. I am to explain the cause of this contention.
The Creator of the heavens and the earth, and all things therein, is a free, sovereign agent. He owes neither existence nor obedience to any other being. He is under obligation to nothing which we can conceive of, except the innate law of his nature, and the voluntary words of his mouth, neither of which stand opposed to his infinite freedom. But all rational creatures owe their existence and obedience to their Maker; of course they are not free agents, any further than that they are left free in their wills, for they are all of them accountable to God for their works and words.
The law of God is the eternal rule of right, binding on all rational creatures, and is, in all periods, places and conditions, that which is proper for them to do, and that which tends to their own happiness. It may, therefore, be called, with propriety, the moral law of perfect order. It prohibits nothing but what is injurious to men—it enjoins nothing but what leads to their felicity.
Any transgression of this perfect rule is sin, for sin is said to be a transgression of the law. No action of man, which is not contrary to the holy law, can be called sin. Man, did, at first, by some cause, as unaccountable as inexcusable, abuse the freedom of his will—pervert his moral agency— break over the law of due order, and sin against his God. By one man sin entered into the world. Man, by sin, not only commenced rebel against his God, but, like an electric shock, it affected all his mental and physical powers, so that his transgressions increased like arithmetical progression.
Angels were placed upon a footing of such independence, that neither the guilt nor misfortune of one could be transferred to another. But all the human race were to proceed from one progenitor, in a succession of procreation. If, therefore, the guilt of a crime, committed by a father, cannot be transferred to his child, yet the misfortune can, and generally is. In the case now before us, it is universally transferred.
This rebellion of man, against his God, is that which gave rise to the contention in heaven, implied in the text.
When this contention began in heaven, (to speak after the manner of men,) the great I AM arraigned the criminal man, and summoned all the contending parties to appear and make their pleas, before the great white throne of divine glory [the trial of a fallen Adam proceeds in the court of the Almighty]. Which leads me,
Secondly. To treat of the contending parties and their pleas.
The holy Law began [his testimony]. “My rise is not from revelation, although that does me honor: throughout the sacred volume I hold conspicuous rank, and have been magnified and obeyed by the son of God. But my origin is from the great scale of being itself, so that, if there had been no revelation among men, honor and regard would have been my due.* Yet with all the sacred majesty due to my character, man, the dependent creature, has risen in rebellion and disregarded my voice : not only in one instance, but sin, taking advantage by me, has wrought in him all manner of concupiscence, so that the imagination of his heart is only evil continually.
* Though I [The Holy Law] am treating of events which took place before the world was peopled, and the law given to man, yet my arguments run through time, and treat of men and things. So God calls things that are not as though they were.
Now we know a law is nothing without a penalty to enforce it, and a penalty threatened is but a piece of mockery, unless it is executed. In this case, therefore, should man escape with impunity, the divine government would be reduced to contempt, and every fugitive vagrant would be hardened in his wickedness. My demand, therefore, is, that man should die without mercy!”
Truth next approached the throne, and, after attending to and confirming all which the holy law had said, added, “The soul that sins shall die—cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law—he that offends in one point is guilty of the whole-—the wicked shall be turned into hell—in the day thou rebellest thou shalt surely die. These are true sayings of God: sentences which came from the mouth of that Being who cannot lie: the veracity of the Almighty is therefore pledged, that the sinner, man, be speedily executed, without delay, for, if sentence against an evil work be not speedily executed, the hearts of the vicious will be fully set on mischief, and nothing but anarchy and confusion will be seen in the empire.”
Justice then advanced with piercing eyes, like flaming streams and burning tongue, like the devouring fire, and made his plea, as follows: “My name may sound inharmonious to the guilty, but that which is just must be right, and the least deviation there from must be wrong. I plead for nothing but what is just. I come not with an expost facto law, to inflict a penalty which was not known at the time the sin was committed, but I come to demand the life and blood of the rebel, man, who sinned with eyes open; for guilt will always stain the throne of glory, till vengeance is taken on the traitor.”
Holiness then addressed the sovereign arbiter of life and death in the words following: “My name and nature forbid the continuance of the sinner, man, in the empire. He is full of wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, there is no soundness in him: among all his helpers there is no healing medicine, and if there was, yet he is so stubborn that he would not apply it. Therefore, as two can neither walk nor live together, except they be agreed, either the polluted sinner or consummate Holiness must quit the regions.”
By this time, darkness and smoke filled the temple, and seven thunders uttered their voices:
“The flashes of vindictive fire Broke out impatient from the throne; And the angelic messenger Waved his dread weapon, which, high brandished, shone, Thirsting for human blood;—while hell grew proud, In hopes of prey, and laughed profanely loud.”
The sun became black as sackcloth, and the heavens were all in angry convulsion—the earth shook to its centre, and the everlasting hills trembled. Angels stood astonished at the awful emblems of divine displeasure expecting each moment to see the rebel hurled to eternal darkness, as they had seen their fallen brethren, who left their first estate, in a former period.
Omnipotence appeared as the executioner of the criminal clothed in panoply divine—robed in awful majesty—thunders roared before him— the shafts of lightning darted through the etherial vault—the trumpet sounded— the mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of the Lord. At the brightness that was before him His thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. In one hand he had an iron rod, with which he could dash his enemies to pieces like a potters vessel, and in the other, a sharp sword with two edges. He set one foot on the sea, and the other on the earth, and lifted his hand to heaven. His face was awfully majestic, and his voice as the roaring of a lion, but none could learn, from his appearance, whether he chose to strike the vengeful blow, or interest himself in behalf of the criminal. At length he spoke.
“I am able to destroy as I was mighty to create; nothing is too hard for me to do. All worlds were spoken into existence by my word, and all material worlds hang upon nothing, through my power; yet I have no will, no choice of my own. Let all the contending parties agree, and I am at their command, all acquiescent. The charges against the criminal as they now stand, will call for my vindictive stroke; but, if any expedient shall be found to overrule the pleas which have been made, when the final result is made, then I shall act. Vicious beings feel power, and forget right; but omnipotence is governed by right. The works which I perform, are those which all perfections of Deity, in concert, point out.”
Wisdom then arose, and spake to the following effect: “Why is the decree so hasty from the king? the matter is of the first importance. One soul is worth more than all the world. The pending decision not only effects this one criminal, but the millions and millions of human kind. I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. I, therefore, object to the execution of the criminal, not to controvert the pleas of the law, truth and justice, but to wait until it shall be known whether man has any friend at court, who is wise, powerful, and good enough to relieve him in a way that law, truth and justice, will be satisfied with.”
Love then comes forward in all its winning forms; his bosom swelled with philanthropy, and his eyes bespoke the benevolence of his heart. In mellifluent accents he began, “My name is love; no one in heaven claims higher rank than myself, for God is love, of course, none deserves to be regarded more than I do. My love to man is everlasting, and neither death nor life, angels, principalities, nor powers, things present, things to come, nor any other creature, shall ever extinguish my love.
Mine is an unchanging love, Higher than the heights above, Deeper than the depths beneath, Free and faithful, strong as death. Should the rebel, therefore, be doomed to perdition, with all his vast progeny, the cross of my love would cause eternal mourning in heaven: to prevent which, my fervent cry is, let the rebel live.
Grace also appeared on the side of the criminal, and made the following plea; “if a creature receives from a fellow creature, or from his God, a compensation for any services rendered unto him, it is reward, and not grace, but, if he receives a favor, for which he has no claim on the donor, it is grace. If, moreover, a donor confers a favor, not only on a needy creature, who has no claim on the donor, nor any thing to buy with, but on one, who, in addition to his need, has contracted guilt, and is an enemy to the donor, this is grace of a marvelous kind. This is my name, and this is my memorial, and shall be through all ages. To do good for evil, is God-like. My plea, therefore, is, that all the transgressions of the criminal may be blotted out—cast behind the back of his God—sunk in the midst of the sea, and he himself raised to a station far more exalted than he possessed before he sinned. If this should not be the case, grace would be a word without meaning, and the benevolence of Jehovah would be obscured forever.”
Mercy, in concert with Love and Grace, was all divine oratory in favor of the rebel, and proceeded, “I cannot claim the same rank among the attributes of Deity, that wisdom, power, holiness, goodness, truth and justice can, but, am myself the child of love, or rather a new name given to love, since sin and misery have entered the moral system. All the essential attributes of Jehovah, can have a free and full circulation in the Divine Being, detached from all creatures; otherwise, divinity itself would not be self-glorious; but mercy, (which always presupposes want and misery,) can have no seat in that divine circle, because there is no need or misery in the Almighty.
Justice is an essential attribute of Deity, which can shine as effulgent among the innocent as among the guilty, but when creatures are become guilty, the display of justice is punishment. So Love is an attribute which pervades the bosom of Jehovah, fills the angels with rapturous joy, and is the delight and companion of all that are innocent: but when innocent creatures fall into need and misery, the display of Love assumes my name, Mercy. As I, therefore, have a name in heaven—as Mercy is magnified above the heavens—as Jehovah is rich in mercy—and is the Lord God, gracious and merciful, I plead for the life of the criminal at the bar.”
Here the pleas closed for a season, and profound silence filled the temple of God.
One thing appeared very remarkable in their pleadings: not the least ill will was to be seen personally existing among the disputants; no false coloring, or black consequences were cast upon the arguments of each other. Law, Truth, and Justice never accused Love, Grace, and Mercy of disorganization or anarchy, because they pleaded for the life of man; nor did the latter reproach the former with cruelty because they demanded his death, or represent the character and desert of the criminal less vile and obnoxious than the former. Perfect agreement had always existed among them, and nothing that ever emerged, except the transgression of man, made them take different sides at court.
After a solemn pause, the great I AM, the sovereign judge, delivered the following speech: “The statements and demands of Law, Truth, and Justice, against the criminal are well supported. Love, Grace and Mercy have discovered abundance of goodness and good will toward the sinner, but they have not shown any expedient how the law can be honored, truth supported, and justice satisfied, in the forgiveness of the rebel; and unless such an expedient can be produced, man must die without mercy. If any of the celestial angels, or any being in the universe can suggest the expedient, the sinner lives—if not, he dies.”
Thus: He spoke—he closed—but all was still, and silence reigned in Heaven!
The elect angels knew how Love, through a Mediator, could confirm innocent creatures in their innocency, but had no idea how criminals could be pardoned.
At the instance of Justice, Omnipotence arose, like a lion from the swelling of Jordan, made bare his thundering arm; high raised his brandished sword; waved his iron rod and advanced toward the rebel with hasty strides.
Love cried forbear, I cannot endure the sight.
The Law replied, cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law to do them. The soul that sins shall die.
Grace exclaimed, where sin hath abounded, grace shall much more abound.
Truth said, in the day thou transgresses! thou shalt surely die.
Mercy proclaimed, Mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Justice, with piercing eye, and naming tongue, said strike ! strike! strike the rebel dead! and remove the reproach from the throne of heaven.
At this the angels drooped their wings, and all the harps of heaven played mournful odes. The flaming sword, to pierce the criminal came near his breast, and the iron rod, to dash him to pieces, like a potter’s vessel, was falling on his head; when lo! on a sudden, the voice of Wisdom sounded louder than seven thunders, and made the high arches of heaven ring and reverberate. The voice said, deliver him from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom.
In that all-eventful crisis the eternal Son of God, in mediatorial, form appeared, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Angels paid him profound reverence, the great I AM placed him at his right hand. He saw the ruined, guilty man,
“And oh! amazing grace! he loved;
With pity all his inmost bowels moved.”
He said, I was set up from everlasting, my goings have been of old, and my delights are with the sons of men. The sinner shall live.
The Law, in awful majesty, replied, I am holy, just, and good, my injunctions on the rebel were perfectly proper for a human being, and my penalty, which the rebel has incurred, is every way proportionate to his crime.
Mediator. All you say is true. I am not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not a jot or tittle of the law shall fail.
Truth. The lips that never spoke amiss, have said, that the wicked shall be turned into hell. My veracity is therefore pledged to see it executed.
Mediator. That part of truth which was proper to reveal unto man, as a moral agent, has said as you relate, with abundance more to the same effect; but that part of truth which the great Jehovah, my heavenly father, spake unto me, in the covenant of peace, which is made between us both, has declared, that, on account of an atonement which I shall make, sin shall be pardoned and sinners saved.
Holiness. I am so pure that I never can admit a sinner into heaven. Nothing unclean or that worketh a lie, shall ever enter there.
Mediator. Provision is made in the new covenant, whereof I am the Mediator and Messenger, to remove the pollution as well as the guilt of sin. I have guaranteed that sinners shall be washed in my blood and made clean, and come before the throne of glory without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.
Justice cried out again, strike.
Mediator. Not the sinner but the surety.
Justice. Can heaven admit of a vicarious suffering?
Mediator. It is that which no government on earth ever will admit of, or ever ought to do, but is the singular article agreed upon in the scheme of salvation, which will astonish the universe in its accomplishment.
I now appear in human form; but in the fullness of time, I shall assume “the nature, which I now appear in form of, shall be born of a woman, be made under the Law, and perfectly obey and magnify it; which is all that the Law can require of human nature, in reason ; shall suffer that penalty for sinners that justice will be pleased with, and God accept of; shall die and follow death to its last recess; shall rise again with the same flesh and bones, and thereby obtain the victory over death ; shall continue a while in the lower world after I rise, to give incontestable proofs of the resurrection, and then re-ascend the throne of glory.
I have engaged to do everything in behalf of the sinner, that law, truth and justice can ask for, in a way of holiness, which will reflect the greatest honor on wisdom.
Unchangeable love, grace and mercy will stimulate my heart, and Omnipotence will execute my designs.
In the mean time, the creature man is to live and propagate his species to an immense host; but in succession, one after another, all of them must die, and rest in death for a season; for I have not undertaken to save them from dying, but to rescue them from death.
Between this and the time fixed upon, when I am to pay the dreadful debt, make the great atonement and bring in everlasting righteousness, those of the human race, who repent of their sins, believe in my character, and obey my voice, are to be admitted into paradise, upon the dissolution of their bodies, on account of what I am to do, at the appointed time.
After that period, when I shall do all that is necessary to be done to make an atonement for sin, the world will continue for a season; but the day of days will commence, the “great day of dread, for which all other days were made,” will arrive: on that day, the dead shall all be raised, and those who are living on earth shall be changed from a mortal to an immortal state, and all of them shall come to judgment before my bar. Those who are like goats among sheep, like tares among wheat, who are unclean and polluted, who are lovers of transgression and haters of obedience, who have broken the law—wantoned with atoning blood, and done despite against the work of the Holy Ghost; shall be expelled the kingdom—cast into outer darkness and gnaw their galling bands forever.
But the righteous, both those whose souls have been in Paradise, and their bodies sleeping in the dust, and those also who never shall have died, shall be admitted into the kingdom prepared for them—shall enter into life eternal.
Now, if any one in heaven has ought against this plan, let him speak; for I have undertaken to reconcile all things and beings in heaven, to the salvation of man. He closed! but O what rapturous joy beamed forth on every face in heaven! Law, Truth, and Justice cried out, “It is all we want or wish for.” Love, Grace, and Mercy shouted, “It is the joy of our hearts—the delight of our eyes, and the pleasure of our souls.” The great I AM said, ” It is finished—the expedient is found—the sinner shall live—deliver him from going down to the pit, for a ransom is found!” The angels, filled with heavenly pity and divine concern, who had been waiting in anxious suspense, through the important contest, now swept their golden harps and sang, “glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will to man. Thou art worthy, O, thou Son of God, to receive glory, and honor, and riches, and power, forever and ever. Man, though a little lower in nature than the angels, shall be raised a little higher, being in likeness of nature, more like the Son of God. While angels will be ever adoring confirming love through a Mediator, men will be extolling the riches of redeeming blood and the freeness of boundless grace.”
Cited from the book, “The Writings of the Late Elder John Leland.”
Written in 1814 by Elder John Leland a Baptist minister (America).
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