A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin. Бенджамин Франклин
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not have till the end of time.
CAIN’S WIFE.
WE do not know “who was Cain’s wife,” only that she was Mrs. Cain. We do not know that it is of any more importance to us who Cain’s wife was than who the wife of any other man was or is. We must not fall out with the Bible because it does not gratify our curiosity in giving us information on many little particulars of no consequence to us. We do not know who President Grant’s wife was. We, no doubt, could easily have found out, but it was of no importance to us to know, and we have never tried to learn. Yet it is of as much importance to us, and as much in reference to our salvation, as to know who Cain’s wife was. We can not give information that is not in the Bible. The Bible does not tell who Cain’s wife was.
WHAT IS ESSENTIAL.
WE single not out baptism and make it essential, nor conversion—as a whole—and make it essential; but we single out what the Lord requires, not only in regard to conversion, or making Disciples, but in regard to the life or the practice required of those in Christ, in which they are to continue after they have turned to the Lord; everything in the law of God, and maintain that it is all essential. The will of God is essential, and that which is not in the will of God is not essential. The will of God, or what is required in the law of God, must be done. That which is not in the will of God, or is no part of the law of God, is not to be done at all, or not to be introduced as religion, or any part of it, nor is the peace of the church to be interrupted with it. The only way to avoid the trouble about the unessentials is simply to leave them out—to have nothing to do with them. What regard can a man have for the welfare of the Church, the peace of the people of God, and the triumphs of the faith, who will not only have himself what is not required, not essential, and what he admits is not required, but force it upon others?
WHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT.
WE know it is right to “Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly; and with all wisdom teach and admonish each other by psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing with gratitude in our hearts to the Lord”—to “be filled with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.” This can be done, and we know it is right; but that a man can make melody in his heart to the Lord “with an organ,” a fiddle, banjo, clarionet, lute, fife or jew’s-harp, we do not know, nor do we believe it. We want to do what is written, and enjoin it on others, to do it. What is not written we do not want to do. When the Lord so minutely describes how we are to do anything, we want to do it in that way. The way he prescribes will do the thing commanded; some other way might not do what is commanded at all.
INFANT SIN—INFANT SALVATION.
IN our generation, a vast amount of ink and breath is wasted in writing and preaching about infant sin, infant salvation, idiots, etc. There is one thing certain about it, and that is, that our writing and preaching about infant sin, infant salvation, Christ dying for infants and idiots, never saved an infant, an idiot, or anybody else. We do not, by our writing and preaching about them, make them sinful or righteous. It is simply writing and preaching about them, and not to them, and certainly can do them no good. It is purely curious and speculative, pleasant for men and women to talk about, who will not love and obey the Savior themselves.
There are some things so clear in themselves that all can see them on the mere mention of them. Infants and idiots can not understand, believe, receive, reject, or obey the gospel. They can not repent, pray, praise God or rejoice. The gospel is simply not addressed to them. Infants and idiots are plainly and simply not gospel subjects. How are they then to be saved? What salvation do you mean? Salvation from sin, do you say? What sin? They never sinned, and have no actual sin, as the schoolmen style it. They are under no guilt. They never transgressed any law, human or divine. They never rejected Christ nor the gospel. They have no personal sin or guilt; no personal condemnation, and need no personal justification. The justification we receive in believing and obeying the gospel, is from our own sins, actual sins, sins we have committed ourselves. Infants have no sins of this kind and need not this justification. The remission of sins received, in turning to God, is for sinners; those who, in their own persons have committed sins, and not for infants, who have never sinned—who have no sins of this kind. They have no guilt, no condemnation, and need no salvation from “old sins,” as Peter has it, or past sins. They have no sins of this kind.
But, then, this is only a partial view of the matter. We all need something more than this. We need another salvation beyond pardon, or salvation from actual sins; we need to be ransomed from the grave, raised from the dead; our bodies changed, glorified, immortalized. The infant and idiot need this. This salvation is future. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” “By one man, sin entered into the world.” “In Adam’s fall, we sinned all.” But we are not under the guilt of Adam’s sin; only under the consequences. These consequences came on us without our will, volition or consent; without our action. We had no power to avert the calamity. It came on us unconditionally. The first Adam, without our volition or action, involved us in it. The second Adam, the Lord from heaven, unconditionally removes it from us. Without our volition or action, he takes it away. The first Adam involved us in death. Our turning to God, becoming christians and obtaining remission of sins, does not save us from death. We all die the same as those not Christians. After we die, the best of saints, we need the same ransom from the grave, as infants do. To be made alive; to be changed, immortalized and glorified. This is the salvation from Adam’s sin, or the consequences of it, and this is needed for the saints and infants alike.
“If one died for all, then we are all dead.” I. Cor. v. 14. This includes infants and idiots. Christ then died for all. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The same “all” that die in Adam shall be made alive in or by Christ. Christ, then, died for all—all that die in Adam—and will make the same “all” alive, or raise them from the dead. He, then, in dying for all, died for infants and idiots, and secured for them resurrection from the dead, and they need to prepare them for the world to come.
They can receive no gospel, and need none; they can not repent, and need no repentance; they can not pray or commune, and need no prayer or communion; they need no religion, and are simply not subjects of religion. They need no church. The gospel, repentance and remission of sins, the church and all that is in it, is for pardoned persons—those washed from their sins—the redeemed by the blood of Christ, and not for those who never sinned, had no guilt, and needed no pardon—those who have no faith and know not the Savior.
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