The Devil’s Doctrine: A Sermon from Lemuel Haynes Against Universal Salvation
Preface from Lemuel Haynes
There is no greater folly than for men to express anger and resentment because their religious sentiments are attacked. If their characters are impeached by their own creed, they only are to blame.
All that the antagonists can say cannot make falsehood truth, nor truth, falsehood. The following discourse was delivered at Rutland, Vermont in June of 1805, immediately after hearing Mr. Ballou, a universal preacher, zealously exhibit his sentiments. The author had been repeatedly solicited to hear and dispute with the above preacher and had been charged with dishonesty and cowardice for refusing. He felt that some kind of testimony, in opposition to what he calls error, ought to be made, and has been urged to let the same appear in print. But whether, on the whole, it is for the interest of truth, is left to the judgment of the candid.
The Sermon
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4)
The holy Scriptures are a peculiar fund of instruction. They inform us of the origin of creation, of the primitive state of man, and of his fall, or apostasy, from God. It appears that he was placed in the garden of Eden with full liberty to regale himself with all the delicious fruits that were to be found, except what grew on one tree—if he eat of that, that he should surely die, was the declaration of the Most High.
Happy were the human pair amidst this delightful paradise until a certain preacher, in his journey, came that way and disturbed their peace and tranquility by endeavoring to reverse the prohibition of the Almighty—as in our text, “Ye shall not surely die.”
Selected Sermons
Lemuel Haynes
This addition to the Crossway Short Classics series features 4 rarely published sermons from black Puritan minister Lemuel Haynes, along with his biography and a foreword by Jared C. Wilson.
She pluck’d, she ate.
Earth felt the wound; nature from her seat.
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe.
That all was lost.Milton1
We may attend to the character of the preacher, the doctrines inculcated, the hearer addressed, and the medium or instrument of the preaching.
Six Qualities of the Devil
As to the preacher, I shall observe, he has many names given him in the sacred writings; the most common is the devil. That it was he who disturbed the felicity of our first parents is evident from 2 Corinthians 11:3 and many other passages of Scripture. He was once an angel of light and knew better than to preach such doctrine; he did violence to his own reason. But to be a little more particular, let it be observed:
1) He is an old preacher. He lived above 1,700 years before Abraham, 2,430 years before Moses, and 4,004 years before Christ. It is now 5,809 years since he commenced preaching. By this time he must have acquired great skill in the art.
2) He is a very cunning, artful preacher. When Elymas the sorcerer came to turn away people from the faith, he was said to be full of all subtlety and a child of the devil, not only because he was an enemy to all righteousness, but on account of his carnal cunning and craftiness.
3) He is a very laborious, unwearied preacher. He has been in the ministry almost six thousand years and yet his zeal has not in the least abated. The apostle Peter compares him to “a roaring lion, walk[ing] about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). When God inquired of this persevering preacher, “From whence comest thou?” he “answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 2:2). He is far from being circumscribed within the narrow limits of parish, state, or continental lines; his haunt and travel are very large and extensive.
4) He is a heterogeneous preacher, if I may so express myself. He makes use of a Bible when he holds forth, as in his sermon to our Savior in Matthew 4:6. He mixes truth with error in order to make it go well or to carry his point.
5) He is a very presumptuous preacher. Notwithstanding God had declared, in the most plain and positive terms, “Thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17), or “In dying, thou shalt die,” yet this audacious wretch had the impudence to confront omnipotence and says “ye shall not surely die”!
6) He is a very successful preacher. He draws a great number after him. No preacher can command hearers like him. He was successful with our first parents, with the old world. Noah once preached to those spirits who are now in the prison of hell and told them from God that they should surely die, but this preacher came along and declared the contrary, “ye shall not surely die.” The greater part, it seems, believed him and went to destruction. So it was with Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot preached to them, the substance of which was, “Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city” (Gen. 19:14). But this old declaimer told them, “No danger, no danger, ye shall not surely die,” to which they generally gave heed, and Lot seemed to them as one who mocked. They believed the universal preacher and were consumed (agreeably to the declaration of the apostle Jude), Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The Devil’s Doctrine
Let us attend to the doctrine inculcated by this preacher, “Ye shall not surely die.” Bold assertion, without a single argument to support it! The death contained in the threatening was doubtless eternal death, as nothing but this would express God’s feelings toward sin or render an infinite atonement necessary. To suppose it to be spiritual death is to blend crime and punishment together; to suppose temporal death to be the curse of the law, then believers are not delivered from it, according to Galatians 3:13. What Satan meant to preach was that there is no hell and that the wages of sin is not death but eternal life.
The Hearer
We shall now take notice of the hearer addressed by the preacher. This we have in the text, “And the serpent said unto the woman.” That Eve had not so much experience as Adam is evident; and so she was not equally able to withstand temptation. This doubtless was the reason why the devil chose her, with whom he might hope to be successful. Doubtless he took a time when she was separated from her husband.
That this preacher has had the greatest success in the dark and ignorant parts of the earth is evident: his kingdom is a kingdom of darkness. He is a great enemy to light. Saint Paul gives us some account of him in his day in 2 Timothy 3:6: “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.” The same apostle observes in Romans 16:17–18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
The Instrument
The instrument or medium made use of by the preacher will now be considered. This we have in the text, “And the serpent said.” But how came the devil to preach through the serpent?
1) To save his own character, and the better to carry his point. Had the devil come to our first parents personally and unmasked, they would have more easily seen the deception. The reality of a future punishment is at times so clearly impressed on the human mind that even Satan is constrained to own that there is a hell, although at other times he denies it. He does not wish to have it known that he is a liar; therefore he conceals himself that he may the better accomplish his designs and save his own character.
2) The devil is an enemy to all good, to all happiness and excellence. He is opposed to the felicity of the brutes. He took delight in tormenting the swine. The serpent, before he set up preaching universal salvation, was a cunning, beautiful, and happy creature; but now his glory is departed, for the Lord said unto the serpent, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” (Gen. 3:14). There is therefore a kind of duplicate cunning in the matter—Satan gets the preacher and hearers also.
And is not this triumphant flattery. And more than simple conquest in the foe? —Young2
3) Another reason why Satan employs instruments in his service is because his empire is large and he cannot be everywhere himself.
4) He has a large number at his command who love and approve of his work, delight in building up his kingdom, and stand ready to go at his call.
Inferences
1) The devil is not dead but still lives and is able to preach as well as ever, “Ye shall not surely die.”
2) Universal salvation is no newfangled scheme but can boast of great antiquity.
3) See a reason why it ought to be rejected: because it is an ancient devilish doctrine.
4) See one reason why it is that Satan is such an enemy to the Bible and to all who preach the gospel because of that injunction, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15–16).
5) See whence it was that Satan exerted himself so much to convince our first parents that there was no hell: because the denunciation of the Almighty was true, and he was afraid they would continue in the belief of it. Was there no truth in future punishment or was it only a temporary evil, Satan would not be so busy in trying to convince men that there is none. It is his nature and his element to lie. “When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).
6) We infer that ministers should not be proud of their preaching. If they preach the true gospel, they only, in substance, repeat Christ’s sermons; if they preach “Ye shall not surely die,” they only make use of the devil’s old notes that he delivered almost six thousand years ago.
7) It is probable that the doctrine of universal salvation will still prevail since this preacher is yet alive and not in the least superannuated and every effort against him only enrages him more and more and excites him to new inventions and exertions to build up his cause.
To close the subject: As the author of the foregoing discourse has confined himself wholly to the character of Satan, he trusts no one will feel himself personally injured by this short sermon. But should any imbibe a degree of friendship for this aged divine and think that I have not treated this universal preacher with that respect and veneration that he justly deserves, let them be so kind as to point it out, and I will most cheerfully retract, for it has ever been a maxim with me, “render [unto] all their dues” (Rom. 13:7).
Notes:
- Haynes is quoting John Milton’s Paradise Lost (London: 1667).
- Haynes may be referring to Edward Young’s Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality (London: 1743).
This article is adapted from Selected Sermons by Lemuel Haynes.
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