FIRST CAUSE, C. H. Cayce This world is governed by the law of cause and effect— not one thing is left to blind chance. There is not only a cause for every effect, but there is a cause for every cause except the First Cause. The First Cause is an uncaused cause— all the reasons of its existence are in itself. First Cause is another name for God. God is the first cause of all causes.— F. in Footprints of the Flock for September, 1909.
The above from the pen of Elder J. W. Fairchild, in his paper of September, 1909, savors of “rottenness” to us. We said before that we did not endorse his so-called peace proposition, or peace appeal, and we are not yet sorry we said it. We now say that the above is a strange doctrine to us— not strange in the sense that we never heard it before, but strange in the sense that it doesn’t read just right to us. According to the logic of it God did not cause Adam to violate the law, but the devil caused Adam to do so. And Elder Fairchild says God is the first cause of all causes. Then God caused the devil to cause Adam to violate the law. Adam would not have violated the law if the devil had not caused him to do so; and the devil would not have caused Adam to violate the law if God had not caused him to do that. There can be no effect without a cause. Then Adam could not have violated the Law if the devil had not caused him to do so, and the devil could not have caused Adam to violate the law if God had not caused him to do so. If this does not make God the author and first cause of sin, we confess we do not know the meaning of the words. There is no use caviling over the matter; it simply makes God the first cause and the author of all sin. We freely say we do not believe any such teaching, and must be excused. It is not Bible doctrine, and we stand just where we have been standing regarding it. We do not believe the churches in that country will endorse such teaching. If Elder Fairchild wants recognition among our people, he should make a “clean surrender” of the doctrine of the absolute and unconditional predestination of all things, and quit publishing that doctrine in his paper. If he will not do this, there is no need to plead for peace. Advocating that doctrine causes trouble and strife, and there is no use to plead for peace and advocate the doctrine at the same time. If a man is in earnest in pleading for peace, the way to prove, or show it is to quit advocating the things that cause trouble. That doctrine caused trouble among our churches in this country, and we do not want a man among us who advocates it. This is plain, but it behooves us to be plain. The Primitive Baptist, October 26, 1909.
FIRST CAUSE AGAIN, C. H. Cayce In reply to your question, “Do you believe God put Adam in the garden to keep the law forever?” will say we believe just precisely what God’s word says about it. “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”— Gen. 2:15.
If God put the man in the garden to violate His law, the Bible does not say so. We believe what the Bible says. If you believe what the Bible says, then you cannot believe God put the man in the garden to violate the law. No one can possibly believe both propositions, for they are diametrically opposed to each other.
The Bible does not say Christ stood as a lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The text used in support of that thought is Rev. 13:8, which says, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
The writing of the names in the book of life was from the foundation of the world. That book of life was the “book of life of the Lamb slain.” The names were written from the foundation of the world.
Rev. 17:8 shows this to be true. It says, “And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.”
A literal translation as given in the Interlinear New Testament, of Rev. 13:8, is, “And shall do homage to it, all who dwell on the earth of whom have not been written the names from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb slain.”
To transpose the words, so as to have easy flowing English, we have it thus: “And all shall do homage to it, who dwell on the earth, the names of whom have not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb slain.”
The very expression, “Christ stood as a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” is contradictory within itself. if He stood, He was not slain. A lamb that is slain does not stand— it is cut down. Christ was cut down— He was slain for our sins, but He was raised again.
God did not predestinate that Adam should violate the law. God is the author of His predestination. You would surely admit this. Then, if God is the author of His predestination, and He predestinated that Adam should violate His law, then He is the author of the violation of that law. No man under heaven can escape that conclusion. One had just as well say the moon is blue mud and then try to argue that it is not, as to say God predestinated that Adam should sin, and then try to argue that God is not the author of sin.
God did predestinate the salvation of His people, and He is the author of their salvation. He is the author of His predestination, if good, and not evil, was accomplished in Adam’s transgression, then there is no such thing as evil. The heathenish and idolatrous infidel saying, that “Whatever is, is right,” would then be true. Oh, horror of horrors!
The idea that good, and not evil, is accomplished in all the crime, murder, theft, robbery, rape, wife-killing, mothers slaying their offspring— and all other crimes that are being committed all over the country! Lord, deliver us from such black, blasphemous, heathenish infidelity!
To Pilate Jesus said, in John 19:11, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.” The Jews had sought to take the life of the Saviour from the time of His advent into the world; but they could not take it. They did not take it, either. Christ laid down His life.
See John 10:17-18, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
In John 18:37 Jesus said, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
If God’s purpose was carried out in Adam, or if God predestinated that Adam should violate the law, then Adam did God’s will when he violated the law, or else God predestinated that Adam should not do His will.
If God’s will was for Adam to violate the law, and He had predestinated that he do so, then God told him to do that which it was not His will for him to do. God told him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
If God had predestinated that he should eat of the fruit of that tree, then He told him not to do the thing that He had predestinated he should do.
The penalty for the violation of that law was death. If God willed and predestinated that he should violate the law, then the man is punished with death for doing God’s will and what God predestinated that he should do.
1 Cor. 10:5, “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” If God predestinated that they should do as they did, then God was not well pleased with His own predestination.
If God’s predestination is according to His will, then God was not well pleased with His own will in this instance, if He predestinated that they should do as they did. God did not predestinate that they should do as they did, for God is pleased with His predestination; but He was not pleased with them.
We fail to see where there is any grace in a system that puts the man in a state of sin by the predestination of God. If God predestinated that all should be sinners and then predestinated that some should be saved from sin, then God predestinated to save some from His own predestination.
We fail to see where there is any room for grace in that kind of theory. It destroys every principle of grace. It would he as much damnation by grace as salvation by grace.
Man sinned willfully, and by his own act brought condemnation and death. It was by man’s disobedience, and not by the predestination of God. Hence. God’s predestination has never damned anyone. But God did predestinate to save His chosen people from sin, and according to that predestination He saves them. His predestination to save them was grace— mercy alone. Hence they are saved by grace.
We love the doctrine of grace. Poor rebel sinners are saved by grace. Without grace we are forever lost. But we do not love the doctrine that God absolutely predestinated everything that comes to pass, and that God is the cause of our sins and wickedness.
If that doctrine be true, then God has absolutely predestinated that we should not believe it, and we are glad He did not leave that out. The Primitive Baptist, Dec. 7, 1909.