John Bovee Dods

Name: Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation
Author: John Bovee Dods

Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

Summary

"Twenty-Four Short Sermons on the Doctrine of Universal Salvation" by John Bovee Dods, a 19th-century theological work, explores the belief in universal salvation through a series of reflective discourses. Grounded in Christian doctrine, the sermons examine themes of resurrection, faith, and the transformative power of the gospel, emphasizing deliverance from sin and the pursuit of ethical behavior.

Dods addresses the human condition, highlighting the struggle against suffering and the role of divine love in conquering hopelessness. By combining scriptural insights with appeals for spiritual renewal, the text promotes a route to universal salvation through repentance and trust in Jesus Christ.

Quotes from Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation (John Bovee Dods)

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Dissipation darkens the brightest prospects of life. It rolls its floods of misery indiscriminately over the dearest earthly hopes of companions, children and friends, and paralyzes every pulse of joy that beats in the human bosom. Many a child has been spurned from the presence of its brutal father, and been beaten for asking bread to satisfy its hunger. Intemperance stupefies man to the moral impressions of the gospel, and hardens the heart with the touch of its benumbing powers. It is the giant of human wo that slays his thousands and prostrates the happiness of man. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ He is unchangeably the same in all his brilliant perfections. "Sin like a cloud, and transgression like a thick cloud," rise over the mind and darken the understanding. Through this dark medium we look up to God, and think he has changed—that he is angry, and thunders are rolling from his hand, while in fact the whole change is in us. The moment our minds are enlightened by the beams of truth we rejoice, and say God has forgiven us. We receive an evidence of pardon, and enjoy it through faith, while God has remained unchangeably the same. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ This love, this divine enjoyment, is the natural effect of faith, inasmuch as it works by love, purifies the heart and overcomes, the world. He is not only at rest respecting himself, but at rest respecting his children and dear friends, whom he may be called to follow to the land of silence and the shadow of death. He stands at their dying bed and whispers to them consolation, in the joyful assurance, that he shall meet them again beyond the dominion of death and pain in the regions of glory. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ So did our Saviour on the cross, and we are to exercise the same spirit of benevolence and meekness. We must, as our context says—put away all malice, wrath, and evil speaking from among us, and be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving.
Our Father in heaven is the most lovely and adorable of all beings! Under the light of his character, every uncomfortable thought vanishes, and the dawn of a blessed eternity bursts upon us in a flood of glory. By faith we penetrate the veil of immortality, and read our pardon, and justification in letters of blood. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ A sincere Universalist believes sin to be the cause of many mental woes that darken the world, and the principal cause of the greater proportion of sufferings that fall to the lot of man. He believes that a virtuous course of conduct, guided by the burning lamp of revelation, leads to those joys that time cannot sully, nor the hand of death extinguish. A conviction of this truth leads him to hate sin, to forsake its dark dominions, and enter those fields of felicity, where the brilliant beams of virtue shed a cloudless day. Here he walks and enjoys an antepast of heaven. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ This world is too much made up of appearances. Many a family, which we suppose to be the abode of union, peace and joy, is distracted with the voice of discord, and is dragging out an existence in secret, concealed grief. Many a husband and wife, who, we suppose, are of one heart and mind and passing their days in the sunshine of peace and love, are torn by secret broils, and whose mansion stands overcast with the dark shadows of discontent and misery. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ That God, who rules in the kingdom of men, has written a law in his heart, where he reads and feels his condemnation, and where conscience sits on the judgment seat, constantly holds him arraigned at her tribunal, and fans up in his bosom the burning flames of hell! He may lie down on his pillow, but spectres haunt his brain; and awake, asleep, at home, abroad, he finds that he has rendered his own existence a curse. He lives in misery, and in darkness expires. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ As he passes on, reveling in the greatness of his strength, and absorbed in the immensity of his theme, his argument gathers force, till earth and heaven appear to be in motion before him! He ranges the universe, summons to his aid the power of God, lays his masterly hand upon every fact, gathers them in his grasp, condenses them before his hearers, and, in one overwhelming burst of eloquence, makes the whole bear upon the resurrection of Christ and of man! He refers them to the coming of his Lord, at which time will be the end of the Jewish age. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ There they drag out a wretched existence in disappointed hope, satiety and disgust. They pay their devotions at the shrine of ignominy, where the dark and stagnant waters of guilt and condemnation roll. There the sweet voice of heaven-born peace was never heard, and the beauteous feet of religion never trod. There dwells the family of pain—there is the hell we are cautioned to avoid. This is not an illusion of fancy—it is no reverie of the brain, but a reality too visible in the pathway of human life. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Heaven forbid that our national sun, that rose so fair, should go down in blood, and shroud our temple of Liberty in everlasting night! To avert such a catastrophe let us reform, and do our duty as individuals. The safety of any body politic depends on the conduct of the individuals that compose it. And God grant that these dissentions may cease, that political peace and harmony may become perfect, and our government may stand immoveable on its basis, like the rock that remains unshaken by the furious storms that agitate the ocean. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Selfishness produces many jarring interests among mankind, bursts the bands of brotherhood asunder, and weakens the strength of that nation, society or family among which it exists, and in proportion to the opposition it produces among its individual members. "United, we stand, divided we fall," is a maxim full of wisdom, and is not only applicable to nations, but to communities, societies, and even to families.
A family in discord is a sight over which angels might weep, but when united in one heart and mind, it is a picture over which heaven smiles. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Let us live like brethren, not only among ourselves, but among other denominations. It is not long that we are to be together. We are fading like the flower of the field, and ought to bear in mind that death will soon lay our heads equally low in the dust, and the worms shall cover us. We glitter for a moment like the bubbles borne on the bosom of the ocean; they break and mingle again with the parent fountain. We toil and heap up wealth, pass like empty shadows over the plain and vanish forever! Generations, that covered the earth, are gone, and unremembered by the living. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Let us make the most of life we may, and not turn our present existence, which is one of heaven's choicest blessings, into a curse. Let us do good in our day and generation, and render ourselves blessings to mankind, by living soberly, righteously and peaceably in the world? Let us do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God—visit the widow and the fatherless in their affliction, and keep ourselves unspotted from the world. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Suppose you were now in ignorance respecting the doctrine of life and immortality through a resurrection. You know you must die, and sincerely think that death will terminate your existence forever. You see your children one after another laid upon their dying bed, and with distraction shake the farewell hand of eternal separation, and with the most solemn melancholy and wo, look forward to the period when you must follow them down to the chambers of eternal silence, and cease to be. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ We will now bring to view the scripture doctrine of salvation by faith, and show that divine truth must have an existence before we can be called upon to believe.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is based upon eternal and unchanging truth. Truth is one of the attributes of Jehovah and the unshaken pillar that supports the throne of eternity. In truth and righteousness he governs the world, and by an omnipotent arm wields the destinies of men. Truth is the sun of divine revelation pouring its beams on intelligent creation and calling upon all men to believe. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Many charge the Universalists with denying the necessity of a new birth, or regeneration. But take from me my faith and hope in that glorious truth, and I must at that moment resign the salvation of every human being. Convince me that not another child will be born into this world, and you will at once convince me that this world will shortly be destitute of a solitary inhabitant. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Death the king of terrors, was not yet disarmed of his sting by the resurrection of our triumphant Redeemer. This truth was not yet revealed to men. Here the human family were without hope, and trembling at the darkness—the seven fold darkness of the tomb. No ray of light and joy beamed from that cheerless mansion to ease the aching heart, or dispel that melancholy gloom, which pervaded the parental bosom when gazing for the last time upon the struggles of a dying child. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of my kingdom, by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar! To thee it is spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ A peaceable and honest course of conduct towards others—a condescension to men of low estate—a due respect for the opinions and rights of others, will endear you to all, and not only foster in your bosom the seeds of peace and contentment, but will conduct you in the surest path to wealth and honor. The mental powers of the soul are all that exalt our capacity for happiness above a brutal creation. And if our chief happiness lies in gold, which can only minister to our animal wants, then the brutes can vie with us in all the solid enjoyments of life. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ May we, as a nation, be of one mind in resisting every species of immorality, in studying the happiness of our fellow creatures—of one mind in obtaining a knowledge of the character of our Creator, in studying his parental and benign government, and his divine attributes and unchanging perfections—and be of one mind in acquainting ourselves with his beautiful works that swarm around us and afford us so many rational delights. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ Convince me that a man will not be born again, and you will not only convince me that no one will ever enter the kingdom of God, but that the many worlds, that have already passed from the stage of mortal being, and those that shall hereafter follow, will alike be consigned to eternal silence! Endless misery is out of the question. That could have had no existence even had there been no resurrection in Him who is the life of the world; but death would have terminated the existence of all. Such a punishment is not threatened in all the writings of Moses and the prophets. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ And suppose it had been spoken to us by the Son of God—except you are born of the flesh, you cannot see the natural world, which is most beautiful to to behold, having sun, moon, and stars, and songsters, fields and groves. It has never entered your heart to conceive the glory to be revealed in you. Now suppose some of us had believed this revelation, we would that moment, have been born of faith, and rejoiced in hope of the glory to be revealed in us; and by faith have looked forward to the reality. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ All, that God has revealed for the salvation of the world—our justification, our sanctification, our new birth, our heaven, our all—yes, all these important and heavenly changes are summed up, and embraced in our immortal resurrection, will actually take place through death; and while in this world we can embrace them, only by faith.
The scriptures declare that "we walk by faith and, not by sight." Paul says, "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." ”

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Source: Gutenberg

John Bovee Dods, Twenty-Four Short Sermons On The Doctrine Of Universal Salvation

“ The due regulation of the passions contributes more to health and longevity than climate, or even the observance of any course of diet. Our Creator has so constituted our natures, that duty, health, happiness and longevity are inseparably blended in the same cup. To suppress, and finally subdue all the passions of malice, anger, envy, jealousy, hatred and revenge, and to exercise (till they become familiar) all the noble passions of tenderness, compassion, love, hope and joy, is a duty that heaven solemnly enjoins upon us, and in the performance of which our years will be multiplied. ”

John Bovee Dods

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