If the New Testament were put into the hands of a thousand indifferent persons who knew the Greek language, but had never heard of the doctrines which had been derived from the book, and they should all be asked separately whether it inculcated the doctrine of eternal punishment for such as should die impenitent, there would be but one opinion in the whole. Whatever they might think of the reasonableness or justice of the doctrine, they would with one consent declare that it was plainly taught in that book.

The following is the entirety of chapter seven from Archibald Alexander’s seminal work, Universalism: False and Unscriptural (Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1851). Archibald Alexander (April 17, 1772 – October 22, 1851) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at Princeton Theological Seminary (Old Princeton). He served for 9 years as the President of Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia and for 39 years as Princeton Theological Seminary’s first professor from 1812 to 1851. He left several works in manuscript, including Duties and Consolations of the Christian, Patriarchal Theology, History of the Presbyterian Church in Virginia, Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American Clergymen and Alumni of the College of New Jersey, and Church Polity and Discipline.

The Argument Against Universalism From General Consent

If the New Testament were put into the hands of a thousand indifferent persons who knew the Greek language, but had never heard of the doctrines which had been derived from the book, and they should all be asked separately whether it inculcated the doctrine of eternal punishment for such as should die impenitent, there would be but one opinion in the whole. Whatever they might think of the reasonableness or justice of the doctrine, they would with one consent declare that it was plainly taught in that book.

This is not a mere conjecture, for we have in fact not only thousands, but millions of witnesses of this kind in the people of all nations, who from the beginning have embraced Christianity. During the successive ages in which this religion has been embraced by millions, and the scriptures translated into almost every language, this has been understood to be the undoubted doctrine of scripture with the exception of a very few speculative individuals.

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