APPENDIX. The following Observations on the Extent of Christ's Atonement, forming part of the Fiftyeighth Lecture, were omitted in their proper place, in Vol. II. It is an important question, for whom Christ offered his sacrifice; and the answers to it are different. Some contend that he died for all men; and others, that he died for those alone who were given to him by his Father. Of late, we have heard much of a new doctrine, which maintains not only that Christ died for all men, but that, in consequence of his death, all men are actually pardoned. The true Gospel is not, that God for Christ's sake will forgive the sins of all who believe: but that he has already forgiven every man, woman, and child, who is now alive, or shall be in the ages to come. It seems a natural inference, that every man will be saved; but to guard against this mistake, we are informed that, although all men are already pardoned, this act of grace will be of no avail to them, unless they believe that they are pardoned. This faith is of easy attainment, as easy as to believe that the sun is shining at noon; because, if it is true that all men are pardoned, it requires no effort to conclude that, since I am a man, I am one of the number. It is added, indeed, that we shall not enjoy the benefit of this pardon, unless we not only believe, but are sanctified by our faith; but this is going still farther from the genuine Gospel, by making our final deliverance from condemnation depend upon our holiness, and not exclusively upon the atonement of Christ. What a mass of error, contradiction, and absurdity! Here we have a pardon which is not pardon, because it affords no security to the possessor; the guilt of sin taken away, and yet liable to be charged upon the sinner; an act of indemnity passed in his favour, while everlasting punishment is still hanging over his head! Who can receive this doctrine who has learned from the Scriptures that we are "justified by faith," that is, that pardon follows faith, and does not go before it? Who can believe that all men are pardoned, who has read in innumerable passages that "all men are by nature children of wrath;" that " God is angry with them every day;" that "his wrath is revealed from heaven against them;" that it is "coming upon them;" that "the whole world is guilty before him?"* Would the sacred writers have spoken thus if they had known that all men are already forgiven? Others, who affirm that Christ died for all men, explain their views in a different manner. He may be said to have died for all, because, in consequence of his death, a dispensation of grace is established, under which all men are placed; a new covenant is made with them, which promises eternal life to sincere, instead of perfect obedience; and such assistance is afforded to them as, if rightly improved, will enable them to work out their salvation. To every person who understands the Scriptures, it will be evident that this scheme is false in all its parts, and consequently, that the doctrine which it is brought forward to support, is destitute of any solid foundation. If this is the sense in which Christ died for all, he did not die for all, because the scheme is a gross and manifest perversion of the Gospel. The fundamental error of the advocates of universal redemption lies in an inaccurate idea of the nature of an * Eph. ii. 3. Ps. vii. 11. Rom. i. 18. Eph. v. 6. Rom. iii. 19. atonement. We have shown that it consisted in vicarious suffering, the suffering of one in the room of another. The one bare the sins of the other; the one suffered that the other might not suffer From the application of the terms of the ancient law to the death of Christ, it appears that his death was a sacrifice of the same kind with those which had been offered by Divine appointment from the beginning; that he was the substitute of sinners; that their guilt was imputed to him; that he bore the punishment to which they were exposed; and bore it with this design, that they might not be punished. In consequence of having offered a sacrifice, the Israelite, who had transgressed, was acquitted, the penalty was not executed upon him. Must not this be the effect of the sacrifice of Christ? Must not those for whom it was offered be freed from condemnation? Does not justice require that they should be dismissed with impunity, since it has already received full satisfaction? The surety has paid the debt, and shall the debtor himself be called upon to pay? No; the claim of the creditor has ceased; the debtor is under no obligation to him, and is as free as if he had never owed a single farthing. If, then, Christ died for all men, it necessarily follows that all men will be saved. The inference is obvious, and cannot be evaded. If an atoning sacrifice was offered for all men, all men must be forgiven. Will God punish sin twice, first in the person of the Surety, and then in the persons themselves, in whose place he stood? It will be acknowledged, without a dissenting voice, that in any other case this would be a manifest injustice. But," is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid: the Judge of all the earth will do right." Either then all men will be finally saved, or Christ did not die for all. But few will be so bold as to maintain, no person who has any reverance for Scripture will maintain, universal salvation; and to be consistent, he ought also to renounce the doctrine of unversal redemption. Our Lord, speaking of those for whom he died, calls them his sheep. "I lay down my life for the sheep." 99% He explains who his sheep are by saying, that they are such persons as "hear his voice and follow him;" and he adds, "that he gives to them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand." Does it not plainly follow from his words, that those for whom he died shall be saved, that he died for none but those upon whom the gift of faith should be bestowed? And does he not signify, by particularizing them as the persons for whom he laid down his life, that he did not die for others of an opposite character? If he died for all, there would be no meaning in saying that he died for his sheep, because in this case there would be nothing peculiar to them, nothing by which they were distinguished from any other description of men. Again he says in his solemn prayer to his Father, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine." He prayed for the disciples, and not for them alone, but for those in all ages and places who should believe on him through their word; but he did not pray for the world. Intercession is a part of the priestly office of Christ, as well as sacrificing; and it may be assumed as certain, that the same persons are the objects of both. On what ground could we suppose, that his sacrifice embraced a wider range than his intercession, that he willingly shed his blood for the redemption of some, but afterwards declined to pray to his Father for them. It was not so with the Jewish priests, who were types of him, for they bore the names of all the tribes on their breastplate, when they went into the holy of holies, and represented all without exception, for whom the annual atonement was made. So also does Christ. He intercedes for those whose sins he bore in his own body on the tree, and therefore, as he does not intercede for all men, he did not die for all. This argument may be considered as conclusive, till some better † Ib. 3,4. • John x. 15. + John xvii. 9. reason is given, why Christ prayed for his disciples, but would not pray for the world. It is acknowledged there are some passages which seem to favour the doctrine of universal redemption; but if there are others which represent the design of his death as limited,—and it has appeared from the nature of the case, that his sacrifice was not offered for all, since all are not forgiven,-we must endeavour to give a consistent sense to the former passages, and show that Scripture is in harmony with itself. It is said that Christ "taketh away the sin of the world," and is "the propitiation for the sins of the whole world."† But in these, and some other places, the world does not signify every individual of mankind, but the nations in general, as distinguished from the Jews, who were long the peculiar people. It is said again, that Christ "died for all;" but the meaning is explained by the words which follow, "that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again;" and they signify that by all we ought to understand, not all men without exception, but all those who are made spiritually alive by his death, and consecrated to the service of their gracious Deliverer. It is farther said, that he "gave himself a ransom for all." But if every individual of the human race is meant, it necessarily follows that, the ransom being paid, all must be redeemed from the bondage of sin and the curse of the law, unless we are prepared to admit that, in respect of many, he died in vain. By all, and all men, mentioned in another verse, it appears, on considering the passage, that the Apostle included persons of every tribe, rank, and condition; Jews and Gentiles, high and low, rich and poor. Once more, it is said, that "by the grace of God he tasted death for every man;" but although the language is strong, and seems to be conclusive, some of the advocates of universal redemption honestly acknowledge that it does not prove the point; and that there is a reference to the "many sons" mentioned in the following verse, whom the Captain of our salvation was appointed to bring to glory; he tasted death for every one of them. It would be tedious to go over all the passages in which the universality of the atonement is supposed to be taught. I shall conclude with this observation:-That the sacred writers do not always use universal terms, in the strict and usual sense; that the world sometimes signifies a part of the world, and all is put for many; and that it is not by such terms that we are to determine the extent of the atonement, but by a view of the whole case and all its bearings. * John i. 29. † 1 John ii. 2. + 2 Cor. v. 15. 3A2 INDEX OF MATTER. ABRAHAM, state of religion in his days, i. | APOSTLES' CREED, ii. 99. 142; sacraments of the covenant made APPLICATION of redemption. See Redemp ABSOLUTE, decrees of God are, i. 356. ADORATION, a part of prayer, ii. 424. HOLY, are intelligent, 389; their FALLEN, were originally created APOCRYPHAL books, notice of, i. 41. 51. tion. ARIAN heresy, i. 303. ARMINIAN doctrine of divine decrees, i. ATHEISM, forbidden by the first command- ATONEMENT, a doctrine of revelation, i. 93; ATTRIBUTES of God, division into commu- AUTHENTIC, when a book is said to be, AUTHENTICITY of the Scriptures. See Scrip BALAAM's Ass, objections to the story of, BARNABAS, quotations from the gospels in |