to fanciful theories, and to conclusions that are found to be false. Whenever we presume to determine what is proper to be done in the government of the universe, we attempt to comprehend a subject, which embraces numberless relations that are perfectly unknown to us. Such speculations may be pleasing, and they may be plausible; but they are the speculations of creatures who forget that they "are but of yesterday and know nothing," and who, stepping beyond the humble and sober province that is allotted to man, presume to instruct the Ancient of days. It is the character of sound theology, not to subject the administration of God to our conjectures and theories; but, in the firm persuasion that he is able to do all his pleasure, and that he will do that which is right, to inquire with reverence and with diligence what he has done, and what he has said he will do, and to make the information which Scripture affords upon these points, the measure of our hopes, and the rule of our conduct.

Although, therefore, I judge it proper, in opening that great division of the subjects of theological controversy upon which we now enter, to mention speculations that have been indulged concerning the final condition of those who reject the salvation of the gospel, it is not to be supposed that these speculations constitute the points which divide the opinions of the Christian world in regard to the extent of the remedy. They are the speculations of individual writers, or they arise incidentally from general systems. But they are not the characteristical tenets of any great body of Christians; and whatever similarity there may appear in the name, the questions concerning universal and particular redemption have a very different object.

With these questions I begin the statement of that system of doctrine in regard to the extent of the remedy, which is called Calvinistic, by holding which, the Church of Scotland is distinguished from the Arminians, from the Lutheran churches, and from a very great part of the members of the Church of England.

Leland's View of the Deistical Writers.

Shaw's Philosophy of Judaism.

Clarke's Evidences and Sermons.

Law's Theory of Religion.

Jortin's Discourses.

Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses.

Hurd's Sermons.

BOOK IV.

OPINIONS CONCERNING THE NATURE, THE EXTENT, AND THE APPLICATION OF THE REMEDY

BROUGHT BY THE GOSPEL.

CHAPTER VI.

PARTICULAR REDEMPTION.

By the Calvinistic tenets is meant that system of doctrine with regard to the extent of the remedy, which distinguishes those who embrace all the opinions of Calvin, from those Christians who agree with him only as to the divinity of Christ and the atonement. I shall not attempt to open the whole system at once; but I shall go step by step through the points of difference between it and other systems, in the order which appears to me the most natural. In this way we shall not reach all the parts of the Calvinistic system, till we have gone through the third great division of the subjects of theological controversy, I mean the application of the remedy; and we shall then be able, by a short retrospective view of the ground over which we have travelled, to form a precise connected idea of the whole. According to this manner of exhibiting the Calvinistic system, I begin with stating the question concerning universal and particular redemption; in other words, whether Christ died for all men, or only for those who shall finally be saved by him.

The two sides of this question do not imply any difference of opinion with regard to the sufficiency of the death of Christ, or with regard to the number and character of those who shall eventually be saved. They who hold the one and the other side of the question agree, that although the sufferings of Christ have a value sufficient to atone for the sins of all the children of Adam, from the beginning to the end of time, yet those only shall be saved by this atonement who repent and believe in him. But they differ as to the destination of the death of Christ; whether in the purpose of the Father and the

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will of the Son it respected all mankind, or only those persons to whom the benefit of it is at length to be applied.

The doctrine of universal redemption is mentioned as one of the distinguishing tenets of the Pelagians. It forms the subject of one of the five points which comprehend the Arminian system. It is held by all the Lutheran churches. It seems to be taught in one of the articles of the church of England, and several parts of the Liturgy; and it is avowed by the great body of English divines as the doctrine of Scripture and of their church. This doctrine will be understood from the second of the five Arminian points, which is thus expressed: "Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, died for all men, and for every individual, so as to obtain for all, by his death, reconciliation and remission of sins; upon this condition, however, that none in reality enjoys the benefit of this remission but the man who believes." Dr. Whitby, in his discourse on the five points, thus explains the doctrine: "When we say Christ died for all, we do not mean that he hath purchased actual pardon or reconciliation or life for all; this being in effect to say that he procured an actual remission of sins to unbelievers, and actually reconciled God to the impenitent and disobedient, which is impossible. He only, by his death, hath put all men in a capacity of being justified and pardoned, and so of being reconciled to, and having peace with God, upon their turning to God, and having faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; the death of Christ having rendered it consistent with the justice and wisdom of God, with the honour of his Majesty, and with the ends of government, to pardon the penitent believer."

According to this doctrine, the death of Christ is an universal remedy for that condition in which the posterity of Adam are involved by sin-a remedy equally intended for the benefit of all. It removes the obstacles which the justice of God opposed to their deliverance. It puts all into a condition in which they may be saved, and it leaves their actual salvation to depend upon their faith. The remedy may in this way be much more extensive than the application of it. But even although the offer of pardon were rejected by all, it would not follow that the atonement made by the death of Christ was unnecessary, for the offer could not have been given without it; and whatever reception the gospel may meet with, the love of God is equally conspicuous in having provided a method by which he may enter into a new covenant with all who had sinned.

This doctrine appears to represent the Father of all in a light most suitable to that character, as regarding his children with an equal eye, providing, without respect of persons, a remedy for their disease, and extending his compassion as far as their misery reaches. And it appears to represent the satisfaction which Christ offered to Divine justice, as opening a way for the love of God to the whole human race being made manifest by the most enlarged exercise of mercy. These views are supported by the general strain of Scripture, and by many very significant expressions which occur in the New Testament.* It is said that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world; that he died for all; that he gave himself a ransom for all; that he tasted

* John i. 29 ; iii. 16. 1 Tim. ii. 4; iv. 10. 2 Pet. iii. 9.

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death for every man.* The extent of the grace of God in our justification seems to be compared with the extent of the effects of Adam's sin in our condemnation.t Large societies of persons professing Christianity, all of whom we cannot suppose to be of the number of those who shall be finally saved, are addressed in the Epistles as those for whom Christ gave himself; and there are expressions in some of the Epistles which seem to intimate that he died even for those who perish. False teachers, who brought in damnable heresies, are said, 2 Pet. ii. 1, to have been bought by the Lord. All to whom the gospel is revealed are commanded to believe in Christ for the remission of sins, which seems to imply that he has made atonement for their sins; and to give thanks for Christ, which seems to imply that he is an universal Saviour. Jesus marvelled at the unbelief of those among whom he lived; he upbraided them because they repented not; he besought men to come to him; and he bewailed the folly of the Jews, saying, as he wept over their city, " if thou hadst known in this thy day the things which belong to thy peace." Even the Almighty, both in the Old and in the New Testament, condescends to use entreaties and expostulations, as well as commands. "What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? O that my people had hearkened unto me !" "God hath given unto us," says the Apostle, "the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." The establishment of a gospel ministry continues this ambassadorship in every Christian country, and may be regarded as a standing witness of the universality of redemption, because these expostulations, which the servants of Christ are commissioned to use in the name of God, appear to be without meaning, unless we suppose that God hath done every thing on his part, and that it rests only with us to embrace the remedy which is offered.

In giving this general view of the arguments by which the advocates for the doctrine of universal redemption support their opinion, I have separated them as much as possible from those more intricate questions of theology which will meet us as we advance. But even from the simple manner in which I have stated them, it is plain that they admit of much amplification. Some of them are susceptible of rhetorical embellishment; others lead into a large field of Scripture criticism; and there are others, the force of which cannot be estimated till after a review of the whole Calvinistic system. These arguments are spread out at length, not only by professed Arminian writers, but by many English divines, particularly in Barrow's Sermons upon the doctrine of universal redemption, and in the second of Whitby's discourses upon the five points, entitled the Extent of Christ's Redemption. These two writers have given a collection of all the texts of Scripture which appear to establish this doctrine, and a very favour