Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

vine sovereignty proceeds from what is implied in the little word "ME." And yet, why not you? Have you not deserved to die? Have you any claims upon his prerogative? Is God not to exercise his prerogative because you do not LIKE others to have more benefits than you? Examine yourself, and you will discover that it is only when you do not consider yourself as a criminal justly condemned, that you quarrel with the exercise of God's sovereign prerogative.

God is perfectly independent of the whole universe, and all-sufficient for his own happiness and glory. It is the glory of his nature and of his character, that all the good in the universe is the product of his own good pleasure, and that he works and produces good freely, without constraint, and without necessity. His grace is free, unbiassed and uninfluenced. He can give or withhold his favors without any impeachment of his character. He can confer his benefits when, how, and on whom he pleases. God always claims to himself the free exercise of his sovereign right, to have mercy on whom he will have mercy. He could neither see, nor foresee any good in man that should induce or deserve this exercise of sovereignty, for God hath chosen men unto obedience, and not for obedience; and that they might be holy, and not because they were so. If he exercised this prerogative in consequence of any previous good in man, his grace would be turned into distributive justice, salvation would be of works, and boasting would not be excluded. If God exercise no sovereign prerogative, but only acts according to previous conditions in man, then the glory of his grace would depend on the capricious will of man, and he would be doing and working nothing because that it was the good pleasure of his will. The scriptures assure us that this sovereignty is exercised not according to works of righteousness which we have done, but according to God's own counsel and good-will.

III. The atonement is an honorable ground for the

exercise of sovereignty in the special communications of divine influences.

The whole mediatorial work of Jesus Christ is so worthy and so meritorious that it deserves that some measures should be taken to ensure it from entire failure. It is not to be expected, in the administration of moral government, that God should give us an account of his sovereign measures, or to supply us with direct reasons for the discriminating speciality that is visible in the communication of divine influences. It is enough for us, that is, it is enough for all the ends of our accountableness, to be assured, that God is under no more obligations to provide divine influences for us, than he was to provide an atonement for us; and that as the benefits of the atonement are available to all applicants, so "the supply of the Spirit" is accessible to all who "ask" it.

Nevertheless God has condescended to "set forth" the infinite dignity and transcendent worthiness of the atonement as supplying an honorable ground, and a just vindication, for the exercise of speciality in divine influences. The atonement is a measure of such ineffable worth, that it inherently deserves that its ends should be accomplished; and that it should not be, like other measures and expedients in divine government, liable to entire failure. To this splendid expedient God has, through the church, called the attention of principalities and powers in heavenly places; and all these Intelligences watch the movements of this measure, and diligently observe its bearings on the interests of the universe. If, then, a measure of such grandeur and dignity entirely fail, the universe may, in amazement, ask the Creator, "What wilt thou do to thy great name?"

The entire failure of the Eden dispensation would have clouded the divine character, had it not been rescued by the introduction of a compensative atonement. The entire failure of, the Sinai experiment would have reflected dishonor on the divine glory, but it was re

But

deemed by the establishment of a "better Hope." if the atonement itself ENTIRELY fail, what shall then vindicate the honor of the wisdom, and power, and grace of God? How awfully disastrous will be the upshot of moral government? It would shatter every world in the empire of God, and stun all intelligences "in all the places of his dominions."

The disastrous upshot would not have been effectually prevented by leaving the atonement entirely to the liberty of free agents; for in such hands the failure would be entire and total. The measure of its success, therefore, is entrusted to the sovereignty of divine grace, and not to the sovereignty of human capriciousness. This arrangement makes the measure of success certain. "It is of faith, that it might be of GRACE, that the promise may be SURE to all the seed."

All who believe the doctrine of divine influences take it for granted, that the atonement is capable of entire failure, for they assert that the blood of Christ will save none, unless the Spirit apply it. This is the very thing we are now pleading for. Nothing can prevent this entire failure but the determination of God to impart sovereign influences to make some men differ from others, and to give unto them for the sake of Christ to believe in him. And God's great defence against the charge of arbitrariness or capriciousness in this sovereign speciality is, that the atonement of Christ DESERVED that it should not entirely fail. If any sinner be disposed to complain of God thus sovereignly applying the benefits of the atonement in any special case, conscience must flash conviction in the breast of that sinner, that God has only used for its designed purpose that very atonement, which the sinner has been invited and commanded to use for that purpose, but which he voluntarily rejected, and spurned as the off-scouring of all things.

25

IV. The exercise of divine sovereignty in the special communications of divine influences is an HONOR to the atonement.

The Christian church has been deluged with boisterous discourses and turbid volumes to prove that the speciality of divine sovereignty is a disgrace to the atonement. Against this most formidable flood I would unfurl a banner lifted up by the hand of the Redeemer himself. "In that hour, Jesus rejoiced in Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; EVEN SO, FATHER, FOR SO IT SEEMED GOOD IN THY SIGHT." Luke x,

21, 22.

The Lord Jesus Christ views the difference in the spiritual conditions of men as the special product of the sovereign agency of God; and considers the exercise of divine sovereignty as a perfectly satisfactory account of the matter. He further regards this sovereign speciality as a positive "good" to the universe, and as entitling God to "thanks" and praise. It is true that this account of the matter shocks the hearts, and disturbs the theological systems of many good Christians, but it does so, only so far as their hearts and theological sentiments differ from the heart and the doctrine of Jesus Christ. This view of the case perfectly satisfied Christ; why, then, does it not please you?— "Let the mind that was in Christ be also in you.'

There are four considerations that ought to induce us to rest satisfied in the sentiments which satisfied Christ. 1. The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly understood this subject. "No man knoweth the Father but the Son." He thoroughly KNEW the mind and the plans of his Father. The sentiments which he expresses in the above passage are not his guesses and conjecturesbut he completely knew the whole truth of the case.— If the argumentum ad verecundiam be valid any where it must be here.

2. The Lord Jesus Christ was perfectly benevolent. As a benevolent Being he would not be satisfied with any measure that was wrong, unjust, and injurious in any of its bearings. If the speciality of divine sovereignty were such a measure in reality, he would not have approved of it. He viewed the exercise of divine sovereignty as a source of happiness to the world. "It seemed GOOD in thy sight." God knows what is really "good," and Christ knew what was "good" in the "sight of God." The exercise of sovereignty is "good" in the sight of God; why is it an evil in your sight? You are not a better judge than He is of what is truly benevolent.

3. The Lord Jesus Christ was altogether holy. As a holy Being he could not be pleased with what was unholy in itself, or had an unholy tendency. He could not be pleased with any thing that would cause sin, or that would supply an apology for sin. There are systems of theology that suppose that this is precisely the case with this doctrine of sovereign speciality. Many argue that it produces heedlessness and licentiousness, and that is an excuse for living in sin. It should, however, be remembered that this is the "sovereignty" of theological systems-not the sovereignty of God as revealed in the scriptures. In that, Christ who knew his Father's sovereignty, saw no aspect or tendency of the kind—and we must allow that what had, or what had not, a holy tendency was known to him.

4. The Lord Jesus Christ was deeply interested in the subject? It was by the exercise of this sovereignty that he was to see of the travail of his soul. He never thought that his harvest would have been larger and more splendid, if it had been left to the self-determining sovereignty of the human will. He regarded it as more sure in the hands of his Father. Divine sovereignty settles every jewel in the mediatorial diadem. This arrangement made Christ happy. Why does it not make you happy? One of the parties, Christ or you, must be wrong! Bethink ve— -You often read of

« ÎnapoiContinuă »