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fcripture to this purpose, are innumerable; and though much ingenuity has been employed, to foften them, and to make them speak the language of an hypothesis, they are fo plain in themselves, that he who runs may read. It is not the language of conjecture, but of inspiration, that they whom the Lord God did foreknow, he also did predeftinate to be conformed to the image of his Son *. And though fome ferious perfons perplex themfelves with needlefs and painful reafonings, with respect to the fovereignty of God in his conduct towards mankind, they all, if truly fpiritual and enlightened, stand upon this very ground, in their own experience. Many, who seem to differ from us in the way of argumentation, perfectly accord with us, when they fimply speak of what God has done for their fouls. They know, and acknowledge, as readily as we, that they were first found of him when they fought him not; and that otherwise, they neither should, nor could, have fought him at all; nor can they give any better reason than this, why they are faved out of the world, That it pleafed the Lord to make them bis people †.

* Rom. viii. 29.

† 1 Sam. xii. 22,

But,

But, on the other hand, I cannot think the fense of the expreffion is fufficiently explained, by faying, That the world, and the whole world, is spoken of, to teach us, that the facrifice of the Lamb of God was not confined, like the Levitical offerings, to the nation of Ifrael only; but that it is available for the fins of a determinate number of perfons, called the Elect, who are scattered among many nations, and found, under a great variety of ftates and circumftances in human life. This is, undoubtedly, the truth, fo far as it goes; but not, I apprehend, fully agreeable to the fcriptural manner of representation. That there is an election of grace, we are plainly taught; yet, it is not faid, that Jefus Chrift came into the world to fave the elect, but that he came to save finners, to seek and to fave them that are loft. Upon this ground, I conceive that minifters have a warrant to preach the gospel to every human creature, and to address the confcience of every man in the fight of God and that every person who hears this gospel, has thereby a warrant, an encouragement, yea, a command, to apply to Jefus Christ for salvation. And that they who re

1 Tim. i. 15. Luke xix. 10.

fufe,

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fufe, thereby exclude themselves, and perish, not because they never had, nor poffibly could have any intereft in his atonement, but, fimply, because they will not come unto him that they may have life. I know something of the cavils and curious reafonings which obtain upon this fubject, and I know I may be preffed with difficulties, which I cannot refolve to the full fatisfaction of enquiring and fpeculative fpirits. I am not disheartened, by meeting with fome things, beyond the grasp of my fcanty powers, in a book, which I believe to be infpired by him, whose ways and thoughts are higher than ours, as the heavens are higher than the earth *. But, I believe, that vain reasonings, felf-will, an attachment to names and parties, and a disposition to draw our fentiments from human fyftems, rather than to form them by a close and humble study of the Bible, with prayer for divine teaching, are the chief fources of our perplexities and difputes.

The extent of the atonement is frequently represented, as if a calculation had been made, how much fuffering was neceffary for the furety to endure, in order exactly to expiate, *Ifai. lv. 8, 9.

the

the aggregate number of all the fins, of all. the elect; that so much he fuffered precisely, and no more; and that when this requifition, was compleatly answered, he faid, It is finifhed, bowed his head, and gave up the ghost *. But this nicety of computation does not seem. analogous to that unbounded magnificence and grandeur, which overwhelms the attentive. mind, in the contemplation of the divine conduct in the natural world. When God. waters the earth, he waters it abundantly †. He does not reftrain the rain to cultivated, or improveable spots, but, with a profufion of bounty worthy of himfelf, his clouds pour. down water, with equal abundance, upon the barren mountain, the lonely defert, and the pathlefs ocean. Why may we not fay with the scripture, that Chrift died to declare the righteoufnefs of God, to manifeft that he is just in justifying the ungodly, who believe in Jefus? And for any thing we know to the contrary, the very fame difplay of the evil and demerit of fin, by the Redeemer's agonies and death, might have been equally neceffary, though the number of the elect were much fmaller, than it will appear to be, when they

* John xix. 30. ↑ Pfal. lxv. 10. Rom, iii. 25, 26. fhall

fhall all meet before the throne of glory. If God had formed this earth for the refidence of one man only; had it been his pleasure to afford him the fame kind and degree of light which we enjoy the fame glorious fun, which is now fufficient to enlighten and comfort the millions of mankind, would have been neceffary for the accommodation of that one perfon. So, perhaps, had it been his pleasure to fave but one finner, in a way that fhould give the highest poffible discovery of his justice, and of his mercy, this could have been done by no other method, than that which he has chofen for the falvation of the innumerable multitudes, who will, in the great day, unite in the fong of praise, to the Lamb who loved them, and washed them from their fins in his own blood. As the fun has a fufficiency of light for eyes, (if there were fo many capable of beholding it) equal in number to the leaves upon the trees, and the blades of grass that grow upon the earth; fo in Jefus, the Sun of Righteoufnefs, there is plenteous redemption, he is rich in mercy to all that call upon bim*; and he invites finners, without exception, to whom the word of his falvation * Pfal. cxxx. 7. Rom. x. 12.

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