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ous men (g)? All these, with a long catalogue of prophets and holy men, under the Mosaic Dispensation, partook of the guilt of Adam, and were therefore liable to the wrath of God; nay, they committed actual sin, for "there is no man that sinneth not (h)." Yet who can doubt that these illustrious persons, the peculiar objects of God's favour, are all written in the book of life? And we are told that "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins (i);" that before the Gospel, "there was no law which could give life (k);" and that "there is no name under heaven by which men can be saved but that of Christ (1):" May we not then conclude, in the words of one of our pious martyrs, that "the promise of God appertaineth unto every sort of men in the world, and comprehendeth them all; howbeit, within certain limits and bounds, the which if men neglect or pass over, they exclude themselves from the promise in Christ; as Cain was no more excluded, till he excluded himself, than Abel; Saul, than David; Judas, than Peter; Esau, than Jacob (m).”

A Redemption of that extent, for which we are now contending, is perfectly consonant to

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the character of that gracious Being, whose "mercy is over all his works (m)," who "pardoneth iniquity, and retaineth not his anger for ever (n)," and who

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delighteth in exercising loving-kindness (o);” he is equally the Maker and Lord of all men, and careth for all alike; all stood equally in need of his interposition and assistance; and therefore, there being with him "no respect of persons," in every nation, and in every age," he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him (p)," through the atonement of the blessed Jesus. Was it to be expected that God, who is bountiful and indulgent to all men, in bestowing temporal comforts and conveniencies without partiality or reserve; who preserveth their life from destruction; who protecteth them continually from mischief and danger; who openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing— was it to be expected that this kind and benevolent Being would neglect the spiritual welfare of any part of his rational creatures, and leave their souls destitute of all care and protection; that he would give them life, and health, and all the good things of this world, and withhold from them the possibility of happiness in the world to come?

As

(m) Ps. 145. v. 9.
(0) Jer. c. 9. v. 24.

(n) Mic. c. 7. v. 18.
(p) Acts, c. 10. v. 35. .

As a farther confirmation of the doctrine of Universal Redemption, let us next examine into the opposite doctrines of Election and Reprobation, as maintained by Calvin: and first we will consider the texts of Scripture in which these words themselves occur.

In the Old Testament, the whole nation of the Jews, including both good and bad, is said to be elected or chosen by God, and the word is never applied exclusively to those of the Jews who were obedient to his commands; "Because he loved thy Fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight, with his mighty power out of Egypt (q):" "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth (r):" "I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen (s):" "I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there (t):" "For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect (u):""Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand

(9) Deut. c. 4. v. 37.
(s) Is. c. 43. v. 20.

unto

(r) Deut. c. 7. v. 6.
(t) Is. c. 65. v. 9.

(u) Is. c. 45. v.4.

unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God (a):" "O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen ones (y)." It is plain that the collective body of the Jews, all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, both the rebellious and the faithful, are here denominated the chosen or elect of God; and in the numerous passages of the Old Testament, in which they are thus spoken of, there is not the slightest allusion to their being predestinated to happiness in the world to come; nor indeed will any one contend that all the Jews were designed for eternal Salvation. They were elected in this world only, as an introductory and preparatory step to the execution of God's merciful scheme of human Redemption through the Incarnation and sufferings of Christ.

We shall in like manner find that the same words, elect and chosen, are applied to collective bodies of men who were converted to the Gospel, without any restriction to those who were obedient to its precepts, and will hereafter be saved; and that an infallible certainty of Salvation, in consequence of a divine decree, is not attributed

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to any number of Christians, or to any single Christian, throughout the New Testament.

St. Peter tells the "strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia," that they are "elect, according to the foreknowledge of God (2);" and "a chosen generation, a peculiar people; that they might shew forth the praises of him, who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light (a)." It is evident that the Apostle here refers to the calling of these men to the knowledge of the Gospel, which, like every other circumstance relative to this gracious dispensation, was foreknown by God; and that by denominating the Christians of these five extensive countries, indiscriminately, "eléct" and "a chosen generation," he did not mean to assert that they would all be saved; but that they were admitted to "the marvellous light" of the Gospel, while other nations were still wandering in the "darkness" of heathenism. And to put this beyond all doubt, the same persons, whom in his first Epistle he addresses as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God," in his second Epistle he addresses as "them that have obtained like precious Faith with us, through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ:"

(x) I Pet. c. I. v. 1 & 2,
(a) 1 Pet. c. 2. v. 9.

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