of particular redemption.-Consequences arising from the idea that Christ has placed all men in a new relation to God. CHAPTER IV. 63 ON THE NATURAL STATE OF MAN, SCRIPTURAL PREACHING, Natural men are carnal; cannot please God; and are far from him. The prophets and apostles exhort their hearers to repent and flee from the wrath to come: reason with them, not of their being beloved of God and redeemed by Christ, but of righteousnes, temperance, and judgment to come. Examples of prayer for spiritual blessings. enjoined. The Spirit assists in prayer. tercessor. CHAPTER V. Such prayers are 77 81 Christ is our in 86 ON FAITH AND THE EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT. The doctrinal object of faith is the testimony of God concerning Christ. It is not that he has taken away all sin: for sin reigns in the hearts of many. It is not that he died for all. The Scriptures identify redemption and salvation. All are not saved: therefore all are not redeemed. Since God is omniscient, the event proves that it never was his design to redeem all men. Redemption was planned. The parties foreseen. The blessings provided. Christ died in the room of those for whom he interposed: and purchased for them all spiritual blessings. No proof of universal redemption-object of faith is not that Christ died for all. Conviction of sin precedes faith. Genuine faith leads to reliance on Christ. Unbelief is a rejection not of comfort but of Christ. CHAPTER VI. ON THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION-CONCLUDING REMARKS. Assurance of salvation is attainable, but not essential to faith. Christ saves only those who believe. We must have faith before assurance. Believers exhorted to examine themselves, and to seek assurance. Assurance is obtained by the fruits of faith and not by consciousness. Miscellaneous remarks. Recapitulation. 121 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS ON THE DIFFERENT IDEAS ENTERTAINED OF THE WAY OF SALVATION, IN journeying from mount Hor, along the coast of the Red Sea, to avoid entering the land of Edom; the peevish and discontented Israelites, soon lost patience, in consequence of the fatigues and privations attending this retrograde movement. Their soul was much discouraged because of the way: and, perpetually prone to murmur, they broke out in bitter repinings against God, and reproachful invectives against Moses. It was seldom that their rebellious and provoking conduct was so quickly and so severely chastised. Fiery flying serpents were instantly sent among the people, many of whom were mortally bitten. This mark of the Divine displeasure speedily roused them to consideration and brought them to repentance. "Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee: pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from among us. And Moses prayed for A the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live." Num. xxi. 4-8. This appointment seems as plain as language could render it; and as kind and effectual as grace and power could make it. It might have been expected that it would have been hailed in the camp as the result of the matchless benignity of the God of love; that the import of the instructions, with which it was accompanied, would have been easily comprehended; and that no difficulty could have been found to direct the next individual who was wounded, how to counteract the venom of the sting, and secure the restoration of his health. But when circulated amongst ignorant rash speculative and perverse men, the clearest counsels are easily misunderstood, and the most benevolent intentions of Heaven frustrated. As the tidings were conveyed along the encampment, some of the more reckless and audacious trangressors might affirm that this measure was a perfect hoax; that God could as easily extirpate the fiery serpents as endow this brazen figure with a power to cure their bite; since the real serpents were still permitted to plague them, they were persuaded that the brazen serpent was possessed of no virtue at all; and that, whatever others might do, and let the consequences be what they would, they were determined never to look in the direction where it stood. The metaphysicians would be very anxious to analyse the Divine institution, and ascertain exactly the circumstance on which its efficacy depended. Some of them might contend that its miraculous power consisted solely in its substance, some in its shape, and others in its position. Some might assert that the cure proceeded wholly from the vision, and would be greatly affected by the manner in which the image was viewed. If our opticians had lived in those days, they could have expatiated eloquently upon the value of their instruments; and have enlightened and edified the congregation by telling them how wondrously the process would be facilitated by the aid of their glasses. And the medical faculty might have insisted that the recovery of the patients would be mightily promoted by having them first properly leeched blistered and bandaged. Such a notion as this would be extremely offensive to some of their more methodical and sensitive brethren. These would maintain that such an opinion was high treason against the generosity of God, and an insult to the power and all sufficiency of the provision which he had employed. They would urge that the eye had nothing to do with their recovery. One would assert that recovery. 2 |