Page images
PDF
EPUB

come unto the marriage. Mat. xxii. 4. And as to the Gentile nations, their orders ran thus, Go ye, therefore: into the highways, and as many as ye find, bid to the marriage, (ver. 9.) To the Jewish nation God had been used to send his servants the prophets, in the days of old, saying, Turn ye, turn ye ; why will ye die? Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Ho, every one that thirsteth come. Isa. lv. 1. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, (ver. 3.) And now orders are given that the whole world be invited to a reconciliation to God through Christ. Whosoever will, let him come; and he that cometh shall in no wise be cast out. Thus Christ has opened a door; and thus, the great Governor of the world may, consistently with his honour, be reconciled to any that believe and repent. And thus he actually stands ready.

And now, all things being thus ready on God's side, and the offers, invitations, and calls of the gospel being to every one, without exception; hence, it is attributed to sinners themselves that they perish at last; even to their own voluntary conduct. Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. John v. 40. and they are considered as being perfectly inexcusable. John xv. 22. Now they have no cloak for their sin. And all because a way is opened, in which they might be delivered from condemnation; but they will not comply therewith. John iii. 19. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. And therefore, in scriptureaccount, they stand exposed to a more aggravated punishment in the world to come. Mat. xi. 20. 24. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, wo unto thee, Bethsaida, &c. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell, &c. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre, and Sidon, and Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for these cities; because they repented not.

And now, because the door of mercy is thus opened to the whole world by the blood of Christ, therefore, in scripture, he is called the Saviour of the wORLD. 1 John iv. 14. The Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the WORLD. John i. 29. A propitiation for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD.— 1 John ii. 2. That gave himself a ransom for ALL.

Heb. ii. 9.

Tim. ii. 6. And tasted death for EVERY MAN. The plain sense of all which expressions may, I think, without any danger of mistake, be learnt from John iii. 16. God so loved the wWORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And indeed, was not the door of mercy opened to all, indefinitely, how could God sincerely offer mercy to ...all? Or heartily invite all? Or justly blame those who do not accept? Or righteously punish them for neglecting so great salvation?

Besides, if Christ died merely for the elect, that is, to the intent that they, only upon believing, might, consistently with the divine honour, be received to favour, then God could not, consistently with his justice, save any besides, if they should believe: For without shedding of blood, there can be no remission. Heb. ix. 22. If Christ did not design, by his death, to open a door for all to be saved conditionally, i. e. upon the condition of faith, then there is no such door opened: thedoor is not opened wider than Christ designed it should be; there is nothing more purchased by his death than he intended: if this benefit was not intended, then it is not procured; if it be not procured, then the non-elect cannot any of them be saved, consistently with divine justice. And, by conse'quence, if this be the case, then, (1.) The non-elect have no right at all to take any, the least encouragement, from the death of Christ, or the invitations of the gospel, to return to God through Christ, in hopes of acceptance; for there are no grounds of encouragement given. Christ did not die for them in any sense. It is impossible their sins should be par

* "I am ready to profess," says the famous Doctor TwISSE," and that, I suppose, as out of the mouths of all our divines, that every one who hears the gospel, (without distinction between elect or reprobate,) is bound to believe that Christ died for him, so far as to procure both the pardon of his sins and the salvation of his soul, in case he believes and repents." Again, "As Peter could not have been saved, unless he had believed and repented, so Judas might have been saved, if he had done so." Again, "John iii. 16. gives a fair light of exposition to those places where Christ is said to have died for the sins of the world; yea, of the whole world, to wit, in this manner; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Dr. TwISSE on the riches of God's love to the vessels of mercy, &c.

doned, consistently with justice; as much impossible as if there had never been a Saviour: as if Christ had never died; and so there is no encouragement at all for them: and therefore it would be presumption in them to take any; all which is apparently contrary to the whole tenour of the gospel, which every where invites all, and gives equal encouragement to all. Come, for all things are ready, said Christ to the reprobate Jews. Mat. xxii. 4. And if the non-élect have no right to take any encouragement from the death of Christ, and the invitations of the gospel, to return to God through him, in hopes of acceptance, then, (2.) No man at all can rationally take any encouragement until he knows that he is elected; because, until then, he cannot know that there is any ground for encouragement. It is not rational to take encouragement before we see sufficient grounds for it; yea, it is presumption to do so. But no man can see sufficient grounds of encouragement to trust in Christ, and to return to God through him, in hopes of acceptance, unless he sees that God may, through Christ, consistently with his honour, accept and save him, and is willing so to do. If God can, and is actually willing to save any that comes, then there is no objection. I may come, and any may come ; all things are ready: there is bread enough, and to spare. But if God is reconcileable only to the elect, then I may not come. I dare not come: it would be presumption to come till I know that I am elected. And how can I know that? Why, not by any thing in all the Bible. While an unbeliever, it is impossible I should know it by any thing in scripture. It is no where said, in express words, that I, by name, am elected, and there are no rules of trial laid down in such a case. And how can I, therefore, in this case, ever know that I am elected, but by an immediate revelation from heaven? And how shall I know that this revelation is true? How shall I dare to venture my soul upon it? The gospel does not teach me to look for any such revelation, nor give any marks where→ by I may know when it is from God, and when from the devil. Thus, an invincible bar is laid in my way to life. I must know that I am one of the elect, before I can see any encouragement to believe in Christ; because none but the elect have any more business to do so than the devils; but if

I am one of the elect, yet it is impossible I should know it till afterwards, besides, all this is contrary to the whole tenour of the gospel: Whosoever will, let him come; whosoever comes, shall in no wise be cast out: whosoever believes shall be savedAnd contrary to the experience of all true believers, who, in their first return to God through Christ, always take all their encouragement from the gospel, and lay the weight of their souls upon the truth of that; and venture their eternal all upon this bottom, and not upon the truth of any new revelation. They venture their all upon the truths already revealed in the gospel, and not upon the truth of any proposition not revealed there.

So that, let us view this point in what light we will, nothing is more clear and certain than that Christ died, that wнosoEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlusting life. And God may now be just, and yet justify any of the race of Adam that believe in Jesus: and he stands ready to do so. And these things being true, the servants, upon good grounds, might, in their master's name, tell the obstinate Jews, who did not belong to the election of grace, and who finally refused to hearken to the calls of the gospel, Behold, I have prepared my dinner ; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. Mat. xxii. 4. And if they had come, they would have been heartily welcome: the provision made was sufficient, and the invitation sincere. Jesus wept over them, saying, O that thou hadst known, in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace! So that there was nothing to hinder, had they but been willing. But it seems they were otherwise disposed; and therefore they made light of it, and went their ways: one to his farm, another to his merchandise; and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them, (ver. 5, 6.) And in this glass we may see the very nature of all mankind, and how all would actually do if not prevented by divine grace. Justly, therefore, at the day of judgment, will this be the condemnation, that light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light. For certainly, if mankind are so perversely bad, that, notwithstanding their natural obligations to God, and the unreasonableness of their original apostacy, they will yet persist

[blocks in formation]

in their rebellion; and, after all the glorious provision and kind invitations of the gospel, will not return to God through Christ; I say, certainly, God is not obliged to come out after them, and, by his all-conquering grace, irresistibly reclaim them; but may justly let every man take his own course, and run his own ruin. And an aggravated damnation will every such person deserve in the coming world, for neglecting so great salvation. Heb. ii. 2, 3.

:

And now, if Christ's atonement and merits be thus sufficient for all; and if God stands ready to be reconciled to all and if all are invited to return and come; hence, then, we may learn that it is safe for any of the poor, sinful, guilty, lost, undone race of Adam to return to God in this way. They shall surely find acceptance with God: they may come without money, without price; and he that cometh shall in no wise be cast out.

And hence we may see upon what grounds it is, that the poor, convinced, humbled sinner is encouraged and emboldened to venture his all upon Christ, and return to God through him. It is because any poor, sinful, guilty, hell-deserving wretch, may come; any in the world; the worst in the world; the vilest, and most odious and despicable: for such he actually takes himself to be. And if he did not see that there was an open door for such, for any such, for all such, he would doubt, and that with good reason too, whether he might safely come. But when he understands and believes the gospel-revelation, and so is assured that it is safe for any, for all, the vilest and the worst; now the peculiar vileness and unworthiness which he sees in himself ceases to be an objection. He sees it safe for any, and therefore for him; and hence takes courage, and is emboldened to venture his all upon the free grace of God, through Jesus Christ; and so returns in hopes of acceptance. Now, does this poor sinner venture upon a safe foundation, or does he not? He takes it for granted that the supreme Governor of the world can, consistently with his honour, show mercy to any that come to him through Christ; and he takes it for granted that he stands ready to do so, even to the vilest and worst; that the door of mercy stands wide open, and whosoever will may come. And, upon these principles, he takes encouragement to return to

« PreviousContinue »