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the Baptist says, "Ye generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come: bring forth fruits meet for repentance." Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom "the Gospel began first to be preached," cried, Repent ye, and believe the Gospel;' "* and he "upbraided them that repented not." A great part of his preaching was addressed to sinners, arguing, inviting, warning. He delivered a parable to show that his servants were sent forth to call those that were bidden to the Gospel feast; even those that would not come; and that the same servants were sent "into the highways and hedges to call all they met, good and bad." He accordingly sent out the twelve apostles, and seventy evangelists, to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." At the day of Pentecost, Peter, under the special influence of the Holy Spirit, said to the whole multitude, "Repent." And again, Peter, in company with John, said, "Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out."

When the apostles went, at Christ's command, into all the world, to preach the Gospel to every creature, how could they have accomplished this, if they were not to preach to sinners?

The

apostle Paul, preaching at Athens, where there were none but unbelievers, said, "God now commandeth all men every where to repent." When Peter told Simon Magus, that he was in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity, the apostle exhorted him, saying, "Repent, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee." The ministry of reconciliation is described thus: "Because God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, we pray, be reconciled to God."

We

But we are asked, how we can reconcile these generalities with the specialities of Calvinism? How it can be rational to speak to the dead? might reply, that we are not called to reconcile these things. Where does the Scripture.command us to solve difficulties, and reconcile discrepancies, in the word or ways of God? There is nothing approaching to such a command; but many things that look the other way. Whatever is said of mysteries and con

• Mark. i. 15. + Matt. xi. 20. 1 Acts xvii. 18, 30.

cealment in the dealings of God, must, to say the least, excite a suspicion that we are sometimes left without the means of solving difficulties. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;" and, therefore, "clouds and darkness are round about him." 66 Verily, thou art a God that hidest thyself." If two things be clearly revealed in Scripture, we must receive them both, though we could not see their consistency. Contradictions, indeed, cannot both be true, though they may both be false. But many things may appear contradictory that are perfectly harmonious; such as that which embarrassed the Jews, that Christ should be a poor man and a great king. In philosophy, we often admit two facts which we cannot reconcile; for if we could harmonise every known fact, our philosophy would thus far be absolutely perfect.

It may be said, with some appearance of reason, that the cases are not parallel; for those facts are things done by God himself; and we may leave him to reconcile them; but in the call of the Gospel, something is to be done by us, which we ought to be able to reconcile with "the things that are most surely believed among us." But, in the revelation of the doctrines of predestination and election, and in the command to preach the Gospel to every creature, we have two things done by God himself; and however contradictory they may appear, we should leave him to reconcile them, while we obey the command.

If a parent gave an order to his child, and the latter should say, "But you told me something, the other day, which seems contrary to this," a wise father might reply, "Go, and do as you are bidden." An ingenuous child would obey, and say to himself," My father is wiser than I, and perhaps he may, another day, show me that his information and his command were not contradictory."

Would not such conduct have special charms in a parent's eyes? And may not God have sufficient reasons for requiring from us such implicit obedience? If we have not this disposition, we shall be, not only perplexed, but rebellious. The former may be a trial; the latter would be a sin. This whole world is a mystery to us; and the only principle

that we can safely adopt is, that duty is ours, and it belongs to God to do according to his pleasure in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of earth; so that none can stay his hand, or say to him, what doest thou?

"Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain:
God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain."

But true, and important, as is the answer that we might have given to the objection, we are not obliged to go no farther. We can show the consistency of the universal call of the Gospel with the doctrine of sovereign, special grace. Calvin himself saw no difficulty here; for he was far enough from being opposed to the most unrestricted invitations. Ultra Calvinism only proves that overdoing is undoing; for, with a profession of extraordinary attachment to Calvin, it opposes him, as well as Arminius.

God accomplishes his secret fixed purposes, in a way that baffles all human research. He does what he pleases, by means of creatures who do not always know any thing, and never know every thing that he is doing with them and by

them.

1. God's decrees cannot be the rule of our duty.

He himself, indeed, "worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself:" but then he knows all his purposes and decrees, which we do not; and therefore "secret things belong to the Lord our God; while things that are revealed belong to us."

If it be said, "the decrees are revealed, and therefore should be our guide;" we reply, it would not follow that they should be our guide, even if we did know them; for we might still make his command, and not the decree, the rule of our duty. But the decrees are not revealed in that sense which can make them our guide; for nothing more is known than that God has formed his purposes; but who will pretend that we know whom God has decreed to save, SO as to guide us in directing the call of the Gospel to these alone? With regard to individuals, we know the decree, only "when it bringeth forth;" and then we learn whom he has predestinated, by seeing whom he has

called. It is then too late to guide us in addressing the invitation to particular persons for their calling.

2. There must, then, be some other rule of duty; and what can this be but the command of God, expressed or implied?

Just as a revelation, or testimony, is an object of faith; a command is a guide to obedience. The law of the Lord is perfect, and nothing that is our duty is left uncommanded; so that a brand of reprobation is set upon "will worship." The example of Christ and his apostles, and our Lord's injunction to preach the Gospel to every creature, constitute a clear command, and the only rule of our duty.

3. This command is perfectly reasonable.

Notwithstanding the speciality of the decree of predestination to life, and the destined effect of the atonement, there is in the dispensation of the Gospel a universality of some kind.

If any should say that the Gospel has nothing to do with any but the elect; he would deny manifest facts. The Gospel evidently does come into contact with others, besides those that are called by it to eternal life. The reason is, that God has included in his moral government every intelligent creature, and has made the Gospel a part of that moral rule, so that he is pursuing, at once, a general and a special object-to govern the world in righteousness and to call a people to show forth his praise.

In preaching the Gospel, we are at once acting as the subjects of his moral government, who obey his command, and are employed as his instruments to accomplish purposes concerning individuals of which we are not aware. To suppose that the universality of moral government, and the speciality of saving grace are opposed to each other, and cannot act simultaneously, is to imagine that a vast piece of machinery cannot contain wheels that are intended, not merely to promote the general object, but to accomplish also a specific end.

4. Various parts of Scripture show that it was designed to be an instrument of universal moral rule, and of accomplishing the decrees of saving grace.

Of the atonement we read, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish." The world is

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always distinguished from the elect, who are chosen out of the world." Christ is a propitiation, not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world. There is no evidence that this means merely Gentiles, as well as Jews.

On the other hand, "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it," evidently expressing something peculiar to the church, which is distinguished from the world. Christ says, "I lay down my life for the sheep," whom he distinguishes, even before their call, from the rest of the world, John x.

"He

redeemed us to God by his blood, out of every kindred and tribe." Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is Christ that died for them; which shows that he died for the elect in a way that secures them from condemnation. Now the words of the Lord are right words, and all are to be received according to their fair import; and we may be sure that we have distorted a doctrine or text, when our view of it obliges us to distort some other.

But these two classes of texts have respect to the two offices which Christ sustains, as mediator and as surety. The former is more general, and provides means; the latter is more special, and secures the end. A mediator is a mere negotiator, to conduct a treaty, and may have done his part, though no peace be concluded; the surety is pledged for a good result; he makes things sure. The more comprehensive texts speak of the atonement, as a means of negotiating a treaty of recognition, to be proclaimed through the world; the more special texts speak of Christ as the surety of a covenant, to secure the salvation of the elect, so that as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

5. The Gospel and the atonement actually do produce some effects on the world at large; and they who preach it, are a savour of Christ to them that perish, as well as to them that are saved.

Who will deny that the whole world is in a different state from what it would have been in if the Gospel had never entered it? Wherever the cross is erected, idols fall before it, and men cease to perish as idolaters; so that the whole mass of society is altered. This is, then, the condemnation, "that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." Who will

say, that this is by accident; and that God never intended that his word should produce any effect upon others beside the elect? The firmest believers in God's decrees ought to be most forward to own, that God designed by that word which calls the elect, to produce some effect on the non-elect; for this very reason, that it does produce some effect,

and God says, "It shall accomplish that which I please."

6. But the opposition to the universal call of the Gospel, proceeds on a supposition that is manifestly false, in factthat if there be something specific in the design of our preaching, there can be nothing general.

was

The calling of the elect is not effected by sending a secret message to them alone. A vision might have been sent to the man of Macedonia, and when it sent to Paul, to call him to Macedonia, it was not to the elect, by name, but to a whole region; where the Pythoness said, "These are the servants of the most high God, who show to us the way of salvation." This was not by accident; but all that was effected was decreed, not only the calling of the elect, but the effect produced on the nonelect, to change their position in the moral government of God.

7. All this is in accordance with the providence of God, which is at once universal and special; for while the "tender mercies of God are over all his works," all things work together for good to them that are called according to his purpose. Christ has "power over all flesh, to give eternal life to as many as are given him." If we apply to Providence the text that asserts, the living God is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe;" still it shows a salvation of some sort, general to all, and specific to them that believe. To Cyrus God said, "For Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have raised thee up." Now, the Gospel and the providence of God, coming from the same author, co-operate, and have a mutual relation.

8. The opposition to the general call of the Gospel arises from ignorance of the great vital distinction between natural and moral inability.

We are asked, Of what use is it to preach to the dead? But we ask, in our turn, Is there only one kind of death? Does not the very objection suppose the

contrary? For they do not charge us with preaching to the literally dead in the burying-grounds. They ought, therefore, to remember that if the unbeliever is dead and unable to obey the Gospel, in one sense, he is not therefore so, in every sense. In fact, they do remember and act upon it, when they become earnest. The great champion of ultra-Calvinism was once preaching on the Christian race, and describing Christ as the starting-post, he saw some strangers smiling; and said to them, sternly, "Don't laugh; for you must start from this post, or be damned." Here was preaching to sinners, which they who most condemn it, frequently slide into, in spite of their creed.

Every sane person knows, that there is an essential difference between the inability of a man to pluck down a star, and that of a liar to speak the truth; the former being a natural inability, arising from want of physical power, excuses a man; the latter, arising from want of a right disposition, is moral inability, and makes him guilty. To call the naturally blind, or dead, to see or live, is absurd; but not to call a liar to speak truth; or a sinner to believe the Gospel. If some "have eyes full of adultery, that they cannot cease to sin;" it is still rational to say to them, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Moral inability, arising from strong disinclination, is the sinner's inability, and that is the very thing that demands exhortation and warning. But they who oppose all preaching to sinners, though usually harsh enough, often speak as if they thought that unbelievers were, because unable, quite excusable in not believing. But, if moral inability renders any one excusable, and releases him from all obligation to obey the Gospel, then the devil is the most innocent creature in the universe; for his moral inability to obey God is the strongest.

9. The opposition to the general call of the Gospel, supposes that there is but one thing designed by it-the calling of the elect.

collect, to our humiliation and edification, to condemn ourselves and give glory to grace. But if the elect are influenced by the Gospel, before their conversion, when they are as dead in sins as the non-elect; why may not the non-elect also experience important effects? And if good effects, though not saving effects, were produced on the elect, while dead in sins, why not on the non-elect too? And who can deny the fact, that such effects are produced? and that by the influence of the Gospel on many that are never converted, not only is society benefited, but the church of God also; and even the calling of the elect is provided for, by the children of such persons being brought under the Gospel; and educated in a way that promotes their usefulness after conversion. As all this is not by accident, but is the accomplishment of God's purposes, it is plain that he has other designs in the administration of the Gospel, beside the calling of the elect; and therefore it is false to affirm, that the Gospel has only to do with the elect, for their calling and salvation.

10. They who oppose the general call of the Gospel admit that it is wise and good to address believers; but say it is foolish and pernicious to address a word to un believers.

But why? Is it because unbelievers cannot obey, and believers can ? There is more Arminianism in this than our hyper-Calvinists suspect, or would be willing to confess. Do they mean, that believers can obey, without Divine grace? If they do, we are too Calvinistic to admit this. Believers have no independent spiritual life, but need the influence of the Spirit, each moment, to support, as they at first needed it to impart, their spiritual life. Unless our opponents consent to this, they show how extremes meet, and what Arminians many pretenders to extraordinary Calvinism really are. But if they admit it, then they must mean to say, that believers will obey our exhortations, if the grace of the Holy Spirit accompany and crown them. Well, and will not unbelievers do so too? But it may be said, God will carry on his work where he has begun it, and therefore we have a rational ground for addressing those in whom it is begun. We might reply, We have shown that the rational ground

for the performance of the preacher's duty, is, not what God has decreed to do, but what he has commanded us to do. But, to take our opponents on their own ground, we ask, Whether they mean to assert, that God has decreed to make every exhortation to a believer effectual, by his Holy Spirit? If such were the fact, what glorious work should we preachers have; and what glorious Christians would our ministry produce! But they can only mean, that there is a general design to bless and edify the church, by the ministry of the word, and, therefore, in the morning we must sow our seed, and in the evening not withhold our hand; for we know not which may prosper, this or that. Is not this equally true with regard to unbelievers? Has not God a general design to call men "from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God," that they may receive forgiveness of sins? It is, then, just as rational to preach to all to whom God sends us, as it is to preach at all.

Some would mince the matter, saying, "We should preach before unbelievers, but not to them." But is it more rational to place an object before the eyes of a dead man, than to address a voice to his ears?

If we appeal to facts; we shall find that the preaching of the Gospel which is addressed to all, is that which is blessed to the conversion of the chosen ; while they who act on the contrary plan, are left to barrenness so complete, that their congregations are made up of proselytes; and either they are false professors, or proofs of the usefulness of that ministry which addresses sinners.

But the practical conclusion to be drawn from these considerations, is, that

the Gospel should be preached, not only before, but to every creature; and that all objections to this spring from ignorance of the whole design of the evangelical dispensation, or from error concerning the state and duty of man.

Again, what we should do we should do heartily and well; not preaching to sinners as if we were afraid we were doing wrong; but as if we were sure we were doing right. This, therefore, should be wisely done, erring neither by defect or excess. Every just scriptural address should be delivered with seriousness, earnestness, affection, and authority. But nothing should be said to men that really contradicts the doctrines of grace; for while this would do more to prejudice some against the universal call of the Gospel than any argument, such preaching, whatever may be the benevolence of the intention, defeats its own end. Nothing but truth and duty can hope for a blessing.

Let us not so abound in that part of our work which applies to the unconverted, as to encroach upon the time and attention due to the doctrinal edification of the church of God. I fear that some who are really Calvinistic preachers, here expose themselves to suspicion of unsoundness in the faith. But as preaching to sinners, when well conducted, is edifying to real Christians; so the preaching of those doctrines which are called Calvinism, addressed to believers, is calculated to convince and correct sinners, even when it galls and frets them.

Finally, Let us seek to trace and follow the whole path of duty; and by the prayer of faith call down that lifegiving Spirit, who will crown our efforts with success.

information to some, and gratification, it is thought, to many, who are aware of the general prevalence of irreligion on the European continent, and mere formality of the mass of those who pay any attention to religion. A few warmhearted Christians, I was favoured to