harsh and narrow view of God's character, and fairly lays Christiar.ity open to the modern charges brought against it as cruel and unjust to the ungodly. If Grod takes no thought for any but his elect, and cares for none beside, how shall God judge the world ? — I believe in the electing love of God the Father as stro- gly as any one. I regard the special love with which God loves the sheep whom He has given to Christ from all eternity, as a most blessed and comfortable truth, and one most cheering and profitable to beUevers. I only say, that it is not the truth of this text.
The true view of the words, " God loved the world," I believe to be this. The " world " means the whole race of mankind, both saints and sinners, without any exception. The word, in my opinion, is so used in John i. 10, 29 ; vi. 33, 51 ; viii. 12. — Rom. iii. 19.— 2 Cor. v. 19.— 1 John ii. 2; iv. U. The "love" spoken of is that love of pity aad compassion with which God regards all His creatures, and specially regards mankind. It is the same feehng of "love" which appears in Psalm cxlv. 9, — Ezek. xxxiii. 11 —John vi. 32.— Titus iii. 4.— 1 John iv. 10.— 2 Pet. iii. 9. — 1 Tim. ii. 4. It is a love unquestionably distinct and separate from the special love with which God regards His saints. It is a love of pity and not of approbation or complais- ance. But it is not the less a real love. It is a love which clears God of injustice in judging the world.
I am quite familiar with the objections commonly brought against the theory I have just propounded. I find no weight in them, and am not careful to answer them. Those who con- fine God's love exclusively to the elect appear to me t > take a narrow and contracted view of God's character and attributes. They refuse to God that attribute of compassion with which even an earthly father can regard a profligate son, and can ofifer to him pardon, even though his compassion is despised and his offers refused. I have long come to the conclusion that men may be more systematic in their statements than the Bible, and may be led into grave error by idolatrous veneration of a system. The following quotation from one whom for convenience sake I must call a thorough Calvinist, I mean Bishop Davenant, will show that the view I advocate is not new.
'' The general love of God toward mankind is so clearly tes- tified in Holy Scripture, and so demonstrated by the manifold effects of God's goodness and mercy extended to every par- ticular man in this world, that to doubt thereof were infidelity, and to deny it plain blasphemy." — Davenanfs Answer to Hoard, p.l.
"God hateth nothing which Himself created. And yet it is most true that He hateth sin in any creature, and hateth -the