of his soulu." Had not this been absolutely decreed, it might have happened, that not so much as one might ever have been saved, and that, consequently, Christ might have shed his blood in vain. For, if every thing had been left entirely dependent on the free will of man, all might have used their free will precisely in the same way ; and every child of man might have rejected him, exactly as the great mass of mankind are actually doing. But can we conceive that God would have given his Son to bear the iniquities of a ruined world, and have left it to mere chance, whether any single individual should ever obtain mercy through him, or become a jewel in his crown ? We cannot conceive this ; in fact, we know that it was not thus left to chance: we are sure, that there is a chosen people, who were from eternity given to Christ, to be redeemed by his blood, and to be saved by his grace : and that of those who were so given him, he neither has lost, nor ever will lose, so much as onex. How many these are, God alone knows: but we are sure they are " many," even " a multitude, whom no man can number, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation y."
It will probably be objected, that, if there be any who are thus predestinated unto life, the remainder must of necessity be ordained to death. But this we by no means admit. We grant that it is a difficulty which we are not able to explain : and we are contented to be ignorant of those things which it has not pleased God to reveal: and, whether men maintain or deny the doctrine in question, they will find themselves equally at a loss to make every thing intelligible to our finite capacities. It is Scripture, and Scripture alone, that must determine what is truth : and, as long as God declares with an oath that " he has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his wickedness and live," so long we may rest assured, that, notwithstanding he has predestinated many to life, he has not predestinated one single soul to death ; nor is the doctrine of absolute reprobation a just and necessary consequence of predestination. To draw the line, we again acknowledge to be beyond the power of any finite capacity : nor are we so much concerned to draw it as some may imagine : for, whether we admit or reject the doctrine of predestination, the same number will be saved at last. The man who denies that doc- trine, will admit, that all who repent and believe in Christ, shall be saved, and that all the impenitent and unbelieving shall perish : and the same is admitted by those who maintain the doctrine of predestination : so that an equal number are saved on either plan. The only difference lies in this : that
11 Ps. xxii. 30. with Isai. liii. 10, 11.
* Johnxvii. 2, 6, 9—12, 24. v Ilev. v. 9. and vii. 9.
1878.] PREDESTINATION CONSIDERED. ol7
they who maintain this doctrine refer all the glory of man's salvation to God alone, making him the Author and the Finisher of it, from first to last : whilst those who deny the doctrine, give a great measure of the glory to the creature : for, how- ever they may acknowledge that salvation through Christ is a gift to mankind at large, they make every individual the first moving cause of his own salvation : and exactly in proportion as they ascribe salvation either to human merit, or human agency as independent of God's grace, in that proportion they give to man a ground of glorying before God. Whatever they may say, according to them, it is man " who maketh him- self to differ ;" and his salvation must ultimately be ascribed to him as its true, proper, original, and moving cause. It is in this view that we are anxious to have the doctrine of pre- destination properly understood. As a mere abstract and speculative point, we could very contentedly wave the discus- sion of it : but, as involving the honour of God, we cannot but consider it as deserving our most serious attention. Never- theless, if any man cannot receive it, we are not disposed to contend with him, but are contented with pressing on his consideration such matters only as are of primary and funda- mental importance.]