for all. In the second place, these passages are, in some cases at least, hypothetical. When Paul exhorts the Corinthians not to cause those to perish for whom Christ died, he merely exhorts them not to act selfishly towards those for whom Christ had exhib- ited the greatest compassion. The passage neither asserts nor im- plies that any actually perish for Avhom Christ died. None perish whom He came to save ; multitudes perish to whom salvation is offered on the ground of his death.
As God in the course of nature and in the dispensation of his providence, moves on in undisturbed majesty, little concerned at the apparent complication or even inconsistency of one effect or one dispensation with another; so the Spirit of God in the Bible unfolds the purposes, truths, and dealings of God, just as they are, assured that even finite minds will ultimately be able to see the con- sistency of all his revelations. The doctrines of foreordination, sovereignty, and effectual providential control, go hand in hand with those of the liberty and responsibility of rational creatures. Those of freedom from the law, of salvation by faith without works, and of the absolute necessity of holy living stand side by side. On the same page we find the assurance of God's love to sinners, and declarations that He would that all men should come unto Him and live, with explicit assertions that He has determined to leave mul- titudes to perish in their sins. In like manner, the expi'ess declara- tions that it was the incomprehensible and peculiar love of God for his own people, which induced Him to send his Son for their re- demption ; that Christ came into the world for that specific object ; that He died for his sheep ; that He gave Himself for his Church ; and that the salvation of all for whom He thus offered Himself is rendered certain by the gift of the Spirit to bring them to faith and repentance, are intermingled with declarations of good-will to all mankind, with offers of salvation to every one who will believe in the Son of God, and denunciations of wrath ao-ainst those Avho reject these overtures of mercy. All we have to do is not to ignore or deny either of these modes of representation, but to open our minds wide enough to receive them both, and reconcile them as best we can. Both are true, in all the cases above referred to, whether we can see their consistency or not.
In the I'eview of this subject, it is plain that the doctrine that Christ died equally for all men with the purpose of rendering the salvation of all possible, has no advantage over the doctrine that He died specially for his own people, and with the purpose of rendering their salvation certain. It presents no higher view of VOL. n. 36
562 PART m. Ch. Vm. — for whom did CHRIST DIE?
the love of God, or of the value of Christ's work. It affords no better ground for the offer of salvation " to every creature," nor does it render more obvious the justice of the condemnation of those who reject the gospel. They are condemned by God, angels, and men, and by their own consciences, because they refuse to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, and to love, worship, trust, and obey Him accordingly. The oj)- posite, or anti-Augustinian doctrine, is founded on a partial view of the facts of the case. It leaves out of view the clearly revealed special love of God to his peculiar people ; the union between Christ and his chosen ; the representative character which He assumed as their substitute ; the certain efficacy of his sacrifice in virtue of the covenant of redemption ; and the necessary connection be- tween the gif\; of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spii'it. It more- over leads to confused and inconsistent views of the plan of salva- tion, and to unscriptural and dangerous theories of the nature of the atonement. It therefore is the limited and meagre scheme ; whereas the orthodox doctrine is catholic and comprehensive ; full of consolation and spiritual power, as well as of justice to all man- kind.