tinue in their unbelief, and resist unto the end his Divine succors; so that election was conditional, and reprobation in like manner the result of foreseen infidelity and persevering wickedness.

"2. That Jesus Christ, by his sufferings and death, made an atonement for the sins of all mankind in general, and of every individual in particular; that, however, none but those who believe in him can be partakers of the Divine benefits.

"3. That true faith cannot proceed from the exercise of our natural faculties and powers, nor from the force and operation of free will; since man, in consequence of his natural corruption, is incapable either of thinking or doing any good thing; and that, therefore, it is necessary, in order to his salvation, that he be regenerated and renewed by the operation of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ.

"4. That this Divine grace or energy of the Holy Ghost begins and perfects everything that can be called good in man, and consequently all good works are to be attributed to God alone; that, nevertheless, this grace is offered to all, and does not force men to act against their inclinations, but may be resisted and rendered ineffectual by the perverse wills of impenitent sinners.

"5. That God gives to the truly faithful, who are regenerated by his grace, the means of preserving themselves in this state; and though the first Arminians made some doubt with respect to the closing part of this article, their followers uniformly maintain that the regenerate may lose true justifying faith, forfeit their state of grace, and die in their sins."-(Watson's Biblical Dictionary.)

From the above account of the general principles of Arminianism, we conclude, in reference to the great question which we have proposed, that all genuine Arminians agree,

1. That, notwithstanding the atonement has been made, those to whom the gospel is addressed cannot be saved without faith in Christ. 2. That mankind, by the exercise of their own natural powers, are incapable of believing in Christ unto salvation, without the supernatural influence of Divine grace through the Holy Spirit.

3. That the assisting grace of God is, through the atonement, so extended to every man as to enable him to partake of salvation.

Thus it may be seen, that while the Arminians discard the merit of works, or the ability to save themselves, yet they all agree in believing that the atonement of Christ so extends to all men as to make salvation possible for them. As we have now shown that all genuine Calvinists and Arminians are fairly at issue with regard to the extent of the atonement so as to make salvation possible to all men, and as the substance

of the entire controversy between them is plainly involved in that single question, we are now prepared to appeal "to the law and the testimony." On a subject of so great importance, we can confidently rely on nothing short of "Thus saith the Lord." And, happy for the honest inquirer after truth, upon no subject is the Holy Volume more copious and explicit. But as the present lecture is, perhaps, already sufficiently extended, we must defer the scriptural investigation of the question till the next lecture.

We trust that no unfairness has been exercised in the exhibit which we have made of the peculiar views of Calvinists and Arminians, and that we may now impartially examine the question.

LECTURE XV.

THE ATONEMENT. — ITS EXTENT.

In the preceding lecture, we saw that the main point of dispute between Calvinists and Arminians, in reference to the extent of the atonement, is embraced in the following question: Does the atonement of Christ so extend to all mankind as to make salvation possible for them? Upon this question, we endeavored to show that all genuine Calvinists assume the negative, and all genuine Arminians the affirmative.

That the affirmative is the real doctrine of Scripture, we shall now endeavor to prove.

I. Our first argument on this subject is founded upon those passages of Scripture in which, in speaking of the death or the atonement of Christ, terms of universality are used; such as, "the world," "the whole world," "all men," &c.

This class of texts is so numerous, that we need only select a few of many. John i. 29. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John iii. 16, 17. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." John iv. 42. "This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." John vi. 51. "And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 2 Cor. v. 14. "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead." Heb. ii. 9. "That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." 1 John ii. 2. "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 Tim. iv. 10. "Who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe." 2 Cor. v. 19. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." 1 Tim. ii. 6. "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." It has already been shown, in the discussion of the nature of the atonement, what is implied in Christ's dying "for us," or "for the world." With Calvinists, at least, there can be no evasion on this point; for none have more successfully than they, when contending against the Socinians, demonstrated

that the phrase" to die for," as used in application to the death of Christ, means to die instead of, as a vicarious and expiatory sacrifice. This point, then, being settled, which Calvinists will cheerfully admit, we may ask, how is it possible for language more clearly and forcibly to teach that Christ died for all men, so as to make salvation possible for them, than it is taught in the passages adduced? He is said to have died "for all," "for the world," " for every man,” and, as if expressly to preclude all possibility for cavil, either in reference to the nature or the extent of his atonement, he is said to have given himself a "ransom for all," tc be "reconciling the world unto himself," and to be the "propitiation for the sins of the whole world."

The reply of the Calvinists to this argument is, that the terms "all men," "the world," &c., are sometimes used, in Scripture, in a limited sense. In reference to this, we may observe, that it cannot be admitted as a principle in criticism, that because a term is sometimes used in an unusual sense, and one different from the most obvious and general meaning, therefore it must so be understood in other places, even when there is nothing in the context to justify or require that unusual sense. Although we may admit that the terms "world" and "all men" may sometimes be used in a restricted sense, the conclusion which the Calvinists would draw from this admission is a non sequitur;—it does not follow that the terms are to be restricted in the passages above quoted. So far from the context requiring this restriction, which would be necessary to the validity of the Calvinistic plea in question, we may confidently affirm that the entire connection and scope of the passages forbid the possibility of the terms being restricted. When our Saviour says, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him," &c., it is clear that the world for whom the Saviour was given cannot be restricted to the elect; for the restriction which immediately follows, and promises "eternal life," not to the world, but to such of the world as should believe, is positive evidence that the world for whom the Saviour was given would not all be saved. When St. Paul says, "We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead," he proves the universality of spiritual death, or, (as Macknight paraphrases the passage,) of "condemnation to death," from the fact that Christ" died for all." Now if Christ only died for the elect, the apostle's argument could only prove that the elect were spiritually dead, or condemned to death, which would be a violent perversion of the sense of the passage. When the apostle calls Christ the "Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe," believers are evidently specified as only a part of the "all men" of whom Christ is said to be "the Saviour." When St. John declares that Christ is "the propitiation for our sins,

and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world," believers are first specified, as identified with the apostle, by the phrase "our sins;" and hence, when it is added, "not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world," it is evident that the term should be taken in the widest sense as embracing all mankind.

The Scriptures are their own best interpreter; and, where it can be done, one passage should be explained by another. If, therefore, it could be shown, that the same writers have, in other places, used these general terms to designate the elect, or believers, as such, there would be more plausibility in the restricted construction of Calvinists; but this is so far from being the case, that the elect or believers, as such, are constantly, in the Scriptures, contradistinguished from "the world." The terms of universality, in the passages quoted, are never, in Scripture, applied to the elect or believers, as such. When St. John says that Christ is "the propitiation for the sins of the whole world," the sense in which he uses the term may be learned from that other expression of his, where he saith, "the whole world lieth in wickedness." When St. Paul says that Christ" tasted death for every man," he uses the phrase 66 every man" in as wide a sense as when he informs us that "every man" is to be raised from the dead "in his own order." When the Saviour informs us that he came "not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved," he refers to the same world of which he speaks when he says to his disciples, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." We may, therefore, arrive at the conclusion, from those passages of Scripture in which, in speaking of the death of Christ, terms of universality are used, that the atonement of Christ so extends to all mankind as to make salvation possible for them.

II. Our second argument is founded upon those passages which contrast the death of Christ with the fall of our first parents. 1 Cor. xv. 22. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." It is admitted that in this passage the resurrection of the body is the principal topic of discussion; nevertheless, there is here a clear inferential proof that Christ died for all men, so as to make salvation attainable by them. For if, by virtue of his death and resurrection, all men are to be redeemed from the grave, then it will follow that all men were represented by Christ in the covenant of redemption; and if so, he must have died as an expiation for their sins; and how he could do this, without intending to make salvation attainable by them, will be difficult to reconcile with reason and Scripture.

Rom. v. 15, &c. "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.