ILLUSTRATIONS. I. That Christ died for those also who shall be lost, is taught in 1 Thess. 5: 9 &c. comp. 3: 5, where Paul presupposes it as possible that his exertions might prove fruitless. Matth. 18: 11-14, even so it is not the will of your heavenly Father, that one of these little ones should perish see v. 6. &c. Rom. 14: 15, but if thy brother be grieved on account of the meat, thou dost no longer walk according to love. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 1 Cor. 8: 11, and through thy knowledge the weak brother shall perish, for whom Christ died. 2 Pet. 2: 1, but there were false prophets, also, among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who introduce destructive sects, and deny the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Pet. 1: 9. Luke 22. 19. Here Jesus does not exclude the traitor (v. 21) who was lost (v. 22), from the number of those for whom be offered his body and shed his blood. If the conditions of pardon and salvation are not fulfilled by men, the universality of the pardon itself is not thereby destroyed. Thus, should the son of a king intercede for a body of criminals, and obtain a pardon for them; if the pardon is procured for them all, and offered to them all, on certain conditions to be performed by them, the pardon is universal, whether they all avail themselves of the benefits of it or not. II. The wicked are lost because they refuse to accept salvation.-Rom. 1: 18, the wrath of God is revealed. v. 19, because that which may be known of God [a knowledge of God] is manifest in them. v. 20, that they may be without excuse. 9:32. 10: 16, they have not all obeyed the glad tidings. v. 21, all the day long have I extended my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people. Acts. 13: 46, ye judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life. 2 Thess. 2: 10, they received not the 15 VOL. II. love of the truth, that they might be saved. (Comp. v. 12) Matth. 23: 37, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, and ye would not. Luke 19: 44, thou knewest not the time of thy (probationary) visitation, Exηs. 7: 30, the Pharisees and lawyers, by not being baptised by him, frustrated the counsel of God concerning themselves. επισκοπης. III. Luke 16: 10. 19: 13, 15, 17, 26. Matth. 25: 19, 21, 23, 26, 29. 1 Cor. 4: 2, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. IV. Ezek. 18: 23, "should I take delight in the misery of the wicked (says Jehovah), and not much rather wish that he should turn from his ways and live?" comp. v. 32. 33: 11. Luke 14: 21. Rom. 2: 4, the goodness of God leadeth you to repentance. 9: 22, ηνεγκεν εν πολλῃ μακροθυμία σκευη οργης κατηρτισμένα εις απωλειαν “ God had borne those who had been already ripe for punishment, with much longsuffering (in order that they might reform)." 1 Tim. 2: 4, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 2 Pet. 3: 9, the Lord does not delay the promise (as some account it a delay), but he is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 1 Dissert. II. in Epist. ad Coloss. et Phil. Note 156. § 68. Little children also are saved for Christ's sake. According to this purpose of the divine will those who die in infancy, and to whom the title to heaven purchased by Christ, belongs no less than mortality (Rom. 5: 12, 18, 15), will undoubtedly obtain this salvation (1). For, unlike the wicked (Luke 16: 10), they have not lost their right by disobedience. Nor will that natural depravity be laid to their charge, by which they were deprived alike of life and of opportunity to evince their faithfulness in the use of their talents in this life (2). ILLUSTRATIONS. I. Mark 10: 14, 15, των γαρ τοιουτων (παιδιων) εστιν η Paoikeia tov Dεov for of such is the kingdom of God. Children must have been included in the word "such," because the proposition "the kingdom of God belongs to humble adults, to such as have as little pride and arrogance as children," would be no reason (yag) why children should not be prevented from coming to Jesus.1 Children partake of the pardon and salvation purchased by Christ, as well as adults, only in a measure commensurate with their smaller capacity. II. Depravity of Children.-Even the smallest child is not an undepraved creature of God. It is at least unworthy of being transferred into the society of the citizens of heaven. Its mortality is a part of the punishment of Adam's sin, in which all mankind participate. The remainder of this punishment is remitted. The child is, after death, treated as though it were an undepraved crea 1 On the Object of the death of Christ, p. 506. ture of God, as though it were not under the curse of the law. It is received into the society of the holy angels.1 $ 69. Faithful obedience to the dictates of conscience is, in adults, the condition of participation in the salvation purchased by Christ. The condition, on which adults or those who have attained the use of reason, obtain the salvation purchased by Christ (1), is faithful (2) obedience to the voice of conscience. (Rom. 2: 12-15). Conscience urges them to reverence for an invisible Judge, whose being and attributes they can learn (3) from his visible works, with a clearness proportionate to the degree in which they cherish and obey her monitions. These are moreover, occasionally, in the providence of God, excited to the highest degree of sensibility by external circumstances, such as blessings (4) or misfortunes (5) of unusual magnitude. ILLUSTRATIONS. 66 I. To these, for example, belongs Enoch. Heb. 11: 5, Ενωχ μετετέθη, του μη ιδειν θανατον " Enoch was taken away from the earth to enjoy eternal salvation," see § 65.2 II. Heb. 11: 5, God took Enoch away, because he had 1 Sup. cit. p. 660, 586. [On this subject, Whitby makes the following energetic remark: "Imo, infantes poenis aeternis subjicere, ob peccatum Adami, est severius cum iis agere, quam cum ipso diabolo aut cum Adamo qui peccatum ipsemet commisit." See on this subject, the Theological Dissertation of Dr. Mosheim entitled, "The salvation of christian and pagan infants demonstrated;" Buddei Theol. Dog. Lib. III. cap. II. § XXIV. p. 591. S]. 2 See Storr's Commentary on the Heb. in loc. Notes m, and n. long before been his faithful and beloved servant, μεμαρτύρηται ευηρεστηκεναι τῳ θεῳ. The approbatory sentence relative to Enoch, that "he gained the approbation of God and served him in a given him in v. 22, is repeated at the mention of his being taken away (Gen. ch. 5). According to Heb. 11: 6, Enoch also expected a future retribution. "Those also who lived before Christ, (or since that time,) and yet knew nothing of a Redeemer, will doubtless partake of that salvation purchased for every individual of the human family, if they have only cherished a faith in God as far as their circumstances rendered it possible, and acted in obedience to the dictates of this faith. Nor will the fact that they knew nothing of this atonement prevent its application to them."3 III. Rom. 1, 19-21. Acts 14: 17. Ps. 19: 2—4. IV. Rom. 2: 3. Job. 33: 18, 25. V. Luke 15: 14-17, (parable of the prodigal son), compare Job 33: 19 &c. § 70. Provisions of God for the promulgation of saving truth among men. God, from the beginning, promoted the dissemination of saving truth by various special instructions and institutions (1). Afterward, for wise purposes (2), he confined the immediate and most distinct revelations of his will to the people of Israel (3) only (4). But even this limited arrangement was frequently the means of diffusing religious knowledge |