As a farther confirmation of the doctrine of Universal Redemption, let us next examine into the opposite doctrines of Election and Reprobation, as maintained by Calvin and first we will consider the texts of Scripture in which these words themselves occur. In the Old Testament, the whole nation of the Jews, including both good and bad, is said to be elected or chosen by God, and the word is never applied exclusively to those of the Jews who were obedient to his commands; "Because he loved thy Fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight, with his mighty power out of Egypt (q):" "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth (r):” “I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen (s) :" "I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there (t):" "For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect (u):""Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand (a) Deut. c. 4. v. 37. (s) Is. c. 43. v. 20. (r) Deut. c. 7. v. 6. unta unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt,, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God (r):" "0 ye sced of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen ones (y)." It is plain that the collective. body of the Jews, all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, both the rebellious and the faithful, are here denominated the chosen or elect of God; and in the numerous passages of the Old Testament, in which they are thus spoken of, there is not the slightest allusion to their being predestinated to happiness in the world to come; por indeed will any one contend that all the Jews were designed for eternal Salvation. They were elected in this world only, as an introductory and preparatory step to the execution of God's merciful scheme of human Redemption through the Incarnation and sufferings of Christ. We shall in like manner find that the same words, elect and chosen, are applied to collective bodies of men who were converted to the Gospel, without any restriction to those who were obedient to its precepts, and will hereafter be saved; and that an infallible certainty of Salvation, in consequence of a divine decree, is not attributed (+) Ezek. c. 20. v. 5. (y) 1 Chron. c. 16. v. 13. to to any number of Christians, or to any single Christian, throughout the New Testament. St. Peter tells the "strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia," that they are "elect, according to the foreknowledge of God ();" and "a chosen generation, a peculiar people; that they might shew forth the praises of him, who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light (a)." It is evident that the Apostle here refers to the calling of these men to the knowledge of the Gospel, which, like every other circumstance relative to this gracious dispensation, was foreknown by God; and that by denominating the Christians of these five extensive countries, indiscriminately, "elect" and "a chosen generation," he did not mean to assert that they would all be saved; but that they were admitted to "the marvellous light" of the Gospel, while other nations were still wandering in the "darkness" of heathenis. And to put this beyond all doubt, the same persons, whom in his first Epistle be addresses as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God," in his second Epistle he addresses as "them that have obtained like precious Faith with us, through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus, Christ:" (z) 1 Pet. c. I. v. 1 & 2. (a) 1 Pet. c. 2. v. Q. Christ (b):" to be elect, and to be a believer in Christ, are therefore the same thing. The whole tenor of these epistles plainly proves, that St. Peter did not consider that the persons to whom he writes must necessarily be saved; for among other precepts and exhortations he says, "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure (c): for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall, for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (d):" therefore the Salvation of these elect, of this chosen generation, was so far from being certain, that it depended upon their own "diligence;" their "not falling" was so far from being infallibly decreed, that their "entrance into the everlasting kingdom of Christ" depended upon their doing those things which the Apostle commanded: and he even predicts, that "false teachers, who would bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them, should make merchandize of some of them (e);" that is, should seduce them from the true Faith in Christ, and consequently defeat their Salvation: some therefore of these elect persons were not saved, At the close of his first Epistle, St. Peter says, (b) 2 Pet. c. I. v. I. (c) Election in the Calvinistic sense includes an infallible decree; but the Apostle could not call upon the Christian converts to make an infallible decree sure. (d) 2 Pet. c. I. v. 10 & 11. (e) 2 Pet. c. 2. v. "The I-3. "The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you:" here the Apostle calls the whole church of Babylon also elect, which again proves that the word is applicd generally to collective bodies of Christians, to all who in one or more cities or countries professed Christianity, without any discrimination; and that it is not confined to individuals who must necessarily be saved, or who were predestinated by God to certain Salvation; or even to those who will actually be saved. St. Paul begins his Epistle to the Ephesians in this manner, "Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ; by the will of God, to the Saints which are at Ephesus, and to the Faithful in Christ Jesus: grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will:.... Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself:.... in Christ also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated accord 4 ing |