The Truth by Which God Shows His Willingness That All Men Should Be Saved

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tfawaj avdpwffous tfwdrjvai, xai sfe iflfiyvwa’iv ‘AXijdeias ilde7v.

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“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

In these and the preceding verses the apostle enjoins a most important duty, Prayer for all sorts, states, and conditions of men; and this he recommends by motives and arguments the strongest that can be conceived. — “I will, therefore, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth”

Prayer for the pardon of sin, and- for the obtaining of necessary supplies of grace, and continual protection from God, with gratitude and thanksgiving for mercies already received, are duties which our sinful and dependant state renders absolutely necessary. That intercourse between God and the soul, which constitutes acquaintance with him, is essential to religion and piety. It is a good thing in itself; it argues a heart dependant on God, and conscious of its dependance; and it is acceptable to God, because, as it springs from, so it leads to him; and when it is exercised in behalf of others, it is the

* I give the text in the original, because this is frequently referred to in the course of the sermon. means of begetting and extending charity, humanity, and benevolence: and God crowns it with the blessings for which it is exercised. For these reasons it must be good; and all good in principle and practice is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

But the words which I have particularly selected lead to subjects which constitute the basis of all true religion, and I shall beg leave to introduce them with some general remarks.

1. Every institution, whether human or divine, is founded on certain principles which give direction and efficiency to such institutions.

2. These principles spring from the reason, propriety, or necessity, that such institutions should be formed; that such principles should not only be their basis, but ramify themselves through all the rules and regulations formed for the proper conducting of such institutions.

3. These institutions are formed to promote or accomplish a particular end j and such an end as justifies the motives, and sanctions the means and energies which are required to be brought into action for their accomplishment.

If the institution be divine it is founded on the perfections of God; and mit necessarily partake of his wisdom, his goodness, holiness, and truth. He wills it, because he sees it to be right and proper. His will revealed, is the expression of his ineffable wisdom, holiness, goodness, and truth. Whatever he wills must be right and just in itself, and consequently acceptable to all the attributes and perfections of his nature.

Religion is the institution of God; it expresses his will, it manifests his perfections; and as it concerns man, for whose sake alone the institution itself was formed and exists, it strongly points out the benevolence of its Author, because it is framed for the present and eternal good of the human race.

In the verses before us the apostle lays down the prin-THAT ALL MEN SHOULD BE SAVED. Hi

ciples of this institution; the end which it proposes; and the means to be employed for the accomplishment of this end. The divine purpose is first summarily declared : —

1. God wills that all men should be saved;

2. And in order to this, that they should come to the knowledge of the truth.

The truth which is to be known and acknowledged, is next produced in its essential principles.

1. There is one God.

2. There is one Mediator between God and men.

3. This Mediator is particularly characterized as “The man Christ Jesus.”

4. What he did as Mediator is next declared, “He gave himself a ransom for all.” And,

5. This system of truth is to be testified to men in due and proper times, that they may ncknowtedge it, and be finally saved’. Of these in order.

I. The purpose of God is declared: he wills that all men should be saved: this will, or desire, is founded on the following principles. 1. He is, the Creator of all 2. He made of one flesh and blood all the nations of men, to dwell on the face of the whole earth, 3. He made man in his own image and likeness, that he might be happy. 4. In this original purpose and creating act, be had in view all the posterities of that one human pair which he created. None were created but Adam and Eve: all the rest came by natural generation from those two. There was no distinction of original families, created at different times, or for different purposes: two persons onlj were created, and whatever was designed for them, was necessarily designed for the. whole of their posterity, all of whom were seminally included .in this first and only created pair; being properly and physically a part of themselves, and continual partakers of their being. And as God intended that man should spring from man after this creation, so he considered them as one stock, one

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family, of which himself was the/cither and the head: and however he might, in his providence, scatter them over the earth, assign them different habitations, and different bounds to those habitations; yet, in reference to their immortal spirits, and their eternal states, he made no distinction; but, as declared here, willed the salvation of all: for “all men” necessarily takes in the whole posterity of the first pair; and that posterity is a continuation and extension of the being of the human stock. It cannot appear strange, therefore, that God should will all men to be saved; because this necessarily follows from his willing the salvation of any:. for human nature has not been divided, and every portion of it falls equally under the merciful regards of the Father of the spirits of all flesh. When God purposed the creation of man he willed his happiness, and therefore gave him such a kind of being, endued with such capacities and perfections as could be brought into intimate communion with himself, and were capable of receiving such influences or emanations from the divine perfections as to constitute an incredible sum of intellectual happiness. When man sinned, and lost by transgression that righteousness, and true holiness which constituted the M image of God” in which he was created, and so lost his happiness, and became sinful and miserable; God, who is an invariable source of benevolence toward his intelligent offspring, willed his salvation; which implies his deliverance from that state of darkness, sinfulness, and misery, into which -he had fallen, his restoration to the divine favour, by being again made partaker of the divine image, and consequently his restoration to that state of. happiness which he had lost by sin. Therefore his “willing the salvation of all men” is only a .consequence and revealed expression of that will or divine determination, that the human creature which he had designed to make should be a happy being. And as he w*s originally happy, because he was holy, so God designed to restore him to holiness that he might repos

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se’ss that happiness which was his portion in the beginning of the creation of God. Whatsoever new forms this design might assume, or through whatever new circumstances it was necessary to be manifested, it was still essentially the same ia itself; and invariable in respect of its object.

II. But in order that this design might be accomplished, it was necessary that it should be. revealed: and that. God, its author, should be glorified, it Was necessary that he should be made known; and that man, its object, should be duly affected by it, it was requisite that his state, danger, and obligation* should be fully declared. And this has been done by the Spirit of God in Moses. in the prophets, and in the writers of the New Testament. In these the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; God is made known to man; and man is brought to an acquaintance with himself. This revelation contains the only system of pure theology; the only rational account of the being and perfections of God, — of good and evil, — of justice and injustice, — ofHhe immortality of the soul, — of a future state, — of the general resurrection, — of that worship which God requires, — and of the way in which man may be restored to the favour and image of God. The outlines of these important doctrines were revealed in the Old Testament: the particulars and fulness are brought to light by the New. This revelation is termed the truth; and the New Testament, particularly, the truth of ‘God, and the truth of the gospel.

Truth is the contrary to falsity. Truth has been defined the conformity of notions to things, — of words to thoughts; — it declares the thing that is, and as it is. Whereas falsity, in all its acceptations, is that which is not-, — What is pretended to be a fact, but either is no fact, or is not represented as it really is.

The revelation of God to man in reference to his salvation, is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It bears a strict conformity to the perfections j 32 THE WILLINGNESS OF GOO

of the divine nature. It inspiresrsuch notions -.as are conformable to the things of whioh they are the mental ectypes; and describes its subjects by such words as are conformable to the thoughts- they represent.

The revelation of God is the mind of God made known to men, and the mind is not truer to itself, than the inspired writings are to the mind and purpose of God.

Truth is sometimes put in opposition to what ‘imperfect, emblematical, and representative: so, in these words of the evangelist, — “The law was given by Moses; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” John i, 17. The Mosaic law was a representative system; it was “the shadow of good things to come, and not the very image,” Heb, x, 1. The gospel is the substance, — -in it all the outlines are filled ‘up, the representations and types of the law are fulfilled by the exhibition of their realities. The law made nothing perfect: — it pointed out by shadows and similitudes those better things which were yet to come; and thus it was the truth, the fulfilment of the sacrificial system, which offered only representative victims; but the gospel brought in and exhibited the true, sacrifice-, that Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Now this truth contains especially the following grand fundamental principles: —

1. There is one God. — There is one self-existing, infinite, eternal being; possessed of all possible perfections, and of each in an infinite manner; an eternity of perfections, and each perfection absolutely so. He is so perfect that no perfection is wanting; and so absolutely perfect that no perfection can be added. This God is the good being, the fountain of goodness, the source of blessedness. As evil is a privation and imperfection it cannot exist in him. It has been brought into creation, but it is not of him; though he permits it, he has not produced it,

“No evil can from Him proceed;
‘Tis only suffer’d, not decreed;
As darkness is not from the sun,
Nor mount the shades till he is gone.’-

I a a

As he is infinite, omniscient, absolute, and eternal, he can be but one. For there cannot be two infinites, nor two eternals. There can be but one that inhabits eternity; there can be but one who filleth all things; and who is the creator, possessor, and preserver of all. This is the first principle of truth, and is the foundation of all religion, all science, all wisdom, and all that can be called TRUTH.

This most august and most perfect of all beings, and the source whence all existence is derived, is here termed 2w<r>)£ tjjxwv ®Gogt our Saviour God, — the God who saves man, and the only being who can save: for the salvation of a lost world is a work which an all-powerful and infinitely good God alone can effect. And such is his goodness, such his love to man, that he assumes this character, and will be known by this name. In this character fallen man needs him most; and in this character he is most prominently exhibited in his own word. He that cometh to him, (professes to worship him,) must know that he is, that he is the sole author of existence; and that because he is good and the saving God, he is “the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” They seek him in order to be saved: and they have salvation in consequence of seeking, him; which is a reward or recompense, not of debt, but of grace; for God the Saviour does all things for his own name’s sake.

There are attributes which now belong to God, which are not essential to his nature. He is merciful $ but before the fall of man this could not have been one of his attributes. In like manner he is long-suffering. He is the forgiver of iniquity, transgression, and sin: in a word he is God our Saviour. But although all these spring from his infinite goodness, which ever was and must be an essential attribute of his nature, yet it was only in consequence of sin entering into the world, that his innate essential goodness became necessary to- be expressed by these manifestations and their roncomitant acts, Man

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is a sinner* and therefore he needs a Saviour : — -man has destroyed himself; but in God is his help. Man cannot give a ransom for his own soul, but his saving God has found out a ransom.

2. The second principle mentioned by the apostle as contained in that truth which is necessary to the salvation of the world, is, “There is one mediator between God and men.”

The word mediator (Mefomc) signifies a middle person; one that stands between two parties, either for the sake of introducing them to each other that they may become acquainted) or of reconciling them to each other, who were before at enmity. In no common case can a man become mediator, who is not acquainted with both parties, and has not the confidence of each. The parties requiring a mediator in the case before us, are God and men.

(1.) Men who had sinned against God, and rebelled against their sovereign; and so had committed a capital offence, for which they were justly exposed to such an exile and punishment, as should banish them from the presence of God, and from the glory of his power for ever,1 and consign them to everlasting perdition.

(2.) God, their creator and sovereign, from whom they received their being, and to whom their allegiance was invariably due; but against whom they had sinned, and from whom they had deeply revolted. These fallen spirits God willed to save and redeem from impending ruin. Such was the nature of their sin, and of his holiness, that the original union in which man’s happiness consisted could hot possibly be restored, unless God could become such a one as man, or man be restored to the divine image, and thus be brought into that state of union with him, which he has in the beginning. Man who was a rebel, and not even a penitent, could not expect to be restored to favour; and man who was a sinner and full of impurity, could not expect to be brought into this nnton, which could not take place without such a moral change as it was utterly impossible he should work in himself.

3. This mediator is particularly characterized as the man Christ Jesus.

God, who willed the salvation of this fallen creature, found out a suitable mediator: 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.” As the mediator was the person whose business it was to reconcile contending parties, hence Suidas explains m<s<Sit>?£, mediator, by sjprjvoTrojo?, a peace-maker. God was justly offended with the crimes of men; to restore them to his peace Jesus became mediator. And that Christ might appear to be in every sense proper for this office, the apostle adds, “The man Christ Jesus” as it was necessary he should be incarnated; and thus he, who was in the form of God, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

But we are not to suppose that the mediatorial office of Christ did not begin till after his ascension to heaven. Those appearances under the patriarchal dispensation, and also under the Mosaic, of a glorious personage sometimes called the “Angel of the Lord,” the “Angel of the covenant,” and the “Captain of the Lord’s hosts,” who assumes the name of Jehovah, and performs acts practicable only by him whose power is unlimited, and whose judgments are just, have been supposed by the wisest of men to have been appearances of him “in the likeness of man,” who, in the fulness of time, took upon him the form of a man, by being incarnated of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the virgin Mary. Had man been left just as he was when he fell from God, he, in all probability, had been utterly unsalvable; as he appears to have lost all his spiritual light and understanding, and even his moral feeling. We have no mean proof of this in his endeavouring to “hide himself,” among the trees of the garden, from the presence and eye of Him, whom previously to his transgression, he knew to be “every where, present;” to whose eye the darkness and the light are both alike, and who discerns the most secret thoughts of the heart of man. Add to this, it appears as if he had neither self abasement nor contrition, and therefore he charged his crime upon the woman* and indirectly upon God; while the woman, on her side, charged her delinquency upon the serpent. As they were, so would have been all their posterity, had not some gracious principle been supernaturally restored to enlighten their minds, to give them some knowledge of £ood and evil, of right and wrong, of virtue and vice; and thus bring them into a salvable state. Now, the gracious mediator is expressly said to be that “true light which lightens every man that cometh into the world,” John i, 9. And it is from this light that we have conscience: for conscience is neither a principle of light, nor a power of ‘discernment; but a recipient subject which is capable of receiving light and transmitting it to the judgment, in order to enable it to form a proper estimate of the moral conduct of its owner. It is precisely to the soul what the eye is to the body: the eye is not light, nor a principle of light, nor can it of itself discern any- thing; but it is a proper recipient of light, without which there is no vision’: as the sun, or in his absence, borrowed or artificial light, shines upon and through the different humours of the eye; so objects within the range of vision are discerned: and as Jesus, the trite light, by his Spirit shines upon conscience, so a man is capable of forming a just estimate of his spiritual state. This light is both directive and convicting, and affords to every fallen soul a grand antagonist power by which men may resist evil: by the proper use of which, those who are brought to God receive more grace; and for the abuse of which, every man shall be judged in the great day. This light Jesus, as mediator, has imparted to all men, in all ages, and in all countries. It is this saving principle that has ever remonstrated against evil showed man his transgression, shone upon his guilt, and convinced him of his own helplessness.

After his ascension this mediator appeared, and ever appears, in the presence of God for us: and thus before and after his incarnation he was the “one mediator between God and men.” As there can be but one God, so there can be but one mediator. For he who must be mediator between God and man must partake of both natures. Who else could appear in the presence of God to negotiate the concerns of the whole world? We have already seen that Jesus the mediator has all the essential attributes of that God, of whose glory he is the brightness, and of whose person he is the express image; and his incarnation proves that he was made man: and his manner of life, passion, and death, manifest that his human nature was precisely the same as that of all other men. Thus we find two distinel persons in one being; for in the man Christ Jesus dwelt all the fulness of the godhead bodily.

This subject is considered by many pious men to be one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian religion, which should be adored and implicitly received, but’is no subject for rational investigation. On such subjects as these we perhaps concede too much to those, who pretending to believe nothing but what they can rationally account for, in fact, believe nothing at all. Every attribute of God may be, in some sense,* a subject for reason. Reason can even look into his eternity; and when comparing that with all the characteristics and affections of time, can at once conceive that it had no beginning, can have no end, and is, in all considerations, illimitable and incomprehensible. And he who inhabiteth eternity must be necessarily without beginning of days and end of time, infinite, unlimited, independent,’ and self-existent.

Thus far reason can acquire a satisfactory view of eternity, by comparing it with time; Time is duration, which had a beginning, and will have an end. Eternitv i 38 THE WILLINGNESS OF GOD

is duration, but differ? from time as being without beginning and without end. Reason; in reference to the incarnation, can at least proceed thus: — I have an immortal spirit; it dwells in and actuates my mortal body. As then, my soul can dwell in my body, so could the deity dwell in the man Christ Jesus. He who can believe that Isaiah, or any of the prophets, spoke by inspiration, i. e. “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,” must believe the possibility of the incarnation ofmChrist. And he who can believe it possible that Christ can dwell in the hearts of his followers, can as easily believe that the Messiah or Logos, which was in the beginning with God, “was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth,” John i, 14. Reason says, if the one was possible so is the other; and as one is fact, so may the other be also. The possibility of the thing is evident. God says the fact has taken place;’ that, therefore, which faith saw before to be possible and probable, it sees now to be certain; for God’s testimony added puts all doubts to flight. The Lord Jesus, the Al mighty ‘sfellow, was incarnated of the Holy Ghost, and was made man,: and by being God and man was every way qualified to be mediator “between God and men,” as the text declares him to be. God and man met in the same person of Jesus Christ: and God was in this Christ reconciling the world to himself. In both these cases, reason, without going out of its proper province by meddling with things inconceivable, may arrive at such unimpeachable evidence as may satisfy honest inquiry, and silence doubt.

Some of the ancients appear to have thought that the word a&guvos, man, in the last clause of the verse, was a needless repetition; and therefore read the verse thus: “There is one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus.” But, that the term is here repeated with manifest design, and that it not only strengthens, but explains the sense, will be evident when the 5th verse is considered. Christ Jesus, who was from the beginning, who

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appeared? to the patriarchs, and who spake by the prophets, really became man that he might be qualified to redeem man. Man must always mediate between man and man. Angels would be utterly incapable of such an office, as they could not enter into the feelings, because destitute of the sympathies of human beings. Hence they have never been employed in this work, nor are they employed in preaching the gospel, for the very same reason. They cannot apprehend as men; they cannot feel as mens therefore they would be inappropriate, and even the highest of them, useless preachers. God therefore preaches to man by man; and when Jesus undertook to save men he took upon him the nature of man. He had also the true nature of God: and as he could, in consequence, properly estimate the requisitions of divine justice, and feel to the uttermost that the law was holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good; so, in becoming man he could feel for the miseries of his brethren; and thus stand a proper, and in every way duly qualified mediator between God and man; of God, to represent his justice to the sinner; of man, to represent his miseries to the divine mercy.

4. What he did as Mediator, in order to save man, is another principle in the system of revealed truth; “He gave himself a ransom for all.”

His incarnation might by some have been supposed sufficient to answer all the purposes of reconciling men to God. “Could it be supposed that the good and benevolent God would ‘look on those with indifference, who were represented’^ so august a person; — one who shared their nature, who assumed it for the very purpose of recommending them to God, who, while he felt the sympathies and charities of humanity, was equally concerned for the honour and justice of God, and who, from the perfection of his nature, could feel no partialities, nor maintain, nor advocate the interests of one against the honour oi the other ,?” I believe the reason of man could not have gone further than this. And had revelation stopped here, reason would have thought that the incarnation was sufficient; and’ that even divine justice could not have withheld any favour from such an intercessor-Even this would have appeared a noble expedient, worthy of the benevolence of God; and a sufficient reason why he should receive into his favour the beings who were united to Him, who from eternity lay in his bosom, and in whom he ever delighted. But God’s ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. Had man never sinned, and needed only to be recommended to the- divine notice, in order to receive favours, or even to obtain eternal life, this might have been sufficient. But when he had sinned, and become a rebel and traitor against his maker and sovereign, the case was widely different: atonement for the offence was indispensably requisite in default of which, the penalty (fully known to him previously to the offence) must be exacted. “In the* day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die;” for “the’ soul that sinneth, it shall die.” On this account, the incarnation alone could not be sufficient: nor did it take place in reference to this, but in reference to his bearing the penalty due to man for his transgression; for, without being incarnated, he could not have suffered, nor died. Hence the text adds, “Who gave himself a ransom for all:” that is, — who suffered death upon the cross for the redemption of the world.

The word ransom in our language, is the same as redemption, or the sum paid for the redemption of a captive, and is used in law for the redemption of a capital punishment, due by law to any offence: (Home, lib. iii, 1, De amerciament taxable:) and hence the etymology of the word ransom; French, rancon, from rende somme, — render, or give the sum; i. e, what the law requires for the offence committed ‘. *

The word Aurgov, from, >^w, to loose, or to pay a price, has in Greek nearly the same meaning, — the sum of money required to be paid for the redemption of a captive, and thus to loose or dissolve the obligation the person was under to serve or to be punished. But the word AwiXurgov, used here by the apostle, signifies properly a corresponding price, or ransom, the redeeming life by life. Hence Hesychius interprets AvnXurpa, by auriua: “Antihitra signifies those piacular sacrifices in which life is given for life;” — or the life of one redeemed by the life of another: and this was the true notion of sacrifice in all ages, and among all the inhabitants of the world. Caesar tells us that it was the opinion of the Gauls, among whom human sacrifices were prevalent that “the anger of the immortal gods could not be appeased unless the life of a man was redeemed by the life of another.” Quod pro vita hominis, nisi vita hominis reddatur, non posse aliter deorum immortalium numen placari arbitruntur. Com. lib. vi, sec. 15. Jesus Christ gave his life for the life of the world: — he laid down his life for the sheep. While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son: — for he was delivered for our offences; and God made his soul (life) an offering for sin. With such assertions the Scripture abounds. The same word AvnXurpov, is rendered by Hesychius, wnSorov, antidote, but this does not signify merely a medicine by which poison is counteracted, or destroyed; but one thing given in the place of another; as in the case above, the life of Christ given for the life of the world — “For all” that is, for all who had-sinned, — for all those whose nature he had assumed: for, “he took not- upon him the nature of angels, but ]the seed of Abraham,” an expression, by the way which has been misunderstood, and pitifully misrepresented: for it is supposed that Jby the “seed of Abraham,” the Jewish people are particularly represented ; — but wkey was, the covenant made with Abrahatri ? — “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Was it while he was in circumcision or. in uncircumcisiqn [ In uncircumcision surely,- — when he represented the whole of the children of men, — before the distinction of Jew and Gentile had ever taken place: and the covenant embraced, not only all the nations, but all the families of the earth: and is extended to every individual of those families, by those solemn words of the apostle,” Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man.” Can the Molochian doctrine of unconditional reprobation look these Scriptures, or the incarnated Jesus in the face, and not hasten to hide itself in the pit of perdition from whence it arose ‘. — He died for every man: —

“His pardoning grace for all is free, — For him who forged the dire decree, — For every reprobate, — and me.”

5. This glorious system of truth is to be “testified in due time;” and may be thus summed up. 1. There is one God. 2. This God is the Creator of all. 3. He has made a revelation of his kindness to all. 4. He will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. 5. He has provided a Mediator for all: — and 6. This Mediator gave himself a ransom for all As surely, therefore, as God has created all men,’so surely has Jesus Christ died for all men. These are truths which the nature and revelation of God unequivocally proclaim: and which, according to the text, are “to be testified in due time.”

The original words, to paprupwv xaiois i<W, are not easily interpreted, and have been variously understood. The most authentic copies of the Vulgate have, Testimonium temporibus suis, which Calmet translates, rendent ainsitemoignage au terns marque; “Thus rendering testimony at the appointed times.” Wakefield translates, “The testimony reserved to its proper time.” Rosenmuller, Hcec est doctrina temporibus suis reservata; “This is the doctrine which is reserved for its own times:” “that is,” adds he, quaz suo tempore in omni terrarum orbe tradetur; “The doctrine which in its own time shall be delivered to all the inhabitants of the earth,” Here he translates paprupiov* doctrine and contends that this, not testimony, is its meaning, not only in this passage, but in 1 Cor. i, 6, ii, 1, &c. Several MSS. read the clause thus, — ou to, jiaprypfov xcupofc JSiotg eSofy. The testimony of which was given in its own times. The oldest printed copies of the Vulgate read the passage thus: Cujus testimonium temporibus suis confirmdtum est: “The testimony of which is cohfirmed in its own times;” — which our first translation renders, Whos witnessinge is confermyd in his timis. This is about the sense: — Christ gave himself a ransom for all: this, in the times which seemed best to the divine wisdom, was to be testified to every nation, and people and tongue. The apostles had begun this testimony: and in the course of the divine economy, it has ever since been gradually promulgated, and at present runs with a more rapid course than ever.

As God wills the salvation of all men, and has given a revelation of himself, which he wills that every man should hear, understand, and acknowledge; it is necessary that the Bible should be sent to every nation and people, that in their respective languages they may hear the marvellous works of God. This design the present generation appears to understand better than those who have preceded us. Hence the earnest, united, and indeed marvellous efforts made by Christians of all denominations, in all countries, to send the gospel of Jesus to all the nations of the earth. Bibles, in almost all the languages of the universe have been printed in millions, and sent throughout the world. The British and Foreign Bible Society, and its auxiliaries in Europe, Asia, and America, have performed a work in a few years, which former generations could not have believed possible in so many centuries. The apocalyptic angel is flying with increasing celerity in the midst of heaven, “having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earthj and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people; saying with a loud voice, Fear God; and give slory to him:” Rev. xiv, 6,7: so that “from the endsxrf the earth” we have “heard songs, even glory to the righteous.” Thus the knowledge of God is spreading over the face of the globe; and it appears from the present prospect, and the, continued energetic labours of the excellent agents of this divine institution, that the Bible will shortly be found in all the regular languages of the babbling earth.

But is this sufficient? Is it enough merely to send the Bible to the different nations of men, so that they may -all read the word, which the Lord God speaketh unto them? No*; nor was it ever the design of God that his work should end here. The Ethiopian eunuch had in his hand the prophet Isaiah, and was reading it devoutly, even while journeying on the way. Yet to his salvation the messenger of peace was as necessary as the writings of the prophet, and therefore God sent the evangelist Philip to meet him on the way, and to ask the important question, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” He answered, “How can I, except some man should guide me V And although he was reading of Him, “Who was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and in whose humiliation his judgment was takenaway,” yet he understood not the truth till Philip, from those passages, preached unto him Jesus!

The* whole economy of grace in the salvation of men supposes the Bible, and the minister of the gospel. The Bible is the divine testimony, — the Christian missionary is the advocate. This testimony he pleads on, applies, and enforces, in order to lead men not only to the knowledge, but also «»£ myvwtfw, to the acknowledgment of the truth. A man may know theB truth without ticknowfcdging it. To acknowledge it, is not only to allow that it is the truth; but to confess it, — to feel one’s own interest in it, — to be affected by its contents, — to be alarmed by its threittenings, encouraged by its promises, and influenced by itsprecepts.

The sacred word is, in general, superficially considered,

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—it is not duly weighed: — it requires the strong exhortations of the messengers of the gospel, to stir up the drowsy and careless. God designs that both shall go together; and hence the age that has been distinguished by an unparalleled dissemination of Bibles, has been equally conspicuous for missionary exertions. In almost every instance where the Bible has gone before, the missionary has followed after; and to them who have received it, the tenor of his first question has been, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” — which is the introduction to his preaching unto them Jesus! The truth, the gospel of the grace of Christ, must be proclaimed to men; and it is the duty of all who know it, to diffuse it far and wide: and when it is made known, it is the duty of those who hear it, to acknowledge and receive it. This is the proper import of the original word, that they may come e»s swiyvwtfjv aX^sias, “to the acknowledgment of the truth,” — that they may receive it as the truth, and make it the rule of their faith, the director of their life, and the raode/offheir practice.

But, in reference to this, the man of God, the missionary, is indispensably necessary. In generaltbis acknow* ledgment is brought about only by his means: and what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. I have already stated that it is the duty of every man who possesses the truth, to disseminate it, as far and as wide as he possibly can. There are many nations, containing many millions of immortal spirits, who are perishing for lack of knowledge;’ and starving for want of the bread of life. We have enough and to spare: — the means of diffusion are in our power, and we shall be highly criminal in the sight of God if we do not use them. God has given the Bible: and God has prepared the men. The first has been given by the inspiration of the Almighty: — the latter show that they have received his commission to take it to the ends of the earth.

There are only two ways in which these messengers

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of peace can be sent to the destitute nations of the world. 1. By divine supernatural agency. 2. By human means, under the direction of divine providence.

1. Among all the extraordinary messengers whom God hath sent to announce his will to the nations of the earth, there is no genuine evidence that he ever used any extraordinary or supernatural means to send any of them to the place of his destination. By an especial call he pointed out the men whom he had commissioned to bear his name among the Gentiles; but he left what has been technically called their “out-fit” to themselves and his people; to be regulated by their own prudence and benevolence, under the direction of his providence. Even Jonah himself, who had such an extraordinary commission to minister to the Ninevites, was left to choose the ordinary modes of conveyance; and St. Paul and his companions, when sent as extraordinary messengers to the Gentiles, were brought on their way by the brethren, and were obl*ed, in the execution of their commission, to subject themselves to the general difficulties of land journeys, and to the perils of ordinary sea voyages. Nor did God choose so particularly to interfere with the general dispensations of his providence as to prevent even a shipwreck, which occurred in the ordinary course of things; though he exerted his power to preserve the lives of the sailors and passengers, while he left the ship and its cargo to be destroyed by the storm. Prophets, apostles, and evangelists, like all their successors in the sacred ministry, while they had the positive command to “go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” were left to make their way to the places of their destination., by those means which their own prudence and the benevolence of his people might suggest.

It is true, we have an ancient account which seems to be an exception to this apparently general rule, viz. the miraculous transportation of the prophet Habakkuk from Judea to. Baby Ion, to minister to one of the Jewish captives in that city; whom, it is said, the “angel of the Lord took by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head; and, through the vehemency of his spirit, set him, in Babylon;” — and when he had accomplished his mission, the ajagel conveyed him back in the same manner: and set him “in his own place again,” in Judea I — But if no prophet was carried in this miraculous way from Judea, to minister salvation to the captives in the land of the Chaldeans; — if no apostle was carried miraculously to Syria, to Asia Minor, to Greece, to Rome, to the Islands of the sea, to preach Christ crucified to the Gentiles; — we may safely conclude, that the prophet Habakkuk, who had made a mess of pottage for his reapers, was not,” with it, suddenly transported to Babylon, for the infinitely minor purpose of giving Daniel his dinner! — This legend has no higher authority than the Apocrypha can confer; and I leave it where I found it, in The story of Bel and the Dragon, verse 33-39.

2. We are led, therefore, to form the very rational conclusion, that although it is the province of God to prepare, qualify, and commission the preacher, yet it is the duty of his people to equip him for his journey, to find the means for his conveyance, to bear his expenses, and support him in his works, while he is going forward, taking nothing from the Gentiles.

Now, as there are whole nations in which Satan sits enthroned; as there are, after all that has been done to evangelize the earth, more than six hundred millions of immortal souls who know not God who bought them, and are a prey to superstition, idolatry, ignorance, cruelty, and wretchedness of every kind; and as Jesus has tasted death for every man, and God wills all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth; it is the imperious duty of every Christian soul, — of every humane mind, — to send, as extensively as possible, and with the utmost speed, that gospel of God, which is the only cure for all these evils. — While we hesitate, multitudes are perishing for lack of knowledge. We have not done the whole of our duty by merely contributing to the universal diffusion of the Bible — this we should do, and not leave the other Undone. We must send the missionary also, to call the attention of the millions (who, if they have even the word of life in their own languages, cannot read it) to the things which make for their peace, and the things whereby they may edify each other. No nation ever was, or, humanly speaking, ever can be saved, where there is neither a prophet to proclaim the righteousness of the Most High, nor an evangelist to comfort those who labour and are heavy laden, by pointing them to that Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. — If any farther arguments or motives can be necessary to induce those who have tasted and seen that God is gracious, to send, as far as their influence and means can reach, the gospel of Jesus to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and salvation to the ends of the earth; let them consider the following:

God, who made you, says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength.” And God, who redeemed you, has said, “Thou shalt do so, and love thy neighbour as thyself;” and adds, “There is no greater commandment than these; and on these hang all the law and the prophets.” To this he farther adds, “What you would that men should do to you, do even so to them.” Now 1. If we love God, shall we not keep his commandments? 2. If we lo.ve our neighbour as ourselves, shall we not labour to make him happy? 3. If we have ever felt the gospel to be the power of God to our own salvation, shall we not endeavour to send it to those who are destitute 1 4. If we feel bound to do to others, as we would wish, On a reverse of circumstances, they should do to us, then, from what we now know, had they the gospel, and we were destitute of it, how ardently Should we desire that they would share with us that heavenly bread? And how hardly should we think of them. if they had the blessing of which we were destitute, and had the means of sending it, which we could not command, and yet permitted us to perish while they themselves had bread enough and to spare; although giving, however largely, would not lessen their store? Think of this, and then act under the influence of that conviction which the evidence may bring. 5. There is a maxim in law, “that he who neglects to save life, when it is in his power to do it, is a murderer, as well as he who violently takes it away.” What, then, must God and considerate men think of us, if we permit Satan to murder those souls, which, by the grace of God, it is in our power to snatch from the sides of the pit, and pluck as brands from the burning? 6. But this subject is placed in the strongest point of view by God himself: “Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore, thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand,” Ezek. xxxiii, 6-8. Will not these words apply to every man, whether in Palestine, England, or elsewhere, who neglects, when it is in his power, either personally, or by proxy ‘to turn a sinner from the error of his ways 1 We find from the above passage, that although the sinner who is not warned “shall die in his sins,” yet his blood shall be required at the hands of the negligent watchman. And may we not infer, that the Gentile nations who do not receive that warning, which it is in the power of Christians to send, “will die in their sins?” And surely they who die in their sins, where God is, can never come. We know that any Gentiles who act according to the dictates of that light which lightens every man that cometh into the world, shall on their death, enter into Paradise; for in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him. But how many of the Gentiles, in any 15U Tfl£ WILLINGNESS OF GOJ>, ETC.

nation of the earth, do really act up to the dictates of that light ? — Out of the millions of heathens, with whom our commerce has brought us acquainted, how few individuals have we ever found who were living according even to the general rules of justice, righteousness, and mercy? In millions, scarcely one thoroughly moral character appears! How awful is this consideration? — Let us remember that vice uncurbed daily gains strength; and that evil habits become inveterate where there is nothing to counteract them. Myriads are annually sacrificed to superstition. Darkness is perpetuated and becomes thick and gross in consequence. God is not known, and the people are led captive by Satan at his will! — Who will arisef grapple with the destroyer, and pluck the prey out of his teeth?

Many excellent menf full of the Holy Ghost, and power, are on tiptoe, with their lives in their hand, saying, “Here are we, send us! Send us to the dispersed among the Gentiles, — to the stupid Hottentots, — to the savages of New Holland, — to the cannibals of New Zealand, — to the uttermost parts of the earth, where God our Father is not known, — where Christ our Saviour is not named, — where Satan keeps his seat, — and where reason and the human form ase degraded. Constrained by the love of Christ, we will freely go: — Here we are, “the messengers of the churches for the glory of Christ.”

After such offers, (and/through the mercy of God, they are in abundance,) these men will be guiltless, if not sent. — But what a reckoning must those have with the great Head of the church, who neglect these calls, and will not join hands with God to make the wretched live! Let us all/ee, and say,” We will not be any longer guilty of our brother’s blood: — and now, go to, and we will show, that the hand of the Lord is upon us for good, — that our heart is enlarged, — that our hand is as ready as our prayers, — and that, in the true missionary spirit, we consecrate our service this day unto the Lord Amen. Selah !-