On the ground of the infinite value of the atonement, they further believe that the offer of salvation can be consistently and sincerely made to all who hear the gospel: accompanied with the gracious and divine assurance, that whosoever believeth shall be saved; and enforced by the solemn and alarming denunciation-that he who believes not, but wilfully rejects the overtures of mercy, will increase his guilt and aggravate his damnation.

Such are the views of the Old School; views that were entertained by the illustrious leaders in the glorious Reformation; views embodied in the creeds of almost all the Protestant churches, that flourished immediately after that grand epoch in the history of the Christian

church.

The views of the friends of the indefinite plan are different. They do not believe that Jesus Christ, in the great transaction of dying for the redemption of the world, was charged with the sins of his people, or bore the punishment due to them, or endured the penalty of the law. They assert, that he suffered for sin in general; that by his sufferings a display was made of the evil of sin, and an exhibition of Divine justice; that his sufferings were designed to be a substitute for our sufferings, and in this way were vicarious, but not as being the sufferings of one who took the sinner's place. In this, say they, consisted the atonement: and thus the obstacle to the salvation of our sinful race being removed, God can now exercise his sovereign mercy, and apply the benefits of the atonement to whom he pleases; and as it was not made for one man more than for another, the offers of salvation can be freely made to all mankind without distinction.

They deny that the Redeemer made à plenary satisfaction for the

satisfaction would in their view be incompatible with the grace that reigns in the salvation of sinners. Yet some admit a satisfaction to what they choose to denominate publick justice; but at the same time they contend, this was no satisfaction to Jehovah's distributive justice, or to the penal demands of his holy and violated law-Believers are saved, in opposition both to the demands of the law and to the claims of justice. A provision, however, they think has been made by the sufferings of Christ, in consequence of which it becomes consistent with the stability and honour of Jehovah's moral government over rational creatures, to save all who believe in Christ; but still they assert, that the ransomed of the Lord will never be free from guilt, and that Paul and his compeers are now as guilty as when on earth, and will forever deserve the punishment of hell. The demands of the law, and the claims of distributive justice too, they acknowledge will forever remain unsatisfied; because they were not cancelled by the Saviour's death, and never can be satisfied by the redeemed themselves.

This is the new scheme; a scheme which its advocates recommend as being far preferable to the old one; which has for so many years obtained the approbation of the Presbyterian church. They prefer it on three accounts. It gives, they imagine, greater extent to the atonement; is more compatible with a free and general preaching of the gospel, and with an unfettered and unreserved offer of salvation to all sinners; and corresponds best with the freeness and sovereignty of Divine grace, displayed in the recovery of fallen man.

While the advocates of the two schemes thus differ in their views of the atonement, they are agreed in the belief of the two following points. First, they receive the doctrine that teaches us that Jehovah,

in his adorable sovereignty, has, from all eternity, elected to everlasting life some, and not all, of the human family: secondly, they believe that the atonement never was, and never will be, applied to any individual of our race, in any other way than by the power of Almighty grace. "Ye will not," said our Redeemer, "come unto me that ye might have life." And again, "No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me, draw him."

These two points, you know, are inseparably interwoven with the great subject under discussion; and, therefore, ought, as we go along, to be distinctly recollected, and their bearings on it ascertained. Let us now examine the pretensions of the New School, and see if their scheme has, as they apprehend, in the particulars stated above, any superiority over that of the Old School.

1. It is affirmed that the indefinite is of far greater extent than the definite atonement.

Christ, say its advocates, died as much for one man as for another. He made atonement for sin in general; and thus opened the door of mercy for all mankind-opened the way in which every believer, of whatever denomination, or sect, or nation, may be saved.

But in what respect has the indefinite greater extent than the definite atonement?

1. Not in regard to the MERIT of Christ's death. Let our opponents magnify it as they please, they cannot go beyond us in their views. We are ready to join with them in celebrating its praises in the loftiest strains. We believe the merit of Immanuel's death to be, like his divine dignity, really infinite; sufficient, if it had been Jehovah's pleasure to apply it to all, to save every son and daughter of our apostate race; and unnumbered millions more of such accountable creatures, if such had existed.

2. Not in regard to its APPLICATION. To whom, and to how many human beings, the atonement will, in the course of revolving ages, be applied, it is impossible to tell. The final day will show multitudes which no man can number; thousands and thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand-all washed in the blood of the Lamb, cleansed from every sin, and made pure as the light. Our brethren will accord with us in saying, that the atonement will save every soul to whom it shall be applied, not excepting the vilest of human beings. Beyond this they dare not go; they will not say that a single individual of Adam's race can be admitted into heaven, in any other way than through the sprinkling of the peacespeaking blood of our adored Lord and Redeemer.

3. Not in regard to the OFFER of salvation. To whom can the advocates of an indefinite atonement, in preaching the gospel, tender its blessings, that the advocates of a definite atonement cannot? You, Sir, well know, that we are taught by our Divine Master to offer his great salvation to every one, to whom, in the course of his providence, we are called to minister in holy things. Whenever we stand up in his name to speak, we are authorized to announce the joyful truth, that salvation is come unto them. We can say to every one of our hearers, young and old, rich and poor, bond and free, to the profligate as well as to the moral part of our auditory, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." "And the Spirit and the Bride say, come; and let him that heareth say, come; and let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." And let it be distinctly observed, that all our offers of salvation are grounded on the atonement, and that we have none to make but

through the medium of Christ's death.

4. Not in regard to the DIVINE PURPOSE. Believing in the infinite intelligence of Jehovah, and in the infinite wisdom of the Redeemer, our brethren cannot but admit, that both the Father and the Son knew, from all eternity, to whom the atonement would be applied in time; and believing also in the doc. trine of a personal election to everlasting life, they must concede that Jehovah had decreed the precise number of our race, to whom he would apply its sovereign virtue. Here then we are perfectly agreed. They believe, as well as we, that the Father gave to his Son, in the covenant of redemption, a definite number to be saved; and consequently that they only will certainly and eventually be saved. One of the New School speaks of "the certainty of the salvation of those for whom, electively, Christ died;" "and in this sense," he believes, Christ "died for the elect alone." "I grant freely," says another disciple of the same school," that only a part of mankind were given to the Son in the covenant of redemption, and that the salvation of these was one important object he had in view in laying down his life:" and in another place he observes, "I feel no difficulty in admitting, that there is a sense in which Christ laid down his life for the sheep, in which he did not for others. As far as his object in laying down his life was to secure the salvation of those for whom he died, he laid down his life for the sheep ONLY; for he never INTENDED to secure the salvation of any others."

It is conceded then, that the benefits of the atonement will be applied only to those to whom an infinitely wise God decreed to apply them; and that the Redeemer died to save only the elect. Now, this is precisely the reason why we affirm the atonement to be definite: the grand object of it, so far as respects man,

is the salvation of that portion of our lost race which Jehovah was pleased, in the exercise of boundless and unmerited mercy, to determine to deliver from the deplo rable ruin into which all had fall en. "Christ loved the church and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glori ous church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."-Ephes. v. 25-27. "All that the Father hath given me, shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him that hath sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day," John vi. 37-40. "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep."-John x. 14, 15, “I pray for them: I pray NOT for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.”John xvii. 9.

It appears then that, in regard to the MERIT of Christ's death,-in regard to its application,-in regard to the offer of salvation,-and in regard to the Divine purpose, the indefinite is not at all more extensive than the definite, atonement,

In what respect, then, we demand, is the former more extensive than the latter? Will the advocates of the new theory affirm, that the atonement was made for all men? But they have already admitted, that Christ died intentionally to save the elect only; and that God

did not by the atonement design to save any other men. How then was the atonement made for all mankind? They cannot pretend to say, that the gospel has been preached universally to our fallen race; they cannot deny that millions have died without ever, hearing of the name of Christ, or having the offers of salvation made to them. And is it credible that the atonement was made for all men, and yet the larger portion of mankind never heard a word about it, and died without having their ears saluted with the joyful sound? If the atonement had really been made for all, would not that infinite love which provided it for all, have so ordered, that all should have come to the knowledge of the delightful fact? Did an infinitely wise Jehovah provide this most costly and magnificent feast, for millions and millions in every age of the world, to whom he never sent an invitation to partake of it; and whom he suffered to live and die in absolute ignorance of its existence? Incredible!

But one advocate of an indefinite atonement says, "It opened a door of hope for all men ;" and another, "That all men, being placed in a state of probation, have an opportunity to secure their eternal salvation." Indeed! The heathen then, who never heard the gospel of the grace of God, have, notwithstanding their stupid ignorance and debasing idolatry, a door of hope set open before them; and those who never heard a syllable about the atonement, have an opportunity for securing their salvation! Who taught this doctrine? Not inspired men. They teach very differently. They have no such favourable views of a state of heathenism. Listen to the Evangelist Matthew: "The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Hearken to Paul: "For whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved. How

then shall they call on him in. whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?"-Romans x. 15, 14. "Wherefore remember, that beye ing in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made with hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having NO HOPE, and WITHOUT GOD in the world." Surely these texts do not teach us that the heathen have a door of hope set open before them; and that all heathen have an opportunity of securing their salvation.

But the friends of the new scheme will say, The atonement is one thing, and the Divine intention is another; and that the atonement ought to be considered abstractedly from the purpose of God. The atonement abstractedly considered! A grand mistake. It cannot be thus contemplated; it was the purpose of God that made the death of his Son an atonement; and consequently if you view his death apart from this purpose, you can see no atonement. In the cross of Christ thus contemplated, you may behold suffering and ignominy; you may behold a display of fortitude and patience: but you can see no atonement. To discover this, you must ask, why on Calvary was exhibited that amazing spectacle? why did the Son of God submit to such bitter agonies and overwhelming shame? for until these inquiries be answered, and Jehovah's design in the crucifixion of his own Son be ascertained, you can contemplate no atonement. The death of Christ is an atonement, because his Father designed it to be an atonement; so that the atonement necessarily involves in its idea, that of Jehovah's intention, in bruising his Son and putting him to grief.

You see a man presenting to another a valuable jewel, but you are ignorant of his intention. Is it a gift, or is it a ransom? It is impossible for you to tell. But you are informed it is a gift. Immediately you connect in your mind the jewel with the intention of the donor. Or you are informed it is a ransom ; and then you immediately connect the jewel with the intention of its owner, to deliver prisoners from captivity and bondage. So that both a gift and a ransom, necessarily involve the idea of the intention, for which a sum of money or a jewel is presented by one person to another. Thus stands the matter in relation to the death of Christ. While you contemplate it abstracted from the Divine intention, it will suggest to you no other ideas than those of pain, ignominy, patience, and fortitude; but when you contemplate this mysterious occurrence, in connexion with the Divine intention to make the blood of Christ a propitiation for sin, you behold the great atonement.

As then the atonement necessarily involves the Divine intention in relation to the death of Christ, we are authorized to ask the friends of an indefinite scheme a question on the subject. Do you believe that the Father delivered up his Son, and that the Son delivered up himself to an accursed death, with an intention to save all mankind? To answer this question affirmatively, would be to establish universal salvation; because the covenant of God must stand, and he will do all his pleasure. But they have already answered the question in the negative. They believe that the Father gave to his Son in the covenant of redemption a particular, definite number of the human race to save; and that for these, and for these alone, did the Son die with an intention to save them; and that to none beside the elect will the atonement be applied. Thus the decree of election is brought into connexion VOL. IV. Ch. Adv.

with the death of our great Redeemer; and the atonement becomes definite, because infinite sovereignty chose it should be so. No matter when the decree of election takes effect; whether before, as in the case of infants, or after a rejection of the atonement, as in the case of most adults, the subject is not altered; the truth remains the same; the atonement is limited, definite. You may call it otherwise; you may call it general, you may call it indefinite. But it retains its true character. It is what the Divine purpose has made itdefinite, limited; not indeed in its value, which is unlimited and infinite; but in its application, and in respect to the intention of the Father who appointed, and of the Son who made the atonement.

Another proof of this point will be found in the meaning of the word atonement. Its proper signification is, agreement, concord, expiation, reconciliation. Accordingly we find this meaning attributed to the original Greek terms: xataλλayn, in Rom. v. 11, translated atonement, properly signifies reconciliation. So it is rendered in other places; and in correspondence with its cognate verb, which is translated reconciled.

The Hebrew term 5, translated atonement, is derived from a verb that signifies to cover; and therefore, when it expresses the effect, it signifies a covering; and when it expresses the cause, it signifies that which covers sin, and thus removes the Divine displeasure from the offender.

In strictness of speech we ought to distinguish between the death of Christ, and the atonement; just as we distinguish between a cause and its effect. The death of Christ is one thing, and the atonement is another thing; the former being the cause, and the latter the effect. In human language it is not unusual for the cause and its effect to receive the same denomination. Thus the