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Scandal. The way in which some good sort of people are betrayed into scandal is not by forging a false story, but by telling what they do not know to be true. There is not so much lying in the world as want of solicitude about truth. Another tosses the firebrand to us and we toss it along. Let such people remember a sentence from Barrow. "There is no great difference between the great Devil that framed scandalous reports and the little imps that run about and disperse them. The reader must recollect the etymology of the Greek word, devil. Ch. Spec.

INTELLIGENCE.

The Pope has lately founded a philological college at Rome, on the same footing as the ancient Sorbonne in France, which will be charged with the examination of all literary works before they are printed. His Holiness has also considerably augmented the num ber of theological colleges.

Some years since, the Syrian Archbishop, Giarve, visited Rome, Paris, and London, to obtain money, as he then professed, in order to print the Scriptures on Mount Lebanon. Money and a press were accordingly given him; but he has never printed the Scriptures, and being now elected Syrian Patriarch, he opposes their circulation by the missionaries.

The Rev. Lewis Way purchased a Church at Paris, at an

ex

pense, to himself, of about $45,000, and officiated in it as long as as his health would permit. There are commonly about 20,000 English People at Paris.-An Ameri

can Church is also established there. There are 2 or 3 millions of Protestants in France.

The whole number of missionaries now actually employed by the British Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign parts, in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's island, Cape Breton, New-Bruns. wick, and Newfoundland, togeth er with the Canadas and Burmudas, is one hundred and three; besides whom, more than a hundred schoolmasters are partially surported from its funds.

TO SUBSCRIBERS.

The Publishing Committee of the Christian Magazine will continue the work. They cherish the hope, that in consequence of some new arrangement which they have determined to adopt, the third volume will be more entertaining and more deserving of approbation than either of the preceding. While they feel grateful for the public patronage they have received, they respectfully solicit its continuance. If any of the present subscribers intend to discontinue the work at the close of the current year, they are desired to give notice of their intention to the printer or some agent before the issuing of the next number. And all who give no such notice will be considered as desiring the work the succeeding year.

THE

CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE.

VOL. II.

DECEMBER, 1825.

что SERMON. MATTHEW 22, 14.-For many are called, but few are chosen.

Ever since the first apostacy, the minds of men have been darkened, through the ignorance that is in them by reason of the blindness of their hearts. They can see no beauty in the divine character, and no consistency, nor even sincerity in the divine conduct. The truth of this observation will probably be felt by many, while I am reading the parable, which closes with the words I have read. "And Jesus answered, and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king who made a marriage for his son; and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, behold I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they

No. 12.

made light of it, and went their ways; one to his farm, anotherto his merchandize: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the high-ways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who had not on the wedding garment: and he said unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer

darkness: there shall be weeping has elected, to accept of salvaand gnashing of teeth. For many tion.

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are called, but few are chosen." 1. I am to show that God inNow says one and another I have vites all to accept of salvation, often heard and read this text, Election always conveys the idea and it always appears to me in of distinction. If God had deterthe same light. Do you not see mined to save all mankind, such the inconsistency of God in his a determination would have been secret and revealed will, and his inconsistent with any personal insincerity in his universal call distinction or election. But if he and particular election? Many has determined to save a pant, are called, but few are chosen. and not the whole of the human All are invited to accept of salva- race; then this determination tion, while only a few are elected necessarily supposes what is propto eternal life. If God means to erly called personal election, or save all, he may with propriety choosing one and not another, or invite all to come to the gospel choosing a part and not the whole feast; but as he means to save of mankind to eternal life. And only a chosen few, and to destroy in this distinguishing sense, the the rest, it is very hard to con- doctrine of election is represented ceive how his offers are sincere in scripture, God chose David, in and consistent with his designs. distinction from all his brethren, As there are many, no doubt, who to be king over Israel. entertain such views of God, and chose the Jews in distinction from feel such difficulties in their all other nations to be his peculiar minds, respecting his character people. And God chose Paul in and conduct, it seems necessary distinction to Judas to eternal to explain the meaning and con- life. All saints are called a chosen sistency of his language in the generation, a peculiar people. text, "Many are called, but few The apostle speaking of the few are chosen." This plain declara- Jews that embraced the gospel in tion suggests this plain truth to his day, says, "So then, at this our present consideration, time also, there is a remnant, according to the election of grace." Christ speaks of all those as believers, whom his father had given him, and whom he had chosen out of the world. And this agrees with his declaration in the text. "Many are called, but few are chosen." Whether by this declaration he meant to intimate, that

That God invites more, than he elects, to accept of salvation. To set this subject in a clear light, it is proposed,

I. To show that God does in. vite all to accept of salvation, And,

II. To illustrate his sincerity in inviting more, than he

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God

but few of mankind would be "I stand at the door and knock, eventually saved, in comparison f any man hear my voice, and to those who will be eventually open the door, I will come in to lost, it is not to our present pur- him and sup with him, and he pose to inquire. Though we with me." "The Spirit and may just observe, that it is probable Christ had particular respect to the success of the gospel, at the time in which he lived. But be this as it may, there is no doctrine more plainly revealed in the gospel, than the doctrine of personal election to eternal life. And according to scripture history, but very few have been chosen in proportion to those who have been called, from the fall of man to this day. God has commonly invited more, than he has elected, to accept of salvation. This will more fully appear, if we consider,

1. The tenor of his gracious invitations. These are all couched in the most extensive and universal terms. "Unto you, O men I call, says divine wisdom, and my voice is to the sons of man." Another divine invitation runs in this unlimited form. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price." "Come unto me, says Christ, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "Come, says the master of the gospel feast, for all things are now ready." "Behold, says the compassionate Saviour,

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bride say come, let him that
is athirst say come, and whosoever
will let him come and take of the
water of life freely." In such
universal terms God graciously
invites sinners to accept of salva-
tion. His invitations extend to
all men, of all ages, of all charac-
ters, and of all conditions in life.
He invites rich and poor, high
and low, bond and free, elect and
non-elect to accept of the great
salvation which he has provided
for them. He excludes none;
omits none in his general invita-
tions. Many are called, and
many more called, than are chos-
en.
And this further appears,
2. From the final refusal of
those, who were invited to accept
of salvation. The parable with
which the text is connected, rep-
resents those who were first invi-
ted to the gospel feast as utterly re-
fusing to come. The sacred writers
represent the great majority of
mankind from Adam to Christ, as
rejecting the overtures of divine
mercy. And we know, that the
Jewish nation generally rejected
the gospel which Christ preached,
and which his apostles preached
after he left the world. Where-
ever they preached the gospel,
as many as were ordained to eter-
nal life believed, but much the
greater part rejected the counsel

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of God against themselves. This and explain the consistency and has been the case ever since, sincerity of his conduct. It is wherever the offers of salvation hardly supposable, however, that have been made. Now all who we should be unable to see the have heard and finally rejected propriety of his most common and the offers of salvation, and all mostgracious treatment of mankind who shall hereafter hear and in respect to their future and eterreject the invitation of mercy nal happiness. Let us, therefore must perish. For this is the un- seriously and impartially consider alterable condition of the gospel: this matter on our part. No body "He that believeth shall be sees any difficulty in God's calling saved; but he that believeth not those, whom he knows beforehand shall be damned." All who have will not hear and accept his call; finally refused to accept the offers but many see a difficulty in his inof life, are so many instances of viting those to accept of salvation, God's calling those whom he had whom he never intended `to save not elected to salvation. Indeed, but always intended to destroy. here is no text in the Bible more The text says that many are called visibly verified every day and but few are chosen. Here the difevery where, than this we are ficulty is, to see how God can conconsidering Many are called sistently, with sincerity, say one but few are chosen." We know thing and mean another. He says he calls many, who visibly live by his universal invitation, that and die in impenitence and unbe- he is willing and even desirous of lief; which is a visible evidence saving all; while, at the same that he calls many more, than he time, he has not chosen to save has ordained to eternal life. This all, but actually chosen not to save leads to the all. This is the formidable difficulty which we shall now attempt to remove. And if it can be made to appear, that God is really sincere in his universal offers of salvation and means what he says; then the difficulty will entirely vanish, and no seeming ground of objection will remain against this part of the divine conduct. And here if we can determine what sincerity is, it will be easy to determine whether the universal invitations of the gospel are sincere and consistent with the divine rectitude.

II. Thing proposed, to speak on God's behalf, and endeavor to vindicate this part of the divine conduct.

That God does invite many more to accept of salvation, than he has ordained to eternal life, has been, perhaps sufficiently established. But if this be undeniably true, it must be equally true, that God is consistent and sincere in his gracious and universal invitations to sinners, though we may not be able to discover

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