THE Arminian Magazine, For DECEMBER 1782. SERIOUS CONSIDERATIONS concerning the Doctrines of ELECTION and REPROBATION: extracted from Dr. Watts. THAT there is a fufficiency of grace, provided for all mankind, through Jefus Chrift, which they may accept or refufe, may be proved by the following confiderations: 1. It is hard to vindicate the Sincerity of God, or his Son, in their univerfal offers of falvation, and their fending minifters with fuch invitations to accept of mercy, if there be no falvation provided for them. His minifters indeed may be fincere in offering falvation to all, according to their general commiffion, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. But how can God be fincere in fending them with this commission, to offer his grace to all, if he has not provided fuch grace for any but the Elect? VOL. V. 4 F It It is hard to fuppofe that the Great God, who is Truth itfelf, fhould call upon dying men to truft in a Saviour for eternal life, when this Saviour has not eternal life to give them. It is hard to conceive how the great Governor of the world can be fincere, in inviting finners to caft themfelves upon an empty word of invitation, if there be nothing to bear them up from the deeps of deftruction. Can we think that the holy God would encourage his minifters to call men to reft the weight of their immortal concerns upon a gofpel, which is nothing to them? When our blessed Redeemer charges the Jews with aggravated guilt, for refusing his grace, can we suppose, he had no grace for them? Or when he configns them over to death, becaufe (fays he,) Ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life; that he has no eternal life for them? To avoid these confequences, fome roundly affert, There are no calls of grace but to the Elect. But this runs counter to many plain Scriptures, where pardon and falvation are propofed to all. And it is the defign of the whole Scripture, to call finners to repentance, by promises of mercy, and to enforce what Isaiah fpeaks, (chap. lxv. 6, 7,) Seek ye the Lord while he may be found: call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. II. It is hard to defend the Sincerity of the holy Spirit, in awakening those who are not elected, and in flirring them up to think of receiving the falvation of Chrift upon gofpel-terms, if there be no falvation for them on any terms. It is hard to fuppofe he fhould excite the confciences of fuch finners to any repentings for fin, if there was no pardon provided for them. It is hard to fuppofe he fhould give them any excitations, to truft in the merit of a Saviour, if that merithas obtained no falvation for them. III. It III. It is equally difficult to vindicate the Equity of God, in condemning unbelievers for not accepting the offers of pardon, if no pardon was provided for them; and in punishing them for not refting on the merit of Chrift, if there was no fuch merit for them to rest upon. Surely it will appear in that day, that the condemnation of finners, was merely the fruit of their refusing to receive the grace of God provided for them; and not of any want of provision made for them, by him who calls them to receive it. The language of Chrift, in his miniftry is, Come, for all things are now ready. This is the condemnation, that when light came into the world, men loved darkness rather than light. They are exprefsly condemned, because they would not come unto Chrift, that they might have life. And (as the Apostle John often represents) therefore they die in their fins. And furely the Lord Jefus would never be fent in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that obey not the gospel, if there was no provifion made, whereby they might obey it! It will render this confideration more forcible, when we observe, there is a feverer condemnation to those who have heard of this gofpel, and not embraced it. It fhall be lefs. tolerable for these, than for Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day. of judgment. And can we think that the righteous Judge will fend forth words of grace and falvation, when there is no grace or falvation in those words, on purpose to make his creatures more miferable? It is very hard indeed to vindicate the sentence of their condemnation, for refusing pardon and falvation, if there was not any pardon or falvation provided for them! IV. The word of God, by the general commands, promises, and threatenings given to all men, reprefents mankind as in the way to eternal rewards or punishments, according to their behaviour. Now it is very hard to fuppofe, all this fhould be no juft reprefentation, but a mere amufement: that all thefe propofals of mercy, fhould be an empty fhow, with re4 F 2 gard gard to all the millions of mankind, befides the few chofen to happiness. It is hard to fuppofe that they fhould be fo fixed in a hopeless state, under the fin of the first man, as to be utterly irrecoverable from the ruins of it: yea, as unalterably loft, as the very devils are, whom God has not treated in this way of precept, promife, and threatening. God give th to all men time and fpace for repentance, means of grace, offers of pardon, conditional promifes of falvation, with a command to accept it? What can manifeft the bleffed God to be upon terms of mercy with them, if this does not? V. This feems to be a fair and easy way, to answer those texts of Scripture, which reprefent God as the Saviour of all men, 1 Tim. iv. 10.-Which affert that God commands all men, every where to repent, A&ts xvii. 30.-That Chrift tafted death for every man, Heb. iii. 9.—That he gave himself a ransom for all, 1 Tim. ii. 6.-That he died for all, 2 Cor. v. 14.—That he gave himfelf to be a propitiation for the fins of the whole world, 1 John ii. 2.—That the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, chap. iv. 14.- That God fo loved the world, that he fent his Son, not to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be faved: and that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlafling life. John iii. 16. Mr. Calvin's words, on Matt. xxvi. 5. 8, are, This is my blood of the New Teftament, which was fhed for many, for the remiffion of fins. Sub multorum nomine non partem mundi tantum defignat, fed totum humanum genus. Under the name of many, he fignifies not a part of the world only, but all mankind." And in many other parts of his writings, (particularly in his comment on Rom. v. 18. 1 John ii. 2. 2 Peter ii. 1.) he clearly expreffes the fame fentiment, viz. That Chrift died for all. I think it clear from thefe confiderations, that there is a conditional falvation provided for all men, and through the merits of Christ offered to them in the gofpel. The |