tent. A sence of guilt and danger may lead one to cry to God for mercy, while he loves sin in itself, and neither laments that he has dishonoured, nor feels the least desire to glorify God. 7. There is a good reason why true penitents should be pardoned. It is not because they are less sinners, than others; for this is not the fact. Nor is it because they are deserving of forgiveness; for their repentance is their reasonable service, and merits nothing; or if it did, would just so far remove their need of forgiveness. But, penitent sidners may be pardoned, because they are qualified to receive pardon. They have renounced their opposition to God and his government; and hence, on the ground of the Atonement of Christ, God can pardon them, without dishonouring his character; yea, can make their pardon redound to the everlasting glory of his name. 8. Impenitent sinners are unfit for pardon. They justify themselves and persist in their rebellion against God. Should he pardon them, He would condemn himself and dishonour his law and government. They prefer their own interest to the glory of God: His glory, therefore, requires their condign punishment. They have the spirit of the fallen angels, and are fit only for the same place. Now, let all, who hope for the forgiveness of God, faithfully examine themselves, and see whether they have that godly sorrow for sin, which worketh repentance, or only that sorrow of the world, which worketh death. Let saints more constantly feel the spirit and bring forth the fruits of true repentance; and thus have and exhibit more evidence that their sins are forgiven of God for his name's sake. Let sinners repent and pray for pardon. There is no reason why you should any longer refuse God the supreme affections of your hearts. Immediate repentance is your reasonable service. While you remain "lovers of your own selves," and withhold from God the glory due unto his name, you render your salvation morally impossible. But if you will give God your hearts, and sincerely adopt the prayer of penitent David; neither the number, nor the greatness of your iniquities, will prevent your forgiveness: for "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin,' and He, who is "rich in mercy" will "abundantly pardon." From the Utica Christian Repository. ON THE PRAYER OF FAITH. [Continued from page 298.] The different views taken of the prayer of faith, by me and my neighbour, appear to me necessarily to lead us to different views of the moral character of God. He spe ks of it as infinitely holy; ans Antinomians, Universalists, Soand so do I. And so do Arminicinians, Deists, Mahometans, and Jews. And perhaps we should all agree too that holiness and goodness are the same. But, what is goodness? Perhaps we should agree in saying that the goodness of God is a disposition to do that which is wisest and best. And perhaps we should agree that it is wisest and best for God to make his own glory the object of his supreme regard. Perhaps I and my neighbour should agree thus far; and perhaps all that profess to believe in one God would do the same. And perhaps if we never entered into any further explanations, no one would ever perceive that there was any difference between us on the subject. But explanations must some times be made; and they need to be made often, to prevent mistakes. I believe that the glory of God consists in the most perfect exercise and display of all his attributes; and that the system of events now in operation, was arranged, by infinite wisdom, from eternity, in the best manner, to accomplish that end. I believe that some men are to be saved, through Christ, that mercy may be exercised in them; and that as many are to be thus saved as are necessary to the most perfect exercise and display of that divine attribute. And I believe that some men are to be lost, and treated forever according to their deserts, that justice may be exercised in them; and that as many are to be thus lost as are necessary to the most perfect exercise and display of that divine attribute. And I believe that the individuals to compose each class were decided by the divine sovereignty, in such manner as was necessary to the most perfect exercise and display of that divine attribute. I suppose that whatever comes to pass was decreed from eternity, because it was most for the glory of God, in the sense explained, that every event should come to pass just as it does. Having this view of the glory of God, and believing it wisest and best that God should be most perfectly glorified, and that infinite goodness requires it, and that it is God's determination so to order all events as to secure the most perfect exercise and display of all his perfections, I feel bound to pray, in all cases, with an ultimate reference to this, and with a supreme desire that this may be done. And this is the reason why I feel bound to pray for the conver sion of a sinner, as well as for every thing else, with submission, saying, if it be for thy will, if it be for thy glory, if it seem good in thy sight, and the like. I have no means of knowing whether it is best that that individual sinner should be converted or not. I know not but that he may be one of those whom the most perfect exercise and display of the divine justice requires to have lost. I know not, but that if I could save him, by my prayer (though I do not think I can) and should do it, I should find at last, that beauty of the divine justice was by that means partly hid under a cloud, and that his destruction was wanting in order to its most perfect display. I have no informotion by which I can decide. I know that his individual happiness is highly desirable in itself, and that I ought to regard it highly, and desire it earnestly, and pray for it perseveringly, and do all I can to secure it, as long as God allows me so to do. But I know also that the glory of God's justice is a greater good than the happiness of this sinner, and that I ought to regard it more, and desire it more earnestly, and choose, that if one or the other must be given up, it should be that which is of the least importance.And here is the place for the exercise of my faith in God. I must commit him into God's hands, in the full confidence that God will make that disposition of him which his own glory requires, and choose that he should. But it appears to me that the theory of my neighbour must lead him far away from me, in these things. He believes that he is bound to pray for the conversion of every sinner, believing that it will be done. And this must lead him to take the ground which Armini ans and Universalists take, with regard to the will of God, and the glory of God. He says there is no need to say, in praying for spiritual blessings, if it be thy will, if it be for thy glory, and the like; but "we are to come boldly to the throne of grace, with no reservation, with no hesitation, for we know the will of God on this subject He has expressly said, and with an oath, that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that he turn from his way and live." The phrases, if it be thy will, if it be for thy glory, do, indeed, convey an idea that it is uncertain to us, whether it may be, on the whole, the will of God, and most for his glory, to save or destroy that particular sinner. His rejection of those phrases, is, doubtless, because they express such an uncertainty and if there is no such uncertainty, he must be right in rejecting them. If it is our duty to pray for the conversion of a particular sinner, believing that he will be converted, then it is not duty to believe it is uncertain whether he will be converted or not. We must believe there is no uncertainty in the case; for he says, "we know the will of God on this subject." And he quotes the oath of God that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and the declarations of the apostle that God "will have all men to be saved," and that he is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance," and similar passages, as a proof that he is right. It appears, then, that he puts the same construction upon such declarations of scripture that Arminians and Universalists do. Calvinists suppose that they express God's regard for the good of sinners, in itself considered, and his desire, in itself considered, for their salvation; but that they do not express any decision whether it is best on the whole that they should be saved, or whether he does on the whole desire it. And they suppose that other parts of scripture render it abundantly evident that it is not best on the whole that all men should be saved, and that God does not on the whole desire the salvation of every man, but does on the whole choose not to save all men, but to destroy some, for the glory of his justice. This distinction, Arminians and Universalists reject and ridicule, as one which has no foundation; though no man lives a day without acting upon it, in the ordinary concerns of life. My neighbour ap pears to take the same ground that they do, with respect to this distinction, and with respect to such declarations of scripture. Arminians believe that God does, in them, express what they think he feels, a desire on the whole for the salvation of every sinner; which desire is dependant for its being carried into effect, upon man's good leave;" which some men withhold, and so God's desire is disappointed. Uni versalists have the same view of God's desire to save all, and believe that he is able to carry it into ef fect, and will carry it into effect, and all will be saved. My neighbour also believes that these declarations furnish a sufficient warrant to condemn any expressions of its being uncertain whether it may or may not be the will of God, and for the glory of God, to save every man; and thinks they furnish sufficient ground on which to pray, "with no raservation, with no hesitation," for the conversion of every sinner, believing that it will be done; because from them "we know the will of God on this subject." He must, therefore, I think, to be consistent, believe with Arminians and Universalists, that the highest glory of God requires the salvation of every man, and that if any one should be lost, there would be so much lost from the glory of God. And he must condemn, as utterly wrong, the Calvinistic doctrine that the highest gloty of God requires that some should be lost, as well as some saved. And it seems to me, that if he believes that the highest glory of God requires that every sinner should be saved, so that it is his duty to pray for it, believing that it will be done, he must believe that it will be done, and be a Universalist. He cannot, consistently, take the Arminian ground, and say that God is on the whole willing, but not able to save every simmer, and that his wishes are disappointed through the want of "man's good leave" for, if he does, this is disbelieving that it will be done. And to ask God to do that which he doubts whether he is able to do, and thinks it uncertain whether he will do, he supposes is unbelief, and a mockery of God. And therefore, believing that God is both able and willing to save every sinner, and that his greatest glory requires him to do it, he must believe that it will be done, and be a Universalist. I see no way for him to avoid this conclusion, without giving up his whole scheme. I said that our different views of the prayer of faith appeared to me necessarily to lead us to different views of the moral character of God. I think the way in which they do so now appears. I believe the moral character of God, his holiness, his love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity, cannot be supported with out the exercise of his justice, the everlasting punishment of some sinners, according to their deserts, to show his everlasting disapprobation of sin and that his goodness, which constitutes his moral character, leads him to choose, or the whole, that some should be lost, as well as some saved. But his system must lead him to think that the goodness of God requires him to choose on the whole that all should be saved; and requires us to pray for it, believing that it will be done. If we both follow our systems where they appear to me inevitably to lead us, we cannot, as you see, avoid being thus widely asunder in our views of the moral character of God. Our different views of the prayer of faith appear to me to lead us widely asunder, also, in our views of the moral character of the Lord Jesus Christ. I suppose that his charac-. ter, as a good man, was perfect, without a single exception; that, as a good man, he did his whole duty. Doubtless we shall both agree, that, if it is our duty to pray in faith for the conversion of every sinner, it was equally his duty, as a good man, thus to pray. I believe he did his duty, in this respect, as well as in every other; and prayed for the conversion of every sinner with such faith as I think right, that is, with full confidence in the wisdom, power and goodness of God, that he will save as many as it is on the whole best to have saved, and destroy as many as it is on the whole best to have destroyed; and a supreme desire that he should do so. But with the view which my neighbour takes of the prayer of faith, he cannot believe that the Lord Jesus performed the duty of praying in faith for the conversion of every sinner.— For if he had thus prayed, according to his theory, every sinner must have been converted and saved; which we all know was not the case in Christ's day, nor since. He must, then, to be consistent with his theory, come to the conclu sion, that the Lord Jesus Christ neglected this important duty, and is chargeable with the blood of all the souls that have perished in consequence. If my neighbour sees any way of avoiding this conclusion, without giving up his theory of the prayer of faith, I wish he would point it out. To me, the conclusion appears inevitable. My view of the subject also leads me to suppose that the Lord Jesus felt right, when he "rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." He rejoiced, and gave thanks to God, for hiding from some, the things that pertain to salvation, and revealing them to others, according to his good pleasure; because it was best on the whole that it should be so, that some might remain suitable subjects of divine justice forever, while others were made subjects of divine mercy. My view of the subject leads me to suppose this was a suitable matter of rejoicing and thanksgiving, that these were right feelings in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that we ought to feel so too. But his view of the subject must lead him, as I think, to condemn these feelings as wrong, both in the Lord Jesus, and in all others. He must think that it can not be matter of rejoicing, in any point of view, that these things are hid from any; but must, in every point of view, be matter of regret and sorrow. He must think it desirable on the whole, in every point of view, that all should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved; and consequently, that it was wrong for the Lord Jesus Christ to rejoice, and give thanks to God, for hiding these things from a part of mankind, and revealing them only to a part. In both these ways, our different views of the prayer of faith lead us inevitably, as appears to me, to different views of the mor al character of the Lord Jesus Christ. And our different systems lead us as widely asunder in our views of the moral character of the inspired penmen of the holy scriptures, and of the moral character of the saints in heaven. While the inspired prophets and apostles lived, I suppose they sometimes performed their duty in praying for their fellow men. Moses, while he lived, made many acceptable prayers for temporal blessings on the people of Israel; and it appears to me too much to believe that he never once made an acceptable prayer for their conversion and salvation.Samuel did the same; Daniel did the same: Isaiah did the same.→ The other prophets I cannot be lieve lived in the total neglect of this duty. Paul says, "my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." So ardent was his desire for it, that he says, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." These prayers, I believe, were made in faith, such faith as I have described, faith in the perfections of God, that he would do what was best, saving some and destroying others, according to his good pleasure. But my neighbour must conclude, that these holy prophets and apostles, whom the Spirit of inspiration guided into all truth, always lived in the neglect of the great duty of praying in faith for the conversion of the Jewish If only one of them had, nation. |
