Search -
Discourses on the nature and extent of the atonement of Christ
Discourses on the nature and extent of the atonement of Christ Author:Ralph Wardlaw Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: DISCOURSE III. DIVINE RELATIONS. —CORRESPONDING DESIGNS OF THE ATONEMENT. — UNIVERSALITY OF THE CALLS AND OFFERS OF THE GOSPEL. Heb. nc. 26.—" But Now Once... more », In The End Of The Woeld, Hath He APPEARED, TO PUT AWAY SIN BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF." Towards the conclusion of last discourse, I mentioned, that the now prevailing controversy respecting the extent of the atonement has by some been represented as summed up in the question, whether, in the purpose of God, according to the order of nature, election preceded atonement, or atonement preceded election ;—that in support of the former, the plausible ground had been taken, that the purpose of the end naturally and reasonably precedes the purpose of the means:—-we first determine our object, and then set about devising means for effecting it.—After simply noticing, that more is here assumed than can be granted, namely, that God's sole or primary purpose, in the provision of the atonement,—or in the stupendous plan of salvation,—was the recovery of the definite number ofsinners of the human family comprised in "the election of grace,"—I introduced what appears to me a fair and legitimate distinction, on which the question might be regarded as turning, namely— the distinction between a purpose and a desire. We may desire the attainment of an object, without purposing it. If there are obstacles, especially of a moral kind, in the way, our desire, how ardent soever, can never become a purpose, till we see some way in which these obstacles may be removed, and the end attained consistently with principle and honour. Thus, (in the case then introduced for illustration) king Darius desired most intensely the delivery of Daniel from the execution of his own foolish and wicked decree; but, unable to devise means by which this cou...« less