The Breadth, Freeness, and Yet Exclusiveness of the GospelHoare, Edward
Religion
The Breadth, Freeness, and Yet Exclusiveness of the Gospel
Hoare, Edward
Bible. Gospels -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
then it must stand alone as the only way of restoration to life.
The only possible way of meeting this view of the subject is, by
supposing that the result of our Lord’s propitiation is applied, without
their knowledge, to those who do not believe in His Name. Of course if
this were God’s plan, we should have nothing to say, and our simple duty
would be to accept it with thanksgiving. But on this point we must be
wholly dependent on God’s own statement of His own counsel. When we are
studying God’s purpose, our only hope of arriving at truth is by simple
dependence on what God has revealed to us in His Word; and not the
smallest reliance can be placed on any conclusions which we may draw from
what we think most probable in so benevolent a God. Of course if men do
not believe in Scripture, as inspired by the Spirit, this evidence fails
them; but then they have nothing to assure them that there is any Gospel
at all. But if we admit it to be God’s plan, then from God we must learn
its character, and His Word alone must guide our decision. Now it is
needless for me to multiply passages, as I might do to almost any extent,
to show that in God’s Word we are taught, that the blessings of our
Lord’s work are not bestowed except through faith in His Name. Whatever
conclusions men may derive from their own ideas of Divine benevolence,
there cannot be a question that this is the testimony of Scripture. If
men place greater reliance on their own opinion of what they think God
ought to have done, than on what God Himself declares He has done, we can
only say, as St. Paul did,—“Nay! but, O man, who art thou that repliest
against God?” In such a matter we are entirely limited by the Divine
statements, and man’s opinion is utterly worthless; for the counsels of
God, in their very nature, lie quite beyond the limits of human enquiry.
If we do not believe in the words of our blessed Saviour, we have not the
slightest evidence of any salvation at all; and if we do believe them, we
must believe them all, and must accept without hesitation His own most
solemn statement, the most exclusive sentence which I know in the whole
range of Christian theology,—“He that believeth, and is baptized, shall
be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.”
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London: William Hunt and Company.
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ADVERTISEMENT.
_The following will be published in this Series_, _uniform in size and
price_.
“The Present Position and duties of the Evangelical Body in the Church of
England.”
By the Rev. W. R. FREMANTLE, M.A.
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By the Rev. J. RICHARDSON, M.A.
“The Articles, Liturgy, and Subscription.”
By P. F. O’MALLEY, Esq., Q.C.
“The Reality and Eternity of the Future Punishment of the Wicked.”
By the Rev. W. HARRISON, M.A.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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