“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew
20:28).
When first it was my duty to occupy this pulpit, and preach in
this hall, my congregation assumed the appearance of an
irregular mass of persons collected from all the streets of this
city to listen to the Word. ‘Twas then simply an evangelist,
preaching to many who had not heard the Gospel before. By the
grace of God, the most blessed change has taken place; and
now, instead of having an irregular multitude gathered together,
my congregation is as fixed as that of any minister in the whole
city of London. I can from this pulpit observe the countenance of
my friends, who have occupied the same places, as nearly as
possible, for these many months; and I have the privilege and the
pleasure of knowing that a very large proportion, certainly three-
fourths of the persons who meet together here, are not persons
who stray hither from curiosity, but are my regular and constant
hearers.
And observe, that my character also has been changed. From
being an evangelist, it is now my business to become your
pastor. You were once a motley group assembled to listen to me,
but now we are bound together by the ties of love; through
association we have grown to love and respect each other, and
now you have become the sheep of my pasture, and members of
my flock; and I have now the privilege of assuming the position
of a pastor in this place, as well as in the chapel where I labour
in the evening.
I think, then, it will strike the judgment of every person, that as
both the congregation and office have now changed, the teaching
itself should in some measure suffer a difference. It has been my
wont to address you from the simple truths of the Gospel; I have
very seldom, in this place, attempted to dive into the deep things
of God. A text which I have thought suitable for my
congregation in the evening, I should not have made the subject
of discussion in this place in the morning. There are many high
and mysterious doctrines which I have often taken the
opportunity of handling in my own place, that I have not taken
the liberty of introducing here, regarding you as a company of
people casually gathered together to hear the Word.
But now, since the circumstances are changed, the teaching will
be changed also. I shall not now simply confine myself to the
doctrine of faith, or the teaching of believer’s baptism; I shall not
stay upon the surface of matters, but shall venture, as God shall
guide me, to enter into those things that lie at the basis of the
religion that we hold so dear. I shall not blush to preach before
you the doctrine of God’s Divine Sovereignty; I shall not stagger
to preach in the most unreserved and unguarded manner the
doctrine of election. I shall not be afraid to propound the great
truth of the final perseverance of the saints; I shall not withhold
that undoubted truth of Scripture, the effectual calling of God’s
elect; I shall endeavour, as God shall help me, to keep back
nothing from you who have become my flock. Seeing that many
of you have now “tasted that the Lord is gracious,” we will
endeavour to go through the whole system of the doctrines of
grace, that saints may be edified and built up in their most holy
faith.
I begin this morning with the doctrine of Redemption. “He gave
his life a ransom for many.” The doctrine of Redemption is one
of the most important doctrines of the system of faith. A mistake
on this point will inevitably lead to a mistake through the entire
system of our belief.
Now, you are aware that there are different theories of
Redemption. All Christians hold that Christ died to redeem, but
all Christians do not teach the same redemption. We differ as to
the nature of atonement, and as to the design of redemption. For
instance, the Arminian holds that Christ, when He died, did not
die with an intent to save any particular person; and they teach
that Christ’s death does not in itself secure, beyond doubt, the
salvation of any one man living. They believe that Christ died to
make the salvation of all men possible, or that by the doing of
something else, any man who pleases may attain unto eternal
life; consequently, they are obliged to hold that if man’s will
would not give way and voluntarily surrender to grace, then
Christ’s atonement would be unavailing. They hold that there
was no particularity and speciality in the death of Christ. Christ
died, according to them, as much for Judas in Hell as for Peter
who mounted to Heaven. They believe that for those who are
consigned to eternal fire, there was a true and real a redemption
made as for those who now stand before the throne of the Most
High.
Now, we believe no such thing. We hold that Christ, when He
died, had an object in view, and that object will most assuredly,
and beyond a doubt, be accomplished. We measure the design of
Christ’s death by the effect of it. If any one asks us, “What did
Christ design to do by His death?” we answer that question by
asking him another–”What has Christ done, or what will Christ
do by His death?” For we declare that the measure of the effect
of Christ’s love, is the measure of the design of it. We cannot so
belie our reason as to think that the intention of Almighty God
could be frustrated, or that the design of so great a thing as the
atonement, can by any way whatever, be missed of. We hold–
we are not afraid to say that we believe–that Christ came into
this world with the intention of saving “a multitude which no
man can number;” and we believe that as the result of this, every
person for whom He died must, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
be cleansed from sin, and stand, washed in blood, before the
Father’s throne. We do not believe that Christ made any effectual
atonement for those who are for ever damned; we dare not think
that the blood of Christ was ever shed with the intention of
saving those whom God foreknew never could be saved, and
some of whom were even in Hell when Christ, according to
some men’s account, died to save them.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
