The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1868-08-29

uIhary DeneHgs OF the atOnement they may, /
if they viii, enjoy the extraordinary As
they have the ministry of the word, the out
ward call, so the good God gives the inward
call, the moying5 of the Spirit He shall
reprove the sgorId of sin, Of righteousness,
and of judgment to come" Is not the
gitt OK the Spirit to reprOVe all, to convince
all OF sin, the sure pledge that the Spirit
viii also enable every willing sinner to be-
hove on the Son2 The deduction from these
facts is legitimate and conclusive The /
bestowment OF the ordinary blessings at
tendant upon the atonement, IS The earnest !
that all may enjoy the Gift OF his grace In re-
generation, sanctihcation. and redemption. /
God does not tantalize nor mock his crea-
lures, and ii the atOnemeut were only for /
the .cw and for none others, the n0n-elect /
could not enjoy any Of its blessings it
would De cruel mOckery In God to give them |
view of heaven and of its joys, which he /
had foreOrdained should never be theirs !
Nor viii it do to say, as the wicked are so
intimately connected with the elect God
cannot help but grant them these privileges
that he who designed all things from eter-
nifty, could have arranged differently a
| limited atonement Is abhorrent to the better
feelings of sinful men, and must be to the
loving Father above. And if it be designed
only for the benefit Of a few it is ceTtainIy
most unlike any thing else, either in provi-
dence or grace.
>. A limited atonement Is inconsistent
with the divine reflections. God is holy,
/ Just and good Infinite are all his perfec-
/ tions. His attributes must always harmon
/ Use, both in action and repOse. In every act
| Of providence and of grace, there must be
manifestation of his perfect character.
/ Power and goodness, mercy and Justice IN
/ him, are Inseparabie. One is not laid aside
/ or ignored while the other is exercised
! but as in redemption, So ever must mercy
and truth meet together, and righteousness
| and peace kiss each other in all his ways.
Finite minds may often fail to see the whole
picture, yet the perfect manifestation is in
! every act Of Deity 1t cannot be otherwise
In the unconditional damuation Of some
men and angels" there IS not even a mani
festatiOn Of justice, much less goodness. To
mortal minds, even to its advocates, it is " q
high mystery Not the tall intellect Of an
! archangel can demonstrate either the mercy
on justice in such o terrible and eternal de-
cree. l repeat, there must be a'manilesta-
ton of the excellence Of his perfect charac-
ter in all his acts-ail his attributes must
blend in one perfect whole, as the prismatic
cOlOrs in the cOlorless ray of light; but
| there Is no such union in unconditional rep
rotation. On the contrary, there is fierce
antagonism and war; mercy is strangled and
justice gives place to malignity and Outra-
geOus injustice
'.WilI not the Judge of all the earth do
| right?' Yea, verify Can that father be
called Just who discriminates through favor
IN the bestOwmenJ Of his love and faVOrs
among his children, while all are alike de-
| serving, alike needy, and equally helpless
Were one poor and the others rich one
obedient andzthe Others dis0bedient; were
one poor, helpless cripple, and the others
| strong and able bodied, there might be some
ground for Partially and favoritism. But
| even then, as they are ali his children, would
he not be a most unnatural parent to ex-
clude all the rest from his heart, and instead
Of beneftting, inhic5 most terrible calami-
ties upon them? And yet such father
does this doctrine represent God to be All
| sinners are the workship Of his hands All
] are fallen in Adam, all guilty before God,
all helpless and miserable, all under con-
domination; and while. his resources are IN
limited, be determines to bless some and
curse all the rest. 1t VIII cost him no more
to supply the necessities of all, and relieve
their Indebtedness, than it does to save the
few, and yet, most uuaccountably, he passes
them by, leaves them to perish, in order to
manifest this "sOvereign power" and d" glO-
rious justice" while he manifests his grace
in the salvation Of q few Of them. 0 was
there no other way by which the omnipotent
and Omniscient God could make known his
great power and glorious justice? Is JehO-
yah driven to the necessity of creating i'm
mortal intellgences, that he may exhibit his
, terrible strength in destroying them? Did
he who could speak worlds into existence
need such display of power? And if the
evidences of his almightiness delighted him,
, could he not find sufficient satisfaction as
system after system, the wheeling squadrOns
[ OF immensely, passed in review before him
b whose breath created them? MethInks
there is surely more power displayed in the
creation Of suns, moons, planets, and con
} stellations-