The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-02-27
Gods Desire to Save.

bf INWARD CROSBY, D. D., NEW YORK,
JOHN iii: 1917. "God so Ioved the
1Oorl6, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting
lite, tor God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that
the aOOrLd through Him miqht be saved"
l Tim. ii 4. "Who aOiSkes all men to
be saved and to come unto the knowl.
edge of the truth"
2 Pet. iii 8. mot willing that any
should perish, but that all should come
to repentance"
Nothing can be palmer from these
Scriptures than that God sought to save
all men. He saw them sinners and
doomed otherwise to perish, and he sent
mis- Son to save them He did not wish
them to perish, but he aOlSted them to be
saved. And all this after man had sin
ned. Hes knew the extent of their sin
and Its desert of eternal ruin as the neces-
sary consequence, and yet he wished to
save all men. 1t these Scriptures do not
say this, they say nothing. Now, for
anyone to say after all this that sinners
go to eternal ruin because God has not
chosen to save them-that he wished to
cave some, but did not wish to save
others-ls to give the direct lie to these
Scriptures. 1t is the sinners choice, and
not Gods that he goes to hell. When
God made man after his own image he
gave him an independent will. That
made him responsible agent. There
was nothing back of that l0iU. When
man willed to sin it was man that wilied.
not God. Man acted indepe7,denth of
God. So when the whole race was lost
In Gin and doom God saw fit in his inf.
mite mercy to offer in Christ salvation to
all men. This was no sham offer. The
thought Is bIssphemy. His offer was
with the aOlSb TO Sove oU Man, as lost
In sin, ID utterly impotent TO do good.
All good IN him must come from God, as
the sinner receives the divine grace. God
offers him this saving and renewing
grace, urging him to accept it. If a man
accepts it, it is the man qOiU and not
Gods will that accepts it. If he rejects
it, it is the man g will and not Gods that
rejects it. To say that God makes one
man accept it and makes the other reject
it (by not making him accept IT'D is again
TO give the lie to the Scriptures quoted.
Man independent will is constantly ap.
pealed to in every invitation of the Cos
gel II was Gods will that man 8 will
should be independent. When a sim
ner, seeing his lost condition, cries to
God for help, there is no merit in
that cry. Accepting a salvation is
not merit. Hence the act OF sin
ner's will in saying Yes to Gods
grace Ia not an act of holiness or moral
goodness. 1t is seeking relief from God,
"a God presses that relief npon him. The
moment the sinner says Yes Gods
grace opens IN him as before it had
operated on him and every sinner. The
man Is renewed and habitation of the
Spirit. Anything whatever put before
this independent will of man in accept
ing salvation, however delicately and
metaphysically you may put II, destroys
mans responsibility, and makes man a
machine aud the gospel a deusiou
1t does not mar God Is sovereignty that
he gave man an independent will Did
it mar God s sovereignty that Adam
sinped with an Independent will Nor
does it take from the fact that salvation
is all of grace that man accepts that grace
win an independent will He has no
power TO do good, but he has power to
accept grace Homjletic ReUietO for
February.