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CHAPTER III.

AN EXPOSITION OF THE PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE THAT ARE REFERRED TO BY THE LATE REV. JOHN BROWN, IN HIS DICTIONARY Of the bible, UNDER THE ARTICLE-REPROBATION.

Ir will, in the first place, be proper to state the different views which have been either held, or supposed to be held, concerning reprobation.— 1st, Reprobation is said to consist in a sovereign decree of God, which consigns to everlasting destruction certain persons of mankind, and appoints their sins as means to secure the accomplishment of that end. 2nd, Reprobation is said to consist in a sovereign decree of God, which consigns to everlasting destruction certain persons of mankind, on account of sin voluntarily committed by them. 3rd, Reprobation is said to consist in a judicial decree of God, which consigns to everlasting destruction all those who refuse to accept the salvation of the gospel.

It will appear, on inspection, that the view held by our author coincides with the second above stated.

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He says, "Reprobation is an act of God, in which he, the absolutely independent, and infinitely sovereign, wise, powerful, righteous, and holy Jehovah, whose thoughts, judgments, and ways are unsearchable, intending to manifest the glory of his high sovereignty, almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, unbounded patience, and revenging justice, did, from all eternity, in his immutable purpose, according to his own mere good pleasure, pass by, and determine to leave certain persons of mankind, greater in number, but in themselves no worse than others, in the state of sin and misery, into which they would fall; not to know them with any distinguished regard, not to love them with any particular good will,-not to pity them in order to their eternal salvation; did not choose, predestinate, set apart, or ordain them to eternal life; did not write their names in his book of life, or mark them out for his sheep, people, and subjects, and objects, and vessels of mercy, and in consequence hereof, determined to withhold from them the undeserved favours and reconciliation through Christ, and of effectual calling, justification, adoption, faith, and holiness, but not all external favours of common providence, or of gospel revelations and common influences, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, and determined, that they, being of their own accord rendered miserable, by their sin, original and actual, against law or gospel,—and become despisers of his benefits, should in a wise, holy, and sovereign manner, answerably to their freedom of will, and their

rebellious dispositions, for their former sins, be further blinded in their mind, and hardened in their heart, given up to strong delusions, vile affections, and a reprobate sense; that persevering in their obstinate wickedness, and convicted by their own consciences of final impenitence, and neither capable to blame the severity of God, or to excuse themselves as ignorant of his will, or unable to resist his providence, or accept his offered salvation, should, as hated of God, appointed, separated, and fore-ordained to evil, wrath, and condemnation, and as children of wrath, vessels of mercy fitted to destruction, be for their sins eternally damned."

As a considerable part of the foregoing definition refers to Scripture facts, or Scripture delineations of character, it will, in such cases, be deemed unnecessary to quote and explain the passages referred to; and as a great deal of what remains consists of the negative of passages explained under the preceding article, it will, in general, suffice that the passages have been already examined. The first that calls for our attention is

Prov. xvi. 4. "The Lord hath made all things for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil."This passage is adduced by our author, in proof of the opinion that the divine sovereignty is exercised in the decree of reprobation; but, as it does not represent sin as the cause of punishment, it proves too much, viz. that the sins, as well as the punishment, of the wicked are decreed. The passage being un

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connected in sense with what precedes or follows it, and being somewhat obscure in itself, the safest mode of assigning the meaning, is to contrast it with that which appears to be the nearest parallel passage," Do ye not know their tokens, that the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath," Job xxi. 29, 30.

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2nd, Rom. ix. 11. "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth."-This passage, taken in our author's view, proves too much. It proves that Esau was reprobated to eternal destruction without regard to his sins.

3rd, Matth. xxiv. 40, 41. "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."-This is a prophecy of what should take place, and not a revelation of the decree of reprobation. Consequently, the event might be a judicial, and not a sovereign act of God. The following paraphrase may tend to illustrate the passage-"I formerly told you, with relation to the temporal desolation of your country, and I now repeat it, that of two men who shall then be at work together in the field, the one shall be seized, and the other dismissed: and of two women who shall be grinding corn at the same mill, the one shall be seized, and the other dismissed. And I may say the like with respect to that important event of the

final judgment; many who have been engaged in the same station and employments, and who were intimately conversant with each other, shall then be found exceedingly different in their characters and states; and some of them shall be made the prisoners of divine justice, while others shall not only be spared, but be signally favoured by God."

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4th, John xvii. 9. "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me."-The following particulars deserve our attention:-1st, The objects of Christ's prayer. 2nd, The subject of it; and 3rd, Who were not the objects of it.-1st, The objects of Christ's prayer-"I pray for them." Now the pronoun them refers us to persons previously spoken of. At the 6th verse it is said "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me: and they have kept thy word." In the 8th verse we read-" For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou hast sent me, (ver. 9.) I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." This agrees with what was said of them in the 6th verse-" thine they were, and thou gavest them me," that is, Christ's apostles were given him out of the world. 2nd, The subject of Christ's prayer-union and protection. 'Holy Father, keep through thine own name those

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