ought, in a judgment of charity, to conclude, that he who professes the faith, is one of those for whom Christ died; but we cannot be sure of it. The hopeful professor may be tempted to sin, continue it it, apostatize, and perish. His persisting in sin gives us reason to conclude he was not one of the redeemed; and nothing but the faith that is connected with a holy life can prove that we are of that number. Some judicious persons think, we are not to understand by the perishing of a soul here, eternal perdition, but the loss of his peace and comfort; as, probably, that parallel text ought to be understood: "But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died;"* that is, Destroy not his peace and comfort, by staggering his faith and wounding his conscience; or, as it is in verse 20 and 21, do nothing "whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak; but follow after the things which make for peace and edification."+ In a word; if the former passage be understood of finally perishing, it is the perdition of a mere professor, who, in the judgment of charity, was deemed one for whom Christ died. But if we understand the apostle to speak of a real Christian redeemed by the blood of Christ, then his perishing can only refer to his being tempted to an evil action, which, in its natural tendency, leads to ruin; but which the pardoning mercy and sanctifying grace of God shall prevent. C. C. D. Romans xiv. 15. † Ver. 19. VOL. III. 31 REMARKS ON THE SAME TEXT BY ANOTHER HAND, THIS text and its parallel (Rom. xiv. 15, "Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died") have been urged by the opposers of the doctrine called Calvinistic, as an evidence both in favor of universal redemption, and against the perseverance of the saints unto eternal salvation; for they argue, If the person in question was not a real Christian, then Christ must have died for all, else such an one could not have been included in the number of those for whom Christ died, without great presumption; but if he was a real Christian, or even was, in the judgment of charity, supposed to be such, then the apostle's language concedes, he might notwithstanding perish or be destroyed; which overturns the doctrine of perseverance. This is the Anti-Calvinistic objection in its full force; nor do I suppose that C. C. D. has been materially deficient in meeting it. But there is another ground on which the indiscriminate universality of redemption, and the uncertainty of everlasting salvation to a real saint, may be successfully opposed in defending this text, though but little noticed. The consideration to which I now allude, and which I am going to lay before you, should not be passed over as of trivial moment, since, if I mistake not, its influence extends not only to many controverted parts of holy writ in particular, but also to the Divine dispensations in general. Let us now advert to the words first proposed: "Through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?" If the Corinthian professor be considered merely as an external believer, without any satisfactory evidence of a saving change, yet of such it may be said that Christ died for him with a rectoral design of saving him, though not with a decretive. This is no arbitrary distinction, but one founded in the very nature and character of the parties concerned; viz. God and man. An essential character of God is; That he is the sovereign and absolute Disposer of all his creatures, as they are passive; and an equitable Governor of those who are accountable. An essential character of man is, That he is at the disposal of his Maker, in the most absolute sense, as to every thing which does not imply injustice; and that, considered as a moral agent and accountable, nothing is required of him but what he has the requisite moral means of accomplishing. I said moral means, not moral ability. How, though a sinner may be required, under the pain of everlasting condemnation, to believe in Christ without any communication of moral ability; yet for God, in a manner consistent with justice, to require the same without moral means, or an external sufficient consideration for so doing, is not conceivable. But what, short of a rectoral design or purpose to save sinners as such, can justify an address to them in the way of invitation to believe in Christ for salvation, and to repent for the remission of sin through the death and mediation of Christ? On this ground then, in perfect consistency with sovereign election, and the decretive peculiarity of Christ's atoning death, may an Anti-Calvinist be answered in vindication not only of this passage, but of all other passages that speak of Christ having died for sinners, or died for all. To make any such text answer his purpose, an advocate for the indiscriminate univer sality of Christ's atonement, should prove that such a text is to be so understood as if Christ died for all, or for every man, or for sinners as such, decretively; which, if not devoid of common sense, he will not attempt. The existence of the above-mentioned twofold design of God in the death of Christ, has not been very commonly attended to; but there are few propositions in theology more capable of demonstrative proof than this; and I will venture to add, few of more beneficial and universal influence towards discriminating truth from error. Let us now advert to the other objection founded on this text. It may be pleaded that he for whom Christ died, relates to a real Christian, or at least, one supposed to be such; and yet the apostle supposes that he may perish or be destroyed. Your correspondent C. C. D. very justly observes, that guilt contracted "tends to final perdition;" and that the parallel place,* "Destroy not him," &c. means "Destroy not his peace and comfort." Instead of finding fault with this exposition, I fully admit its propriety and force as far as it goes. Yet I am inclined to think, we may advance a step further towards removing still more completely the objection against perseverance, founded on the word perish. The original term (απολλύω or απολλυμι) commonly rendered to perish, or to be destroyed, when taken actively, implies "to counteract the well-being" of a person or thing which often admits of progressive steps, or successive degrees; and when used intransitively, it retains the same generic idea, “a failure as to well-being;" this * Rom. xiv. 15. also is frequently compatible with a gradation of change. That this is the import of the original term in many places, might be easily shewn; among which let the following serve as instances: "He will destroy those husbandmen;"* meaning the Jewish nation. "Destroyed them that believe not;"+ that is, the Israelites as a body in the wilderness. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise." "I perish with hunger." "We are cast down, but not destroyed:" our well-being is secure. It has, therefore, been gratuitously assumed by objectors, that there is no perishing or destruction but what is everlasting, or final: whereas, more properly, whatever counteracts the welfare or good quality of any person or thing, destroys it; and whatever is in such a state perishes. The degree of destruction or perdition must be gathered either from annexed expressions, or the nature of the case. A house that goes to decay perishes; so does a plant when it withers; or an animal body that wastes. When a real Christian's conscience is defiled or wounded; when his faith and holy vigor droop; when his affections are grown worldly and unprofitably entangled, his well-being or welfare fails. Like the prodigal, he perishes with hunger; he is destroyed of serpents, he dies by inches, and nothing but the true divinely appointed antidote can prevent his final and everlasting perdition. The finally impenitent, indeed, evil men and seducers, who, to the last, grow worse and worse; all those who know not God, and obey not the Gospel, shall be punished with everlasting destruction. But to connect the grieving and wounding Mark xii. 9. † Jude ver 5. + 1 Cor. § Luke xv. 17. ¶ 2 Cor. iv. 9. VOL. III. * 31 |