,transcribed from the #ahfe ,william ,hunt and ,company edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,,the ,,breadth1 ,,freeness1 ,,and ,yet ,exclusiveness of the ,gospel4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,edward ,,hoare1 ,m4,a41 ,incumbent of ,trinity ,church1 ,tunbridge ,wells4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london3 ,,william ,,hunt ,,and ,,company1 #bc1 ,,holles ,,street1 ,,cavendish ,,square4 ,,ipswich3 ,,william ,,hunt4 ,,the ,,breadth1 ,,freeness1 ,,and ,,yet ,,exclusiveness ,,of ,,the ,,gospel4 ,,john ,,iii4 #af4 ,,the subject has1 ,i presume1 been chosen for our discussion1 in order to meet the aspersions of those who claim for their own system the merit of breadth1 comprehensiveness1 and large-heartedness1 while they speak of our ,gospel as the narrow-minded theology of a body of men whose contracted intellects are so cramped and stunted that they are unable to take in the broad views of the nineteenth century4 ,such persons consider themselves broad1 and us narrow2 and their teaching to be characterized by largeness1 ours by narrowness2 theirs by generosity1 ours by bigotry2 theirs by comprehensive philanthropy1 ours by an exclusive interest in a small section of the human family4 ,now there is something very noble in broad1 large1 and comprehensive views of the dealings and character of ,god1 and something1 on the other hand1 exceedingly repulsive in any disposition to contract ,god's message1 or to half close the door which ,god has opened wide for the world4 ,and1 more than that1 there is something so grand in the magnificence of creation1 that we cannot be surprised if our judgment naturally decides in favour of that which claims to be the broader view of the religious government of ,god4 ,we fully acknowledge therefore the attractiveness and persuasiveness of breadth1 and are fully prepared to admit that the broad has much more to commend it than the narrow1 and that the probability of truth lies on the side of the broadest1 the widest1 the freest message4 ,but1 while freely admitting that the broadest statement of the ,gospel is most probably the truest1 we have yet to decide the question1 which statement is really the broadest1 and on which side is the narrowness to be found8 and if this question be fairly considered1 it may possibly turn out that that which calls itself the broad is really the narrow1 and that which some men call narrow is possessed of a breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height1 that can only be measured by the infinity of ,god4 ,it is well therefore to consider whether the ,gospel1 as revealed in ,scripture1 is really broad or really narrow1--applying the tests of breadth and fulness to the message of salvation as proclaimed in the ,gospel of the grace of ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i4 ,its breadth4 ,is there in all language1 a wider1 broader1 fuller1 and more comprehensive statement1 than is found in the words of our blessed ,redeemer1--8,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life08 ,it describes a ,divine and eternal love1 originating a salvation unmerited1 unlooked for1 and as far above all human thoughts as heaven is above the earth4 ,it declares the object of it to be the world1 the whole world1 and nothing short of the world2 for it is just as unreasonable to maintain that the world in this verse means the elect1 as it would be to maintain that 8the elect of ,god10 in ,col4 iii41 means the world4 ,it proclaims the most magnificent possible offer as the result of it4 ,god forbid that we should ever cramp1 fetter1 or limit it6 ,it is the ,new ,testament exposition of the ,old ,testament invitation1--8,ho1 every one that thirsteth1 come ye to the waters10 and it is the foundation of the message heard from heaven1--8,the ,spirit and the ,bride say1 ,come3 and let him that heareth say1 ,come3 and let him that is athirst come3 and whosoever will1 let him take the water of life freely40 ,our ,lord's words on earth are one with ,his words in heaven1 and both proclaim an unqualified invitation to all1 without the exclusion of an individual4 ,the invitation is as broad as the world itself1 and there is no man1 woman1 or child under the whole heaven1 to whom ,god1 in ,his unbounded mercy1 has not sent the gracious message of free and complete salvation4 ,if we look more closely at the details1 we find that the glad tidings are not limited1-- #a4 ,by nationality4 ,when ,wilberforce pleaded in the ,house of ,commons for the admission of missionaries to ,india1 it was argued that the ,gospel was not adapted to the ,indian mind1 and that it was not in the nature of things that ,hindoos should be converted to ,god4 ,so persons1 laying claim to great anthropological wisdom1 appear to regard the ,gospel as something never meant for the ,african4 ,but there is no limitation in ,scripture4 ,african1 ,indian1 ,american1 ,new ,zealander1 are all alike included in the message as found there4 ,the ,jew of old believed that it was only for the ,jews1 and some ,english in modern times seem to regard it as intended only for the ,european4 ,but the ,word of ,god says it is for all2 experience proves it to be for all2 and the comparatively recent missionary efforts of the ,church of ,christ have been sufficient to prove that climate makes no difference as to faith2 and1 whether it be under a tropical sun1 or in an arctic frost1 the knowledge of ,christ is followed up by the same results1--the same change of heart1 the same love1 the same fruits of the ,spirit1 the same joy and peace in believing1 and the same blessed hope to fill the soul in the dying hour4 ,our missionary spirit therefore should be wide as the world2 and those who boast of the superior broadness of their principles1 ought to lead the way in a large-hearted effort to follow up the directions of their ,saviour3--8,go ye into all the world1 and preach the ,gospel to every creature40 #b4 ,it is not limited by ecclesiastical order4 ,god forbid that ,i should say one word that should appear for one moment to make light of ,christian order1 for ,i believe it to be a subject far too much forgotten by devoted men in the present day4 ,evangelical zeal is considered by some to have full license to override all authority1 and break through every regulation4 ,there are many excellent1 zealous1 faithful1 and fervent spirits1 who are contending manfully for the inspiration of the whole of ,scripture1 but who appear completely to ignore such words as those by ,st4 ,paul1 in #a ,thess4 v4 #ab1 #ac4 ,i believe therefore1 that it is one of the special duties of the day to urge devoted ,christians to investigate what ,scripture says of order4 ,but1 however important it be1 we must still remember that the glad tidings of the ,gospel are not limited to any order or any system whatever4 ,our episcopacy is gathered from facts recorded in ,scripture1 but is never established by the authority of a command4 ,we adopt it because we believe it to be in harmony with ,apostolic practice as revealed in ,scripture2 but we dare not pronounce it an essential3 for it is not so pronounced in ,scripture4 ,there is not one word there to lead us to suppose that episcopacy is like one great conduit pipe1 through which alone grace can flow4 ,the blessed message is not limited to any one channel4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is free as the winds of heaven2 and it is perfectly clear that ,god1 in saving souls1 has not tied ,himself down to the employment of any particular ,church organization4 ,as the message is sent to all men1 in all countries1 and under all circumstances1 so also is it conveyed through all kinds of instrumentalities2--,episcopalian and ,nonconformist1--ordained and unordained1--,churchmen1 ,dissenters1 ,presbyterians1--,churches at home and ,churches abroad1--teachers1 preachers1 pastors and evangelists2 for there is a breadth in the agency as well as in the sphere of action1 and the same ,lord over all1 who is rich unto all that call upon ,him1 is rich also unto all who labour for ,his ,name4 #c4 ,once more3 there is no doctrinal limitation4 ,i presume that we are perfectly agreed as to the ,scriptural truth1--that our salvation in ,christ ,jesus is to be ascribed entirely to the ,father's electing love4 ,we know that it was not our fallen1 ruined1 sin-corrupted will which chose ,him1 but ,his own boundless grace which chose us to life4 ,in other words1 we know that salvation is the result of ,god's election1 and we believe in the words of our ,lord1--8,no man can come to ,me except the ,father which hath sent ,me draw him40 ,but we have all probably felt1 at some time or other1 the difficulty of reconciling such a fact with the free offer of life to all4 ,it is not unnatural that men should argue1 that if the elect alone are saved1 to them alone must the salvation be offered4 ,i am not prepared to find any fault with the logical process which leads to this conclusion1 for ,i fully admit that to my own mind the logic seems correct2 but ,god's eternal counsels rise high above all human logic1 and there are deep mysteries in ,his infinite mind1 which we finite thinkers are utterly unable to unravel4 ,so it is in this instance4 ,our logic breaks down1 but ,his ,word stands fast2 and that ,word teaches us that ,god's election does not neutralize the free offer1 any more than the ,godhead of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ neutralized ,his ,manhood4 ,how it is we cannot explain1 any more than we can the union of two natures in the one ,person of our ,blessed ,saviour4 ,but1 thanks be to ,god1 we find in ,scripture the universal offer side by side with electing love2 so that1 accepting ,scripture as we find it1 we learn that election does not narrow the breadth of the offer1 or take away its universality4 ,it does not blot out the 8whosoever0 from the words of our ,saviour4 ,it does not contract the glad tidings2 but it leaves the ,gospel perfectly open to every man1 without qualification1 without limitation1 and without the necessity of any evidence of election to precede a trust in the ,lord ,jesus for pardon1 life1 and immortality4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ii4 ,but we must pass on to the freeness4 ,for there might be an offer made to every one1 but yet on such terms that no one could accept it2 and so would this have been1 had ,god required that there should be one act of sinless obedience on our part1 as a preliminary qualification to our being saved in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the person who is possessed of nothing is as little able to pay one pound as a hundred2 and the ruined man1 dead in sin1 is as little able to produce one act of life as a hundred4 ,so long as he is dead he can produce nothing2 for he is not only without ,god1 but also without strength4 ,oh1 the depth of the riches of the tender lovingkindness of our ,god6 ,oh1 the wonders of that grace that does not wait till the sinner can produce a something1 however small that something be2 but freely1 and graciously1 and mercifully1 and lovingly1 bestows a free1 full1 perfect1 complete1 and everlasting reconciliation on the poor ruined sinner1 even at the very time of his utter ruin6 ,i do not pretend to know all the various religious systems of the world2 but this ,i can most safely say1--that ,i never yet heard of anything but the blessed ,gospel of the grace of ,god1 which proclaims reconciliation to men without a claim1 and at the very time that they are without a claim4 ,in every other system the order is amendment first1 and forgiveness second3 but in the ,gospel the order is reversed1 and we find the forgiveness first1 as a free gift1 while the amendment follows1 as the blessed fruit of the ,spirit in a repentant and loving heart4 ,the language of ,scripture is not what any natural moralist would have written1--8,there is forgiveness with ,thee if ,i can but fear ,thee sufficiently30 but ,god reverses the order1 so that those who cannot1 for one moment1 stand before ,him1 are taught to say1--8,there is forgiveness with ,thee that ,thou mayest be feared40 ,i should like to know from those who boast of the superior benevolence of their system1 what that system does for the helpless1--for the man whose soul is paralyzed1 and whose power to rise is gone1 being deadened by his sin4 ,i fearlessly ask the advocate of mere natural religion1 what the religion of nature can do for such an one4 ,his moral sense may teach him his duty1 and his conscience may bring him in guilty of not having fulfilled that duty2 but what does natural religion do to reinstate and restore him8 ,our ,gospel proclaims to him pardon1 and our ,saviour gives him life1 even at the time of the deepest ruin4 ,but what does nature do for him8 ,what does conscience do to restore him8 ,it leaves him condemned1 ruined1 sunk1 and helpless2 and holds out to him nothing better than the hope1 that when he has got out of the pit1 he may find mercy through the benevolence of ,god4 ,if that were the ,gospel1 it would be glad tidings to those only who have already recovered themselves from their ruin4 ,the ,lord ,jesus would be a ,saviour for only such as do not need one4 ,it would be a promise of life to those only who have already raised themselves from death2 but it would be a sentence of everlasting exclusion against all those who have failed as often as we have done1 and have had to learn from bitter experience the sad lesson of their utter helplessness4 ,but1 praised be ,god1 the whole ransom has been paid1 the whole claim of the law satisfied1 the utmost depth of ruin fully provided for2 so that now there is life in the midst of death1 and full1 complete1 and final reconciliation presented to the sinner1 at the very time when he is lost in his fall4 ,did the world ever produce an offer so free8 and was there ever yet a religious system in the world which presented such a salvation1 on such terms1 to the sinner8 99 99 99 99 99 ,,iii4 ,but still there is an exclusiveness in the ,gospel4 ,let us however clearly understand1 when we speak of exclusiveness1 that we do not mean exclusiveness in the glad tidings1 for1 as already shown1 these glad tidings are freely sent to every man2 but what we do mean is1--that ,christ ,jesus is the only ,saviour1 and that 8there is none other name under heaven1 given amongst men1 whereby we must be saved40 ,we do mean that ,god has not promised salvation through a conscientious devotion to ,buddha1 or ,vishnu1 or ,mahommed1 or reason1 or the light of nature2 but that ,god1 in giving ,christ as our life1 gave ,him as the only ,source of life1 and not as one amongst many ,saviours4 ,now this exclusiveness appears to be the necessary consequence of the breadth and freedom of the offer2 and had ,i had the framing of the thesis1 ,i should have preferred to have stated it as 8,the breadth1 freeness1 and consequent exclusiveness of the ,gospel30 for if we consider the great origin of the ,gospel1--the eternal love of ,god2 the marvellous plan of the ,gospel1--the sacrifice of the ,son of ,god2 the boundless mercy of the ,gospel1--as seen in the offering such a salvation to every poor sinner under heaven2 and the unutterable grace of the ,gospel1--in offering it freely to poor sinners1 at the very time that those sinners are hopelessly sunk in the ruin of their sin2--it does appear to be an act of the deepest presumption for men to suppose that there may be other ways through which men can be saved1 other systems through which men can be restored4 ,if men could be saved any other way1 why did the ,lord ,jesus come8 why did ,he die8 ,if self-denying idolatry or conscientious morality were sufficient1 why was there any ,gospel at all8 and why were we not left to win our way to eternal life1 by morality and heathenism in all their varied forms8 ,if the ,gospel be regarded as a ,divine remedy for the sinner1 then surely it must be exclusive4 ,if this be ,god's plan1 then surely a plan from ,god was needful1 and no human plan was sufficient4 ,if it were a human plan1 then ,i could perfectly understand that other human plans might be equally effectual1--or1 ,i should rather say1 equally fruitless2 but if it be really ,god's plan1 then it must stand alone as the only way of restoration to life4 ,the only possible way of meeting this view of the subject is1 by supposing that the result of our ,lord's propitiation is applied1 without their knowledge1 to those who do not believe in ,his ,name4 ,of course if this were ,god's plan1 we should have nothing to say1 and our simple duty would be to accept it with thanksgiving4 ,but on this point we must be wholly dependent on ,god's own statement of ,his own counsel4 ,when we are studying ,god's purpose1 our only hope of arriving at truth is by simple dependence on what ,god has revealed to us in ,his ,word2 and not the smallest reliance can be placed on any conclusions which we may draw from what we think most probable in so benevolent a ,god4 ,of course if men do not believe in ,scripture1 as inspired by the ,spirit1 this evidence fails them2 but then they have nothing to assure them that there is any ,gospel at all4 ,but if we admit it to be ,god's plan1 then from ,god we must learn its character1 and ,his ,word alone must guide our decision4 ,now it is needless for me to multiply passages1 as ,i might do to almost any extent1 to show that in ,god's ,word we are taught1 that the blessings of our ,lord's work are not bestowed except through faith in ,his ,name4 ,whatever conclusions men may derive from their own ideas of ,divine benevolence1 there cannot be a question that this is the testimony of ,scripture4 ,if men place greater reliance on their own opinion of what they think ,god ought to have done1 than on what ,god ,himself declares ,he has done1 we can only say1 as ,st4 ,paul did1--8,nay6 but1 ,o man1 who art thou that repliest against ,god80 ,in such a matter we are entirely limited by the ,divine statements1 and man's opinion is utterly worthless2 for the counsels of ,god1 in their very nature1 lie quite beyond the limits of human enquiry4 ,if we do not believe in the words of our blessed ,saviour1 we have not the slightest evidence of any salvation at all2 and if we do believe them1 we must believe them all1 and must accept without hesitation ,his own most solemn statement1 the most exclusive sentence which ,i know in the whole range of ,christian theology1--8,he that believeth1 and is baptized1 shall be saved2 and he that believeth not shall be damned40 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,london3 ,william ,hunt and ,company4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,advertisement4 ,the following will be published in this ,series1 uniform in size and price4 8,the ,present ,position and duties of the ,evangelical ,body in the ,church of ,england40 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,r4 ,,fremantle1 ,m4,a4 8,the ,atonement40 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,richardson1 ,m4,a4 8,the ,articles1 ,liturgy1 and ,subscription40 ,by ,p4 ,f4 ,o',,malley1 ,esq41 ,q4,c4 8,the ,reality and ,eternity of the ,future ,punishment of the ,wicked40 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,,harrison1 ,m4,a4 8,the ,best ,mode of ,presenting the ,privileges of the ,church of ,england to the ,working ,classes40 ,by the ,rev4 ,james ,,bardsley1 ,m4,a4 8,the ,rights and ,duties of the ,lay ,members of the ,church of ,england40 ,by the ,rev4 ,,emilius ,,bayley1 ,b4,d4 8,the ,breadth1 ,freeness1 and yet ,exclusiveness of the ,gospel40 ,by the ,rev4 ,,edward ,,hoare1 ,m4,a4 ,and it is hoped1 8,the ,inspiration of ,scripture40 ,by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,,garbett1 ,m4,a4