"AS
I SEE IT"
Volume 3, Number 9, September 2000
["As
I See It" is a monthly electronic magazine compiled and edited by Doug
Kutilek. Its purpose is to address
important issues of the day and to draw attention to worthwhile Christian and
other literature in order to aid believers in Jesus Christ, especially pastors,
missionaries and Bible college and seminary students to more effectively study
and teach the Word of God. The editor's
perspective is that of an independent Baptist of fundamentalist theological
persuasion.
AISI is sent free to all
who request it by writing to the editor at: DKUTILEK@juno.com. You can be removed from the mailing list at
the same address. Back issues sent on
request. They may also be downloaded at
http://www.kjvonly.
All
articles are by the editor (unless otherwise noted) and are copyrighted but may
be reproduced for distribution, provided the following conditions are met: 1.
articles must be reproduced in unedited, unabridged form; 2. the writer must be
properly credited; and, 3. such reproduction must be for free distribution
only. Permission to distribute in any
other form must be secured in writing beforehand. Permission for reproduction in Christian
print periodicals will generally be given.]
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THE
POISONOUS LUST FOR REVENGE
There is no attitude of
heart that is more corrosive, more self-destructive than the lust for revenge
against one's enemies, imagined or real.
The yearning for revenge is a cancer that feeds on the soul until it has
utterly consumed and destroyed it.
The philosophy of the
world is filled with proverbs about and examples of revenge: "Don't get mad; get even," we are
told, as the epitome of the world’s wisdom regarding the righting of wrongs. Or, “Always forgive your enemies, but never
forget their names." This quote
from John Kennedy, giving merest lip-service to the Divine command to forgive,
is just revenge clothed in polyester.
The famous Appalachian
feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys in the 1880s and 1890s began, by some
accounts, over the disputed ownership of a pig; before the feud ended, some 17
people had been killed.
The recent wars in the
Balkans involving the Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Kosovars and others are but the
latest manifestation of blood-feuds going back centuries. How many thousands more will die before the
hot-blooded hatred has spent its fury?
Perhaps the most
perceptive account in American literature of the evils of revenge is to be
found in Herman Melville’s famous whaling novel, Moby Dick. Captain Ahab is a man obsessed. In a previous encounter with the white whale,
he lost a leg, and since that dreadful day, the whole of his life has had but
one focus: to hunt down and destroy at whatever cost in time, money and blood,
that awful creature that caused him such harm.
In chapter 36, after they have set sail, the captain finally reveals to
the crew the purpose and design of their voyage—
“Aye, Starbuck; aye my
hearties all round; it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought
me this dead stump I stand on now. Aye,
aye,” he shouted with a terrific, loud animal sob, like that of a heart-stricken
moose; “Aye, aye! It was that accursed
white whale that razeed me; made a poor begging lubber of me for ever and a
day!” Then tossing both arms, with
measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye, aye! And I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round
the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I
give him up. And this is what ye have
shipped for, men! To chase that white
whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black
blood and rolls fin out.”
Ahab’s obsession with
revenge had blinded him to all reality; it had distorted his judgment and set
him at odds with all sound sense.
Starbuck, with a clearer eye, seeks to draw the Captain back to right
reason: “I am game for his crooked jaw, and for the jaws of Death, too, Captain
Ahab, if it fairly comes in the way of the business we follow; but I came here
to hunt whales, not my commander’s vengeance.
How many barrels [of whale oil] will thy vengeance yield thee even if
thou gettest it, Captain Ahab?”
Of course, the Captain
turned a deaf ear to Starbuck’s protestations and rushed headlong to feed his
vengeance, and in the process, destroyed himself, his ship, and his entire
crew, excepting only Ishmael. The last we
see of Ahab, he is entangled in a rope, being dragged to a watery death behind
his nemesis, the white whale, perishing forever as the victim of his own
poisonous lust for revenge. And so it
ever is.
Rare is the person who
goes through life without being wronged--often seriously and outrageously
wronged--by someone. Perhaps it is being
cheated financially, lied about grievously, betrayed cruelly, or harmed
physically. The most natural human
impulse, when struck on the right cheek, is to strike back, harder, against the
perpetrator. But the Bible is forever
warning us against indulging the craving to pay back, with interest, those who
have wronged us.
The Old Testament lex
talionis (“law of retribution”), which prescribed “an eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 22:23-25, etc.), was not designed to promote
revenge, but to strictly limit it. The
natural impulse would be two eyes for an eye, two teeth for a
tooth. In context, it is evident that
this retribution to the wrong-doer is to be carried out by the judicial authority—the
legal system—rather than the individual, who is expressly forbidden from
exacting personal revenge: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of
your people, but love your neighbor as yourself,” (Leviticus 19:18). The latter part of that last-named verse is
quoted nine times in the New Testament, more than any other single verse.
In the New Testament,
Jesus addressed the matter of personal revenge in the Sermon on the Mount,
forcefully commanding against the exaction of personal revenge. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for
eye, tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you,
Do not resist an evil person. If someone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your
tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” (Matthew
5:38-42)
Paul, a man often and
severely wronged by both Jews and Gentiles, likewise instructs us regarding the
desire to pay back in full our adversaries—“Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse. . . . Do not repay anyone evil for evil. . . . Do not
take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written:
‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry,
feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on
his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14, 17a, 19-21).
Peter also teaches us the
Biblical attitude toward revenge, by appealing to the example of Christ: “To
this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,
that you should follow in his steps. ‘He
committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled insults at him, he did not
retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who
judges justly.” (I Peter 2:21-23).
Let us be ever on our
guard against the evil lust for revenge.
It is a deadly poison, a fatal toxin.
We have been taught—and shown by example—that we who follow Christ must
behave otherwise.
---Doug
Kutilek
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FIRST-HAND
IMPRESSIONS OF JOHN CALVIN
In my almost thirty years
in the ministry, half spent in theological classrooms, I have frequently heard
the name John Calvin bandied about. Some
openly avowed themselves partisans to his system of Bible interpretation,
particularly the famous "five points." Others plainly disavowed his theology, and
some even railed against Calvin as though he were the enemy of all truth and
practically the devil incarnate. One
zealot even affirmed that he wished that Calvin had never been born.
In all of this, I always
strongly suspected that most of those in both camps were merely mouthing
second- or third-hand opinions of Calvin with no direct and immediate knowledge
of the Reformer, his life or his writings (most Christians, and most preachers,
are very lazy readers who neglect their studies, being pre-occupied with
who-knows-what-else). They were, in
essence, either embracing or rejecting a caricature of the man. I soon learned to answer queries: "Are
you a Calvinist?" by stating, honestly, "I don't know; I've never
read any of Calvin's stuff, so I couldn't say one way or the other."
I had a long-standing
desire to read an extended portion of Calvin's writings, just so that I could
form an independent opinion of the man and his work. Of course, the first question is: where do I
begin? His literary remains are vast:
more than 40 thick volumes of commentaries on most of the Bible (available in a
Baker reprint bound in 22 volumes), some 3,000 published sermons (almost equaling
Spurgeon in that regard), plus his famous Institutes of the Christian
Religion, which is more or less a systematic theology, besides a variety of
shorter tractates. I acquired the Institutes
sometime early in the 1980s, and bought a virtually-new set of the commentaries
in the Baker reprint for the amazing price of just $50, cash, in 1982. And while I did occasionally consult the
commentary on selected texts (and discovered that on the interpretation of at
least two disputed passages, I was in agreement with Calvin--passages where he
is at odds with most self-styled Calvinists; more on this later), I made no
thorough or concerted study of his writings.
I was really wanting to read a good biography of Calvin first.
And just here was a
problem. All of the in-print biographies
of Calvin I came across seemed on examination (and I say "seemed"
because I never mustered the courage to read one of them) to be heavily
doctrinaire, and blindly partisan, without the balance necessary to give an
honest and accurate analysis. So, for
several years I continued my quest for just the right biography, ignorant that
I already had in my library just what I was looking for.
In the Fall of 1986, I for
some now forgotten reason, took up volume VIII of Philip Schaff's History of
the Christian Church, which carries the sub-title, The Swiss Reformation. And there I discovered that Schaff had
devoted some 550 pages of this book to the life and labors of Calvin. Here was a very full, sympathetic (Schaff was
in the Reformed camp and a native Swiss) though not uncritical treatment, to
say nothing of the typical Schaffian scholarly thoroughness. There were indeed some rather absurd remarks
here and there, and some opinions that I found fault with (particularly
regarding matters of church and state and persecution of dissent), but on the
whole, this proved a first-rate biography of Calvin, and I recommend it yet as
the place to begin learning about him.
(By the way, that volume also has valuable biographies of Zwingli and
Beza as well).
Since then, I have not
lost my interest in reading extensively in Calvin, though circumstances and
reading inclinations led me in other paths, with only occasional consultations
of his remarks on selected Bible passages.
Until this year. I finally
decided to buckle down and read through one of his commentaries. I chose his commentary on a harmony of the
first three Gospels (which actually is in three volumes and more than 1,300
pages; I read through the first of these volumes). My choice was guided by several
considerations: first, reading straight through a commentary--any
commentary--can be a tedious business, though commentaries on the narrative
portions of Scripture--including the Gospels--are usually an easier read.
Second, nothing in
Scripture is of greater interest to me than the life and teachings of Jesus
(and why is this subject so badly neglected by many preachers today?). I have affirmed more than once that to me,
heaven on earth would be to be assigned to teach over a two-year period
straight through the life of Christ to a class of interested students, using
Robertson's Harmony of the Gospels, and Edersheim's Life and
Times of Jesus the Messiah as texts, and upon completion, go back and start
all over again with another class.
Third, Calvin's commentary
on the Synoptic Gospels was one of his last writings, being published
originally in 1563 (Calvin died the next year at 54). Here, surely, would be his ripest, most
considered opinions and views, and I could thereby get it "straight from
the horse's mouth." My reading of
the 477 pages extended over a period of four months (yes, sometimes I did set
it aside for a time because it became tedious).
I was on the whole pleasantly surprised by what I discovered.
I had expected Calvin to
be very analytical, technical, dogmatic, presuppositionally-driven, austere and
cold. He was none of these things. There was much less of Calvinistic jargon
than is found in a typical "Calvinist" commentary, being virtually
limited to the use of the phrase "His people" as a term for "the
elect" (though on Matthew 1:21, Calvin--contrary to almost all
"Calvinists"--understood the "his people" whom Jesus would
"save from their sins," to be the Jewish nation, not the elect,
though of course this blessing of salvation was later extended to include the
Gentiles. On this verse, I am a
genuine "Calvinist," agreeing as I do with his interpretation). Some of Calvin's comments on the extent of
the atonement sound like what some would denounce as "raving
Arminianism." I quote some of these
below.
Calvin regularly makes a
practical application of the text, applications that are usually quite
appropriate, and are sometimes exceptionally so.
He sometimes notes the
original Greek, mentions the Vulgate translation and the revision of it by
Erasmus, and variant readings in manuscripts as compiled by Stephanus. He occasionally quotes from or refers to the
interpretation of one or another of the church fathers, and displays a
knowledge of classical Greek and Latin authors, as well as of Josephus and Philo. Since this commentary was delivered as
lectures to students (and taken down short-hand), he frequently notes
principles of Bible interpretation applicable to the text at hand.
He commonly notes in
passing Roman Catholic misinterpretations of Scripture or notes how Catholic
practices or doctrines are at loggerheads with the plain teaching of Scripture
(I counted more than 20 such instances, which would be of considerable value to
the student of the Reformation era).
Throughout, Calvin defends
the integrity and accuracy of the Scriptures.
He defends apostolic modifications and use of Old Testament quotations,
and defends the Scriptures as internally self-consistent and non-contradictory.
I found myself in harmony
with many of Calvin's conclusions, among them: John's baptism was Christian
baptism; the era of law ended with John (not at the cross or Pentecost); the
star of Bethlehem was certainly a supernatural phenomenon having no possible
naturalistic explanation; dogmatism on doubtful points is unwarranted; the
"kingdom of God" announced by John and Jesus is God's internal rule
over the hearts of believers.
Upon completion of this
volume, I understood precisely what Spurgeon meant in his sermon at the opening
of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861--"I am never ashamed to avow myself
a Calvinist, although I claim to be rather a Calvinist according to Calvin,
than after the modern debased fashion" (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit,
1861, p. 169). I dare say, that if many
self-styled modern Calvinists would read Calvin on the Synoptics, they would be
astonished, "Is this what Calvin really believed? That's not what us Calvinists
believe!"
I shall continue with
interest to read Calvin's expositions.
---Doug
Kutilek
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SPURGEON'S
OPINION OF CALVIN THE COMMENTATOR
"It would not be
possible for me too earnestly to press upon you the importance of reading the
expositions of that prince among men, JOHN CALVIN . . . . You will find
forty-two or more goodly volumes worth their weight in gold. Of all commentators I believe John Calvin to
be the most candid. In his expositions
he is not always what moderns would call Calvinistic; that is to say, where
Scripture maintains the doctrine of predestination and grace he flinches in no
degree, but inasmuch as some Scriptures bear the impress of human free action
and responsibility, he does not shun to expound their meaning in all fairness
and integrity. He was no trimmer and
pruner of texts. He gave their meaning
as far as he knew it. His honest
intention was to translate the Hebrew and the Greek originals as accurately as
he possibly could, and then to give the meaning which would naturally be
conveyed by such Greek and Hebrew words: he laboured, in fact, to declare, not
his own mind upon the Spirit's words, but the mind of the Spirit as couched in
those words." (Commenting and Commentaries, Banner of Truth Trust
reprint, 1969, p. 4)
----------
SOME
QUOTES FROM Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and
Luke by John Calvin, vol. I (Baker Book House reprint, 1979).
"[Matthew] is a
properly qualified and divinely appointed witness, who committed nothing to
writing, but as the Holy Spirit directed him and guided his pen." (p.
xxxviii)
"Accursed then be the
peace and unity by which men agree among themselves apart from God." (p.
22)
"They take a narrow
and disparaging view of the works of God, who believe that he will do no more
than nature holds out to be probable, as if his hand were limited to our senses
or confined to earthly means." (p. 24)
"The conjecture which
some have drawn from these words [i.e., Luke 1:38], that [Mary, mother of
Jesus] had formed a vow of perpetual virginity, is unfounded and altogether
absurd. She would, in that case, have
committed treachery by allowing herself to be united to a husband, and would
have poured contempt on the holy covenant of marriage; which could not have
been done without mockery of God." (p. 41)
"But it is idle, and
unprofitable, and even dangerous, to argue what God can do, unless we also take
into account what he resolves to do." (p. 45)
"Till God has been
recognised as a Saviour, the minds of men are not free to indulge in
true and full joy, but will remain in doubt and anxiety. It is God's fatherly kindness alone, and the
salvation flowing from it, that fill the soul with joy." (p. 53)
"[W]hen [God] appears
not to observe our cares and distresses, we are still under his eye. He may, indeed, hide himself, and remain
silent; but when our patience has been subjected to the trial, he will aid us
at the time which his own wisdom has selected.
How slow or late soever his assistance may be thought to be, it is for
our advantage that it is thus delayed." (p. 96)
"The dreams which men
commonly have, arise either from the thoughts of the day, or from their natural
temperament, or from bodily indisposition, or from similar causes; while the
dreams which come from God are accompanied by the testimony of the Spirit,
which puts beyond a doubt that it is God who speaks." (p. 97)
"Thus we see that the
holy servants of God, even though they wander from their design, unconscious
where they are going, still keep the right path, because God directs their
steps." (p. 109)
". . .until men have
peace with God, and are reconciled to him through the grace of Christ, all the
joy that they experience is deceitful, and of short duration." (p. 115)
". . . the patience
of the saints differs widely from stupidity." (p. 150)
"Prayers belong
strictly to the worship of God. Fasting
is a subordinate aid, which is pleasing to God no further than as it aids the
earnestness and fervency of prayer." (p. 153)
[pp. 166-7 contain an
excellent discussion, too long to reproduce here, of the hypostatic union--the
combination of true Deity and perfect humanity in the one Person of Christ]
"Hence we infer, that
the abrogation of the law, and the beginning of the Gospel, strictly
speaking, took place when John began to preach." (p.174)
"That men may come
forward, in a right manner, to be baptized, confession of sins is
demanded from them: otherwise the whole performance would be nothing but an
idle mockery"--and Calvin, perhaps realizing that he was accepting the
argument of the anabaptists for refusing to baptize their infants, goes on to
qualify his remark--"Let it be observed, that we are here speaking of
adults, who ought not, we are aware, to be admitted indiscriminately into the
Church, or introduced by Baptism into the body of Christ, till an examination
has been previously made" (pp. 184-185)
"Most certainly, if
you compare the Pope, and his abominable clergy, with the Pharisees and
Sadducees, the mildest possible way of dealing with them will be, to throw them
all into one bundle. Those whose ears are
so delicate, that they cannot endure to have any bitter thing said against the
Pope, must argue, not with us, but with the Spirit of God." (p. 188)
"For a good part of
men, in order to escape the wrath of God, withdraw themselves from his guidance
and authority. But all that the sinner
gains by fleeing from God, is to provoke more and more the wrath of God
against him." (p. 189)
". . .the repentance,
which is attested by words, is of no value, unless it be proved by the conduct:
for it is too important a matter to be estimated lightly, or at random."
(p. 189)
". . . the world is
always desirous to acquit itself of its duty to God by performing ceremonies;
and there is nothing to which we are more prone, than to offer to God pretended
worship, whenever he calls us to repentance." (p. 192)
"It ought not to have
any weight with us, that an opinion has long and extensively prevailed, that
John's baptism differs from ours. We
must learn to form our judgment from the matter as it stands, and not from the
mistaken opinions of men." (p. 197)
". . . let us learn
that the temptations which befall us are not accidental, or regulated by the
will of Satan, without God's permission; but that the Spirit of God presides
over our contests as an exercise of our faith." (p. 210)
"For the more that we
are exercised in spiritual combats, God allows us to be the more violently
attacked. Wherefore let us learn, never
to become weary, till, having finished the whole course of our war, we have
reached the end." (p. 211, n. 1)
". . . Papists, as if
they had made a bargain with Satan, cruelly give up souls to be destroyed by
him at his pleasure, when they wickedly withhold the Scripture from the people
of God, and thus deprive them of their arms, by which alone their safety could
be preserved." (p. 214)
". . . we cannot rely
on [God's] promises, without obeying his commandments." (p. 219)
". . . by the
preaching of the Gospel the kingdom of God is set up and established
among men, and that in no other way does God reign among men." (pp.
225-226)
"When God commanded
his people to abstain from working on [the Sabbath] day, it was not that they
might give themselves up to indolent repose, but, on the contrary, that they
might exercise themselves in meditating on his works." (p. 227)
". . . the
corruptions of the Papal Hierarchy, in our time, are more shocking and
detestable than those which existed among the Jews under the high priesthood of
Annas and Caiaphas. For the reading of
Scripture, which was then in use, has not only grown obsolete under the Pope,
but is driven from the churches by fire and sword; with this exception, that
such portions of it, as they think proper, are chanted by them in an unknown
tongue." (p. 227)
". . . those, who are
sent by God to preach the Gospel, are previously furnished with necessary
gifts, to qualify them for so important an office. It is, therefore, very ridiculous that, under
the pretense of a divine calling, men totally unfit for discharging the office
should take upon themselves the name of pastors. We have an instance of this in the Papacy,
where mitred bishops, who are more ignorant than as many asses, proudly and
openly vaunt, that they are Christ's Vicars, and the only lawful prelates of
the Church." (p. 229)
"This example teaches
us that, though our adversaries may prevail so far, that our life may seem to
be placed at their disposal, yet that the power of God will always be
victorious to preserve us, so long as he shall be pleased to keep us in the
world, either by tying their hands, or by blinding their eyes, or by stupifying
their minds and hearts." (p. 235)
". . . no fixed and
distinct order of dates was observed by the Evangelists in composing their
narratives." (p. 239)
"Again, though
[Christ] chose unlearned and ignorant persons, he did not leave them in that
condition; . . . . When our Lord chose persons of this description it was not
because he preferred ignorance to learning: as some fanatics do, who are
delighted with their own ignorance, and fancy that, in proportion as they hate
literature, they approach the nearer to the apostles" (p. 243)
"We must first attend
to the definition of the kingdom of God.
He is said to reign among men, when they voluntarily devote and
submit themselves to be governed by him, placing their flesh under the yoke,
and renouncing their desires." (p. 319)
"Nothing is better
adapted to excite us to prayer than a full conviction that we shall be
heard." (p. 351)
"Let us remember,
however, that all doctrines must be brought to the Word of God as the standard,
and that, in judging of false prophets, the rule of faith holds the
chief place." (p. 365)
". . . men ought not
to expect more than God promises." (p. 373)
"Is it not very
evident that we set a higher value on the shadowy life of the body than on the
eternal condition of the soul; or rather, that the heavenly kingdom of God is
of no estimation with us, in comparison of the fleeting and vanishing shadow of
the present life?" (p. 462)
"There is no believer
whom the Son of God does not require to be his witness." (p. 467)
"In vain do persons
who are delighted with an easy, indolent life, and with exemption from the cross,
undertake a profession of Christianity." (p. 475)
----------
QUOTES
FROM CALVIN PARTICULARLY RELATING TO THE ATONEMENT
"God offers his
benefits indiscriminately to all, and faith opens its bosom to receive them;
while unbelief allows them to pass away, so as not to reach us." (p. 51)
"For it would be of
no advantage to us, that Christ was given by the Father as 'the author of
eternal salvation,' (Heb. 5:9) unless he had been given indiscriminately to
all. . . .Let us know, therefore, that to the whole human race there has been
manifested and exhibited salvation through Christ. . . ." (p. 85)
"By Christ's people
[Matt. 1:21] the angel unquestionably means the Jews, to whom he was appointed
as Head and King; but as the Gentiles were shortly afterwards to be ingrafted
into the stock of Abraham (Rom. 11:17) this promise of salvation is
extended indiscriminately to all who are incorporated by faith in the 'one
body' (I Cor. 12:20) of the Church." (p. 99)
"In a word, to do and
accomplish all things requisite for the salvation of the human race." (p.
106, n. 1)
"Now let it be
understood, that this joy [Luke 2:10] was common to all people, because it was
indiscriminately offered to all. For God
had promised Christ, not to one person or to another, but to the whole seed of
Abraham. If the Jews were deprived, for
the most part, of the joy that was offered them, it arose from their unbelief;
just as, at the present day, God invites all indiscriminately to salvation
through the Gospel, but the ingratitude of the world is the reason why this
grace, which is equally offered to all, is enjoyed by few. Although this joy is confined to a few
persons, yet, with respect to God, it is said to be common. When the angel says that this joy shall be
to all the people, he speaks of the chosen people only; but now that 'the
middle wall of partition' (Eph. 2:14) has been thrown down, the same passage
has reference to the whole human race." (pp. 115-116)
". . . since the Lord
is the Redeemer of all the world at large, . . . ." (p. 140, n. 1)
"The preference given
to Israel above the Gentiles is that all without distinction may obtain
salvation in Christ." (p. 145)
"Those who
voluntarily deprive themselves of the salvation which God has offered them,
perish twice." (p. 149)
"God sometimes
invites us to repentance, when nothing more is meant, than that we ought to
change our life for the better. He
afterwards shows, that conversion and 'newness of life' (Rom. 6:4) are the gift
of God. This is intended to inform us
that not only is our duty enjoined on us, but the grace and power of obedience
are, at the same time, offered. If we
understand in this way the preaching of John about repentance, the meaning will
be: 'The Lord commands you to turn to himself; but as you cannot accomplish
this by your own endeavors, he promises the Spirit of regeneration, and
therefore you must receive this grace by faith.' " (p. 225)
". . . they
voluntarily refuse to render to the heavenly doctrine of Christ the honour
which it deserves." (p. 231)
". . . the unbelief
of men presents an obstruction to God, and hinders him from working, as might
be desired, for their salvation . . . . Not that it is in the power of men to
bind the hands of God, but that he withholds the advantage of his works from those
who are rendered unworthy of them by their infidelity." (p. 232)
"As the ministers of
the Gospel, and those who are called to the office of teaching, cannot
distinguish between the children of God and swine, it is their duty to
present the doctrine of salvation indiscriminately to all." (p. 349)
"We now perceive
[Christ's] design, which was, to warn the Jews not to allow themselves to lose,
by their own neglect, the salvation which it is in their power to obtain."
(p. 360)
"Though he addresses
these words [i.e., 'Go away, and as thou believest, so may it be to thee.'] to
the centurion, there can be no doubt that, in his person, he invites us all to
strong hope." (p. 384)
". . . the
righteousness which [Christ] offers indiscriminately to all the ungodly, the
life which he offers to the dead, and the salvation which he offers to the
lost." (p. 403)
"They chose rather to
be deprived of the salvation which is offered to them, than to endure any
longer the presence of Christ." (p. 434)
"In the person of one
man Christ has exhibited to us a proof of his grace, which is extended to all
mankind." (p. 436)
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