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VOL III. RICH1*
rUKL
(A Sermon preached at the General Assem
By
Acts 2:23. "Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God,
ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified
and slain."
1 Peter 1: 20. " Who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world."
Three kindred truths are presented in God's
word, Election, Predestination and Foreordination.
Thev are akin, hut not. identieal Thev are
all acts of God the Father, but they have reference
to different classes of persons. Election
looks upon a world of condemned criminals. In
it God does hot view men as guiltless, but as
those who are under condemnation for their
sins, awaiting execution. Out of these he elects
the "great multitude" (Rev. 7.:9) to give them
pardon, and adoption as his children.
Predestination deals with those who are elect.
(See Eph. 1:4, 5) It is God's plan for elevating
and glorifying those whose names are in the
Lamb'8 Book of Life. In the eighth of Romans
we learn that God has predestinated these to
be "conformed to the image of his Son." And
the image of his Son is glory. "Whom he did
foreknow, them also, he did predestinate
and them he also glorified." Predestination is
always unto blessing and happiness?never unto
misery. It is God's plan for the happiness of
his people.
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with the rewards of individuals as with the
management of the events of this world. God
has foreordained every event that comes to
pass. Read Isiah 46:10. "I am God and there is
none like me, declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are
no yet done, saying My counsel shall -tand and
I will do all my pleasure." God has foreordain
ed every event. To this end he has foreordained
what we call the laws of nature, he has foreordained
that his children shall have power to do
noble deeds, and that to a certain extent he will
permit wicked men to do foul deeds; and if
they act wickedly, to bear the penalty. God
foreordains events, but in God's word we do
not find any phrase which teaches that God
^^01 has foreordained any individual man to everlasting
punishment. God has ordained punish '
* ^ ment for every sinner?indeed so do the laws
V' of man?but not that any particular man shall
[L be under the compulsion to commit sin. No
Inhere is there any teaching that God ever created
a man with intent to make him miserable.
A DOCTRINE HARD TO GRASP.
Sourm
iMMiSPl ) THE CENT*
/HE <$oui
dOND, NEW ORLEANS. ATLAN rA. JU
-ORDINA
bly at Louisville, on Monday, May 22, and
Rev. Thomas ?. Converse, D.
Is foreordination hard to grasp? Partly be
cause we approach it too hurriedly. A little girl
ouce came to me with just this difficulty. She
had been upstairs, studying in her Catechism
the question "What are the decrees of God?"
Just then, the baby who was down stairs hurt
himself and cried. At once she ran down, comforted
the baby and returned to her Catechism.
Before long she came to her pastor, saying "I
cannot learn this answer; it is too hard for me."
"All right," was the reply, "It is a beef
steak; you cannot swallow it all at once; you
must cut it up. Let us see. ' The decrees of God
are his eternal purpose.' What made you, run
down stairs just now?"
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I cannot choose; I should have liked so
much
To sit at Jesus' feet,?to feel the touch
Of his kind, gentle hand upon my head
While drinking in the gracious words he
said.
And yet?to serve him! Oh divine employ!
To minister and and give the Master joy!
To bathe in coolest springs his weary feet
And wait upon him while he sat at meat!
Worship or service?which, All, that is
best
To which he calls me,?be it toil or rest;
To labor for him in life's busy stir,
Or seek his feet a silent worshiper.
So let him choose for us. We are not
strong
To make the choice. Perhaps we should
go wrong,
Mistaking zeal for service?sinful sloth
For loving worship,?and so fail of both.
Selected.
"Because baby was hurt and I wanted to
comfort him."
"Right; that was your purpose and a good
one. In like manner when God saw the people
of this world in trouble, lie formed a purpose
to save them. The decrees of <3od are his purposes.
But again: At what time did you form
the purpose to help the baby?"
"Before I started down stairs."
"So did God. The decrees of God are his eternal
purpose. He formed his plan of saving men
before he created Adam. But now once more:
HUI&W 1
VESTERNPRESBYTEP/aM f
al Presbyter/an et
"hern Presbyter/a n
LY 19. 1911. NO. 29.
TION." I
published at the request of the Assembly.)
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1
Did some one else tell you to go and comfort
baby?"
"No; I just went myself."
That suggests your Catechism answer: The
decrees of God are his eternal purpose according
to the counsel of his will. Nobody told God
to plan salvation for us. He did it of his own
motion. But let us try just once more. Did any
one offer to pay you for comforting the baby?"
"No, I did it because 1 love him."
"All right. Your Catechism says, "Whereby,
for his own glory he hath foreordained. His love
is his glory. Just because he loved us and would
have all creatures see that he loved us, sinners
though we were, therefore he has foreordained
everything in a way to make us happy."
And the little girl went back up stairs and
learned her Catechism question.
"fob his own glory."
That last clause will bear some illustration.
"For his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever
comes to pass." What is the glory of
Uod? In Exodus 34, we learn that when Moses
asked God to show him his glory, God showed
him his love for sinners;?his love coupled with
his justice. "The Lord God (1) merciful, (2)
gracious, (3) longsuffering, (4) abundant in
goodness and truth, (5) keeping mercy for
thousands, (6) forgiving iniquity, transgression
and sins, and (7) that will by no means clear
the guilty." For his own glory?to show his wisdom
and his love?God has foreordained.
SOME ILLUSTRATIONS.
Let us here pause and view a few of God's
foreordinations that are on record and see how
love shines through them all.
1. Tn Eden. Satan tried to destine the whole
human race to hell. But God, in his great love,
wherewith he loved us immediately intervened
with a declaration that already, "before the
foundation of the world," he had foreordained
that the seed of the woman should bruise the
Rerpent's head, and that his Redeemer should
deliver men out of misery into heaven.
2. Tn Mesopotamia. Satan tried to ordain
Job to poverty. But God had a better plan,
ju mat ?iou rnouid be the
world '8 example of faith and patience, and then
double property on earth and honor in heaven
should be Job's.
3. In Canaan. The sons of Jacob ordained
Joseph to slavery in Egypt. God soon revealed
that his plan was to use the wickedness of these
brothers to carry Joseph into Egypt, but then
to set Joseph on the throne of Egypt, make