Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/120

 U4 The Plan df the Ages.

see that God's plan is wider than we had supposed, and that though he has given the Church " exceeding great and pre- cious promises," he has also made bountiful provision for the world which he so loved as to redeem. The Jews made a very similar mistake in supposing that all the promises of God were to and for them alone; but when the "due time' * came and the Gentiles were favored, the remnant of Israel, whose hearts were large enough to rejoice in this wider evi- dence of God's grace, shared that increased favor, while the rest were blinded by prejudice and human tradition. Let those of the Church who now see the dawning light of the Millennial age, with its gracious advantages for all the world, take heed lest they be found in opposition to the advancing light, and so for a time be blinded to its glory and blessings.

How different is this glorious plan of God for the selec- tion of a few now, in order to the blessing of the many here- after, from the distortions of these truths, as represented by the two opposing views Calvinism and Arminiamsm. The former both denies the Bible doctrine of Free Grace and miserably distorts the glorious doflrine of Election ; the latter denies the do<ftrine of Ele<ftion and fails to compre- hend the blessed fulness of God's Free Grace.

Calvinism says ; God is all- wise ; he knew the end from the beginning ; and as all his purposes shall be accomplished, he never could have intended to save any but a few, the Church, These he elefied and fore-ordained to be eternally saved] all others were equally fore-ordained and eleQed to go to eternal torment; for "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.**

This view has its good features. It recognizes God's omniscience. This would be our ideal of a gre at God, were it not that two essential qualities of greatness ate lacking, namely, love and justice, neither of which is exemplified in bringing into the world one hundred and forty-two bil-

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