Transcribed from the [1865] William Hunt and Company edition by David
Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
THE
BREADTH, FREENESS,
AND
Yet Exclusiveness of the Gospel.
* * * * *
BY THE
REV. EDWARD HOARE, M.A.,
_Incumbent of Trinity Church_, _Tunbridge Wells_.
* * * * *
* * * * *
* * * * *
LONDON:
WILLIAM HUNT AND COMPANY,
23, HOLLES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE.
IPSWICH: WILLIAM HUNT.
THE BREADTH, FREENESS, AND YET EXCLUSIVENESS OF THE GOSPEL.
JOHN III. 16.
THE subject has, I presume, been chosen for our discussion, in order to
meet the aspersions of those who claim for their own system the merit of
breadth, comprehensiveness, and large-heartedness, 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 century. Such persons consider
themselves broad, and us narrow; and their teaching to be characterized
by largeness, ours by narrowness; theirs by generosity, ours by bigotry;
theirs by comprehensive philanthropy, ours by an exclusive interest in a
small section of the human family.
Now there is something very noble in broad, large, and comprehensive
views of the dealings and character of God, and something, on the other
hand, exceedingly repulsive in any disposition to contract God’s message,
or to half close the door which God has opened wide for the world. And,
more than that, there is something so grand in the magnificence of
creation, 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 God. We fully acknowledge therefore the attractiveness and
persuasiveness of breadth, and are fully prepared to admit that the broad
has much more to commend it than the narrow, and that the probability of
truth lies on the side of the broadest, the widest, the freest message.
But, while freely admitting that the broadest statement of the Gospel is
most probably the truest, we have yet to decide the question, which
statement is really the broadest, and on which side is the narrowness to
be found? and if this question be fairly considered, it may possibly turn
out that that which calls itself the broad is really the narrow, and that
which some men call narrow is possessed of a breadth, and length, and
depth, and height, that can only be measured by the infinity of God. It
is well therefore to consider whether the Gospel, as revealed in
Scripture, is really broad or really narrow,—applying the tests of
breadth and fulness to the message of salvation as proclaimed in the
Gospel of the grace of God.
* * * * *
I. _Its breadth_.
Is there in all language, a wider, broader, fuller, and more
comprehensive statement, than is found in the words of our blessed
Redeemer,—“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life”? It describes a Divine and eternal love, originating a salvation
unmerited, unlooked for, and as far above all human thoughts as heaven is
above the earth. It declares the object of it to be the world, the whole
world, and nothing short of the world; for it is just as unreasonable to
maintain that the world in this verse means the elect, as it would be to
maintain that “the elect of God,” in Col. iii., means the world. It
proclaims the most magnificent possible offer as the result of it. God
forbid that we should ever cramp, fetter, or limit it! It is the New
Testament exposition of the Old Testament invitation,—“Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” and it is the foundation of the
message heard from heaven,—“The Spirit and the Bride say, Come: and let
him that heareth say, Come: and let him that is athirst come: and
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Our Lord’s words
on earth are one with His words in heaven, and both proclaim an
unqualified invitation to all, without the exclusion of an individual.
The invitation is as broad as the world itself, and there is no man,
woman, or child under the whole heaven, to whom God, in His unbounded
mercy, has not sent the gracious message of free and complete salvation.
If we look more closely at the details, we find that the glad tidings are
not limited,—