We may reasonably conceive, then, of Christ acting on the most
incorrigible of mankind, and entirely capturing them without in the
least depriving them of freewill. What influences He may bring to bear
upon them, who can say? What unfoldings of eternal love He may reveal
are impossible to be imagined. We can thus believe that the worst of
mankind might be captured and redeemed. I appeal to the capture of Saul
of Tarsus as an example of such a possibility. What a door of hope is
opened here for our lost race!
* * * * *
It may be asked why such a redemption is not effected in the present
life. Let us beware of intruding into divine mysteries. We might as well
ask why Saul was not arrested and redeemed before he made such a havoc
of the church, and went down to such a low depth of infamy. Or we might
inquire why he was arrested at all. Or we might inquire why God went to
that idolatrous people in Ur of the Chaldees, and took Abraham from
among them, and made him not only the progenitor of the chosen race,
but one of the greatest and most noble men in history. Yet God in his
sovereign pleasure took that course, leaving the rest of those heathen
people in their idolatry. And so through all the ages we see the
manifestation of God's electing favor. I say, we must beware of
intruding into the divine mysteries. To all such inquiries we can only
say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight."