God's Indiscriminate Proposals of Mercy [pp. 33-66]

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GOD'S INDISCRIMINATE PROPOSALS OF MERCY
AS RELATED TO HIS POWER, WISDOM, AND
SINCERITY.
F God makes proposals of mercy to men, who, he foresees, will
certainly reject them and perish, and whom he immutably
purposes to leave without effectual calling, how can his power
and wisdom be cleared, save at the expense of his sincerity? or
his sincerity at the expense of his wisdom or power? This is
obviously the point in the Reformed or Augustinian theology
most difficult of adjustment. The excogitation of the scheme
of the " Hypothetic Universalists" among a part of the French
Reformed, and the intricate discussions between them and the
Genevans, evince the fact. It is also disclosed in the proposal
of this problem by Sir Robert Boyle, to John Howe, as a proper
subject for the exercise of his sanctified acumen. The result
was his famous treatise, "The Reconcileableness of God's
Prescience of the Sins of Men with the Wisdom and Sincerity of
his Counsels," etc. It is against this point that the most persistent attacks of Arminians are still made. "It is at this
point," says Dr. A. A. Hodge's " Atonement," " very wisely,
as we think, the Arminian erects his main citadel. We freely
admit that just here the advocates of that system are able to
present a greater number and variety of texts which appear to
favor the distinguishing principles of their system than they
are able to gather in vindication of any other of their main positions.".... "Then gathering together their scriptural
evidence for the general and indefinite design of the Atonement,
they proceed with great appearance of force to argue inferentially
against the outflanked Calvinistic positions of unconditional
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