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make atonement for sin, do this with the design or for the purpose of saving only the elect or all
men? That is the question, and that only is the question.
2. STATEMENT OF THE REFORMED POSITION.
The Reformed position is that Christ died for the
purpose of actually and certainly saving the elect, and the elect only. This is equivalent to saying
that He died for the purpose of saving only those to whom He actually applies the benefits of
His redemptive work. Various attempts have been made in circles that claimed to be Reformed
to modify this position. The Dutch Arminians maintained that Christ died for the purpose of
making salvation possible for all men without exception, though they will not all be saved.
Salvation is offered to them on lower terms than it was to Adam, namely on condition of faith
and evangelical obedience, a condition which they can meet in virtue of God’s gift of common
or sufficient grace to all men. The Calvinistic Universalists sought to mediate between the
Reformed position and that of the Arminians. They distinguished a twofold decree of God: (a) A
decree to send Christ into the world to save all men by His atoning death on condition of faith
in Him. However, because God saw that this purpose would fail, since no one would accept
Christ by faith, He followed up the first by a second decree. (b) A decree to give a certain elect
number special grace, in order to engender faith in their hearts and to secure their salvation.
This dubious and very unsatisfactory view was held by the school of Saumur (Cameron,
Amyraldus, and Testardus), and also by such English scholars as Wardlaw, John Brown, and
James Richards. Some New England theologians, such as Emmons, Taylor, Park, and Beman
held a somewhat similar view. The Marrow-men of Scotland were perfectly orthodox in
maintaining that Christ died for the purpose of saving only the elect, though some of them used
expressions which also pointed to a more general reference of the atonement. They said that
Christ did not die for all men, but that He is dead, that is, available, for all. God’s giving love,
which is universal, led Him to make a deed of gift and grant to all men; and this is the
foundation for the universal offer of salvation. His electing love, however, which is special,
results in the salvation of the elect only. The most important of the Marrowmen were Hog,
Boston, and the two Erskines.
3. PROOF FOR THE DOCTRINE OF A LIMITED ATONEMENT.
The following proofs may be given
for the doctrine of particular atonement:
a. It may be laid down, first of all, as a general principle, that the designs of God are always
surely efficacious and cannot be frustrated by the actions of man. This applies also to the
purpose of saving men through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. If it had been His intention to
save all men, this purpose could not have been frustrated by the unbelief of man. It is admitted
on all hands that only a limited number is saved. Consequently, they are the only ones whom
God has determined to save.