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.