for now the promise grows incalculably wider, but every knee-" in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." It is hard to understand Isaiah as proclaiming less than an universal redemption; but if St Paul did not mean to proclaim a redemption as wide as the universe, what use or force is there in words?

I have said enough, however, to recall to your memories the bright and vivid pictures of "the Regeneration" which the greater prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel-loved to paint. If you would collect them in some private gallery of your own, you know where to look for them. But, perhaps, some of you may not be equally familiar with the fact that these same pictures, drawn on a proportionally lesser scale, are also to be found in the works of those whom we call the Minor Prophets-giving them that name not because their strains are of an inferior quality to those of their compeers, but because they are fewer and shorter. Yet every one of their brief poems, or collections of poems, has its tiny apocalypse. And— mark this point well, for it will be useful to us by and bye-while each of the Minor Prophets sees the vision of a whole world redeemed to the love and service of righteousness, this vision of redemption is invariably accompanied by a vision of judgment. Thus, for in

stance, Joel1 foresees that all nations will be gathered into the Valley of Doom in order that every man may receive the due reward of his deeds; but he also foresees that they will be judged in order that, thereafter, the Spirit of God may be poured out on “all flesh," on young men and maidens, old men and children, bond and free. In like manner the pencil of Habakkuk labours to depict the judgment that will fall on the nations which "exhaust themselves for vanity;" but he too can look beyond the terrors of judgment and see "the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the deep." Zephaniah, again, is possessed by this deep conviction, this healing and sustaining hope. He sees that God will make Himself terrible over the nations only that "all the isles of the heathen, every one from its place, may worship Him;" that He will purify the earth with the fire of his judgments, in order that He may turn to the nations a pure lip," in order that they may "all invoke the name of Jehovah, and serve Him with one shoulder." And Malachi, the last of the prophets, foresees a day of the Lord, which will burn like a furnace against all unrighteousness of men ; but he also foresees that these flaming judgments will kindle on men only that "from the rising of the sun

1 Joel ii. 28-31; and iii. 12-21.
3 Zephaniah ii. 11; and iii. 8, 9.

2 Habakkuk ii. 13, 14.

4 Malachi i. 11; iii. 1-3; iv. 1-3.

to the going down thereof God's name may be great among the nations," and that "in every place incense may be burned to his Name and a pure sacrifice be offered Him."

But why should I elaborate this point? why should I cite so many passages from the Old Testament Scriptures, except indeed to impress upon you the fact that even in those Scriptures which we admit to be the narrowest in their scope this doctrine of an universal redemption is iterated and reiterated again and again? We, who are appealing to the authority of Holy Writ, need no proof of the fact, though we may need to have the fact impressed upon us for St Peter,1 when he is speaking of "the times of the restitution of all things," i.e., the age in which all things shall be restored to their primeval, or raised to their ideal, order and beauty, distinctly asserts that God hath spoken of this age "by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."

Here, then, we have the highest and most conclusive authority for believing that, from the beginning, God has cherished the purpose of an universal restoration or redemption; that this purpose has been revealed to and by all the inspired Hebrew prophets and that the revelation made to them has been endorsed and attested by the Christian Apostles. It would almost

1 Acts iii. 21.

seem unnecessary, therefore, that I should go on to quote the illustrations of this Divine purpose which abound in the Scriptures of the New Testament. But the effect of a doctrine depends not only on the clearness and fullness with which it is revealed, but also on the clearness and depth of the impression it makes on our minds. And hence I will cite, as briefly and with as little comment as I can, some of the leading passages of the New Testament in which this great doctrine is taught or implied.

John the Baptist, then, saw in Jesus "the Lamb of God which taketh away (not the sins, but) the sin of the world;" i.e., the whole sin of the whole world.1 The Lord Jesus Himself assures us that " God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."2 And, again, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand," and "all that the Father hath given me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out;" for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me: and this is the Father's will who hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." And, again, "I, if I be lifted up from

"3

1 St John i. 29.

2 Ibid., iii. 17.

3 Ibid., iii. 35; and vi. 37-39.

the earth, will draw all men unto me." Could

even He that formed the tongue use language more explicit and decisive than this? Could even the Lord Jesus have taught us more plainly—and more effectively if only we bring an unbiassed mind to his words that it is the intention and purpose of God to take away the sin of the whole race, and to redeem all men unto Himself? And since the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance, must not that purpose be carried out, if not in this age, then in some of the ages to come?

But lest we should have misunderstood these great sayings of the Great Teacher, let us mark how the Apostles understood them, what meanings they found in them. The great theologians of the Apostolic Company were St Paul and St John. St John has left us only one theological Epistle, only one public Letter, from which we may learn how the truths taught by Christ shaped themselves in his mind and ministry. But even in this single and brief Letter we find these sayings and such as these: "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world;"2 and, again, "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the world."3 3 Ibid., ii. 1, 2.

1 St John xii. 32.

2 1 John iv. 14.