We will now meet the objector on the doctrine of election and reprobation, the substance of which is as follows—­After man fell, God was pleased to provide a Saviour for a part of the human family.  That elect number he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world, gave them eternal life in him, and for them only he tasted death.  The gospel is now to be preached to the whole world, and as long as they reject it, they are unbelievers.  But the elect shall sooner, or later, all be brought to believe.

We will examine the foundation on which this statement rests.  To bring it clearly before you, we will take an example.  Suppose there is a congregation of one hundred persons.  Fifty of them were elected to everlasting life before the foundation of the world—­were secured by a Saviour, and the rest were reprobated to endless wo.  For them no Saviour was designed, and no eternal life ever has, or ever will be given them in him.  Suppose a sermon is preached to those one hundred; and the fifty, who are elected, believe the record of their eternal life, are brought to the obedience of faith, while the other fifty remain unmoved.  The preacher turns upon them and pronounces them unbelievers.  But In what sense are they unbelievers?  There has been no truth presented to them, which they disbelieve.  Must they believe that Christ is their Saviour, or that they have an eternal life in him?  But they would in such case believe a lie.  If they believed right the reverse of the elect,—­believed that God was their enemy and that Christ was not their Saviour, they would be believers.  But if they believed what the fifty converts did, they would be unbelievers.  We here repeat one premise laid down in our last discourse—­viz.  In order for any man to be styled a believer or unbeliever, there must first be presented some truth for him to embrace or reject.

Now either God has given us eternal life in Christ before the world began, or he has not.  If he has, then we are unbelievers if we reject it.  If he has not given it, and should we still believe that he has, we would then believe a lie.  But neither our belief, or unbelief can ever alter the fact.

God has “chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will.” * * * “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself; that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together, in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him.”  Some apply the above to the elect.  But it embraces all things in heaven and earth, which are to be gathered together in Christ, and be new creatures.  In addition to this we will introduce