l.

A REMNANT ACCORDING TO ELECTION.--In Romans xi. 5, it is written
thus: "Even so at the present time there is a remnant according to
the election of grace." It is true that the words "election" and
"grace" occur in this passage; but the simple question is, what is
their meaning? The apostle had asked, in the first verse, "Hath God
cast off His people?" And he repudiates the idea, and refers to the
state of matters in the time of Elijah. The prophet had thought that
he was the solitary worshipper of God; but in this he was mistaken.
Seven thousand men were yet true to the Lord, and had not bowed the
knee to Baal. So at the time the apostle wrote there was a few, a
"remnant" of the nation who had believed through grace, and were
chosen, elected, to receive the blessings of pardon and the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God had not, therefore, cast off His
people, since He was saving all of them who believed. In the
exercise of His sovereign wisdom He has made, however, _faith_ to be
the condition of salvation both for Jew and Gentile. And there is
nothing arbitrary in this. In our everyday life we are required to
exercise, and are constantly exercising, faith. If we wish to cross
the Atlantic, we must exercise faith in regard to the seaworthiness
of the ship. We marry, lend money, take medicine, and a thousand
other things, upon the principle of faith. We will not allow a man
into our family circle who holds us to be liars. Should he take that
position we exclude him from friendly fellowship. If he would get
good from us in a certain sphere of things, faith in us is
absolutely requisite. It is the same with God. If we would be
blessed with the sweet peace of pardon, we can only have it by
believing in the testimony that God has given regarding the Son,
that He tasted death for every man--died, therefore, for us.

The passages of Scripture we have thus considered are those mainly
depended on in support of the Calvinistic doctrine of election. The
doctrine, like the chameleon, has different shades, according to the
school. The high predestinarians, or, as they are called, "_supra
-lapsarians_," maintain, as we have seen, that God created a certain
number to be saved, and a certain number to be lost. The _infra_- or
_sublap_-_sarians_, maintain that God contemplated the race as
fallen, and determined to save a given number, and a given number
only, and to reprobate a given number. Regarding the former a
Saviour has been