Acts 8:22 - William Tant

The last portion we have to notice is, Acts 8:22. " Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee." This has been thought a very conclusive proof, that spiritual exhortations to unregenerate men, and offers of the gospel, are scriptural. But Peter told Simon Magus, at the time he gave the exhortation, that " he had neither part nor lot in the matter, and that he was in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity;- therefore I do not think the apostle alluded to spiritual but natural repentance, anticipating the judgment of God to fall upon Simon Magus, for the particular sin of offering money for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Peter does not tell him to repent of his sins, but " repent of this thy wickedness." Natural repentance is referred to in Judges ii. 6. where it reads, " the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, there is one tribe cut off from Israel this day." They had not a spiritual matter to concern them, but that which was wholly natural, therefore their repentance was natural. And Solomon refers to the same sort of repentance, when he says, " If they (the children of Israel) shall bethink themselves, in the land whither they are carried captives, and repent," and make supplication unto thee, in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, " we have sinned and done perversely, we have committed wickedness, and so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward this land which thou gayest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name : then hear thou their prayer, and their supplication, in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause," 1 Kings 47, 48, 49. All this repentance, supplication, and prayer, which Solomon anticipated Israel addressing to God, must be natural;* for he supposes them looking towards the land of Canaan, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple he had built, while in the land of their enemies. Whereas, to be spiritual in our repentance, we must be looking to Christ the land of promise, where the majestic mountains of divine attributes, the fertile valleys of sorrow, sufferings, and death, the flowing rivers of mercy, grace, and love, the wide-spreading firmament of an everlasting covenant, and the wholesome atmosphere of gospel liberty, are beheld in all their order, suitability, virtue, preciousness, and glory. We must be looking at the vision of peace through the blood of the cross. And our attention must be fixed upon the chief corner stone which infinite wisdom contrived, and almighty skill fixed, in the counsels of heaven, for the resting place of all the "precious stones" of that mystical temple, which forms the everlasting dwelling place of Jehovah. Nineveh, as I have before noticed, naturally repented, and Nineveh was naturally saved ; and so natural repentance God has required; and has been practiced; where no spiritual act has been commanded, nor one spiritual desire after God existed. Therefore Peter's exhortation to Simon Magus being wholly natural, is no proof that spiritual exhortations to unregenerate men are scriptural.

Proverbs 1:24 - William Tant

But we will now proceed to Proverbs 1:24. ` Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my, reproof," &c. Here it is thought by some, Christ is described as offering his salvation to men ; but, because they will not accept of it, he condemns them at the " last great day:" but if we read from verse 10. we shall, I think, discover that there is no " gospel offer" made in this portion of God's word ; and that the allusion is to a period before the great day of God's wrath comes. Let us, then, go through the whole, from verse 10. inclusive.

" My Son," chosen, adopted, and loved in Christ, ".if sinners entice thee," either by false doctrine or corrupt practices," consent thou not." " If they say, come with us," come to our system, come to our religion, join in with us as members of the same society, "let us lay wait for blood," by watching for the falls and blunders of God's saints; "let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;" let us reproach the lovers of free grace as Antinomians, and so falsely accuse their good conversation in Christ; " let us swallow them tip alive as the grave, and whole as A hose that go down to the pit;" let us do them all the evil we can ; "we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil," we shall gain a good name among most professors, and a large circle of friends among the respectable. " Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse," let us drop all differences in sentiment, and have as much of worldly dealings with each other as possible. " My son," chosen to form a part of Jehovah's portion, "walk not thou in the way with them," not only do not become one of them, but shun even the appearance of evil ; " refrain thy foot from their path;" do not court their company, nor seek their good word, " for their feet run to evil ;" however pleasing and attracting may be their external appearance, they are earnestly pursuing the path that will lead to hell; and " make haste to shed blood," avail themselves of every opportunity of cruelly persecuting God's saints. "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird," or as the margin renders it, " surely in vain the net is spread in the eyes of everything that bath , a wing." In vain do they lay snares for those of my people, who have discernment enough to see through them, and strength to resist them. " And they lay wait for their own blood :" while they are contriving to injure the people of God, they are secretly bringing evil upon themselves; " they thus lurk privily for their own lives." So are the ways of every one who is greedy of gain;" such are the ways, plots, and schemes of men to whom gain is godliness, and who will sacrifice principle or truth in order to obtain some worldly ends, " which taketh away the life of the owners thereof:" absorbed with the world, spiritual life is not known by them.

" Wisdom crieth without," the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the wisdom of God in a mystery, crieth or unfolds himself in the preaching of the everlasting gospel. The word crieth, carries the idea of proclaiming, in the manner of an herald, the will of the king: not of offrin the will of the king. Precisely so, gospel ministers go forth, preaching the gospel whenever and wherever the Lord opens a way or door by which they can preach. " She uttereth her voice in the streets," wherever people arefound who will listen to it; " she crieth in the chief place of concourse," in the appointed places for assembling, " in the opening of the gates," in every institution or ordinance of the gospel; " in the city, among the regenerated, called, converted, and believing people of God, who have been, or who are, persecuted as before noticed; "she uttered her words, saying, how long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?" How long, ye upright ones, who are regularly sitting under the ministry of my word, will ye be dreading the adversary, "and fearing every day be Cause of the fury of the oppressor;" "and the scorners delight in their scorning?" And ye who are persecuting my people, how long will ye pursue this evil? "Turn you, at my reproof." Turn, my people, from your doubts, and fears, according to my word : rely upon my arm for strength, nor fear the enemy ; but I know your weakness, and how incapable you are in yourselves of obeying my commands ; therefore " I will pour out my spirit unto you," and thus work in you to will and to do of my good pleasure. And, ye scorners, turn from persecuting and reproaching my people, for, "God is jealous and the Lord revengeth ;" they possess the power of divine things in their souls, but you do not. I will defend them, and their enemies shall not go unpunished. In order, therefore, that you may know my pleasure, " I will pour out my Spirit unto you," I will make known to you, by the preaching of the gospel, the mind of my Spirit concerning the well-being of my people, and the confusion that shall seize their foes. And then, we must consider the judgments of God, overtaking the foes of his people either in providence, by disappointments and losses, or by a stinging guilty conscience, or in pains of body, the same as in the cases of Cain who slew his brother, Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, the men who cast Shadrach, Zleshach, and Abednego, into the furnace, Daniel's enemies, Saul King of Israel, Herod who was eaten of worms, and the Jews engaged in the crucifixion of Christ, who lost their city and temple as the consequence. All this I say must be considered as implied, then the words which follow will come in Because I have called" you to desist from injuring my people, "and ye refused," " I have stretched out my hand" to shelter my children, "and no man regarded," none changed from his cruelty to them. " But ye have set at nought all my counsel" concerning my delight in them, and not in you, " and would none of my reproof for their protection :" I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you." Here then I find nothing to establish " an offer system," but much that goes against it.

2 Corinthians 5:20 - William Tant

2 Cor. 5:20, " Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." These words were addressed to persons whom the apostle terns " brethren," because they are the persons, who, in his first epistle, he says, are "called to he saints," and who had " the testimony of Christ" confirmed in them:" and consequently, were persons who spiritually understood what reconciliation in their own soul's experience meant. Therefore, this is not an exhortation to unregenerate persons, but to believers, who are daily contracting guilt upon their consciences, by which they often get into a mist of doubts and fears ; they doubt their interest in the forgiveness of God, and fear to approach his throne. The Corinthian church, as a. body, had been or were in this state when the apostle Paul wrote to them : they had been tolerating drunkenness and adultery among their members, by which they had brought a burden upon their consciences, and distress into their minds. To such burdened and soul-dejected believers, he holds out the encouraging truth ; " God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." " He vas in Christ," and there he beheld his people from everlasting, reconciling them unto himself, notwithstanding the sight he had of all their wanderings, sins, and inconsistencies. And as if the apostle said, (dwelling with the most ecstatic pleasure upon the precious truth of reconciliation in Christ) ; " be has done it, brethren, and never will undo it, and he has done it in Christ, where there is nothing but perfection ; he has done according to his own sovereign pleasure, and he declares, I change not, therefore, once reconciled ever reconciled; for he hath put upon him the iniquity of us all, and never will impute it to us again ;" and "he hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation:" sent us forth to preach this part of his gospel as well as the rest we, therefore, as ambassadors for Christ, are commissioned with these heavenly tidings; and we must say, you are the persons interested in this great blessing, because, by the fruits you have brought forth " in sorrowing after a godly sort," vii. 11. we know ye are " new creatures in Christ Jesus," v. 17. Therefore "we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God," that is, banish your doubts and fears, and quiet your souls with the sweet consideration that " Christ was made sin for you, that you might be made the righteousness of God in him."

Matthew 22:1-14 - William Tant

The parable recorded Matthew 22 and Luke 14 is often referred to for the purpose of establishing the theory of gospel offers.

I think the primary design of the parable might be to set forth, first, the speedy destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans ; secondly, the dispersion of the Jews among all nations; and thirdly, the call of the Gentiles. " He sent forth his armies ;" the Roman soldiers " destroyed those murderers;" scattered the Jews over the whole world ; " burned up their city ;" totally overthrew Jerusalem. " He sent his servants into the highways, streets, and lanes," sent his apostles and subsequent preachers of the gospel into every nation, language, people, and tongue ; " compel them to come in," set forth the richness and abundance of the feast God has made upon his holy mountain ; and the word shall prove, under God the Holy Ghost, sufficient in itself to make them partake. The spiritual meaning of the parable I consider to be as follows : " A certain man," the God-man, Glory-man, Redeeming man, Christ Jesus, " made a great supper," for his wife the church ; upon electing, uniting, sanctifying, redeeming, justifying, regenerating, and glorifying love ; " and sent his servants," the preachers of the everlasting gospel, " at supper time," at suited seasons, " to say unto them that were bidden," to all within hearing of the preacher's voice, " come," come listen to what the gospel says, " for all things are now ready ;" the gospel speaks of a salvation quite finished, a righteousness that needs no creature-merit, a perfect work that requires no additions, " the all, with one consent, began to make excuse, there are various excuses for hating the gospel of God's grace; but only " one consent," namely, old nature. " So that servant came and shower his Lord these things," a gospel minister mourns before the Lord while he beholds a free grace salvation slighted. Then the master of the house being angry," God is angry with the wicked every day, " said to his servant, go into the streets" of regenerating grace, " and into the lanes" of conviction for sin, " and bring in hither the poor,'' who find they have nothing of their own to bring before God for acceptance, and " the mained," on whose conscience sin has been laid as-an heavy burden, and " the halt," who are at a stand, eagerly enquiring the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, and " the blind," who cannot clearly see a free grace salvation, and have not yet discovered interest in atoning blood and justifying righteousness. "And the servant said, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room." All whom thou hast owned, and blessed our message to, seek thee according to thy word, and yet the number of thine elect is not accomplished. "And the Lord said unto the servant, go out into the highways" of predestinating mercy, redeeming power, and sovereign love; as well as into the field of creature-nothingness, where, under the "hedges" of electing grace and quickening strength, you will find more sinners than heretofore, who have a right to the supper, and by my Spirit's constraining power, " compel them to come in that my house may be filled;" that my counsels of old may be seen as full of faithfulness and truth ; that my purposes may be known as ending in my glory; that my arm may be felt delivering my people ; and that my church may be a glorious body, "having neither spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing." In this parable not one word can I find to establish " an offer system," but an abundance to prove, first, the everlasting distinction between the seed of Christ and the seed of the serpent. Mark, the serpent's seed are , bidden", to listen to the gospel message. Why are they so bidden, seeing they never did and never will have any saving interest in the contents of the message ? Because this gospel comes from their Creator, and they are bound, as creatures, to listen to it, even though they have no part nor lot therein. Christ says, "Preach the gospel to every creature :" not that every creature will be saved, nor that God desires to save every creature, but it is a message from the Ever blessed God, and all his intelligent creatures in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, shall sooner or later hear it. For when angels, men, and devils, shall be assembled at the judgment day, the gospel will be preached in -these words, "I Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And if a sinner never heard the gospel before, he will then ; though if not interested in it before, he will not be then ; if he did not love it before, he will not then ; and if he murmured at it when he heard a mere man preach it, and died without a saving interest in it, he will murmur when he hears the Son of God preach it in all the glory of Deity, the splendor of Royalty, the Majesty of dominion, and the solemnity of a Judge.

Secondly, to prove God is not disappointed when man slights his truth, for "many be called, but few chosen." Many are called by ministers, many are called by their parents, many are called by their neighbors and acquaintance, many are called by churches, many are called by ordinances, are baptized in the name of each person of the glorious Trinity, and sit down, eat, and drink in Christ's presence, whom he never chose as his sheep, whom the Father never chose as his children, whom the Spirit never chose as his temples, and who never spiritually chose God.

And lastly, that effectual calling does not depend upon the creature's skill and zeal in preaching, nor upon the creature's pliability and readiness in hearing, for " not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

Acts 13:38-40 - William Tant

Acts 13:38-40. " Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached (not offered, mark,) unto you the forgiveness of sins. And by him all that believe are (vitally) justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets ; behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish : for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in nowise believe, though a man declare it unto you." Here the apostle makes no offer, but gives great encouragement to believers, and a most awful warning to others : for who can read these verses without seeing eternal election, and reprobation, written as with a sunbeam. The latter doctrine is contained in the words " ye shall in nowise believe." It was such uncompromising preaching as this, which having neither offers nor proffers, proved a "savour of death unto death" to some, and a "savour of life unto life" to others, 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16.

Acts 3:19 - William Tant

Acts 3:19. " Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." This verse contains with in itself a refutation of an offer system ; because it speaks of repentance "when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Whatever may be the allusion of the apostle, at the time he made use of this language, to the after calamities of the Jews. I can not think that the apostle here meant that true repentance or conversion was in their own hands; for they are both the gift of God. Nor can I understand the apostle in any other way than as if he had said, "through ignorance ye put Christ to death, but when this vail, 2 Cor. iii. 15. shall be removed from your hearts by the awakening and illuminating power of God, ye will believe in Christ crucified, and repent of what you have done antecedent, concomitant, and subsequent to his death." The two following are parallel passages, Phil. ii. 11, 13., and Gal. ii. 20. In the former the apostle says, "work out your own Salvation, with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure." Here the apostle does not speak of working out salvation when it was not worked in, neither does he mean that the Philippians should work at salvation that it might be worked in; but he is exhorting living believers, who have, by a given faith, inwardly appropriated the righteousness of Christ, taking it as their own, and have the Holy Ghost dwelling in them, to bring forth the effects of righteousness, and the fruits of the Spirit, namely, love to his word, joy in his salvation, peace with God and conscience, long-suffering for the truth amidst persecution, gentleness to fellow believers, goodness in struggling with the carnality and corruption of old nature, resisting the devil and living above the world, faith in the doctrines of the gospel, meekness in enduring all reproaches for Christ's name sake, and temperance in all things, so as not to be carried away with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, Gal vi. 22, 23. And in the latter the apostle says, I live." This, strictly speaking, no man can say while in the flesh ; for self is nothing but a " body of death," Rom. vii. 24., therefore Paul corrects himself, and says, " yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Yes, this is gospel language, dear reader, and every true born child of God can adopt it as his own.

Acts 2:38 - William Tant

Acts 2:38. Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." By reading from the 14th verse to the 40th inclusive, the reader will perceive that the apostle, having preached the necessity and effects of God the Holy Ghost's work, then God the Father's foreknowledge and determinate counsel, and lastly God the Son's complete salvation, Jehovah the Spirit honours his free grace sermon, in which he had not made a single offer, by awakening many of the hearers, for we read, " When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" And " then," (not before " they were pricked in their heart,") Peter said unto them, "repent and be baptized every one of you." he could not baptize them until he clearly saw they possessed the grace of repentance, the inseparable accompaniment of faith. Then he adds, " the promise is unto you and your children, and to all that are afar off," (not to as many as have the gospel offered them, nor as many as ministers shall call, but) " even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Here then is no offer, no proffer, and no spiritual exhortation to unregenerate men.