I noticed some talk about Calvinist dispey's, here's a little info.

From his letter, "Letter on Free-will"

I can't remember who wrote it, but someone once wrote that Darby "thought" on paper, which maybe why his works seem to be all over the place.


http://www.stempublishing.com/author...NE/10009E.html

From his letter, "Freewill as to Inclination to Choice"

http://www.stempublishing.com/author.../41023_6E.html

I've studied Darby, reading many of his works on www.stempublishing.com and owning some of them. It seems he's true Amyraldian, believing in the T, U, I and P while denying the L. His work on Lev. 16 reads, "That Christ died for all is, as we have seen, often said in Scripture. Hence I go with His death to the world as their ground and only ground of approach, with the love shewn in it. When a man believes, I can say, Now I have more to tell you: Christ has borne every one of your sins; they never can be mentioned again.

If we look at the difference of Arminian and Calvinistic preaching, we shall see the bearing of this at once. The Arminians take up Christ's dying for all, and generally they connect the bearing of sins with it; and all is confusion as to the efficacy and effectualness of Christ's bearing our sins, for they deny any special work for His people. They say, If God loved all, He cannot love some particularly; and an uncertain salvation is the result, and man often exalted. Thus the scapegoat is practically set aside.

288 The Calvinist holds Christ's bearing the sins of His people, so that they are effectually saved; but he sees nothing else. He will say, If Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it, there can be no real love for anything else. Thus he denies Christ's dying for all, and the distinctive character of propitiation, and the blood on the mercy-seat. He sees nothing but substitution.

The truth is, Christ is said to love the church, never the world. That is a love of special relationship. God is never said to love the church, but the world. This is divine goodness, what is in the nature of God (not His purpose), and His glory is the real end of all. But I do not dwell on this, only pointing out the confusion of propitiation and substitution as necessarily making confusion in the gospel, enfeebling the address to the world, or weakening the security of the believer, and in every respect giving uncertainty to the announcement of the truth. I believe earnestness after souls, and preaching Christ with love to Him, will be blessed where there is little clearness, and is more important than great exactitude of statement. Still it is a comfort to the preacher to have it clear, even if not thinking about it at the moment; and, when building up afterwards, the solidness of the foundation is of the greatest moment."
http://www.stempublishing.com/author...NE/29009E.html

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada - Feileadh Mor

"Nothing is more seductive for man than his freedom of conscience. But nothing is a greater cause of suffering."
The Brothers Karamazov

If anyone has questions about Darby, maybe I can help? I've read a lot of his works, his apologetics, etc.

I found this breakdown of theological views interesting and helpful:

http://www.theopedia.com/Order_of_God's_decrees

Taken from Warfield's Source:

http://www.mbrem.com/calvinism/pos.htm

http://www.mbrem.com/calvinism/chart2.jpg


[Edited on 7-1-2006 by caddy]

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~ Steven Bradford ~
Member Covenant Presbyterian, Chattanooga, TN

In the last link, "innconsistently particularistic" sounds about right.