As the speeches made at prefent in the Political Club are not upon any fubject that was debated in parliament, we have now an opportunity of presenting our read ers with fome effays from our correfpondents; feveral of which we were obliged to delay, on account of the length of the Political Debates. T To the author of the difcourfe on Predeftination. [See April Mag.p.159.& feqq.] SIR, Edinb. June 13. HE complaint in the title of your difcourfe furprised me a little, when I reflected, that the Predeftination, which is ftill maintained by feveral Diffenters, and likely to spread among the ignorant of the church of England by means of fome lately rifen Enthufiafts, must be much the fame that's profeffed in the articles of the church, and fubfcribed by her clergy. This should be the doctrine of the church, if the have any doctrine; and, can it be, that no body in the church holds it, but these lately risen Enthufiafts, and the ignorant people that hearken to them? One who views this doctrine in the light wherein you reprefent it, with the character it gives of the Deity, would need a great deal of charity to make him think well of the English clergy, who have fubfcribed articles containing a fcheme of doctrine entirely irreconcileable with the divine impartiality, with reafon, our natural notions of God, and with plain paffages of Scripture; a scheme that lets forth God as delighting in fhewing his power, at the expence of all his other perfections, and as a fovereign tyrant, -practifing the greatest mockery and derifion to his creatures, as well as injuftice. It is hard to believe, that men of integrity or common honefty would, upon any confideration, fubfcribe fuch a horrible scheme, or submit to it, even as a condition of ecclefiaftick peace. Certainly thefe fubfcribers, many of them wife and good men, must have seen this doctrine in a more favourable light, and look'd on it as far more tolerable than you would have it appear; or I cannot fay what should be thought of them. Nor will the learned clergy of Eng land altogether approve of your high af furance, in determining a queftion in point of reason, that has exercifed the wits of the greatest difputers of the world, ancient and modern, Heathen and Christian. The ancient philofophers, who profeffed to follow reafon a their guide, were divided upon the queftion about liberty and neceffity; and fo are thofe men who would now ap pear entirely devoted to their natural notions of God, against revelation; and the Chriftian philofophers, both Popith and Proteftant, differ upon it in like manner. And would you clafs all the great reafoners on the fide of neceffity with your late Enthufiafts and ignorants? Or are you confident you have done enough to make all their reafoning appear entirely inconfiftent with reafon and our natural notions of God? Your great confidence feems founded on a fuppofition which could not well be made, at this time of day, by a kil ful writer on your fubject. You feem to fuppofe, that your arguments, which, to give them the more force, you put in the form of queftions, cannot be turned back upon yourself by your own fcheme, which still includes the Creator and his prefcience and providence. That does not indeed make neceflity, but it certainly fuppofes and takes it in. If you had but thought of a poffibility of retorting your questions, about bringing fuch perfons into being, and their deferving to be put into such circumftances be‐ fore they exifted, &c. you would have put them with a little more caution and referve, and made your inferences touching the divine character in fofter and more decent expreffions. I might here recommend you to Bayle, not to teach you Scepticiím, but a little more modefty, as very becoming upon a fubject that has hitherto defied human reafon to fathom it. Allow me, after this friendly admonition, to obferve, with the like freedom, your way of fearching the Scriptures, to fee what revelation has difcovered in this matter. The rules you lay down, as neceflary to be obferved by them who would not be 33 be deceived, are, 1. To confider the occafon, connection, and drift of the place in queftion, and give it the meaning proper to the writer's argument. 2. To refolve difficult and doubtful texts by plain and cer 7 tain ones. Very good rules! but I'm afraid, the fecond efpecially, will be of little ufe betwixt you and a rigid Predeftinarian. For a text that's plain and certain to him, because he thinks it plain on his ide of the queftion, may be difficult and dark to you, as requiring fome art to make the words of it ply to your fcheme; and therefore you would explain it by texts, plain and certain to you, for the fame reafon for which they will be difficult and dark to him; whofe eye, you'll fay, is tinged with his rigid Predeftinarian tenets; as he, on the other hand, will not fail to tell you, that your eye is tinged with a vain conceit of your own fufficiency,and with the pride of your knowledge and merit; from which, till you be converted, and made as a little child, you fhall never truly know the gofpel of the grace of God. However this debate end 'twixt you and him, I may venture to fay, that few of us look into the Scriptures with untinged eyes; and till they be cleared, rules for feeing will be useless; but then, needless. iniquity of us all: though you cannot be ignorant how the Predeftinarians would fhew, from the connection and drift of thefe and other fuch texts, that they cannot be taken to mean all of mankind, but of the elect and the church of every nation of the world and fort of men without difference. And if they could perceive any difficulty or doubtfulness in such texts, they would, according to your rule, refolve them by texts that speak plainly and certainly of a distinction made by Chrift's death, according to the divine purpose about it intimated before-hand in the prophecies, and of the redemption of a peculiar people out of every nation, for whom Chrift prays, as he does not for the world: and they'll be fure to tell you, if your eye were not deeply tinged, you could not but fee this diftinction carried from the third chapter of Genefis throughout the Scripture to the end of the Revelation, and behold a beautiful confiftency betwixt the univerfal expreffions and the particular. "the Apostle But you are pofitive, to the Romans puts this beyond difpute, where he teaches, that as the gift of God in Chrift in fome things exceeded the offence of Adam, fo in nothing it fell fhort of it: and therefore, as this brought judgment on all men, fo the free gift of life through Chrift came upon all men: for, as in Adam all die, fo in Chrift ball all be made alive. As therefore, if man had kept his integrity, every one would have had it in his power to pleafe God; fo, by the gift of Chrift every one must have it too: fince the confequences of redemption extended full as wide as thofe of Adam's tranfgref fion, i. e. to all men." Now, let us see how you obferve your own rules. You begin with the character of God, which you give, not from that remarkable paffage of the Old Testament where he himself gives it to Mofes, which is pointed to by Paul, Rom. ix. chap. nor from any paffage of the New Teftament that ferves exprefly to declare or explain that name of God, but from broken fragments of a parable and of a paffage about acceptable alms: This will put the Predeftinarians in and, after a flight touch on the topick of the fanctions of the divine law, and mind of your complaint against them Jefus's weeping over Jerufalem that for supporting their doctrine by broken was to be deftroyed according to the fragments and texts of the Bible confider'd old prophecies, you put the character by themselves, without regard to their conof God as standing in the relation of a text and true meaning; and they'll be God and Father to all of mankind with- ready here to turn it against your self. the unconfined- They will alledge you give an idea of out any difference, upon nefs of the benefit of the Redeemer; the confequences of Adam's tranfgrefwhich you prove by thefe expreffions, fion, and of redemption, that could not He died for all, and, God laid on him the come originally from the Apoftle's words, words, or the drift of the place. What- eter, if it should not answer to this your ever dispute may be about these confe- draught, you next come to answer obquences, one thing is plain and certain jections from two paffages of Scripture. in the text, that death is the confequence of Adam's tranfgreffion, and eternal life the confequence of redemption. And the words of 1 Cor. xv. chap. that you join to the words of this text, ferve to let us fee, that it is life from the dead. But that whole chapter to the Corinthians fpeaks of no other refurrection but that of the juft, and plainly reftricts the all, who are to be made alive in Chrift as they died in Adam, to them that are Chriff's, who, as they have born the image of the earthly man, fhall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now, if death be the confequence of Adam's offence, and eternal life from the dead the confequence of redemption; then, by your argument, the refurrection unto life eternal thro' Chrift, must come upon all them upon whom death paffed thro' Adam. The confequence of the offence was not a mere poffibility of dying, but certain and unavoidable death, even on them that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion; and if the gift of righteoufnefs by Jefus Chrift bring no more but a poffibility of attaining life from the dead, this will be one thing very remarkable wherein the gift of Chrift falls fort of the of fence of Adam; and yet the Apostle is declaring how much more efficacious it is to thofe to whom it extends, in these fame words from which you draw your argument, If by one man's offence, or one offence, death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one Jefus Chrift. What does he mean by this limitation, they which receive the abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs, while he is fhewing how far the gift exceeds the offence? He delights to speak univerfally, in oppofition to the Jewib limitation, but he always takes care to debar your univerfality, equally oppofite to the freedom and abundance of the gift with the Jewish restriction. The firft is Rom. viii. 29, 30. where you make the word foreknow your key to open the whole, taking this forekar ledge to fignify no more but bare fartfight; without noticing how the Predeitinarians compare this text with 1 Pe. i. 20. where this word is taken to fignify fore-ordaining, as importing more than fpeculation. Then, for foreknowing them, you put, foreseeing their fitness for Juffering. But the text fays, be did foreknow them, even as it says, be did predeftinate them conformed to the image of his Son, and called them, and juftifed them, and glorified them. The Predeftinarians, you know, obferving the common ufe of the word knowledge and of foreknowledge in Scripture, take God's foreknowledge to be the counsel of biswill, according to which be worketh all, Epb. i. 11. and they take it for his gracious eye and preventing regard to them, who did not first chufe or love him independently of his purpose, but he them. And when he predeftinated them conform'd to his Son in the ftate of fuffering, this conformity to which they are predeftinated, muft take in likeness to him in the difpofition and fitness for fuffering, and in their behaviour under it: and further, they infift upon it, that those who are foreknown and predeftinated to this ftate are, according to the text, moft certainly glorified without exception or referve. Now, it was your bufinefs to make all this appear falfe, otherwife than by telling them of their tinged eyes. Having finish'd your Scripture-proofs with a reproach on the divine chara Your fenfe of the paffage comes to this: "Here is an account of fome who were foreseen fit for fuffering for religion, who therefore were deftin'd for that office, called to it, acquitted for their good behaviour in it, and rewarded for it, i. e. with the triumphs of grace in this life, and, if they perfevered in duty, with glory in the other." Thus you, 1. afcribe their being deftin'd to the office of fuffering for Chrift, and like him, unto their ability and fitnefs for this, foreseen. But I'm afraid it will take great stretching to recon- and preferring one people or nation to cile this to the putting of Paul himself another. But here you lofe fight of your in the poft of greatest danger, or to his first purpose, touching the promile to ways of fpeaking upon his own cafe, or the true Ifrael, as it is a promife of eeven to these words of his to fuffering ternal life. And when you speak of foChriftians, Unto you it is given in the be- vereignty with refpect to nations and half of Chrift, not only to believe on him, bodies of men, I cannot fee how the but also to fuffer for his fake. 2. You a whole of any one man's existence comes fcribe their being juftified, to their good in as a falvo: for I fuppofe your veffels, behaviour in their fuffering ftate; and the nations, exist only in this present take no notice how the Apostle in the world; and I hope you are not laying, context afcribes it to Chrift's death, re- that God is the great Sovereign of this furrection and interceffion. If you mean world only, and not of the next world. the fame thing with him in this epiftle on juftification, I dare fay your choice of words to exprefs it is vaftly different. 3. You feem to make the perfeverance of the juftified elect uncertain, and loose the connection betwixt juftification and the reward; against an express affirmation in the text, and against the Apostle's affertions in the following words, to the end of the chapter. He makes the vietory certain thro' him that loved them, and fpeaks the certainty of their perfeverance in his love in the strongest terms imaginable, and that by way of inference from God's foreknowing them. However your manner of expreffion may differ from Paul's, as one of our countrymen faid, he differ'd only in words from his minifter, when being ask'd, What is fin? he answer'd, Saving grace; your fenfe is the fame, by the following words, God fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; which you would have to be all of mankind; without any regard to the whole context, which, too plainly for you, fixes this all to God's elect and the predeftinated. And the all things that God gives with his Son, muft be thofe great things of which the Apostle had been fpeaking, as free and unmerited by us as the gift of his Son. As to Rom. ix. chap. you first notice, that the apostle fets himself against the boafting of the Jews, by fhewing them, that the promise, as far as it was a promife of falvation and eternal life, was only to the feed of Abraham's faith,— whether Jew or Gentile. Then you allow fovereignty, as the prerogative of God, in beftowing temporal privileges, However, you allow as much fovereignty as any Predeftinarian can defire, in the choice (fhall I fay?) of the typical Ifrael. But then, far afide from this purpose, you talk of hardening, as the punishment of fin, without the leaft occafion for it in your text; yea, by this you cut off all occafion for that objection which comes immediately against it, Why doth be yet find fault? for who bath refifted his will? which you behov'd to repel by fovereignty; yet ftill holding by your forefaid diftinction, and laying the whole ftrefs of your defence on the fenfe of the word veffels; which you must have to fignify, not fingle perfons, (as Paul, or as thofe mentioned 2 Tim. ii. 20, 21.) but nations; and you will have honour and dishonour, only to refpect outward, i. e. national privileges and advantages in this world. And even here again, your byafs carries you from the point of fovereignty,and fways you to prove, by the text in Jeremiah, merit or demerit, as to the difpofal of nations with respect to national honour or dishonour. - But, unhappily for you, the very next words of the Apostle determine most plainly and certainly the fenfe of the word vefels. His words are, the veffels of mercy, which he hath afore prepared unto glory; even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the nations; as he faith alfo in Ofee, &c. Were thefe veffels nations! And what were their national privileges? Or does not the Apostle look upon thefe (the fmall remnant of the Jervish nation, together with them of every other nation. who believed on Chrift for righteouf nefs) nefs) as the feed of Abraham's faith, unto whom the promife was, as it is a promife of falvation and eternal life? And does he not thew, that these were pointed out beforehand in the prophecies as the people of God, whom he would fave by the faith of Chrift; while the bulk of the Jewish people were cut off from that falvation, and fell thort of the right to eternal life, thro' their ftumbling at Chrift, who was before appointed as a ftumbling-ftone and rock of offence to them? You would vindicate God, by deny ing this fact, plainly enough afferted by Paul; who, at the fame time, rejects with the greatest indignation the inferences from it that you allow, and juftifies God. And by comparing what he fays for him, Rom. ix. 20,-23. and xi. 33,-36. with your vindication, it may appear which of you have moft ftudy'd the glory and honour of the Deity. I am, &c. A To the author of the SCOTS MAGAZINE. SIR, July 13. Certain modern author fays, that refignation to the will of God is the whole of piety. The following is an uncommon inftance of it; which if you fee fit to publish, I hope it will not only ferve as an entertainment to fome of your readers, but will also fhow to what pitch of grandeur the human mind is capable of being raised, and how uncapable the greatest terrors are to alarm a mind confcious of having lived agreeably to the dictates of reason. Some days ago, being employed in fome bufinefs in the country, and obliged to lodge in a country house, fituate on a river's fide, which ran down thro' two woods, the one on my right hand, and the other on my left, the prospect of the place at a distance gave me great pleafure: fo, after I had alighted from my horfe, and for fome time refted with my hoft, the clear evening, the fun fhining bright, and nature's face fwimming with beauties, confpired to tempt me forth to view the flowery lawn. I wandered along the river's fide, ona little green that joined itfelf to the wood on my right hand; where the murmaring found of the waters infpired my mind with an awful filence. The bird pearch'd on the trees, congratulating each others happiness; and, with meb dious notes joining in a general chora, to fing forth the praises of that fovereign beauty on whom they depend, and was holds in being the feveral parts of thi ftupendous frame, made me reflect un the kindness of that God, who has filled the various parts of space with creatures, and with a liberal hand diftributes fach degrees of happiness, to every creature, as its imperfect nature is capable to en joy.-While I was walking along, mufing in this manner, I came infenibly to the foot of the green; where a little brook fell from the fummit of the neigh bouring hills, and, after paffing over leveral rocks, here ran into the river along whofe fide I had walk'd. Here I ftopt to fee whence it came; but my profpect was terminated, at some distance from me, with a rocky cliff on each fide of the rivulet; from which sprung, hafles, oaks and afhes, and form'd a moft regular amphitheatre. I marched up, entertaining myself, in this remarkable folitude,with the mufick of the waters falling from one rock to another, compofing a variety of agreeably founding cafcades: when, to my furprife! I was ftruck with adeep groan, as if from a female heart, which to me feemed to proceed from a number of trees that grew at the fide of a little plain, and formed themselves into a little grotto. Here I ftopt, to hear if perhaps fome nymph of the plain had retired to this place, to lament in mournful lays the lofs of her abfent lover. I heard the found redoubled; upon which I advanced nearer, till at laft I came to the back of a blooming thorn, through which I look'd, and faw a tall young woman, ftately and majestick: Her drefs was fimple, and feem'd fomewhat above the vulgar: the features of her face were meagre and wan, as if fpoiled by feeknefs and diftrefs, and (as I afterwards understood) fhe was thought by herself, and every body elfe that faw her, as upon the verge of life, and confines of eternity. Iftood (being invifible to her) and |