Now he desires and endeavours to repent, believe, and obey: but he deeply feels his own weakness; yet depending on God, with earnest prayers for assistance, he is enabled to repent, believe and obey. These are then the actions of the man himself, but performed by the grace of God.

P. lxx. 1. 21.

'A servant, &c.'* The impartial reader will judge, whether the statement above given, (which is that of most Calvinists,) renders man a machine or no. I apprehend, however, that they who do not, or will not understand our principles, will continue to lay this to our charge; and, except as it may mislead others, I would quietly bear it.

P. lxx. 1. 25. 'An all-merciful God, &c.'t Faithfulness in a fallen creature must certainly spring from special grace. "It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all "the seed, &c." Has God promised to reward any rational creatures in this manner, except true believers? By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." A humble chris'tian will acknowledge eternal life to be the gift of God 'through Jesus Christ:' and he will also ascribe both his faith and his faithfulness, to the same free grace.

P. lxxi. 1. 7. In no one instance is the exertion of 'irresistible grace declared or supposed.' We unreservedly allow, that the Prayer-Book contains nothing about irresistible grace; we also avow, that our writings

• A servant is faithful to his master, but a machine necessarily executes 'the will of its maker.'

An all-merciful God has graciously promised to reward the faithfulness ' of his rational creatures with everlasting happiness, for the sake of his bles'sed Son. A grateful servant will disclaim all right to the reward of his yearthly master, and an humble Christian will acknowledge eternal life to be the free gift of God through Jesus Christ.'

Rom. iv. 16.

contain nothing on that subject: and we call on all our opponents, to disprove this avowal, by fair quotations from our works.

last line. 'It has pleased, &c.'* Provided it be understood, that irresistible means, what cannot be resisted, or is not resisted, or what is compulsory, I could subscribe this argument with a good conscience. For it contains nothing discordant from the sentiments of modern Calvinists in general.

1

P. lxxii. 1, 6, The language, &c.'t A quotation very decisive, has been already made from the homilies; and I shall here produce a few more. 6 For of 'ourselves we be crab-trees, that can bring forth no apples: we be of ourselves of such earth, as can but 'bring forth weeds, nettles, brambles, briars, cockle, 'and darnel. Our fruits be declared in the fifth chapter of Galatians. We have neither faith, charity, hope, patience, chastity, nor any thing else that good is, but ' of God: and therefore these virtues be called there, "the fruits of the Spirit," and not the fruits of man,' -'Hitherto we have heard, what we are of ourselves; very sinful, wretched and damnable. Again, we have heard, how that of ourselves, and by ourselves, we are not able either to think a good thought, or work a good deed: so that we can find in ourselves no hope ' of salvation, but rather whatsoever maketh unto our destruction.'-' Whereby,' (by Adam's disobedience,) it came to pass, that as before he was bles

'It has pleased God to make us responsible beings; responsibility cannot exist without free agency; free agency is incompatible with an irresisti'ble force; and consequently, God does not act with irresistible force upon ' our minds.'

The language of the homilies, respecting the corruption of human na'ture, and the necessity of divine assistance, is also very decisive.' + See on p. 54, Refutation.

First part, Homily of the misery of man.

sed, so now he was accursed: as before he was belov ་ ed, so now he was abhorred: as before he was most 'beautiful and precious, so now he was most vile and 'wretched. Instead of the image of God, he was now 'become the image of the devil: instead of the citizen of heaven, he was become the bond-slave of hell; hav'ing in himself no one part of his former purity and 'cleanness, but being altogether spotted and defiled. 'Insomuch that now he seemed to be nothing else but 'a lump of sin; and therefore by the just judgment of 'God, was condemned to everlasting death. This so

great and miserable a plague, if it had only rested on 'Adam, who first offended, it had been so much the easier, and might the better have been born. But it fell not only on him, but also on his posterity and chil'dren for ever; so that the whole brood of Adam's flesh should sustain the self same fall and punishment, which ⚫ their forefather by his offence most justly had deserved. 'St. Paul, in the fifth chapter of Romans, saith, By the 'offence of only Adam, the fault came upon all men to condemnation; and by one man's disobedience many 'were made sinners. By which words we are taught, that as in Adam all men universally sinned, so in 'Adam all men universally received the reward of sin; that is to say, became mortal and subject unto death, having in themselves nothing but everlasting damna'tion both of body and soul. They became (as David 'saith) "corrupt and abominable," " they went all out "of the way;" "there was none that did good, no not "one."— all men universally in Adain, were nothing 'else but a wicked and crooked generation, rotten and 'corrupt trees, stony ground, full of brambles and briars, lost sheep, prodigal sons, naughty unprofitable 'servants, unrighteous stewards, workers of iniquity, 'the brood of adders, blind guides, sitting in darkness

' and the shadow of death: to be short, nothing else but ' children of perdition, the inheritors of hell-fire.’* These quotations fully show that the compilers of our homilies held the doctrine of man's total depravity, through the fall of Adam, as decidedly as any modern Calvinists do. And they thought this was not inconsistent with exhortations, and admonitions, and calls to repentance; in which we entirely agree with them.t The passage from the homilies, adduced by his Lordship as decisive against our tenets, is what few Calvinist ministers, in the establishment at least, if any, would hesitate to adopt. (p. 417. Oxford edition Homilies.) It indeed proves, that they do not represent our own 'care and exertions as fruitless and unnecessary, or the Spirit of God, as acting irresistibly;' but whether irrespectively of our deservings, or previous good dispositions, is another question. It does not, however, prove that any man without special preventing grace, is truly willing to comply either with the exhortations of the minister, or the holy motions of the Spirit.

เ

Modern

P. lxxiii. 1. 21. The real orthodox, &c.' Calvinists in general, and almost all the evangelical clergy, reject all claims to private revelation, and with the most sedulous care, guard their hearers against every delusion of this kind. Forcible conversions we never think of, except as reminded of them by our opponents: for, by special preventing grace to render a man truly willing to turn from sin to God, is not to force him.

Homily on the Nativity. severance, by the Author.

† See Sermon on election and final Per

The real orthodox divine maintains, in the sense just now explained, 'that every true Christian is inspired, enlightened, sanctified, and comforted, by the Spirit of God; but he rejects all claim to private revelation, all 'pretentions to instantaneous and forcible conversion, and to the sensible ' operation of the Spirit.'

Instantaneous conversions we do not insist on; but that subject will hereafter be more fully considered: and we generally consider the operations of the Holy Spirit, as distinguishable from the actings of our own mind, only by their holy nature, tendency and effects. P. lxxiii. last line. He disclaims, &c.'*

EXPERIENCES.

No doubt there have been, and are, many persons who use the word experiences, in the sense here affixed to it, or at least approximating to it; both among Calvinists and Anti-calvinists: and, in several respects, the subject of experiences has been often stated in an unguarded and unscriptural manner. But a candid and careful investigation would convince any man, that a very large majority of the evangelical clergy, nay, of the more calvinistical among them, are entirely exempt from the charge here brought against the whole body. They do not indeed exclude the word experience from their sermons and writings: but they do not mean by it, 'suggestions, or preceptions, known and felt to be com'municated by the immediate inspiration of God.' They suppose, that divine truth, accompanied by the effectual teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit, so powerfully affects the hearts of all, who truly believe it; as to produce an entire and abiding change in their views and judgment, concerning God and themselves, time and eternity, holiness and sin; and especially concerning Christ and his salvation: and that this change in the mind and judgment, produces an entire change, in the choice of the will, and the affections of the heart. This

He disclaims what, in the language of modern Calvanists, are called 'Experiences; that is, suggestions or perceptions, known and felt to be communicated by the immediate inspiration of God.'