"The Lord is good to all;" and "maketh his sun to "rise on the evil and on the good; and sendeth rain on "the just and on the unjust." And "God so loved "the world, that he gave his only begotten Son; that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but "have everlasting life." Yet this consists with his revealed determination to punish with everlasting destruction, all impenitent sinners, "all who know not God, " and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:" and it equally agrees with his foreknowledge and secret purpose respecting individuals. As few of the evangelical clergy hold either partial, or particular, redemption, we are not concerned in the inconsistency of these clauses with that doctrine: but we cannot allow them clearly to imply, that God has afforded to every 'man the means of working out his salvation:' because nothing is said concerning those means; and because a vast proportion of mankind are destitute of the light of revelation, and "perishing for the lack of knowledge." When we pray, 'Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, 'infidels, (evidently including, or principally meaning idolatrous Gentiles,) and hereticks, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word, and so fetch them home, blessed Lord to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant ' of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under 'one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord;' we take it for granted, that unless they receive the word of God, and believe in the Lord Jesus, and be gathered into his fold,' they cannot be saved. But "how shall they "believe in him, of whom they have not heard? And "how shall they hear without a preacher?" The whole collect implies, that they who have not the word of God,

6

"the word of the truth of the gospel," are destitute of the means of salvation; and is totally inconsistent with the sentiment, that they may be saved for Christ's sake, by obeying the light of nature, without hearing of Christ, or believing in him.

P. cclxx. 1. 23. Is it not, &c.'* Certainly it is 'the principle of our church,' that Christ purchased the redemption of every one of its members;' and will certainly save every one of those, who are truly such: and it takes it for granted, that the communicants, according to their profession, are true believers. But in the present state of things, the communicants, in this land, form a very small part of that multitude, who are called members of the established church;' that church is only a small part of the universal visible church; and the visible church does not, at this day, contain more than one third, of the human species, probably much less. This principle, therefore, can do little towards establishing the doctrine of universal redemption: and, I cannot see any difficulty, in reconciling it to the Calvinistick doctrine of election, or even reprobation: for none suppose, that any true believers will be found among the reprobate: and the communicants are addressed and prayed for, as true believers.

P. cclxxi. 1. 9. The, &c.'t Why do we pray,

Is it not then the principle of our church, that Christ by his death purchased the Redemption of every one of its members; and can this principle be reconciled with the Calvinistic tenets of election and reprobation?"

The minister afterwards prays, that this child now to be baptized, may receive the fulness of God's grace, and ever remain in the number of God's faithful and elect children: This prayer evidently shows, that our church considers baptism as placing every child in the number of God's elect, and that this election does not imply a certainty of salvation. Every baptized child, says our church, is an elect person, may or may not con'tinue an elect person, and may or may not be saved. Can any assertions be more opposite to the fundamental principle of Calvinism? After the ⚫ baptismal words are pronounced, the child is declared to be made par

for these blessings, if inseparable from the external administration of baptism? Where does our church say, that every baptized child is an elect person?' Certainly the assertions here made are opposite to the fundamental principles of Calvinism: but they are not the assertions of our church. The prayer is offered before the child is baptized: and, therefore, if baptism be election, (as well as regeneration and justification,) before it is elected: the words, ever remain the number of thy 'faithful and elect children,' cannot refer to the present state of the child, as unbaptized, according to this principle. But the word faithful ought also to be noticed. Does baptism likewise make the infant a faithful, or a believer? Why then are infants baptized, when by rea'son of their tender age they cannot perform them?' (repentance and faith.) When the infant, advancing to riper years, becomes a true believer, and receives the fulness of God's grace, in answer to the prayers made for him; he is manifested to be one of the elect children of God; and we pray, that he may thus be numbered with them, and continue among them, to the end. "I "know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayers, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ." continuance in a state of grace, however ensured by the promise and covenant of God, and the intercession of Christ, must always be sought by prayer, as pleading the promise, &c; and this is as proper, in respect of others, as ourselves. But how can an election received in baptism and liable to be lost again, be made to accord with the apostle's words? "He hath chosen "us in Christ before the foundations of the world,

Our

• taker of the death of Christ,' and consequently the redemption purchased by Christ, according to our church, extends to every person, received into his holy religion by baptism.'

. Phil. i. 19.

"that we should be holy, and without blame before him "in love." "God hath from the beginning, chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit " and belief of the truth; whereunto he hath called you "by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our "Lord Jesus Christ."* Or to the words of our article; 'God has decreed by his counsel, secret to us, to de'liver from curse and damnation, those whom he hath 'chosen in Christ out of mankind; and to bring them ' by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels of hon'our.' Can a baptismal election, such as is described in the quotation, be the election here spoken of?-Universal, or general, redemption, implies something more, than that every baptized person should have encourage. ment to seek forgiveness, through the propitiation of the death of Christ; for this all men, to whom any report of the gospel comes, equally possess: but it implies much less, than that every baptized person is actually interested in that propitiation, in the same manner, as all true believers are. It has been observed, that the offices of our church go upon the supposition, that men are what they profess to be: the profession, made in baptism, by adults, if sincere, actually proves them partakers of the death of Christ: and the profession made by parents and sponsors, at the baptism of infants, in their name and stead, is taken as the profession of the infants; and so they are spoken of, as partakers of the death of Christ. But it does not appear to me, that this has any relation to the subject under consideration: for even were every baptized person, (in the fullest sense, as inseparably connected with everlasting salvation,) partaker of the death of Christ;

Eph. i. 4. 2 Thes. ii. 13, 14.

nothing could from this be inferred, in respect of the immense multitudes of unbaptized people in the world.

P. cclxxii. 1. 22. All the elect people of God, that is, as we have just seen, all who are admitted into the 'church of Christ, by the appointed form of baptism' If the compilers of our liturgy meant to say this; why did they not do it in clear and explicit terms? If all ⚫ that are admitted into the church of Christ be "the "elect people of God;" then they are all 'sanctified by the Holy Spirit,' without excepting the vilest wretches to be found, not only in protestant churches, but in the church of Rome also; and every man, who has been baptized, however distinguished by abominable vices, or damnable heresies: for the Holy Ghost sanctifies all

the elect people of God.' Few men, I should suppose, viewing this opinion, in all its bearings, as breaking down all distinction between real and nominal christians, between the most eminent saints, and the most atrocious murderers; will be disposed to accede to it. Surely the "elect of God, holy and beloved;" "those whom God "hath chosen in Christ before the foundation of the "world;""the elect, according to the foreknowledge of "God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, "unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Christ;" are a distinct company, from the heterogeneous mass, who have been admitted into the church by the appointed form of baptism!' 'Wherefore they which be 'endued with so excellent a benefit of God, (as being 'chosen in Christ out of mankind,) be called according to God's purpose, by his Spirit working in due season; they through grace obey the calling; they be justified freely; they be made the sons of God by adoption; they <be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus 'Christ; they walk religiously in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting fe