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indeed have been most satisfactory to me, if it had been possible, wholly to avoid every thing of a controversial character, and to banish error by the simple exhibition of truth. But when this is impossible, it is surely in the next degree desirable to avoid every approach to captiousness and asperity-to uncharitable imputation of culpable motives, or of deliberate perversion of Scripture. On such subjects as predestination, (as to which the most wise and learned, the most sincere and pious Christians, have for ages differed, and probably will continue to differ, as long as we continue in this twilight state of knowledge,) surely such differences should be allowed to exist without exciting angry and malignant passions, without calling forth bitter and contumelious expressions, without violating the duties of Christian charity, or rending asunder the bonds of brotherly love. The most decided Calvinist would not deny a place among the elect to the pious and the mild Melancthon, or the anti-Calvinist doubt of the final salvation of the martyred Bradford. And most anxiously would I press upon my Christian brethren to cherish the temper manifested by Bradford ;* who immediately after his condemnation, and when he hourly expected to be led to the stake, wrote a leter to Trewe and Addington with others of their company, (whom he describes) "as teachers and maintainers of the error of man's free will," in which, with truly Christian charity and forbearance he thus expresses himself, "though in some things we agree not, yet let love bear the bell away, and let us pray one for another, and be careful one for another, for I hope we be all Christ's; as you hope yourselves to pertain to him, so think of me, and as you be his, so am I yours." This temper I have been anxious to preserve, and to recommend throughout the following discussion, in which I would most sincerely and affectionately invite my Calvinistic fellow-Christians, not to acrimonious controversy, but to calm and candid inquiry. I would wish not to defeat but to convince, not to confound but to persuade, not to beat them down as enemies, but to win them over as brethren. But while I thus feel personally towards my Calvinistic brethren, and earnestly exhort you, my young friends, to cherish

* Vide Archbishop Laurence's Authentic Documents, relative to the Predestinarian Controversy. Oxford, 1819. Introduction, p. 38.

similar feelings, let me not be misunderstood, as if I considered the system of absolute predestination, such as it is exhibited in the introduction to the following work, a light or trivial error. On the contrary, it seems to me to give a revolting and mistaken view of the moral character and government of God; and I therefore conceive it to be most dangerous and pernicious. Correspondent to the character we form to ourselves of the Deity, will ever be the character of our religious faith in him, of our expectations from him, and our feelings towards him; and these must ever influence our conduct in the present life, and our prospects of futurity. This fact abundantly appears from the history of Paganism, of Mahommedanism, of Epicureanism, of Fatalism, nay, of Christianity itself, as blended with the idolatries and corruptions of the church of Rome:-in this view, I warn you, my young friends, against the doctrine of absolute predestination.

But there is another point, on which I would earnestly entreat you to exercise the most careful discrimination, and the most steady vigilance. It was the caution of the sagacious Bishop Horseley-" To take special care before you aim your shafts at Calvinism, that you know what is Calvinism and what is not, that in that mass of doctrine which it is of late become the fashion to abuse under the name of Calvinism, you distinguish with certainty between that part which is nothing better than Calvinism, and that which belongs to our common Christianity and the faith of the reformed churches."

A similar caution is repeated by an eminent prelate, to whom the students of this University must naturally look with peculiar deference Archbishop Magee; who in his charge to the clergy of Raphoe, notices in proof of the comprehensive character of our Articles; "That they are not enslaved to the dogmas of any party in religion. They are not Arminian; they are not Calvinistic; they are scriptural; they are Christian. As the different parties profess to derive their leading tenets from Scripture, so do they profess to find them in the Articles. But these are answerable for the extravagances of no sect: and are as far removed from the unjustifiable assumption, that man is sufficient for his own salvation, as they are from the monstrous

* Charge delivered 1821, published by Milliken, 1822. pp. 32, 33, 34.

metaphysics, that would render him in all respects a necessary agent, and altogether passive and inoperative in that great work. At the same time the true Christian teacher, should not be deterred from setting forth the great fundamental doctrines which the Articles contain, by the imputation of particular names, which ignorance may attach to those doctrines. Nothing, in truth, has contributed to give to some of the sects and parties in religion, so much credit and popularity, as the erroneously ascribing to them, as characteristics of their peculiar creed, tenets which belong to our common Christianity. Thus, for example: nothing is more common, at the present day, than to hear a person pronounced to be a Calvinist, because he holds the doctrine of original sin, or of justification by faith: whereas, he might with equal justice be so denominated, for holding the doctrines of the Trinity, or the atonement. But, let the honest servant of his Lord not fear to insist on all the great doctrines of the Gospel, as they are laid before him in the Articles. The fall of man-the atonement by Jesus Christ the personality and divinity of the Son of God and the Holy Spirit-the doctrine of original and actual sin, the insufficiency of man to merit heaven by his own works-justification by faith-the need and nature of the divine influences-the importance of the Christian sacraments—the social, moral, and spiritual duties, which become the Christian, and which are to be grounded upon evangelical principles, on love to God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ:-These are the vital truths, which the Articles fully justify him in preaching: and these are the truths, which, if preached zealously and honestly by the clergy of the established church, will not fail to uphold the credit of that church, whilst they promote the true cause of Christian holiness in these lands.

"At the same time it is particularly necessary to guard the young student in divinity against extremes in these very points. The ardour of youth requires to be restrained, not stimulated; it seizes upon strong points, and is disposed to take rapid views; the young preacher, therefore, should be particularly careful and suspicious of himself. He is in great danger of identifying himself with partizans who are ever watchful to enrol him amongst their ranks. And therefore until he has time

and opportunity to take a comprehensive and scriptural view of the Gospel, and fully to acquaint himself with the opinions and arguments of experienced and eminent divines, he will be much safer in not pushing his bark adventurously from the shore. His preaching should be moderated in the great leading points, and dealing more in their results of holiness and godliness, than in the schemes and systems to which they may seem to lead."

The eminent Bishop Horseley concurring in the same sentiments, has clearly pointed out the great object which should employ and animate the truly Christian preacher," Apply yourself, (says he) with the whole strength and power of your minds to do the work of evangelists: proclaim to them who are at enmity with God and children of his wrath, the glad tidings of Christ's pacification: sound the alarm to awaken to a life of righteousness, a world lost and dead in trespasses and sins; lift aloft the blazing torch of revelation to scatter its rays over them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and guide the footsteps of the benighted wanderer into the paths of life and peace."*

With a solemn warning to you, my young friends, diligently to attend to these most necessary and most salutary counsels, I now take my leave; assuring you, that as the following pages were composed with a most heartfelt desire for your benefit, so your favourable reception of and candid attention to them will be to me an abundant reward; as your increasing seriousness of attention to scriptural knowledge, your successful diligence in preparing for the annual examination in divinity, and the exemplary zeal and piety, with which I almost uniformly find such of you as have been ordained discharge your duty as ministers of God, in the various clerical situations entrusted to you, fill me with the most heartfelt gratitude to the Author and Giver of every good gift; and inspire me with the warmest hope, that He will employ you as favoured instruments in diffusing the knowledge of his Gospel, promoting the edification of his church, and extending the glory of his name.

* A Charge delivered by the Bishop of St. Asaph, to his Clergy, August, 1806, the concluding paragraph.

I would not be understood to concur in all the sentiments and opinions of this Charge, but those which I have quoted I fully adopt.

INTRODUCTION.

In the following work, it is intended to compare the tenet of absolute predestination, as it is held by Calvin, and the system of doctrines with which it is necessarily connected, with the general tenor of the sacred Scriptures, and thus determine, whether that system ought to be rejected or received. In this comparison mere abstract metaphysical discussion, and reference to mere human authority, will be avoided as far as possible; not because it is apprehended, that the result of a philosophical examination into the nature of God, and the moral and intellectual powers of man, would prove unfavourable to the opinions defended in this work, or that the testimony of the venerable fathers, either of the primitive Christian church, or of the church of England, would be found to support the doctrine of absolute predestination; but because these sources of argument have been minutely examined by many preceding writers, and some of those very recent and distinguished, and seem less adapted to convey instruction and conviction to the serious inquirer after religious truth, than a direct reference to the sacred Scriptures themselves, which all parties admit as the ultimate and only criterion of Christian verity. And because this criterion may be more readily and distinctly applied, when the attention is not distracted by the subtilty of metaphysical disputation, or the unbounded variety of human opinions, a variety which, according to the different bias of the author who selects such opinions, appears to supply most powerful authorities in favour of contrary results; since not only different divines of high reputation, but even the same at different periods of their lives, have maintained sentiments directly contrary to each other.

To Scripture therefore exclusively I propose to appeal, adducing human testimonies only as they illustrate the meaning

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