wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation." What is this sentence of God's Predestination? It cannot be the sentence of Predestination we have been considering, by which God purposed and decreed to save all who shall believe and obey the Gospel; this merciful and consolatory doctrine cannot be the suggestion of the great enemy of mankind; it cannot drive men to "desperation," because it says to every one, Repent, and you shall be saved; it cannot lead men to "wretchlessness of most unclean living," because it says, that without Good Works no man can be saved; and a real "everlasting purpose of God" cannot be a "dangerous downfall" to any part of his rational creatures. Where then are we to find this supposed "sentence of God's Predestination," which is attended with so much mischief and danger ?--In the works of Calvin. We there read, Prædestinationem vocamus æternum Dei decretum, quo apud se constitutum habuit, quid de unoquoque homine fieri vellet. Non enim pari conditione creantur omnes; sed aliis vita æterna, aliis damnatio æterna, præordinatur... Quod ergo Scriptura clare ostendit dicimus æterno et immutabili consilio Deum semel constituisse, quos olim semel assumere vellet in Salutem, quos rursum exitio devovere. Hoc consilium quoad electos in gratuita ejus misericordia fundatum esse asserimus, nullo humanæ digni

tatis

tatis respectu; quos vero damnationi addicit, his justo quidem, et irreprehensibili, sed incomprehensibili ipsius judicio, vitæ aditum præcludi (b). Here it is maintained, that God has eternally fixed the future destiny of every individual of the human race; that he has irrevocably decreed to bestow everlasting happiness upon some, and to consign others to eternal misery, without any regard to their merit or demerit. Those who believe this doctrine, who have this sentence continually before their eyes, will either be in danger of falling into despair, from a conviction that it is impossible for them to be saved, that they must inevitably suffer everlasting torment; or they will be apt to practise every vice to which they feel any temptation, from a persuasion that they belong

(b) "Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which he has determined with himself, what he willed to be done concerning every man. For all men are not created in an equal condition, but eternal life is pre-ordained to some, eternal damnation to others... That therefore which the Scripture clearly shews, we affirm, that God, by an eternal and immutable counsel, once appointed those, whom he should hereafter will to take into Salvation, those moreover, whom he should will to devote to destruction. We assert, that this counsel with respect to the elect was founded in his gratuitous mercy, without any respect to human worth; but that the approach to life is precluded to those whom he assigns to damnation by his, just indeed and irreprehensible, but incomprehensible, judgment."-Inst. lib. 3. cap. 21. sect. 5. and 7.

belong to the chosen few, who must necessarily be saved, whatever may be their conduct. It appears, then, that the Calvinistic doctrines of Election and Reprobation are not only not maintained in this Article, but that they are disclaimed and condemned in the strongest terms.

With respect to our Liturgy, the passage in the Absolution, that God "desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live," and the beginning of the third collect for Good Friday, "O merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live," are perfectly inconsistent with the idea of partial Redemption, and clearly imply, that God has afforded to every man the means of working out his Salvation.

In the Prayer of Consecration, in the Communion Service, it is said, that " Christ, by one oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; " and in delivering the elements, the Minister declares, that the body of Christ was given, and his blood shed, for every communicant; he prays for the Salvation of every communicant separately; and he calls upon every communicant to eat the bread and drink the wine, the symbolical representations of Christ's body

body and blood, in remembrance that Christ died, and that his blood was shed, for him. 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?

In the Form of Public Baptism of Infants, the Minister prays, in the beginning of the Service, that the child" may be received into the ark of Christ's Church :" "that he may come to the land of everlasting life, there to reign with God world without end," and "that he may come to the eternal kingdom, which God has promised by Christ our Lord;" and consequently our Church supposes that every child brought to be baptized, is capable of attaining eternal Salvation. 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 shews, 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 continue 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

are pronounced, the child is declared to be " made partaker 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. And, at the end of the Service, our Church declares, without making any exception, "It is certain, by God's word, that children which are baptized, dying before they commit actual sin, are undoubtedly saved."

There is also a passage in our Catechism decisive upon the point in question, that the Compilers of our Liturgy intended to inculcate the doctrine of Universal Redemption. After the Creed is rehearsed, follow this Question and Answer, "What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief?-First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me, and all the world; secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all mankind; thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the elect people of God." In the first part of this answer, the Father is said to have made all the world ;— all things, animate and inanimate, visible and invisible in the second part, Christ is said to have redeemed all mankind,—that is, the whole human species in the third part, the Holy Ghost is said to sanctify 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.