labour of your teachers, to instil this prejudice into your minds. But, brethren, if even a Calvinist say what is true, is truth to be rejected, because it comes from a Calvinist? Examine what I have written, upon its own intrinsic merits, by the unerring rule of God's word,-independent of the enquiry, what the writer is. To that enquiry, however, I shall now proceed to say a few words.

I cannot prevent others from calling me a Calvinist; but it is a name that I never wish to assume :-and this, not from any cowardly desire to conceal my views of divine truth,--for I would rejoice to proclaim them to the world, but because I see that the Scriptures positively testify against the practice of Christians distinguishing themselves by the names of human leaders. If I were to chuse any man by whose name I would distinguish myself, I would be apt to select Paul, and call myself a Paulite. But against this, Paul himself would protest: and shall I call myself a disciple of Calvin ?

"But we call you a Calvinist, because your views of Scripture are the same with Calvin's." I do not know that. In some points, I believe they are; in some, I believe they are not. At any rate, it is not from Calvin's works I have learned them :-for of his works, which I have long possessed in nine ponderous folios, I have never read nine pages, and probably never will. I must decline the admission of any name, which would involve me in the necessity of maintaining all that Calvin has written; nor would I ever wish to descend from the high character of “ a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ," to that of a champion for the opinions of any man;-much less of one, whose conduct I think in one instance very reprehensible, however its guilt may be extenuated by the consideration of the age in which he lived.

"But you evade the point. We call you a Calvinist, because you hold the shocking doctrines of election and the final perseverance of the saints." Brethren, I wish not to evade this point; but I wish to clear the ground: and when charges of error are brought against me, I think it desirable that they should be stated definitely, and not in vague and ambiguous terms. I do hold these doctrines, which you call shocking; and I am sure Calvin was not the first who held them, nor the only one of his time. If I mistake not, they were among the doctrines maintained by all the reformers, against the Popish church : but, what is infinitely more important, they are doctrines as clearly revealed as any others in Scripture.

Yet I do not wonder that they excite such indignant clamour; and are so decried by many, who make a high religious profession. While all the truths of God are offensive to that carnal mind which is enmity against Him; those which assert his sovereignty, and de clare the salvation of a sinner to be the act of his mere grace, having mercy on whom he will have mercy," and setting aside all those distinctions between man and man, which we naturally expect to be grounds of God's discriminating favour,-those truths are peculiarly hostile to the pride and atheism of our natural hearts, and have ever been the objects of the peculiar resentment of the world. It appears that those hated views were what stirred up the murderous principle in Cain: and that the same, after a lapse of four thousand years, were

what sometimes converted the admiration, with which the Jews regarded our Lord, into the utmost violence of persecuting rage. (See Luke iv. 22—29.) The same opposition to these humbling views, has made some professors of the present day, hardily avow-that they would sooner go to hell, than be saved in a way of such mere mercy: and has made others boldly deny the mercy of God, even in sending his Son into the world to save sinners;-asserting, that if the Divine Being had not appointed this way of salvation, he would have been bound in justice to provide some other. But-" the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted." Isa. ii. 17. It is an awful woe which is denounced against him that striveth with his Maker:" (Isa. xlv. 9.) and I am persuaded that all, who are saved, must be saved from that proud rebelliousness of heart, and be subdued to a thankful acquiescence in the revealed way of salvation; glad to be saved by mere mercy,—and convinced that, if it were not mere mercy, they could not be saved at all.

And now, brethren, let me come closer on this question to you, who profess to be at peace with God,-to have been translated from darkness into light,-and to be living members of Christ's mystical body. Not to call in question, at present, the reality of what you profess, I would observe that it is by a great change you have been brought into your present state. You" were once darkness," whence is it that you are now light in the Lord?" The real Christian will not hesitate to give the glory of this change to him "who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,"-and, by the same almighty power, "shineth into the heart, to give the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ." You were once "dead in trespasses and sins," and "children of wrath, even as others." Whence is it that you are now alive unto God, "and have received the adoption of children?" The real Christian will not hesitate to ascribe this work to him who "quickeneth the dead, and calleth things that are not as though they were ;"-whose divine power executes what he has declared in his "exceeding great and precious promises."

Well, brethren; others around you are in darkness, children of disobedience, going astray like lost sheep: "What maketh you to differ" from them? The scriptural answer to that question includes all that I believe concerning God's electing love and distinguishing grace: and it is in connection with that question, that I always desire to view these doctrines.

Do you say, or think, that the difference has been produced wholly or in part by any superiority of worth, of wisdom, or of power, in you?-or, what amounts to the same thing, by your having been not quite so sinful,-so unworthy, blind, and impotent, -as they? In that case, whatever profession you make, however specious and however high, taking the word of God for my rule, I must consider you as yet in darkness, ignorant of yourselves and of God, of the Law and of the Gospel. And unless that free grace and sovereign mercy, which you oppose, interfere for your deliverance,-you will perish under the just consequences of your pride and unbelief. I am sure that, were it not for that grace and mercy, I would still be like you,

-fighting against God. While I warn you, therefore, of your sin and danger, it is not with proud and uncharitable censoriousness, but with tenderness of humble concern for you; and with hope also, not that you can be saved in your present unbelief, but that God will yet mercifully give you to believe, and graciously guide you into that only way of salvation, which He has appointed and revealed.

But if you answer the question I have proposed, as I am sure every real Christian will answer it; if you cordially and fully ascribe the difference between you and others, who are yet out of the way, to Him who hath said—“I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out," (Ezek. xxxiv. 11.) to that "God who is rich in mercy," and to "his great love, wherewith he loved you, even when you were dead in sins;" (Eph. ii. 4.)—in that case, brethren, I will only say, that you are in this matter as much Calvinists as myself; and I think I have found among you, from time to time, a few who were so, without knowing it; and with such I would never waste time in arguing about phrases.

It is but an evasion to say, that "others might repent and believe to the saving of their souls, if they would; but they resist the offered grace of God." This is such trifling with words, that I might pass it by without observation, were it not a current argument among you, and employed for supporting many awful errors. In reply then to this evasion, let me ask again,-how comes it that you have been made willing- that you no longer (if indeed it be so) resist the offers of divine grace, as you formerly did yourselves, and as others still do? Is it that you were naturally less unwilling than they? or that your resistance was more easily subdued, from being less stubborn? or is it that God in mercy gave you repentance, that is a new mind and a new will, “making you willing in the day of his power?"

But the terms of the argument seem to imply an idea, that God only gives to sinners certain offers of blessings, and certain assistance towards obtaining them-leaving it to sinners themselves whether they will ultimately accept those offers, and avail themselves of that assistance. Those, who know what human nature is, will be certain that, if this were the case, not one sinner ever would be saved, but all would go on to the end-wilfully indeed but infallibly-in the broad way of impenitence and unbelief, which leadeth to destruction. Does it then, brethren, depend upon the will of fallen man, whether any seed shall serve the Redeemer or not? When the Lord Jesus Christ died to bring many sons unto glory," is it left to the discretion of sinners, whether he shall see of the travail of his soul," or not? When it is declared that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church," is the certainty of this suspended upon the supposed good dispositions of the sons of men? Away with such a thought!

But I repeat it, that it is mere trifling with words to say, that sinners might do so and so if they would. It is to say no more, than that they might if they might, and they would if they would. The want of a will towards GOD, and the dominion of a will that is opposite to God,-this is what constitutes the evil of their nature, and makes it impossible for any man to see the kingdom of God,

without being "born again,"-without being created anew.

And it is awfully striking to the enlightened mind, to observe those who deny the existence of that evil, at the same time affording the most decisive evidences of its reigning power,-in their neglect of the great salvation, and opposition to the glorious Gospel of God our Saviour.

Nor let any of you urge that objection, that those views of man's natural corruption and God's sovereign and efficacious grace, reduce men to mere machines. There is this essential difference between them and machines, and it is enough for us to know:-men are voluntary agents, both in the state of nature and under grace. They act according to their reigning dispositions and will; while machines are destitute of thought and volition. I freely admit that the course of men's conduct will, in some sense, be determined by the character of the will, that reigns in them, as necessarily, as if they were machines. As long as that will is corrupt and opposite to God, their course will be evil, while they "fulfil the desires of the flesh and of the mind;" and this, as infallibly as "a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." And when He, who alone can create anew, gives the sinner a new mind and a new spirit-i. e. a new will— when the kingdom of God is set up in the sinner's heart, and he is delivered from the dominion of the flesh;-a correspondent change will as certainly take place in his course, as a good tree will certainly bring forth good fruit. Now, if you mean by the free will and free agency of men, about which your writers often make so much noise, only that he is a voluntary agent, and (like such) necessarily regulated by his reigning mind and will, you mean what, I believe, none of those, whom your writers oppose, ever thought of denying. But while I admit this, I must urge that observation of our Lord —“if the Son of God make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” our natural corrupt state, though voluntary agents, we are the "slaves of sin," because our will is evil: and from the liberty (so called) of being left to ourselves and our natural wills, every believer will, above all things, desire to be delivered.

In

Upon that old objection, retailed in various forms, that "if men be so corrupt, that they have not of themselves the ability of doing good, they then cannot be blamed for doing evil;"-I shall only observe that, if this objection have any force, it must follow from it that, the more diabolically wicked any voluntary agent is, the more innocent will he be. A creature is certainly not a subject of blame, if he be not a voluntary agent; and if he be, and his will and disposition be altogether wicked, he is certainly incapable of doing any thing good; and, according to your argument, is therefore not to be blamed for doing evil. A consequence -so monstrous-may convince you that the argument, from which it would necessarily follow, is of no force.

But if any press the objection, and presumptuously demand"why doth God yet find fault? why hath he made me thus ? and who hath resisted his will ?"-I know not any answer more scasonable, than that of the Apostle-"nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?" It is more scasonable to warn such

an objector, that unless he repent and be converted, he will perish, and be convinced too late that he is justly an object of condemnation ; -than to follow him in the depths of metaphysical subtleties.

I regret, Brethren, that I have had occasion to touch upon any such bewildering topics. But your writers have handled them so frequently-so dogmatically-and, in my mind, so weakly and erroneously-that I have thought it expedient to go thus far in the subject; and to offer you some of the simplest principles, which I think may be useful clues, for bringing you out of their intricacies. This is all the use I ever desire to make of metaphysics;-not to go myself or lead others, into such endless speculations; but (if it may be) to lead out those who have been lost in them. They are full of dangerous shoals and whirlpools; and men of the most penetrating and cultivated minds have found depths in them, which they could not sound: while it too often happens, that the most illiterate among you are taught to think themselves qualified for the task; and just learn enough of false metaphysics, to be "corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

But I have avowed not only my belief of God's electing love-that he "hath chosen his people in Christ before the foundation of the world;" (Eph. i. 4.)-not only my belief of his effectual grace in their calling" that whom he doth predestinate, them he also calleth"-calleth "with an holy calling, not according to their works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given them in Christ Jesus before the world began;" (Rom. viii. 30, & 2 Tim. i. 9.)—but I have also avowed my belief of the final perseverance of the Saints-that" of all who have been given unto Christ he will lose none-that his sheep shall never perish-but shall be with him where he is, that they may behold his glory." (John vi. 39, x. 28, xvii. 24.)-Upon this topic much need not here be said: it is inseparably connected and interwoven with the preceding.-The salvation of a sinner is from first to last the work of God, and "his work is perfect; nor will "he forsake the work of his own hands." If I believed not that HE is the keeper of Israel"-that HE "keepeth the feet of his saints,"-I would not merely, with you, talk doubtfully about their perseverance unto the end, but I would be certain that not one of them would persevere. We know from Scripture that "whoso persevereth unto the end the same shall be saved,”—and none else; for “ if any man draw back, my soul, saith the Lord, shall have no pleasure in him." The only question then between us is, how it comes that those who are saved do persevere unto the end; whether it be by their own sufficiency, or by God's grace. They but raise a dust to obscure the question, who represent it as relating to the importance and necessity of our faithfully "cleaving with purpose of heart unto the Lord." It is agreed that the characters of those who shall be with him in his heavenly kingdom are "chosen and called and faithful:"-but the question is, whether this character belongs to them as part of his work "who worketh in us both to will and to do," or as the work of their own power.

Some of you who will read these pages, would probably not be backward to declare your expectation of getting to heaven. I call