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low them clearly to imply, that God has afforded ' to every man the means of working out his sal⚫vation;' because nothing is said about those means; and because a vast proportion of mankind are destitute of the light of revelation, and perishing for lack of knowledge."-When we pray, Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, infidels,' (evidently including, or principally meaning idolatrous gentiles,) and heretics, 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;

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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, "the word of the truth of the gos"pel," 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: nay, with peculiar energy and solemnity, it implies the contrary.

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In the prayer of consecration in the Com، munion Service, it is said, that ، Christ, by one ' oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and sa'tisfaction for the sins of the whole world;' and

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' 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, as symbolical represen'tations of Christ's body and blood, in remem'brance 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 Calvin'istic tenets of election and reprobation?'1

It is indeed the principle of our church, that Christ purchased the redemption of every one of 'its members; and also that he will certainly save every one of those who are truly such: and it takes it for granted that the communicants are, according to their profession, 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 with the Calvinistic 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

1 Ref. 270.

low them clearly to imply, that God has afforded 'to every man the means of working out his sal'vation;' because nothing is said about those means; and because a vast proportion of mankind are destitute of the light of revelation, and "perishing for lack of knowledge."-When we pray,' Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, infidels,' (evidently including, or principally meaning idolatrous gentiles,) and heretics, 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, "the word of the truth of the gos"pel," 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: nay, with peculiar energy and solemnity, it implies the contrary.

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In the prayer of consecration in the Com'munion Service, it is said, that Christ, by one ' oblation of himself once offered, made a full, 'perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and sa'tisfaction 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, as symbolical represen'tations of Christ's body and blood, in remem'brance 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 Calvin'istic tenets of election and reprobation? '1

It is indeed the principle of our church, that Christ purchased the redemption of every one of ' its members; and also that he will certainly save every one of those who are truly such: and it takes it for granted that the communicants are, according to their profession, 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 with the Calvinistic 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

1
' Ref. 270.

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believers. If such difficulty exist, let it be clearly stated.

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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 salva'tion. 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 bap'tism 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 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, ex'tends to every person received into his holy religion by baptism.'1

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Why do we pray for these blessings, if they be inseparable from the external administration of Ref. 270, 271.

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