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adhered to, by all the ministers of religion and teachers of youth in the Belgic churches. I should indeed say, far too much. And here, I again avow my conviction of the superior wisdom bestowed on the compilers of our articles, on the several points under consideration; in which, while nothing essential is omitted or feebly stated, a generality of language is observed, far more suitable to the design, than the decrees of this Synod, and tending to preserve peace and harmony among all truly humble Christians, who do not in all respects see eye to eye, yet may "receive

one another, but not to doubtful disputations:" whereas the very exactness, and particularity, into which, what I must judge, scriptural doctrine is branched out, and errors reprobated, powerfully counteracted the intended effect, and probably more than any thing else, or all other things combined, has brought on this Synod such decided but unmerited odium and reproach.

4. I would observe, that using the arm of the magistrate, and inflicting penalties on those who stood out against the decisions of the Synod, not being mentioned in the preface, will more properly be considered, in another stage of our progress. But had the decrees been promulgated, and compliance with them demanded, from all who acted as ministers of religion, or teachers of youth in the established seminaries of the Belgic church; with simply the exclusion from such stations, of those, who declined compliance, or violated their engagements to comply; while a toleration was granted, as at present in Britain, either to preach, or teach in other places or schools: the terms

might indeed have been considered as too strict, and requiring more than could reasonably be expected; but, in other respects, it does not appear, that the conduct of the Synod would have been blameable. For, every body or company of professed Christians, down from established national churches, to independent dissenting congregations, prescribe terms of communion, or of officiating as ministers on those, who desire voluntarily to join them, and exclude such as decline compliance.

How far the revenues, in the Belgic churches, could, with any propriety, have been shared, and any portion of them allotted, to what we might call the dissenting teachers, I am not prepared to say. But, as toleration (in this sense at least) was no part of the system at the Reformation in any country; the ancient revenues for religious purposes, as far as they were preserved for those uses, of course were allotted to the established ministers in the different churches. Neither dissenters, nor provision for dissenters, were thought of: and it would afterwards have been expecting too much in general, to suppose that they who found themselves in possession of these revenues, would voluntarily share them with the dissentients, or that rulers would venture to compel them. Yet, if to a full toleration, something had publicly been allotted towards the support of peaceful and conscientious dissenting teachers; it would, as it appears to me at least, have had a most powerful effect in diminishing acrimony, silencing objections, and promoting peace and love.

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ARTICLES OF THE SYNOD.

TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION.

THE Articles of the Synod of Dort, Heylin 'introduces in this manner :-'Because particular 'men may sometimes be mistaken in a public 'doctrine, and that the judgment of such men, being collected by the hands of their enemies, may be unfaithfully related; we will next look ' on the conclusions of the Synod of Dort, which 'is to be conceived to have delivered the genuine

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sense of all the parties, as being a representative ' of all the Calvinian Churches of Europe, (except 'those of France,) some few Divines of England being added to them. Of the calling and pro'ceedings of this Synod we shall have occasion 'to speak further in the following chapter. At ' this time I shall only lay down the results thereof in the five controverted points, (as I find them 'abbreviated by Dan. Tilenus,) according to the 'heads before mentioned in summing up the 'doctrine of the Council of Trent.''

A few things may here be noted.-Is it very probable that such decided Anticalvinists, as Heylin and Tilenus should be impartial, in their account of this celebrated Synod? Is it to be supposed that there was no difference of senRefutation of Calvinism, p. 566.

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timent among the persons of whom it was composed? Were four divines an adequate representation of all the Calvinists in England? Were other protestant countries represented in any great degree more adequately? Were not the leading men greatly embittered with personal enmities, and the spirit of persecution and resentment? Did not political interests, and the spirit of party, still more embitter the spirits, or sway the deliberations and conclusions of the Synod? And therefore are all the Calvinists, who lived at that time, or who now live, or who ever shall live, to be judged according to the proceedings of the Synod of Dort? It would be no difficult undertaking, by such a procedure, to fix very heavy charges on the whole body of Anticalvinists in Europe and in the world: but attempts of this kind prove nothing, except a disposition to act the part of a special pleader in the controversy, rather than that of an impartial judge.

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Thus I wrote in reviewing Tilenus's representation of the Articles of the Synod, as given in the Refutation of Calvinism:' for, having met with the same report of the articles in other publications more favourable to Calvinism, I had no suspicion that these were not the real articles of the Synod, but an abbreviation (yet with several clauses also added,) by avowed opponents. But the Christian Observer first excited my suspicions upon the subject, and led me to inquire after a true copy of those articles, which are indeed immensely more discordant with the abbreviation than I could have previously imagined. But let the attentive reader judge, by a comparison of

the following literal translation of these articles, as contained in the Sylloge Confessionum, (printed at Oxford, 1804,) with the pretended abbreviation.

ON THE FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE,

Concerning the Divine Predestination.

Art. 1. As all men have sinned in Adam, and have become exposed to the curse and eternal death, God would have done no injustice to any one, if he had determined to leave the whole human race under sin and the curse, and to condemn them on account of sin; according to those words of the Apostle, "All the world is "become guilty before God:" Rom. iii. 19. "All "have sinned, and come short of the glory of "God:" 23. And, "The wages of sin is death :" Rom. vi. 23.1

2. But" in this is the love of God manifested, "that he sent his only begotten Son into the "world, that every one who believeth in him should "not perish, but have everlasting life." 1 John iv. 9. John iii. 16.

3. But that men may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends heralds of this most joyful message, to whom he willeth, and when he willeth; by whose ministry men are called to repentance, and faith in Christ crucified. For, "How shall "they believe in him of whom they have not "heard? and how shall they hear without a

1 Gal. iii. 10, 22.- In every person born into the world, it ' (original sin) deserveth God's wrath and damnation.' Art. ix.

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