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and which, incapable of answering, he has shuffled off by the most palpable evasion.

The supposed pre-science of Deity has been considered, and perhaps justly, as tantamount to fore-ordination. But, as has been before urged in this work, it is, in our opinion, impossible, even for Omnipotence, to know a future contingency. The actions of a free agent cannot possibly be foreknown. The weakness of all created beings is, however, a sufficient guarantee for the order and stability of the Universe. The Supreme Being undoubtedly knows all that is necessary to be known. The Works of Nature will progress without any derangement, in respect to the whole, till the final consummation of all things, should that event ever happen, altho' man may commit many wicked acts unpredestinated and unknown, previously to their commission, to any being whatever.

Suppose a Painter to a human head,

neek Should join a horse's hot, and widely spread

The various plumage of the feather'd kind

G'er limbs of different beasts, absurdly join’d—

* *

* * * * * * * **

Would you not laugh such pictures to behold?
Such is the book, that, like a sick man's dreams,
Varies all shapes, and mixes all extremes.”

HORACE'S ART OF POETRY.

JUST such a book is Calvin's Institutes. It is distinguished for elegant dietion, and it contains many beautiful thoughts; but it is replete with horrid doctrines, and revolting views of the divine nature. At one time, the mind is delighted with the picture of divine benignity and mercy ; at another, it turns away with disgust mingled with horror, at the description of arbitrary reprobation and tyrannic vengeance. A God who loves his creatures now meets our eye; and then, a God who hates them with an everlasting hatred.

Is this misrepresentation? It is not, as the following passages will evince.

1. Calvin says, "God not only foresaw that Adam would fall, but also ordained that he should ;" or, (to translate alf the words of the original) "When therefore they perish in their corruption, they do nothing but suffer the punishment of that misery, into which, by his (God's) predestination, Adam fell, and drew his posterity headlong with him:" consequently, Adam's eating the forbidden fruit was the necessary, unavoidable effect of the divine decree; and therefore was not a sin, but pure, formal, commendable obedience. And yet the Scripture represents Adam's act as displeasing to the Almighty, and the "cause of all our woe."

2. Calvin vents his rage against his opponents in the following language: "These virulent dogs vomit out not one kind of poison only against God. They deny that it is expressly asserted, that it was decreed by God Adam should perish by his falling; as if God had created the noblest of all his creatures to an uncertain end."

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3. "Many,” says Calvin, “ thinking to excuse God (literally, to drive away hatred from God) so own Election, as to deny Reprobation. But this is two silly and childish; for Election itself, unless opposed to Reprobation, cannot stand."

4. Calvin dares to assert that, "All men are not created for the same end; (literally, in an equal condition) but some are fore-ordained to eternal life; others to eternal damnation. Therefore, according as every man was created for the one end, or the other, we say he was predestinated to life, or to death." Again; "God, of his will and pleasure, so ordains, that amongst men, some should be so born, as to be devoted from the womb to certain death, who, by their destruction, might glorify his name."

5. But, as if this horrible doctrine were not enough, this audacious interpreter of Scripture says, in the 5th place, "Whom therefore he hath created unto the shame of life, and destruction of death, that they should be instruments of

his wrath and examples of his severity, that they may come. to their end; at one time he deprives them of the power of hearing his word; at another he the more blinds and stupifies them."

6. Calvin, in pursuance of his own horrid ideas of the divine nature, says, "Behold, God calls to them [the reprobates] that they may be more deaf: He kindles a light, that they may be more blind: He brings his doctrine to them, that they may be more confounded, and applies the remedy to them, but that they may not be healed."

7. The reprobates would be thought excusable in sinning, because they cannot avoid the necessity of sinning; especially since such necessity is cast upon them by the ordination of God. But we deny that they are thence rightly excused."

Thus it is evident, from Calvin's own words, which are perfectly explicit, that the reprobates are placed in a situation in which they cannot possibly help themselves, and in which they are carefully prepared for that damnation, to which, from the womb, they are decreed. Salvation is offered to them, but it is to mock them; light is shed around them, but it is to blind them; the voice of mercy is sounding in their ears, but it is to tantalize them; God invites, and beseeches them to partake of heavenly bliss, but it is to thrust them down to the pit of hell.-O ye admirers of this Geneva doctrine, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be deluded? How long will ye delight in representing a benevolent, a gracibus, a merciful God, in colours which suit none but the Great Adversary of human happiness? How long will ye represent the sincerity of the Almighty as mockery; his truth as falsehood; his compassion as cruelty?

These are but a few of the passages that might be quoted from Calvin, to prove that he taught a system of nonsense and impiety;-of nonsense, because it contradicts the genuine dictates of reason, and the common sense of mankind ;of impiety, because it derogates from the honour due to

God's name and attributes; and ascribes to the Almighty tyranny, cruelty, injustice, malignity, insincerity, and delight in human misery. There is nothing forced, nothing unfair in this representation. It is the necessary, unavoidable result of Calvin's principles. The generality of his followers, I believe, do not know what his principles were in their full extent, for it is very rarely that they hear from the pulpits of Calvinistic ministers, any thing said about reprobation, although they hear enough about unconditional election, with all its comfort and assurance. Moderate Calvinism* is the word now a days, in order to soften the horrible doctrines of the system; as if there can be any such thing as absolute, arbitrary election, without the horrible decree of reprobation [horribile decretum are Calvin's own words.] I believe thousands, who profess themselves to be Calvinists, would, if they knew the consequences of their principles, abandon them forever.

With particular redemption, is necessarily connected irresistible grace, and final perseverence. The former makes man a mere machine, and the latter is admirably calculated to lull him into a false security. If a man cannot take a single step in the way of salvation till the moment of irresistible grace arrives, he is under an absolute necessity of living in sin; and so Calvin acknowledges.

*The only difference," says Mr. Daubeny, "between rigorous and moderate Calvinism appears to consist, for the most part, in the different manner of describing the same essential doctrine; for the rigorous Calvinist has only not to insist on the divine decree of the fall, to drop the term reprobate, and to say with St. Austin, that those who have not been predestinated by an absolute decree to salvation, "must inevitably perish," or-exchange the obnoxious term reprobation for the softer one preterition, and he immediately becomes what we are to understand by a moderate Calvinist. In fact, this is only saying the same thing in different ways." V. Eccle. p. 438, 4$9.

If men are bound hand and foot so that they cannot move, it is mockery and insult to exhort them to come to the waters of life, and drink freely. When the Lord of the vineyard asked the labourers, "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" they gave this answer which is certainly a very good one“Because no man hath hired us." But they might have gone further, upon the principle of irresistible grace, and the total want of the smallest degree of power to do any thing for ourselves. They might have said, "Because we came into the world with our legs broken, and God has decreed, that they never shall be set; how then are we to work! Insult us not with such questions. Give us the power and we will do the work." Is not this reasonable?

The doctrines of Calvin are of such a horrible nature they are so painful to the tender feelings of the heart, and so totally inconsistent with the principles of human action, that it is with reluctance I prosecute this subject. It is enough to freeze the blood in one's veins to read some parts of the writings of Calvin, and of his disciples. Of the master we have said enough ; let us now hear what some of his scholars

assert.

1. The Westminster divines, in their chatechism, declare, that "God did from all eternity unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass." Consequently, all the sins of all the men that have ever lived, or ever will live, were inevitable. And for these sins, which they could no more prevent, than they could prevent the revolution of the heavenly bodies, they are punished with everlasting damnation. Now, what difference is there between this doctrine and that of fate ?— The only difference is, that the Calvinist terminates his chain of causes and effects in a divine decree ;-the Stoic makes his chain depend upon the immutable nature of things, and binds even Jupiter himself with it. But to mankind, the effects are precisely the same. Men commit crimes, upon the Calvinistic principle, because God has decreed that it should be so ; and upon the principles of the Stoics, because

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