meant, as if man did not do the evil, but only that God fuffers it to be done, and does not hinder it ; or, he is faid to do the evil, because he uses the wickedness of men to fubferve fome good purpose, as he did the wickednefs of Jofeph's brethren; as alfo, because he reftrains the wickednefs of men, that it do not break forth, and increase beyond measure. "Thofe other questions, Whether God willed the fall of Adam? Whether he forced him to fall? or, Why he did not prevent his falling and all questions of this fort, we place among those of curious inquiry; contenting ourselves with knowing, that the LORD had ftrictly commanded Adam, that he should not eat of the forbidden fruit, and that God punished his disobedience.” Pp. 47, 48, 49, 50. That this is not the doctrine of Calvin or Calvinifts will be admitted by every one, who has looked into the Inflitutes or the Westminster Confeffion of Faith; but it must be acknowledged on the other hand, that it is the doctrine not of Calvin, but of the Stoics and of Pelagius that is here expli citly condemned by the Helvetic reformers. On the subject of free-will, after obferving that, before the fall, man was upright and free; able to continue in that state, but capable of declining from it, thofe reformers thus exprefs their fentinents of his abilities after the fall. "He was not," fay they, "fo deprived of understanding, nor was the power of willing fo taken from him, as that he was changed into the condition of a stock or a ftone. But thefe powers are fo altered and weakened in man, that they cannot any more perform their functions, as before the fall. For the underftanding is obfcured; and the will, which before was truly free, is now become fervile; for it ferves fin, not by constraint, but willingly. It is ftill called The Will, and not by a term expreffing reluctance, or constraint, or force of any kind. Therefore, in regard to moral evil, or fin, man is not compelled to it, either by God or by the Devil; but he doeth evil of his own accord: and, in this refpect, his will is moft free." P. 50. Whether, in the opinion of the Helvetic churches, this alteration of the human intelle&t and will, which renders them incapable of performing their functions, as before the fall, confifts of a pofitive depravity of thefe faculties, or refults, as Bifhop Bull taught, from the withdrawing of those fupernatural graces of the Holy Spirit which were bellowed on Adam to fit him for heaven and immortality, is not very evident. It appears, however, from the following paragraph, that the functions which the intellect and will are unable to perform, relate to fpiritual and heavenly things, of which it is not eafy to conceive how the natural man could, in any ftate, form a correct judgment. "As to good and virtuous actions, continues the Confeffion, the mind of man never of itself judges rightly of them in their relation to fpiritual and heavenly things. For the gofpels and writings of the Apoftles infift on the neceffity of regeneration to every one's falvation. By which it is evident, that our first birth from Adam does not confer any thing by which we may be faved. And St. Paul affirms, that the natural man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, &c.; and that we are not fufficient of ourfelves alone, even to think what is good." P. 51. Nothing is here faid of the utter inability of fallen man to perform the moral duties of civil fociety. His inability refpects a future ftate of everlafting happiness in heaven, which no moral work that man ever could perform is of fufficient value to purchase; and for which we do not believe that Adam before his fall could have fitted himfelf, but under the gracious guillance of God's good fpirit, which, in the opinion of the Helvetic churches, is ftill fufficient for every Christian, who is not wanting to himself. "In regeneration," say they, "the understanding is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, fo that it can apprehend both the myfteries and the will of God. And the will itfelf is not only changed by the Holy Spirit, but has fuch renewed powers, that it can will and do that which is good of its own accord. If this be not allowed, we deny Chriftian liberty, and introduce the legal bondage. But the Prophet reprefents God faying, I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts will I write them. The Lord alfo, in the Gofpel, fays, If the Son make you free, then are ye free indeed.-Paul alfo, writing to the Philippians, fays, To you it is given, through Chrift, not only that you may be able to believe in him, but also to fuffer for his fake.-And again, I am perfuaded, that He, who has begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of the Lord Jefus.-Alfo,. It is God who works in you, both that you may will and that you may per form. "In which regard, we teach that two things ought to be dif tinely observed. First, that the Regenerate, in willing and doing what is good, not only work passively, but actively. They are acted upon by God, that they themfelves may act in doing what they do. And St. Auguftin very properly cites the faying, that God is our Helper; for it is not poffible, that any one fhould be helped, who is not doing, or endeavouring to do something.” P. 52. How different is this from the doctrine of Calvin! who reprobates D 3 reprobates in the fevereft terms the notion of the human will co-operating with the divine grace; who affirms that those, who entertain that notion, peftilentiffimè hallucinantur;' and who repeatedly fays, "Electa effe INSTRUMENTA vel ORGANA, (acting of courfe only paffively), quibus mifericordiam. fuam exercet Deus, et nomen fuum in eis glorificat!" In the chapter which treats of God's predeftination, and election of the Saints, the Helvetic Confeffion fays, "God has from the beginning, freely and of his mere favour, without any refpect of perfons, predeftinated or elected the Saints, whom he will fave by CHRIST; according to what the Apostle has faid, GoD has chofen us in him before the foundation of the world-and again, Who has faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works; but according to his own purpofe and grace, which was given to us through CHRIST JESUS before all time, but is now made manifeft by the appearing of our Saviour JESUS CHRIST. Therefore, God did not choose us without fome medium, although that medium be not any merit in us; but he chofe us in CHRIST, and for CHRIST's fake; fo that they who are now grafted into CHRIST by faith, are also his elect; and they who are not in CHRIST, are reprobates, according to that of the Apoftle, Examine yourfelves, whether ye be in the faith, Know ye not your own felves, that Jesus CHRIST is in you, except ye be reprobates? "And, though the Lord knoweth them that are his; and though mention be made of the small number of the elect, we should, notwithstanding, hope well of all, and never rafhly account any one to be a reprobate; for St. Paul told the Philippians, I give thanks for you ALL, (meaning the whole congregation at Philippi), for that ye are come into the communion of the gospel, having this perfuafion, that He who has begun a good work in you, will perfect it; as it is mect that I fhould think this of you all. And when the Lord was afked, Are they few, who fhall be faved? He did not fay, that few or many will be faved, or deftroyed; but rather exhorted, that every one ftrive to enter in at the ftrait gate-as if he had faid, It is not for you to make fuch useless inquiries, but to take care, that you yourselves go in the right road to heaven. "We therefore difallow thofe, who, without regard to Chrift, inquire, Whether they were eternally elected, and what God de, creed concerning them before all time. Instead of this, every one must attend to the gofpel, and believe the gofpel; and then conclude, if he really believe in CHRIST, and is in CHRIST, that he is one of Gon's elect." - - "In the temptation concerning predeftination, and which perhaps is more dangerous than any other, we fhould derive comfort from the the confideration that God's promifes are general to all that believe --that he himself says, Afk, and ye shall receive: Every one that afks, receives-laftly, that with the univerfal church we pray, Our Father, which art in Heaven; and that, by baptifm, we were grafted into the body of CHRIST, and are frequently nourifhed in the church with his flesh and blood unto eternal life. Strengthened by thefe, we are commanded to work out our orun falvation with fear and trembling." Pp. 54, 55, 56, 57. This view of predeftination is in perfect harmony with the view of that doctrine given by Dr. Laurence as it was taught by the Lutheran reformers. It obviously relates not to the final falvation of individuals, but to the everlasting purpose of God with refpect to the church, against which the gates of hell fhall never prevail. Far from adopting the gloomy notions of Calvin, the Helvetic réformers have here directly cenfured thofe notions; for as Calvin is the only divine of eminence, we believe, whoever attempted to afcertain the comparative numbers of the elect and the reprobate, and as the Confeffion, from which thefe extracts are taken, was written in 1566*, it feems impoffible to doubt that he is alluded to in the remarkable words" It is not for you to make fuch ufelefs enquiries." Accordingly, in the very next chapter of this Confeffion, the Helvetic reformers fay-" Moreover, we believe and teach that the Son of GoD our Lord JESUS CHRIST, from all eternity, was predeftinated or foreordained of the Father to be the Saviour of the World." How widely different is this from Calvin's notions of predeftination?. "Prædeftinationem vocamus æternum Dei decretum, quo apud fe conftitutum habuit quid de unoquoque homine fieri vellet. Non enim pari conditione creantur omnes; fed aliis vita æterna, aliis damnatio æterna præordinatur. Itaque prout in alterutrum finem quifque conditus eft, ita vel ad vitam vel ad mortem prædeftinatum dicimus. Quod fi in eo fumus electi, non in nobis ipfis reperiemus electionis noftræ certitudinem; ac ne in Deo quidem Patre, fi nudum illum abfque filio imaginamur. Chriftus ergo fpeculum eft in que electionem noftram contemplari convenit, et fine fraude licet t." It appears from the extracts of the Helvetic Confeffionwhich are here published, that the authors of that confeffion, *It is indeed only a re-publication, with additions and illuf trations of the Confeffion which had been published in 1536. + Inftit, lib. 3. c. 21. § 5. et c. 24. § 5 on the fubject of juftification by faith, differed as widely from the doctrine, if not of Calvin himfelf, certainly of his pretended followers, who among us arrogate to themselves the character of the only true churchmen, as on the subject of God's eternal decree. If therefore the thirty-nine articles of the church of England be, on all these points, in perfect harmony with the Helvetic Confeffion, it follows undeniably that the doctrine of thofe articles cannot be, in the proper fenfe of the word, Calviniftical; but we have seen that Jewel and Grindal, who were two of the bishops by whom our articles were agreed on, in the convocation holden in London in the year 1562, declare again and again that, in every point of doctrine, there is the most perfect harmony between them and the Helvetic Confeffion; that the one confeffion departs from the other ne minimo quidem apice; and that the former is feparated from the latter ne unguem quidem latum. Thus then is it proved by the pofitive teftimony of thofe who agreed on the articles" for the avoiding of diverfities of opinions, and the ftablishing of confent refpe&ting true religion," that, on the questions in difpute between the (foi-difant) True Churchmen and their opponents, our articles ought not to be interpreted as fubfcribed in the Calviniftic fenfe. This conclufion the prefent author labours to strengthen, by an appeal to Bishop Jewel's Apology, and to Bullinger's Decades. The appeal to Jewel is properly made, because his apology was, before publication, fubmitted to the animadverfions of the other bifhops, and may be confidered as, in fome fenfe, the work of our church at large; but the Decades of Bullinger have no claim to the fame authority. We have uniformly rejected the appeal of the Calvinifts, to the private fentiments of individuals among our own reformers; and what we have refufed to them, we will not grant to their opponents when appealing to a stranger. With the private opinions of any individual reformer, whether foreign or domeftic, we have no more concern than with the private opinions of any other man; because the reformers might hold various opinions, which they deemed it expedient to inculcate on others, as illuftrative of the effential articles of the faith, without confidering them as of fufficient importance to be claffed with thofe articles themselves, and as fuch eftablifhed in the church. The writer of this article has a higher opinion of Bishop Bull, for inftance, than of any individual among our reformers; and he confiders his notions of the ftate of man before the fall as admirably calculated to illustrate the great fcheme of redemption, and to fhow how the ftate of Chriftians under the fecond covenant is, as St. Paul reprefents |