day. And this is the will of him that sent me; "that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth " on him may have everlasting life; and I will raise "him up at the last day."—" No man can come to

me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw 'him, and I will raise him up at the last day.It is "written in the prophets, And they shall be all

I

taught of God: Every man therefore, that hath "heard and hath learned of the Father cometh untó "me." "No man can come to me, except it were given unto him of my Father." "Other sheep "I have, which are not of this fold;" (evidently meaning the Gentiles who should believe in him;) "them also must I bring, and they shall hear my "voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shep"herd."-" Ye believe not, because ye are not of

cr

my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my "voice, and I know them, and they follow me and "I give them eternal life, and they shall never

*

perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my "hand. My Father which gave them me is greater “than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my "Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”1 "As "thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he "should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." "I pray for them; I pray not for "the world; but for them, whom thou hast given "me."-" Neither pray I for these alone, but for "them also, which shall believe on me through

* John vi. 37-40. 44, 45. 65.

2 John x. 16. 26—30.

"their word."1 "The election hath obtained "it: and the rest were blinded." But let this suffice.

P. ccxlv. 1. 23. Can we, &c?'3 God' by a

positive law,' forbade Adam to eat the fruit of a certain tree; and certainly he forbade the Jews, by positive law, to crucify their holy Messiah: yet he foresaw, and predicted, and consequently had decreed, "in his determinate counsel and foreknowledge," the crucifixion of the Messiah: and he might secretly determine to leave Adam to himself, for most wise and holy purposes; and yet forbid him to eat of the fruit of that tree. But as nothing express is spoken concerning such a decree; however it may seem to follow, from the other doctrines, which we do hold; it is presumptuous in us, to deduce unrevealed conclusions, from revealed truths; even though Calvin himself did it. Calvinists in general do not hold, that Adam by his original formation was absolutely ' unable to obey; or that the continuance of inno'cence and happiness depended on a condition, that 'he was' either physically,' or morally unable to obey,' nay, they maintain the contrary: but God

John xvii. 2. 9. 20. 2 Rom. xi. 7.

3 Can we believe that God forbade the fall, which by an ⚫ antecedent decree he had rendered inevitable? That he gave a ' commandment to Adam, which by his original formation he was absolutely unable to obey? That he made the possession of Paradise, and the continuance of his innocence and happiness, 'to depend upon a condition, which it was physically impossible for him to fulfil?'

alone is immutable; and a creature, however exalted and excellent, must be changeable; and Adam changed, and fell, by his own wilful and aggravated crime. The entrance, however, of wickedness and misery, into the creation of an Omnipotent God, who is Love, or even the existence of them, is a difficulty, which the Scripture has not removed, and which man's reasons never can remove; but which will, no doubt be cleared up, at the day of "wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of "God." It is an undeniable fact, on every supposition, and bears equally upon the sentiments of all men, except avowed Atheists: yet it is the grand difficulty of all; and if any man could satisfactorily solve it, all others might be more easily removed. But, though the "judgments of God are a great "deep, his righteousness is like the strong moun"tain."

P. ccxlvi. 1. 4.

"It was, &c." It is a relief to

''It was indeed a decree of God, to create man and to endow ' him with free-agency; but the bad actions of men, which arose 'from the abuse of this free-will, are not to be considered as the decrees of God. All which can be said of them with reference to God is, that they are the consequence of his decree. It is 'indispensably necessary to distinguish between those works ' which are done by the immediate will and operation of God, ' and those works which are done by free-agents who derive their 'free-agency from him. The former may very properly be said to be the decrees of God, because "known unto God are all "his works, from the beginning of the world:" of this kind are 'the creation of man, the call of Abraham, and the Redemption through Christ. But the actions of free-agents can only be said to be permitted by God; and of this kind are the fall of Adam, and every other human transgression of the divine will. Many

the mind, in making these remarks; (though in some respects it increases the difficulty ;) that an unexpected transition sometimes, is made, from language most hostile to our sentiments, to that of concurrence and amity. Taking this passage together, there is scarcely any thing, to which a moderate Calvinist would object. Indeed, as far as goes, it expresses Calvin's views of the subject, as

it

' of God's decrees arose from the foreseen conduct of men; such as, the deluge, the giving of the law by Moses, and the revelation of his will from time to time, by the prophets. And God frequently makes the sinfulness of men the means of accom. plishing his own wise and gracious purposes, of which we have a signal instance in the death of our Saviour himself, who "by "wicked hands was crucified and slain," and thus made "the propitiation for the sins of the whole world:" in this manner was Christ " delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," and the Jews and Roman Gentiles "did "whatsoever the hand and the counsel of God determined before "to be done." Not only God's own immediate works are 'known to him from the beginning of the world, but also all the

works of all his creatures. All futurity is open to his view. 'He knows all the words, thoughts, and actions of men, and all the events passing at any one moment, or which will hereafter take place, in every part of the universe. He is not circumscribed by the relations either of time or place; past, present, ' and to come, near and remote, are to him the same. Nothing gives a more sublime idea of the attributes of the Deity, than this consideration, that the whole aggregate and series of events, co-existing over immensity of space, and successive through endless ages of eternity; some resulting from the free-will of rational agents, and others dependent upon the operation of irrational or mechanical causes, are at once present to his allseeing eye. However incompetent we may be to the full comprehension of such perfection, it is impossible to contemplate it without feelings of devout admiration and religious awe."

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I shall make it appear, in a subsequent part of this work, by translations of some parts of the Helvetick confession, &c. I do not say, that it contains all Calvin's views. He certainly maintained, that the decree of God, respecting man, extended much further, than merely to create him, and endue him "with free-agency:' and the purpose of permitting his fall, and the entrance of sin and misery, must have formed a part of it. But as the Scripture says nothing explicit concerning that decree, I shall be silent about it. All the decrees of God, concerning those, who are, in any way," appointed to wrath," were formed in foresight, that the persons concerned would deserve that wrath; all concerning the Saviour and his salvation, on the foresight that men would need such a Saviour and salvation; and all those, which relate to those, whom "God from the begin"ning chose unto salvation, through sanctification " of the Spirit, and belief of the truth," were formed on the foresight, that he would "save them, and "call them, with an holy calling, not according to "their works, but according to his own purpose "and grace, which was given them in Christ, before "the world began."'-It is worthy of the reader's notice, that the sacred writers, speaking on these subjects, continually call our attention to what preceded, or was coeval with, "the foundation of the "world." "The kingdom prepared for you from "the foundation of the world." "He hath chosen "us in him before the foundation of the world."

12 Tim. i. 9.