The Sun.
London, England, 1820-10-30 00:00:00

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FOR TILE SUN.

HOLY ORDERS.
Ma. Enrroa---.lu, answer, to the Pamphlet on
EPISCOPAL INNOVATION &C. [ propose next •
consider the' .10th Article °four Church, upon a
subject' that has bewildt!red far . wiser heads,
upon which" folios .on folios have been heaped,
mountains high, Pelion upon Ossa, &c. and the
Giant Discord still heaves his• labouring breast,
still to labour in ,vain, 'while man is obliged to.
hold intercourse with man in the imperfect Me-
dium of human language, for, after all it is only
a displite of, words-, and, whatever we may think
in theory, we all feel in practice; that we are as
free .t 6 act as is necessary for every moral purpose
es responsible Agents to, that Supreme Power
has placed us. in tfiis state of trial with all
our faculties adapted to.the account which We are

to givt ,
t Do notbe alarmed, as if I meant to carry you
into mazes,.. in which Angels themselveq . have
stra7fed: My path is easier and'my bu'ided corn-
paratively light—only to prove as briefly as I can
that. the questions of the Bishop on this compre-
hensive topic, are ,not the ." illegitimate, mischie-
vouS, heretical cavils," which this Pamphlet so li-
berally pronottuees them ; but that they as clearly
flow from 'this article as the purest waters from
the purest spring. .
If Will very much assist our proof, if we are
once convinced, as in the former article, that the
doctrine of total .corruption in man is heresy, for
that corruption puce admitted, it would surpass
the wit of man to prove, the possibility* of Free
Will:. There must be-then an impulse irresistible
to evil, a moral deaaness, and bartiness of heart,
that would preclude every power of election ;
there could be no understanding to discern bd-
tween gOod and evil, and, therefore no choice,
.4141 chaos would come again, and we should 'return
to that_state in which the 'inert. mass," rudis el
lUdigesia" was lying,before the-spi Hi of God moved
tipon the face of thsn waters. But nchv that We see
our way throtigh this mass of .pollution, .'and by
the former Article, there is. proVed to be only,
ise inclination and not a 'fixed detertimivtion to
:..-ir; ' that the bias may be in .;general toward
weling, -without the help of the' spirit, bet yet
with that kind assistance it may be turned to the
.c4ntrarY direction ; this, I say, once proved, we
are the more free to enter into the spirit of this
article, which so clearly follows from, the other,
:and be the less anxious to spend much time and
labour in reftiting objections, which have been
al! -idy anticipated. This article, therefore, like
kne former, is, Anti-Pelagian, more particularly
--opposed to that heresy which denied 'the neces.
'sity of grace in the work of salvation ; and in
this opposition may express itself in stronger tau,
guage than it would haye,ventured, if the dne•
trine iri th other-extr*lne bad generally prevailed
Steeripg .between_ the two extremes of ' PtAa•
letnism and Calvinisint, it proclaints alike :tho.ue.
:ssity for divine grace, and for human exertion
The fast it is unixetsally
,admitted to pro.
claim, and that'it proclaims the other, is 'clear
from the words " natural . strength, and good
works after the Fall," a.nd before the operation
of divine grace. What would it mean b'y such
eipresions, if. such w&4 tiro, Cl/ nSe ciunceof the
F.1,..1f* That man had no.s,:). left brnature,
:,
4. la ri!)w,,r to, perform gOod work-s7e? .
A t .... s;iti, I know, that a man cannot turn and
, .
prepare himself, &c. but this is only the same
Language 'with that of our Saviour, who declares
it almost impossible for the rich to enter into the
kingdom of Heaven—not that it is entirely' out of
tileir power to enter in, tut that compared, with
others, who a.ro'not exposed lo their temptations,
their chance is small, that they would be able 'to
prepare themselves and turn unto the Lord, and
to the enjoyment 'of his kingdom. The lan-
guage of the article, like that of the Scripture,
is popular, and therefore-not to be confined with-
in the strict and narrow .boundaries Of philoso-
phical criticism. ' . .
Besides when it is said that 'Man cannot turn
and prepare hitnielf to faith and Calling upon
God, it means that all that unassisted man can
do, will never bring him to that faith by which
he can be saved, nor calling upon God with that
zeal and spirit by which alone he can be' heard;
for' "God only listens to such as call. upon .him
faithfully.—Thais he cannot do, as the Bishop
himself says, without the assistance of God.;"
he is so sunk in consequence of the fall, that he
cannot rise to the Christian height of faith and'
prayer, without divine influence, but that he is. tot
' fallen into the very lowest depths of total Cor-
ruption, so as not to be able
.to co-operate with
that influence, in his own -salvation.
Mr.e, are supposed by the langnage of this ar-
ticle to have natural strength •and goOd works.
to unite with' the preventing graze—that we may
have good will; and where we have that good
will; that grace is.said to be working with us, all
of which would be absurd,' as his Lordship very
justly argues, if we ourselves had no share in the

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work. . - I
In what manner this co-operation takes place;
•
or how , we are to divide the share of God and'
man in this work it is neither in our power nor
to our purpose to decide, but it Will ever be im-
possible to make any sense of the article if we
allow not of this expression of the Bishop, which
'excites so much horror in the pious breast or his
'opponent. . To enumerate all the texts which
favour this invidious expression, would be only
to repeat a great part of Scryure. - To one text
only I will confine myself, as il is quoted by him,
AS setting " the matter 'in its 4-ruelight." The
text is " work out yoUr qwn salVation with fear