The Sun.
London, England, 1820-12-02 00:00:00

j

SATURDAY, 71),Ec:E-111..13i:Fiit_2._, 1820..

FOR, THE SUN.

riOLY ORDERS.--o[tio.,Vll.]

Pii:EDE'STINATION.-CII AP. VI.

. ~ . • _ ____ ___ . _ - .. . .
• Onr next Sukjeet is one which has in all :lees Baffled' the
effiirts ef human wiedem, es..it must ever be imposeible. to ee-
concile the . fore-knowledge .a'f Gun with the free-agency a-
Mae ,•. hut, happily for us, we are not concerned with this re-
conciliation, as all that eve,profess to prove.;?} our il*fence of
the Bishop from eliecalumnies of his Adversary is thre perfect
analogy thateubststs ,bet wren the Questions in this Chapter.
and the Articles of our .Church, or the Scriptures themselves.
The doctrine to which the)ear.e opposed is the So pralap sa-
t•ien, which' eseesii.but !to Ite_clearly eexpreesed to confute it-
self, that :Gode has apiminted frem ail. eternity those eybom
he would condemn Anil ihose w.hont be well;' save from the
curse, pre-eirdained tromethe
.4.egittning-to paSs upPo Adam,.
the eeprellete and the elect; evltoinelteeso.lieipoiers,, retace
corcleg to the merit or demerit of
,either; bat aCv,iftting 16
his own eood pleasnre,to display the glory of 'his toter anri;
hut es—biS infinite justice in ; the condemnation of
,the (lite,
-and his infinite mercy in salvation of the other. -Neither
of; which sentences can. possibly be reversed by any thing
Whirls 4itligr may lie atilt mewilling tOperfoi in. . s.
'The Elect cannot but ho sayed,•and the..Reprol-ate con;
denim d ; the very purpose for which the.one was brit is Sal-
vation, and the other Destruction. • .
~ Still further; avhatever:efforts of virtue"•roay be -mad'elin
:either. side, is crime.„in the sight of )lie Either, M'ho Ilts -03--
,daine,d; a perpetual Sabbath, or vest•from all the mere...naive
exert ionsof righteousness .that his spirit ,tnaye range in et be
Inert with full and perfect freedom—to perform ail the neces-
sary operations, to et-rate the new -man in understanding, and
in will, to he the sole mover of every work and affection—to
operate by itself upon the Elect, by an omnipotent grace ir-
resistible; and in the Reprobate to haeden the been against
every good impulse, and lead it on, by degrees and by force of
its malignant influence, to its own everlasting misery.' - '
This doctrine, asi said, appehrs lilie f 0 illaily Others which:
are founded on falsehood, or the initiv,ination 41 won; to-require'
only to be clearly expressed to perceive its falseleinde But lest
for want of a clearness of expression on ,tity.pert, .Wenie men
may fail in this perception, I -will bring forward ,e feW.of,, the
many- arguments so easy to be gathered, bollt_from eur,Church.
land from the Scriptures, to prove that it. is neither con-•
sieterit WitirthoSe, nor-even with the commonsense and op-:
prehensions of mankind: , , •
The lekuage;hoth• ofthe Church and Scriptures, is directly
-opposed to Vie Doctrine of a partial Redemption.
- Conseltthe-passagesireboth to . which the: J3i gl!pp, refers. in
leis Chap: I. and.yeu will find that Christ; died for• all 'men,
and not for a chosen few, or " with aepecial view to the sal-
vation of the chosen, whether.many or te.w," He died, as
the cateclii-sm says, to " redeem all mankind." -Etionself
once offered, as.the"Communion Service says, was a'ftell and
sufficient. Sacrifice, Oblatien, and Satisfaction, for the sins
of the whole'itiirit.:. Theirdention was universal, as theatte.
criliee waaelleufficient •for all men, for whom the 'Lamb was
slain front the` foundation of the would. • . . . .
' That this inieetion was frustrated, or had not its full-effect,
wits not Use fault...Jr imperfection of the. sacrifice.; but the inr-
Perfection and -fault of those for whom he offered himself.
The " free gift of God came upon'all Men to justification."
Christ died for all,"and was willing that all should be saved;
but if they fail of salvation, they fail through their unbelief,'
or through their otett• fault. ' „ • ,
- There is no deeeee,from the beginning given out against
them that causes them to perish: they pet tehebeeause they
receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved.
They may, indeed, exclude t hemselves. from .bis,linagdoin by
a want of faith in his:Providence, or of obedience to his word,
but their-. exclusion is their own , fault, and not:the conse-
quence of any, decree gone out against thente•be which they
are pre.-ordainedte iniquity—and preindged to emeleinnation.
Sinners 39 they are, they bare even now the power,•if they
will at-ail themselves of his kind assistance, to repeal any such
sentence against themselves by turning. unto hint, while there
is yet the time, in faith and'repentance.. • . .
No mitu,..without his own wilful ,neglect, .shall lose the he-.
nefit of our Lord's Death. • All wan, without exception,,.are
put iuto the capacity of salvation, if they will but believe i n
Piet and comply with hiecoenmatids. ,
flit Gospel is • the Magna Charta of RedeMption to all his
Disciples. It elnliNices all of. every age and ;;in whatever
clime; that peiform their linty' in their several stations-evace
cording to the'light which they enjoy. There is np.Electipti
or Respeet of Persons with hint : but every one that witrketh
Illghteousness,of whatever age or nation, shall be accepted at.
his hand. . . . ,
Shall this impartiality of Providence extend to all others,
and not to those also who, are admitted moreYespecially •Into
his Covenant, mules:Wally honoured with his holy Naine ?
Shall the Lot Ws mercy be impat•tially-tliffased'ityk.4ll• his
works; shall lie show no respect of 'persons throughput all
t he, world ; and Omit his 'mercy be only restrained lriitu some
of his (nen more immediate family:,. and then only shall lie
show a partial respecteand,a peculiar favouritism?
No : This may be the vanity of the Jess .of old, or of the
Calvinist•of the •nresentilines; bat it can never be the age-
trine of that iteligian whielt so perfectly agrees` with the-light
.of Nature in representing the great Jehovah, the common
:lather, Wire is equally-kind, to all his Children„ and:will never
allow,. runeh le'ss ordain, from everlasting.' any one of them
to suffer, hot for their owls fault, after.hiiving tried. every ex-
pedient, consistent with their nation, to. prevent „their fall-
lug; nor does be prefer any one above the other; but for
such qualities as must be considered by those who regard
character—the object of decided preference, without pa e-
tiality.Or respect:of persons. Indeed, if there Weie any such
respect or p trtialify as the Supralapsariati ,would erect iii
the .bfeaSf of I he. Deity—not to enumerate Tbe.passaget that
abound every-where in Scripture against so eentined a senti-
Mort in ihe Father:of the :Universe, w host mercy is over all
his works—,how could the good' old Simeon declare, in his.
salntatinti.of our blessed Lord, that
.eyen he caul, depart in
kaerebectoase he had seen his salvation, which he hid pre-
pared in-the-face of all people--ea light- to- lighten the Go-
tiles ,and the glory of ' his,people Israel—it all -people were
net to reap the benefit of• this salvation,, or if that light And
gIR,V,WhiCii . he came into the world ,to. diffuse,
,were to be
coin:tiled . only to a peculiar People—or , even only to
a peculiar .sect, who were -not .otherwiee worthy ..of
so distinguished a ici ivilege, -but by his positiye ,eloction.
„I.-Redemption set partialeas- this•ie as much- a degradation in
she Divine AttritinteS,." as it is an injury teinen in generale
elm, by. such an invidionPdistinction, not fur any fault of
' their owp, :brit tnetely front the.fiet of the Almighty, alto-;
;;ether inconsistent with the character which .he may be said'
to .heveltopriteted of himself in his own creation, are demeed
from all eternity, in his secret centirstl, to perish ever-
lastingly..; . • - • . . . , _ ~. ,
_But that this is es dissonant from Scripture as it is front
Ills utinnuonsense and feeling ofenatikind—we- may learn also-
;rem the Itith Article •of pill Chsorth, ss quoted in the Stir
Onestion, that we may depart from grace and fall into sin.
,11.9ev:iSesuch a sentiment as this .to be teconciled . with the
abstiliifii and unconditional Election of the same Men by glace
trim all eternity ? It is said, that those Men, Unwell mice,
falling into sin, as the just de seven times a tlay,"may, yet rise
gain, and amend their liees"—as the same:Article deebires.
Ptit,-accortlitig to this very • expression -orthat Article, these
iiiiti may not rise again, and tlin,••what- becomes of that
grace to. which from everlasting- they bail been predestined,
eir where is the positive assurance and infallibility of:Alien-
cliieetiep?, • _ - ' •
• So sensible were .tote ,Ailvocatee. for this Doctrine, .of, the
OW fi ithif argument against them, that-they formerly rte.
titled the.reigoing aolleiritiese that the Wie-ds ~t htingh not,
Iniii ',"-tilirt,lit be 'added to these which are qeoted by the
rtiihopiitt4liis questipn, "-sate .may depatt from itrarehnt-
flib .aollOtiitte, Ms doubt, con4cious of their drift, and
meaning topreservejtetteee4 '..i11, theyeenld the purity ufetheir
own-Articles, vet ypreptvlY ilrilkil theta aoysneh iedulgence
—as contrary to tleeie':seittintents of the Christian Doctrine,
piton this. 'inset imperlaht sutijt ct. . .
And yet; iiire-Adeetiary sernples not to argue as if that in-
it)gr reel-tad be.enegraeted. in his strenuous cleats: to TrCOl-1,
elle a ptiesildeooty, a highly probable departine fyprn Grace,
(entieitheriog the - iintirmity of. the very best 'among ns) with
infallible Election and final perseverance. - ' -
I ilfAe Atl,ocates fir this Doctrine. bad thought with this
tuthere that the Article
.meant " oul'y so Jar departleg from
heirroverreof grace as to fell into sin," they would tint have
eett.so. aneious-io have the words; "-though, not finally" in-
ierteile'ittitlitlilieltuthoritirs•to which they appliesi-had under-