The Sun.
London, England, 1820-12-23 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

HOLY ORDERS.—[No. IXI

PREDESTINATION.-CHAP. VI.

MR. EDITOR—Once more it may he necessary
to Address you upon this very difficult topic, as it is the train
doctrine of those with whom we are contending, the con-
sunipation of all their devout wishes, so natural, of abso-
.
:lute Election for themselves, and not quite so natural, of
absolute reprobation to them who are nut of the same per-
.

suasion.

And what I woitld address to you relates chiefly to one
passage *to Scripture. .to which I have before aljuded, taken
front the Epistle to Lie Romans, which is•regFaded by the
Supralapsarians so sovereign in authority, as to be calf d the
golden chain of Predestination; like that which was fabled of
old in the hand of Jupiter, upon which the fate both of na-
tions and individuals was suspended.
And surely if only one single passage can be found in the
whole of Scripture to support a doctrine so palpably, by their
own admission, in opposition to the common cruse and ap-
prehension of snail,. we might be ready to suppose their might
be some error in the interpretation of the passage ; or if
•riglitly interpreted, its capacity of a double sense might justi-
fy that interpretation, which is not only toot e coniistent with
reason, but with. the rest of Scripture.•
Now when we would fairly interpret an obscure passage in
• any writings, we refer to the occasion on which it was
Writ-
ten ; for unless we tool; back to the interests in agitation at
She time, we should lye involved in contradictions not to be
reconciled but by the light of history.
On those subjects which more immediately concern the
people, as in matters- of practice, the Scriptures speak in tan
gloiee nl,i i ;i•,!! forcible : but in, points of doctrine, it is ne•
cessary for them to refer to the opinions of those who hart
enjoyed more leisure and. talent to look into the history o

times.
In this passage therefore we will refer to that history; am.
one fact welt aSeertained.will,he enough to untavel- the 4nosi
'subtle and complex chain of reasoning whicit has no fonoda,

Jim' to-support it.
Now it is a well-knoVen 'fact that-malty of thefirst Christians
were JudaizingClo isfiwes, called so h z.cause t hey had only been
converted in part to Christianity. Some errors still remain- •
cd, and soperstitiMis attachment and partialities to their
owl) nation, as pre-eminently favoured from the first brgi ning,
and still destined to enjoy that pre-eminence to the very end.
. Thousands of them are recorded in the Acts, -upon Whose
conscience the light of ' evidence flashed conviction, so that
• they could not but believe in its general doctrines ; but they
could. not SO far purge their national prejudice, as to maintain
the in its genuine purity; more especially in that part
of it which seemed to offend their pride, the adoption of the
Gentile- into the same rights and privilegrs.with this highly

favoured. People.
NO full, indeed, were many 44 this pride-that they disdain- I!
fully stood out with the same envy and prejudice as the elder '
'son, who anticipates their character in the Parable. and will
not stoop to partake with his younger Brother; standing upon
his birth-right and his high prerogative.
How eatural then is it for the Apostle to endeavour to
bring them again into the Father's house by every argument
in his power ; and what could be a stionger argument than
that which here afers for the benevolent purpose, that their
whole nation was originally chosen to enter the first into that
house, and to be the first-horn of many brethren ; nut so
Much for their own sakes as their Prophets had so often told
them, or for their own ranscendant Merit in the Father's
sight, as-from the benign purpose of his will supreme; who
dispenses his favours to onc.more than another, and to theirs
more freely, according to the secret counsel which was in his
bosom from all eternity—and which could be then more and
:more developed as that counsel was coining to maturity—
and bis reflation was to be more universal and better under-

-stood.
• All this would be more clearly seen, if we had the space
,to entet into the argument of the following Chapter of this
Epistle, which is far too lung for us at present, and indeed,
cannot be necessary, as it has been so frequently put in the
same light by ninny eminent writers of the Church, both in
the present and former ages, who have most indisputably
proved, that the whole scope of this Epistle relates not so
notch to individuals as to nations,. enure particularly the
jewish ; the converts of whom called for all the labour anti
zeal of him, who was by distinction, the Apostle of the Gen-
tiles, to conciliate their treated notions of .high favour and
prerogation, with the dispensation of that light, no longer to
shine only on one people, .but to all people in whatever
clime, that will not shut their eyes against it.
• But not only is this Epistle addressed to the Jewish convert,
to enlarge his contracted million; of a peculiar adoption, and
expand his feelings to his fellow converts of other nations,
but at the same time to console those other nations as well as
'the former converts under the arduous trials which they were
.obliged,,inthese early ages of persecution, to endure.
This will appear to he the real design of the Apostle, to
any who will not confine themselves, as the manner of some
is, to a single passage,-but will take the pains to teal the
wtjule of the Epistle front beginning to end.
• All of an impartial spirit will soon be convinced that this
address Was not to contract the heart, already too contracted,
of the Jewish convert, by suggesting high sentiments of fa•
vouritism, which they were of themselves too apt to encour-
age, much less to confine any particular part of other nations,
ail of whom were before excluded from the Church, within
the narrow rule of their own persuasion, as if they alone were
• predestined to salvation, and all the rear of Mankind to ever-
• lasting death ;" but to console- 'both converts under all their
• fiery trials, when appearances were so stiongly against them,
more especially as they bad been so recently converted, anti
many at that time entertained some superstition about suc-
• rest being the criterion of truth, and therefore might impute
. their preseot calamities, which bore so hard upon them, to
the badness of their cause, and the imposture of that Master
who called them -to support it.
Hence he expects them, so fat from desponding. torejoiee
in tribulation;-e" if we sutler with him, we may also be
glorified together; we may Ite led like him through suffering
to glory, the former of which is. not to be compared with the
latter, that shall be revealed in us ;" and after along expos-
tulation in the same strain, he subjoins the celebrated pas-
' sage so mach insisted-on, and indeed, the only passage in
the whole scripture, that can bear the possibility of such
construction, in favour of absolute and unconditional Predes-
tination.'
White this passage, properly taken with the context, as be-
fore uhterved, is.clearly but a continuation of his Encourage-
, merit to the Converts of Route, whether Jews ur Gentiles, un-
der all the pressure of their trials, to 'persevere unto the end
as the Elect of God in his secret Counsel. front flee first, now
•• revealed in the Gospel to which they are called.
For after this Preface, the spirit helpeth our infirmities and
maketh intercession with groanings. "We know that all
things work together for good tothern who love God—to them
who are called according to his purpose," which has been be-
fore explained ; for whom he did foreknow to be so Called and
• qualified fur the Kingdoin of God, be did predestinate, to be
confirmed to the image of his Sons moreover, whom he did
. .predystitiate, or. whoa". he foteksiew was to enjoy thr King-
slum, them he has now called, now that the fulness of time is
cote, and those whom he bias thus called, he has justified,
. and them be also glorified ; by the first of which expressions,
he is said to remit their past sins, and by tbe last, to pour out
his spirit upon them, tpe pledge, if they will hold it fast, of
their future glory.
All this. then, can never. be intefpieted but by the strong-
est prejudice in favour of the "doctrine upon which absolute
'• Predestination is founded—that the foreknowledee of God is
established upon his absolute ,discret forit distinctly says,
whom he did foreknow he also did ptedestinate, plainly in-
• tit:sating that his decree was established upon his foreknow-
. ledge ; and what follows is in the same strain, as we before
observed : indeed, to behold it in any other light is to make
it contradict the whole tenor of the Scripture, which declares
so generally in favour of Universal 'Redemption.
Whenever there is any appearance to the contrary, it is
only for want of attention to the peculiar circumstances of the
application, as in this'atill other parts of Saint Paul's Epistles.
The Jews are addressed as a chosen people in former times,
not as chosen for them Selves, but for a good and important
purpose in the Counsel of slehovah, to keep his name sacred
from the pollutions of surronudiug Nations. Christians in
general are in very different circumstances ; even as a body,
• .they can only know that they are called, but except the
Apostles and a very few extraordinary Ministers of his will
. where the choice was justified by the greatness of the occa-
. .sion, then-can mime he at all assured with any thing that
approaches to assurance, that they are in reality chosen.
Expressions, therefore, that apply to the ,ertuilehody of the
Jews, as a peculiar people before the: light of the Gospel; or
only th the great and leading instrument. of God's dispensation,
in these early ages, ought oriel- to be applied to any in sire-
ceesting ages, unless there appears to be an ciedasion worthy of
1 a di clime interposition.
. 'mu such an occasion arise we must be content to allow
that. there might be circumstances peculiar to the Jews, as a
body, or to-turtle of the converts of the early ages, which call.