Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-12-31
Communicated
NO. VII.
"A Horrible Decree II Grant it Cal
win Ins.-III-23-S.
Communicated.

If we believe in the doctrine of uni
!, versal redemption in all its fulness
We cannot believe in Calvanism, which
is that God foreordained from all eter
nifty to limit the merits of Christ's
death to a certain few, % the elect
And now since this Calvanism is be-
lieved in by 50 many, so horrible in its
character | say horrible, for we per-
ceive that this is Calvin's own &C
acknowledgement. So very injurious
in its effects is the doctrine, for it is
tatalaIsm unG err another form and
fatalism is of course destructive of
the Christian religion and of all mos
rality and obedience, sin, responsible
ity and reward, justice and love, and
Deity itself Being so contrary to
the doctrine of universal redemption
it calls for refutation fromevery lover
Him who died for all. Indeed, it is
we'll TO know what this Calvanism is;
what is its foundation upon what
part of Scripture is it built; TO know
what claims it has upon our respect
and belief. There is hardly any doc
trine that has troubled the minds OF
Christians so much as this Calvanistic
predestination - so much so that
Christians for the most part do not
like to think upon it so powerful in
its appearance to one who cannot see
that upon which it is founded, which
chiefly wrong Interpretation of
vhe VII, TX, Y and XI chapters of
/ St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. In
these chapters the apostle speaks
much of predestination, foreordina~
ton. and so forth. Calvin, contrary
to the opinion or teaching on this
subject, of the church in all ages, was
the first to teach that the apostle
spoke of Individuals thus predestina-
ted, and then to carry out this doc
trine to its full logical conclusions, st,
Augustine of the fifth century, gave
loose to certain notions that would
have led him into the very position
to which Calvin so boldly advanced !;
but it seems that he felt himself drift
ing to horrible conclusions, at vars
ance with the general tenor of Scrip
ture or universal redemption, and. at
the remonstrance of his friends and
MANY learned men, did retract and
modify his views; The same modes
ty and love for human souls would
not have inflicted upon us Calvanism.
Says one Of our most eminent dlvines,
consequently we find that the great
BODY Of ancient expositors, in cons
menting upon this portion ofSt. Paul's
epistle, (viz, the chapters above mems
toned never assigned to it such a
meaning as has been imputed to it by
some in more recent times. Indeed
the ancient expositors regard this
epistle generally, and this portion OF
it particularly, as storehouse OF di-
vine teaching on the great doctrine
of Universal Redemption and Free
Ora % offered to all in Christ"
And let us see about these fonr
chapters. In order to rightly UNDER
stand any portion of any of St. Paul's
epistles we should keep in sight the
chief object he had in view when writ
ing the epistle, and the chief purpose
for which he wrote. Nearly all ofhis
epistles were called forth by evils in
the shape either of certain sins be-
come prevalent, or in false teaching.
And what then was the error to the
removal of which he devotes large
portion of this epistle to the Roman
St. Paul was addressing chiefly the
Jews at Rome. "They," says one,
supposed themselves to be the elect
people Of God. They imagined that
they possessed some special merit OF
their own, which entitled them to be
distinguished by Him from other na-
tons Of the world. They knew that
they had been kept apart from all 9th.
er nations by God Himself. and they
did not suppose it possible that other
nations could be put on par with
themselves, aad be blended with
them in one society: and much
less that they could be cast Of by
God. The very notion of such con-
tingencies appeared to them to in
volve charge against God Himself.
as either not endued with divine fore
knowledge, or as subject to human
infrmities, and as swayed by passion
levity, fickleness and caprice.
In the previous part of the epistle
St. Paul has shown 1st, that all man
kind, the Jews no less than the Gen>
tiles, were guilty before God.
2nd. that all needed Redecmer.
Sd, that a rcdeemer has been pro.
vided for all on equal terms.
4th, that in His Divine Mind God
had foreknown and foreordained an
Universal Church in Christ, and that
Christ had died for all and that all
who accept by faith the terms ofsal-
walton offered them in Christ, are tho
. elect people food.
Such declarations as these the apos
tie well knew, would excite the jeal-
ousy of the Jews. They contraven-
ed the national persuasion that the
Jew was the favored Son Of God'i
love; and they brought with them
the tremendous accusation that The
Jewish nation, in crucifying Jesus O
Nazareth, had crucified the Christ
who had been forctold by Moses anc
the prophets; and that in rejecting
Him who was now preached to tnt
Gentiles as the Saviour Of the world
and was gladly recognized ny then
as such, they had oisinherited them
selves: that they were no longer
, Gods elect people, but had been sup
planted in His favor by the heather
f world.
These considerations serve the pur
pose of clearing the subject handles
! by the apostle in this epistle, and Q
some perplexities with which it ha
n been embarrassed.
8 When these chapters areconsidere
: in their natural relation to the apos
o ties design in this epistle, it will b
t seen that it was no part of his purpos
to discuss here the question of tn
particular predestination Of indluldt