points" of Calvinism, I will state them. The five points of Calvinism are substantially the following: 1. God decreed whatsoever comes to pass. CHAPTER II. GENUINE CALVINISM, AS CONTAINED IN THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH. THIS BOOK Contains all the peculiar and distinctive doctrines of Calvinism, such as may be found in the constitution of the Presbyterian churches in the United States, the Saybrook Platform, the Assembly's Catechism, and various other standard writings of the Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists. I believe it is generally understood, that the Saybrook Platform founded in the year 1708, contains the religious belief of the Congregationalists. That the Congregational churches and clergy of New-England, do believe in the doctrinal articles of the Platform, is too evident to be denied. 1st. From the circumstance of its being adopted at the time mentioned by the churches, and never having been repealed. since by any public act of the churches. 2nd. From the circumstance that the general association approved of the publication of a new edition of that work, about 30 years ago. 3rd. From the circumstance that those articles which the churches of this order may have either in manuscript, or printed in a tract, do uniformly convey the same doctrinal views as are contained in the Platform. The system of doctrines contained in this work, is a mixture of Calvinism, Universalism, Unitarianism, Arminianism, and Methodism. And now, the Confession of Faith contained in the "constitution of the Presbyterian church in the United States of America;"-ratified by the general assembly of 1821, published 1824, contains the doctrines of the Saybrook Platform without even the slightest alteration, except the quotations from scripture are more numerous and are quoted at full length, and the addition of a chapter, entitled, "of synods and councils," As the Presbyterian Confession of Faith is acknowledged as the standard, and as the doctrinal system it contains has not been abandoned by said church, I will give extracts from the same, that the reader may know what the doctrines of this church are. The following extracts are taken from the III chapter, which is headed, "of God's eternal decrees:" "1st. God from all eternity, did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. 2d. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed any thing, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass, upon such condition. 3d. By the decree of God for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death. 4th. These angels and men thus predestinated and fore-ordained are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished. 5th. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret council and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace. 6th. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will fore-ordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified and kept by his power through faith unto salvation. NEITHER ARE ANY OTHER REDEEMED BY CHRIST, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified and saved but the elect only. 7th. The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his crea tures to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice." That the doctrine taught in Calvin's Institutes, in reference to the doctrine of election and reprobation, is substantially that of the Confession of Faith, is obvious from the foregoing extracts. All we ask of Presbyterian preachers is, to state their doctrines as they really are. That they do not state them so plainly as Calvin or the Confession of Faith does, I have already shewn, and hope to make still more fully manifest. The following extracts, taken from this same Confes sion of Faith, and headed "of effectual calling," are from chapter 10: "1st. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and THOSE ONLY he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call by his word and spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God-taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his Almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace. 2d. This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it. 3d. Elect infants dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh, when, and where, and how he pleaseth. So also are all other elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the word. 4th. Others not elected although they may be called by the ministry of the word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet they never truly come to Christ, and therefore cannot be saved; much less can men, not professing the christian religion, be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the law of that religion they do profess; and to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested." REMARKS.-The Presbyterian Confession of Faith, it will be seen, teaches that God eternally and unchangeably ordained all the murders, profaneness, lying, drunkenness, whoring, cheating, stealing, &c. which ever did or ever will come to pass! Surely he must have ordained all these things if he ordained whatsoever comes to pass, for all these things come to pass. But it will be said, as it repeatedly has been said, that this is misrepresenting their doctrines. Is it not strange that they should complain of injustice and misrepresentation, when we appeal to their Confession of Faith and other standards as expressive of their views? As to the complaint of injustice, I cannot understand it! Is it unjust to appeal to articles of religion which have been agreed upon and adopted by a church, when we wish to ascertain what are the sentiments of that church? As to misrepresentation, I am perfectly astonished at this complaint! I say that those who believe that God decreed whatsoever comes to pass, must believe that he decreed that sinners should choose to sin, for this comes to pass, that Adam should eat the forbidden fruit, for this came to pass-that Cain should kill Abel, for this came to passthat David should murder a man and steal a sheep, for this * came to pass-that Judas should steal money and betray his Lord, for this came to pass; that the Jews should falsely accuse and shamefully murder Christ, for this came to pass; that some men in this life should rob hen-roosts, for this comes to pass -that most of the Presbyterian clergy believe one thing and preach another, for this comes to pass-that the Methodist clergy should take exceptions to their course and expose them, for this comes to pass-and so of all other things which come to pass, for the simple reason that they do come pass. I think this a fair and unavoidable inference, and no misrepresentation whatever. I say if God elected a certain number which cannot be diminished, those who are of this number, will be saved, do what they may. And those who are not of this number, but of those whom God eternally passed by and ordained to dishonor and wrath, in his alleged fury and vengeance, for whom Christ did not die, and who are not effectually called, will not be saved do what they may. I do not consider this a misrepresentation, but a fair and legitimate conclusion. If this view of the Calvinian system be a correct one, is it not strange that those who believe that the number of the elect "cannot be increased," should nevertheless appear so anxious to send missionaries among the heathen and elsewhere? What good can missionaries do, if this doctrine be true? They cannot increase the number of the elect, nor can they diminish the number of the reprobates, nor can the Devil himself, with all his arts diminish the number of the elect, for it "cannot be diminished." Of what service then can missionaries be, if the destinies of all men are already unchangeably fixed in heaven or hell? And what good will preaching do here at home? Reader, think of these things; and if your eyes have not been blinded by the dust of prejudice, you will soon see things in a different light. As we have no religious test in this country, every man has a perfect right to adopt such views of the plan of salvation as he may choose, and certainly we have no objection to people thinking and choosing for themselves; but it does not comport with honesty, much less with ministerial integrity, to dissemble with the public, and by artifice and clerical trickery, conceal our real sentiments, professing one thing while we industriously circulate another, or believing one thing and preaching another. Truth needs no such manœuvres to sustain it. In this respect, there is but too striking a resemblance between the conduct of the Presbyterian clergy, and the game sop's bat played off upon the birds and the beasts! -It is becoming all things to all men." CHAPTER III. CALVINISM, AS CONTAINED IN THE LARGER AND SHORTER CATECHISMS OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. BESIDES the extracts already made, I could conveniently add, any number of like tenor and import, from Calvinistic writers from the days of John Calvin to the present time. But more need not be given to lead the reader to a correct understanding and statement of the odious doctrine of absolute unconditional predestination; which, as I have shewn, includes all events from the beginning of time, and a particular personal predestination to everlasting life, and a particular personal predestination to everlasting death. However, lest it should be said, that there are no more such doctrines, extant, I must be permitted to add a few inglorious paragraphs from the larger and shorter catechisms of the Presbyterian church. The following are the extracts: Q. 67. What is effectual calling? A. Effectual calling is the work of God's almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and especial love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving him thereunto) he doth in his accepted time invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by his word and Spirit: savingly enlightening their minds, renewing and powerfully determining their wills, so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able, freely to answer his call, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and conveyed therein." Larger Catechism. Q. 68. "Are the elect only effectually called? A. All the elect, and they only are effectually called; although others may be and often are outwardly called by the ministry of the word, and have some common operations of the Spirit, who for their wilful neglect and contempt of the grace offered to them, being justly left in their unbelief, do never truly come to Jesus Christ." Ib. Q. 13. "What hath God especially decreed concerning angels and men? A. God, by an eternal and immutable decree, out of his mere love, for the praise of his glorious grace, to be manifested in due time, hath elected some angels to glory; and in Christ, hath chosen some men to eternal life, and the means thereof; and also, according to his sovereign power, and the unsearchable counsel of his own will hath passed by, and fore-ordained the rest to dishonor and wrath, to be for their sin inflicted, to the praise of the glory of his justice." Ib. Q. 31. "With whom was the covenant of grace made? A. The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed." lb. Q. 59. "Who are made partakers of redemption through Christ? › A. Redemption is applied and effectually communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath purchased it; who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe in Christ according to the gospel." Ib. |