either securely abandon himself to every sinful course, or be impressed with a deep sense of gratitude and devotion, and study to walk worthy of his vocation: but neither of these instances proves the truth of the doctrine; and certainly they cannot both prove it. The effect of these delusions is favourable to piety and virtue among the few; but they will encourage the multitude in depravity. There are female societies among the Roman Catholics, which far excel any among Protestants; but we do not allow this to be any proof of the truth of Popery. It only proves, that men may be cheated into virtue and piety, as a nurse may secure the good behaviour of a child by threatening him with a bug-bear.

Let us, then, while we avoid the speculative errors of our Calvinistic brethren, vie with them in faith, hope and charity; and may God accept of the humble services of both, through the intercession of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. -Amen.

NOTES.

P. 251. (1) The Synod of Dort was summoned by the Prince of Orange, to meet Nov. 13, 1618, and sat till the 29th of May. The purpose was to condemn the Remonstrants or Arminians. The heads of that party were previously taken into custody, and the magistrates of several towns changed. It consisted of 61 Dutch and Walloon divines, and lay elders,

of whom not above 3 or 4 were Arminians; and of 28 foreign divines, deputed by their respective Churches. King James sent the Bishop of Landaff, and three more, who sat and voted in this Presbyterian Synod; and one for Scotland. These agreed with the decision on the five points, though some of them inclined to universal redemption. These points were predestination, particular redemption, original sin, grace and perseverance.

Of the decrees on these doctrines an abridgment was inserted in the first Edition, too brief to do justice to the sentiments of the Synod, and therefore now omitted. It was first drawn up by Dan. Tilenus, and inserted by Heylin in his Ecclesiastical History; copied by Bishop Tomline in his refutation of Calvinism, from which it was transcribed into these notes; and acquiesced in by Mr. Scott, in the first edition of his reply to the Bishop, and by other writers not unfavourable to Calvinism. The same apology, therefore, will answer for the author, that Mr. Scott is obliged to make for himself. "I consider this omission incumbent on me, who, misled by writers, on whom I depended, have unintentionally borne false witness against the Synod, and would make what reparation I can." As I had met with the same abstract of the Articles of this Synod in other publications, more favourable to Calvinism, than the refutation, I had no suspicion, that those adduced by his Lordship, were not the real Articles of the Synod, but an abbreviation."* When this was the case, Mr. Scott might have spared his censure of those, who had fallen into the same error with himself.

The Synod have mitigated and diluted the severity of genuine Calvinism, with some qualifying ingredients, to make it perhaps more palatable to those, who inclined to Arminianism. They were probably checked by the popularity of the remonstrants, as more recent Calvinists are gradually accom

* See Remarks on the Refutation of Calvinism, by Rev. F. Scott, 2d Edition, 1817. p. 725. 732. 717.

modating that system to the humane feelings, and rational principles of their contemporaries, and the convincing arguments of their opponents. There are many, however, who labour to aggravate the horrors of these doctrines; finding them, I suppose, necessary to subdue the refractory materials, on which they have to work. Among these classes, where is Calvinism to be found; except in the Catechism, that they all teach their children, and the confessions, that their Ministers subscribe? To these Standards the author appeals, as bearing him out in his representation of Calvinistic Doctrine; and adds the following attestations to its truth, and moderation.

"The sentence of God, which rejects reprobates, is so fixed and immutable, that it is impossible they should be saved, though they have performed all the works of the saints."— Result of False Principles, p. 78..

"God does no longer stand offended nor displeased, though a believer, after he is a believer, do sin often; except he will be offended where there is no cause to be offended, which is blasphemy to speak. It is thought, that elect persons are in a damnable state in the time they walk in excess of riot; let me freely speak to you, that the Lord hath no more to lay to the charge of an elect person yet in the height of iniquity, and in the excess of riot, and committing all the abominations that can be committed."-Crisp.

of

'Let any true saint of God be taken away in the very act any known sin, before it is possible for him to repent, I make no doubt nor scruple of it, but that he shall as surely be saved, as if he had lived to have repented of it. I say, that, when God doth take away any of the saints in the very act of sin, he doth, in that very instant, give them such a particular and actual repentance as shall save their souls: for he hath predestinated them to everlasting life: therefore, having predestinated them to the end, he doth predestinate the means to obtain it."-Prynn.

"After the elect have received the Spirit, they cannot sin; and if they commit any sin, it is only an error in such; and

let them do whatever they please after their adoption, however sinful the act, they are sure to be saved notwithstanding Bishop Lavington's Enthusiasm, &c.

"As it was not any loveliness in elect persons which moved God to love them at first, so neither shall their unlovely backslidings deprive them of it."-Coles.

"Suppose a believer be taken away in his sin, and hath not time to repent of it, there is that in him that would have repented, and God reckons of a man according to that he would do."

"Though a believer be black as hell, polluted with guilt, defiled with sin, yet in Christ he is all fair, without spot; free from sin as viewed by God in Christ; fully reconciled to God, and standing without trespass before him.”—Mason.

"No falls or backslidings in God's children can ever bring them again under condemnation, because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made them free from the law of sin and death."-Sir Richard Hill.

There was an eternal

"Our Lord knew for whom he died. compact between the Father and the Son. A certain number was then given him, as the purchase and reward of his obedience and death. For these he prayed, and not for the world, for these and these only he is now interceding, and with their salvation he will be fully satisfied."—Whitfield.

"No duties, no obligations are required of the elect, no terms, no conditions, neither ifs nor buts: they shall come; and if they themselves will not, the Lord will make them willing in the day of his power."-Hawker.

Reprobos manet gravius judicium, quod testimonium dei repudient: atque etiam Deus, illustrandæ gloriæ suæ causa, spiritus sui efficaciam ab illis subducit.-Equidem præscientiam solam nullam inferre necessitatem creaturis, libenter concessero. Decretum quidem horibile fateor: inficiari tamen nemo poterit, quin præsciverit Deus quem exitum esset habiturus homo, antequam ipsum conderet, & ideo præsciverit, quia decreto suo sic ordinarat.-Nec absurdum videri debet

quod dico, deum non modo, primi hominis casum, & in eo posterorum ruinam prævidisse, sed arbitrio quoque suo dispensasse.-Lapsus est enim primus homo, quia dominus ita expedire censuerat: cur censuerit, nos latet. Certum tamen est, non aliter censuisse, nisi quia videbat nominis sui gloriam inde merito illustrari.-Calvin,

God hath two wills-the one outward and revealed, whereby he most tenderly invites sinners to his grace, and most graciously calls them to repentance, seeming as though he were earnestly desirous of their salvation; whereas his other will is inward and secret, which is irresistible, and takes effect infallibly; and by this he brings men, through ways unavoidable, to an estate and course of sin here, and then to eternal damnation and punishment hereafter."-Calvin.

“It is true that their own sins, under the direction of God's providence, are so far from injuring the saints, that they rather promote their salvation."-Calvin.

"There is an universal calling, by which God, through the external preaching of the word, equally invites all men to him, even those, to whom he proposes it for the savour of death, and as a ground of heavier condemnation."-Zanchius.

"The Lord sometimes orders that a certain thing should be done by a man, and yet, by his secret will, does not wish that it should be done by him."-Zanchius.

"You mean to say this, that God wishes for the same thing that he professes; but that is not always, nor in all things true: although God does not always wish what he intimates that he wishes, he is by no means contaminated with the vice of hypocrisy."Piscator.

"As to whether God always wishes what he commands or forbids, or in reality wishes often for what is different, nay even for what is opposite, I deny the former, and affirm the latter. As to your question, whether I think with Calvin, that grace is promised to many, to whom God, at the same time, never intends to give it: I confess I am of this opinion."Piscator.