"That God does not wish, that all those should keep his commandments, to whom they are proposed, I have proved above."-Piscator.

"God orders that all shall believe in Christ, not with the intention of converting each, but with a different purpose, viz. for converting the elect, and rendering the reprobate inexcusable. We confess and teach, that all impious persons are directed by divine providence, so that they can do nothing else, than what God has decreed by his eternal and immuta. ble counsel."-Trigland.

"All things that are done, and therefore even the most atrocious crimes, are done by the decree of God."-Piscator.

"It is not absurd to say, that sin is committed by the will, the decree, the ordinance of God, nay by God's willing, decreeing, ordaining beforehand, that it was impossible that it should not come to pass."-Piscator.

"The faithful, even if they wish it, cannot lose their faith, the absolute and efficacious decree of God preventing it."

Piscator.

"The foundation of our salvation is laid in the eternal elec. tion of God; so that a thousand sins, nay, all the sins of the whole world, and all the devils that are in hell, cannot make the election of God vain. It may indeed happen, that our hearts may strengthen our sins, may weaken our faith, may affect with sorrow the spirit of God that is in us; but they cannot take away faith, nor altogether shake off the Holy Spirit; God condemns no man for his sins, who has been adopted as his child in Christ Jesus."-Perkins.

Calvin denies that there is any difference between præterition and reprobation. "Electionem ita fatentur, ut negent quenquam reprobari: sed inscite nimis & pueriliter; quando ipsa electio nisi reprobationi opposita non staret. Quos ergo Deus præterit, reprobat."Calvini Inst. iii. 23.-1.

"God chooses and pitches upon men to do the most execrable deeds; and does not only negatively withhold from the wicked his grace, which alone can restrain them from evil,

but occasionally puts them into circumstances of temptation, such as shall cause the persons so tempted, to turn aside from the path of duty, to commit sin, and involve both themselves and others in evil.”—Toplady.

"Since justice pre-supposes blame, without which it cannot be exercised, (for where there is no blame, there can be no punishment,) it was right that man should be so created, as to be a fit object for divine justice: that is, eternal damnation."-Beza.

Thirty-nine Articles.—Art. xvii. "For curious and carnal persons, lacking the spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes, the sentence of God's predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the devil has thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchlessness of unclean living; no less perilous than desperation." It should be recklessness, carelessness, negligence.

Rarissimus est, cujus non interdum animus hac cogitatione feriatur, unde tibi salus, nisi in dei electione. Electionis porro quæ tibi revelatio? Quæ si apud quempiam semel invaluit, aut diris tormentis miserum perpetuo excruciat, aut reddit penitus attonitum.-Ergo naufragium si timemus, sollicite hoc scopulo cavendum, in quem nemo sine exitio impingitur. Tunc enim se in profundum immensæ voraginis absorbendum præcipitat: tunc innumeris atque inexplicabilibus laqueis se induit: tunc cæcæ caliginis abysso se adobruit.-Calvin. Inst. iii. 24.-4.

P. 259. (2) "God calleth those things that be not, as though they were," because all things are present to him.Rom. iv. 17. The past is often put for the future. See in the original, John, iii. 13., v. 24., xv. 6., ix. 6., and Isaiah, lx. 6., xxi. 9., liii. 4., &c.

That justification, salvation, sanctification, &c., when spoken of as taken place in this life, refer to baptism and conversion, appears from their being expressed, in the original, by the past tenses of the verbs, as having already taken place: all Christians are said to be saved. "Such as should be saved,"

in Acts ii. 47., is an oversight. In the original it is "as are saved," that is, converted; so Newcome translates it. "To us who are saved," (Cor. i. 18.) means all Christians. That baptism is synonymous with salvation, is exemplified in 1 Pet. iii. 21. 66 'Baptism doth also now save us." Thus too, (Titus iii. 5.) “he saved us by the washing of regeneration," or the laver of baptism. The words are used promiscuously by the early Fathers: thus, Irenaus, βαπτίσματος, της εις Θεόν avayεvvnoεws.-See also 2 Tim. i. 9. "God hath saved us and called us:"--both past.

P. 265.-(3) Acts, xiii. 48. Tota Scriptura manifestissimum est, credere quidem omnes, quot ordinati sunt ad vitam æternam, non eo simpliciter quod ordinati, sed quod ea conditione ordinati sunt-Quocirca sagaciores meo judicio interpretes-existimant idem valere τελαγμένοι, quod εὖ ήτοι μελτίως barvo, bene aut mediocriter dispositi sive affecti.-Milton. C. D. p. 42.

Φύσει γαρ ην σωφρων, και τεταγμενος ταις επιθυμίαις, Plutarch in Pompcio.

SERMON XI.

ON ORIGINAL SIN.

ROMANS V.-12.

"By one man sin entered into the world; and death

by sin."

In this discourse I shall prosecute the same purpose, which engaged our thoughts on some former occasions, and on the same plan, as far as the nature of the subject will admit.

The doctrine, which I shall now attempt to explain, is the Original Sin of Adam, and its effects on his posterity.

The plan, which I have hitherto pursued is, to state the sentiments of our Lord, as the standard, by which all our reasonings must be adjusted, and to interpret the words of his Apostles in conformity with his. If we cannot reconcile the disciple with his master, we should rather conclude, that we have not been able to penetrate the meaning of the Apostle, than suspect him of

error, or set up our construction in opposition to the declaration of Christ. If it shall appear, in any case, that our Lord has not spoken of the opinion in question; we may conclude, that it does not make an essential part of his revelation; since we are assured, that he delivered to his disciples every thing, that he had received from his Father; and that his Father communicated to him every particular essential to salvation. But though it may not be à fundamental article of belief, it may, nevertheless, be an important truth. We are, therefore, to inquire what countenance it may receive from the Acts or Epistles of the Apostles; submit to their authority with reverence, and apply their doctrine to our edification; but abstain from urging it upon the brethren, as a point indispensable to the attainment of eternal life.

This we shall find to be the case with respect to the doctrine under consideration; for the advocates of the popular notion of original sin do not pretend to appeal to any of our Lord's discourses, in favour of their opinion. With respect to Adam, or the consequences of his transgression, he says not a single word. We may, therefore, refuse to treat it as an essential article of faith; but we are still bound to inquire, what the sacred writers have taught on the subject.

As this world was designed, from the first, to be a probationary state, it was necessary, that our