sity of the fall might be deduced. Yet this necessity cannot possibly have any other origin than some decree of predestination.

(1) One of these explanatory expressions is their description of the Divine Permission, by which God permits sin. Some of them describe it thus: "Permission is the withdrawing of that "Divine Grace, by which, when God executes the decrees of "his will through rational creatures, he either does not reveal "to the creature that Divine will of his own by which He "wills that action to be performed, or does not bend the will "of the creature to yield obedience in that act to the Divine "will." To these expressions the following are immediately subjoined : "If this be a correct statement, the creature com"mits sin through necessity, yet voluntarily and without

his Supralapsarian friends have invented a preposterous scheme for the operation of the Divine Volitions, for which they do not pretend to adduce any scriptural authority, but which ought, according to their ideas, to be as implicitly believed as if it were a part of Divine Revelation. It assumes, as stated page 550, that before any thought of the creation of mankind entered into the Divine Intention, the damnation of some men and the salvation of others were decreed. But as their invention, when completed, would not work, (because it did not account for the mode in which God actually executes whatever he has previously purposed,) the preceding most absurd postulate was their next device, to set the first in motion: And it was by this very postulate that the venerable Doctor endeavoured to make the Sublapsarians look ridiculous. That great man, Dr. Thomas Pierce, when adverting to this sophism, says: They apply it so as to infer, that because eternal punishment is last in execution (after sin), it was first in God's intention (before sin). And by the 'same logic, he that first intends to take ship at Dover and afterwards sail into France, must needs sail into France first, and after that take ship at Dover. Had I used that axiom in such an ignorant manner when I was a raw sophister, I had been hissed out of the schools. And how extremely weak is that cause which could betray so strong a disputant as Dr. Twisse into so strange an inconvenience ?'

Sufficient evidence has been adduced to shew, that Dr. Twisse entertained the same ideas, as those of Arminius, respecting the tendency of the Sublapsarian scheme to make God the author of sin, and the horridly uniform consistency of Supra-lapsarianism. Every man who knows any thing of the matter, will admire the honesty, while he abhors the cruelty and blasphemy, of the Supra-lapsarians; and while a regard for the Divine honour or the tenderness of their own dispositions, as evinced by the Sublapsarians, excites his warm approval of their apparently moderate plan,—his applause will cease, or it will be transformed into censure and aversion, as soon as he discovers the thin disguise under which they veil consequences equally blasphemous and unscriptural with those of their higher brethren. Dr. Twisse insinuates in the following passage, that the Sublapsarian Divines are not governed by pure motives in their selection of a system: Several of our Divines seem induced by this speciousness to think, that the Divine decree (which concerns the raising of fallen men by grace and the gift of salvation through mercy) presupposes the corruption of mankind in Adam. At this point, therefore, they stop, ascend to no greater elevation, and do not attempt to deduce reasons for the Divine • Counsel in Predestination from any higher source than the corrupt mass of mankind; and they consider, that they have then had a sufficient regard to

"restraint." * If it be objected, that "this description does not comport with that permission by which God permitted the sin of Adam:" We also entertain the same opinion about it. Yet it follows as a consequence from this very description, that "other sins are committed through necessity."

(2) Of a similar tendency are the expressions which some of them use, when they contend, that the declaration of the glory of God which must necessarily be illustrated, is placed in the demonstration of mercy and of punitive justice." But such a demonstration could not have been made, unless sin, and misery through sin, had entered into the world, to form at least a sort of the lowest desert of misery: And in this manner is sin also necessarily introduced, through the necessity of such a demonstration of the Divine glory Since the full of Adam is already laid down to be necessary, and, on that account, to be a means for executing the preceding decree of predestination; creation itself is likewise at the same time laid down as a means subservient to the execution of the same decree. For the fall cannot be necessarily consequent upon the creation, except through the decree of predestination, which cannot be placed between the creation and the fall, but is prefixed before both of them, as having the precedence, and ordaining creation for the fall, and both of them for executing one and the same decree,-to demonstrate the justice of God in the punishment of sin, and his mercy in its remission. Because, if this were not the case, that which must necessarily ensue from the act of creation had not been intended by God when he created: Which is to suppose an impossibility.

the safety or integrity of every man's faith, and have made good and special 'provision for the peace and tranquillity of the Church. But our error is not ' necessary to defend the Divine Majesty and to maintain his holy nature: God ' will provide for that himself. For he is able to vindicate his own cause; we will also by his grace engage in its vindication. Men generally desire to ' regulate and temper the will of God to their own dispositions: But our sole wish ' is, that he would be pleased of his mercy to grant us that piety by which we < may daily form our dispositions yet more and more to obey him, that we may ' restrain our obstreperous affections which strive against his truth.' In this astute manner does the learned Doctor try to drill "the obstreperous affections" of the Sublapsarians into a bold and manly avowal of his unmerciful sentiments, which, how repugnant soever they might be to a merciful human disposition, he dignifies with the title of GOD'S TRUTH. But this is one of the most temperate of his censures on that milder race of men, among whom the reader will be surprised to find, according to the Doctor's own enumeration, all the Dutch Divines who signed the first Contra- Remonstrance, and Tilenus, Lubbertus, Kimedontius, Zanchius, Ursinus, Paræus, Polanus, Bucanus, Peter Martyr, Bishop Hutton, Bishop Abbot, Calvin, Piscator, &c. &c.

* See WOMACK's Examination of Tilenus. Page 17, 8vo Edit. 1822.

But let it be granted, that the necessity of the fall of Adam cannot be deduced from either of the two latter opinions, yet all the preceding arguments which have been produced against the First opinion, are, after a trifling modification to suit the varied purpose, equally valid against the two latter. This would be very apparent, if, to demonstrate it, a conference were to be instituted.

5. My owN SENTIMENTS ON PREDESTINATION.

I have hitherto been stating those opinions concerning the article of Predestination which are inculcated in our churches and in the University of Leyden, and of which I disapprove. I have at the same time produced my own reasons, why I form such an unfavourable judgment concerning them; and I will now declare my own opinions on this subject, which are of such a description as, according to my views, appear most conformable to the word of God.

I. The FIRST absolute decree of God concerning the salvation of sinful man, is that by which he decreed to appoint his Son Jesus Christ for a Mediator, Redeemer, Saviour, Priest and King, who might destroy sin by his own death, might by his obedience obtain the salvation which had been lost, and might communicate it by his own virtue.

II. The SECOND precise and absolute decree of God, is that in which he decreed to receive into favour those who repent and believe, and, in Christ, for HIS sake and through HIM, to effect the salvation of such penitents and believers as persevered to the end; but to leave in sin and under wrath all impenitent persons and unbelievers, and to damn them as aliens from Christ.

III. The THIRD Divine decree is that by which God decreed to administer in a sufficient and efficacious manner the MEANS which were necessary for repentance and faith; and to have such administration instituted (1) according to the Divine Wisdom, by which God knows what is proper and becoming both to his mercy and his severity, and (2) according to Divine Justice, by which He is prepared to adopt whatever his wisdom may prescribe and to put it in execution.

IV. To these succeeds the FOURTH decree, by which God decreed to save and damn certain particular persons. This decree has its foundation in the foreknowledge of God, by which he knew from all eternity those individuals who would, through his preventing grace, believe, and, through his subsequent grace would persevere,-according to the beforedescribed administration of those means which are suitable and

proper for conversion and faith; and, by which foreknowledge, he likewise knew those who would not believe and persevere. PREDESTINATION, when thus explained, is

1. The foundation of Christianity, and of salvation and its certainty.

2. It is the sum and the matter of the gospel; nay, it is the gospel itself, and on that account necessary to be believed in order to salvation, as far as the two first articles are concerned.

3. It has had no need of being examined or determined by any Council either General or Particular, since it is contained in the scriptures clearly and expressly in so many words; and no contradiction has ever yet been offered to it by any orthodox divine.

4. It has constantly been acknowledged and taught by all Christian teachers who held correct and orthodox sentiments. 5. It agrees with that Harmony of all Confessions which has been published by the Protestant Churches.

6. It likewise agrees most excellently with the Dutch Confession and Catechism. This concord is such, that if in the Sixteenth Article these two expressions [eos quos, et alii] "those persons whom" and "others," be explained by the words "believers" and "unbelievers," these opinions of mine on Predestination will be comprehended in that Article with the greatest clearness. This is the reason why I directed the thesis to be composed in the very words of the Confession, when, on one occasion, I had to hold a public disputation before my private class in the University. This kind of Predestination also agrees with the reasoning contained in the twentieth and the fifty-fourth question of the Catechism.

7. It is also in excellent accordance with the nature of God, with his wisdom, goodness, and righteousness; because it contains the principal matter of all of them, and is the clearest demonstration of the Divine wisdom, goodness, and righteousness [or justice].

8. It is agreeable in every point with the nature of man,— in what form soever that nature may be contemplated,whether in the primitive state of creation, in that of the fall, or in that of restoration.

9. It is in complete concert with the act of creation, by affirming that the creation itself is a real communication of good both from the intention of God and with regard to the

The reader will perceive these particulars to be exact counter-parts to the preceding objectio..s against Supra-lapsarianism, which commenced page 554.

very end or event; that it had its origin in the goodness of God; that whatever has a reference to its continuance and preservation proceeds from Divine Love; and that this act of creation is a perfect and appropriate work of God, in which He is at complaisance with himself, and by which he obtained all things necessary for an unsinning state.*

10. It agrees with the nature of life eternal, and with the honourable titles by which that life is designated in the Scriptures.

11. It also agrees with the nature of death eternal, and with the names by which that death is distinguished in Scripture.

12. It states sin to be a real disobedience and the meritorious cause of condemnation; and on this account it is in the most perfect agreement with the fall and with sin.

13. In every particular it harmonizes with the nature of grace, by ascribing to it all those things which agree with it, [or are adapted to it,] and by reconciling it most completely to the righteousness of God and to the nature and liberty of the human will.

14. It conduces most conspicuously to declare the glory of God, his justice and his mercy. It also represents God as the cause of all good and of our salvation, and man as the cause of sin and of his own damnation.

15. It contributes to the honour of Jesus Christ, by placing him for the foundation of predestination and the meritorious as well as communicative cause of salvation.

16. It greatly promotes the salvation of men: It is also the power, and the very means which lead to salvation,-by exciting and creating within the mind of man sorrow on account of sin, a solicitude about his conversion, faith in Jesus Christ, a studious desire to perform good works, and zeal in prayer, --and by causing men to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. It likewise prevents despair, as far as such prevention is necessary.

17. It confirms and establishes that order according to which the gospel ought to be preached, (1) by requiring repentance and faith,-(2) and then by promising remission of sins, the grace of the Spirit, and life eternal.

18. It strengthens the ministry of the gospel, and renders it profitable with respect to preaching, the administration of the sacraments and public prayers.

* For an explanation of this clause, see page 563, sect. 3 and 4.