Christ is the Saviour of the world. Yet it will be proper to make the extent of the boundaries of this assurance, a subject of enquiry in our convention.

will is not idle. In the following quotation may be perceived a particular allusion to the error of those who wished to render this doctrine of the Spirit of none effect, by appending to it an irrespective or personai election, which has in every age of the Church been injurious to the growth of piety, and a source of arrogance to the individuals who consider themselves thus to have been elected without any reference to their future faith or perseverance. "The Eternal Father and the Sou vivify and renew the hearts [of men] by the Holy Spirit. In this consolation they [believers] are elevated by faith, as St. Paul says, (Gal. iii, 14,) that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.— We do not therefore speak about an idle knowledge: And those ignorant men labour under an egregious mistake who suppose, that remission of sins happens to idle persons without any motion of their minds, without contest, and without a perception of consolation in their real pains, at the age when the word of the doctrine can be understood, according to that passage, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And because we propose consolation to consciences in penitence, we do not add in this place any questions about predestination or election: But we lead all our readers to the word of God, and command them to learn the will of God from HIS OWN WORD, according to the precept of the Eternal Father, who hath declared in express terms, HEAR YE HIM! Let them not be inquisitive about other speculations."-In the Eighth Article on Good Works, after a grateful acknowledgment of the various blessings of salvation, among which "the governance of the minds and hearts of believers by God's Holy Spirit" holds a conspicuous place, it is added: "We know assuredly, that these benefits are procured for us, as it is most sweetly said by Zechariah, (xii, 10,) ‹ I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication.' He calls it the Spirit of grace, because in this consolation the Son of God bears testimony by sealing us with the Holy Spirit, that we are in grace and that we are delivered from the pains of the damued. He afterwards calls it the Spirit of supplication, because when we have acknowledged [the receipt of] the remission of sius, we do not avoid God, we do not rage against Him,-but we approach to him with true faith and hope, and ask of him and expect his assistance, we love him, and subject ourselves to him. In this manner is our obedience commenced. In the same way the Lord says: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter,-the Spirit of truth.' The Holy Spirit kindles the light of truth in our minds, and excites within our hearts new emotions that are agreeable to the law of God; that we may acknowledge this great gift, may gratefully endeavour to retain it, and that we may constantly ask for assistance to be afforded to us in the greatest perils of life. Nor is the will idle, [or unemployed,] even after we have received the Holy Spirit."

Melancthon says, in his Loci Præcip. Theolog., (1543,) "The Holy Spirit "is sent into the hearts of believers, that he may kindle new light, right"eousness, and life eternal. Thus Zechariah calls him the Spirit of grace "and of supplication; that is, he WITNESSES [bears testimony] WITHIN US, "that we are received into favour, and he moves [inclines] the heart to come "to this belief and determination: He also incites us to the act of invocation, "because we believe that we are now heard."-In his Answer to the 22 impious Articles of the Bavarian Inquisition, (1559,) he says: "Let converted persons therefore retain their ASSURANCE, nor yield to doubts which produce profaneness or despair. Thus the Council of Trent passed a decree, that men should always doubt. When in the midst of real sorrows men of piety are elevated and excited by the word of the gospel, let them conclude with certainty, that they have then both the reconciliation, [atonement,] and the

VII. THE PERFECTION OF BELIEVERS IN THIS LIFE. Beside those doctrines on which I have treated, there is now much discussion among us respecting the perfection of believers,

Holy Spirit as a pledge or earnest. Let them confide in the word, according to that saying, My soul hath hoped in his word, My soul hath hoped in the Lord. But if the will yielded to doubts, the Holy Spirit would be shaken off and discarded. The saints while in this life have always a strife about their own unworthiness and the particularity [of God's favour]. Let this unworthiness be combatted by the passages concerning gratuitous reconciliation ou account of the Son of God, and concerning his intercession, who says, O Father, love them with that love with which thou lovest me !-Concerning election let them derive consolation from this passage, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord!; nor let them enquire into the things into which God hath not commanded any enquiries to be instituted, as the Son of Syrach teaches, Piously meditate on those things which God hath commanded thee.' -The Papists destroy this consolation, when they command people to remain in a state of uncertainty: But the Enthusiasts transfer it from the word of God and from faith, unto feigned inspirations, [afflatus,] and order you to abide in doubt until you perceive yourself to be forcibly seized, and reluctantly compelled to believe. Against this imagination also let us support ourselves by the word of the gospel. The rule is firm and well-established, War a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. (1 Tim. i, 6.) But those who are converted have assistance which they ought not to slight or refuse, that is, the HOLY SPIRIT, whom they should not grieve but excite, by meditating on the word of God and by ardent prayer, as St. Paul commands Timothy, Stir up the GIFT OF GOD which is in thee. The Church has always been surrounded by the two hostile armies of the PELAGIANS and the ENTHUSIASTS. Stenckfeldt has contended in many volumes, that God communicates himself to men without the ministry or even without their meditation on the doctrine. Others do not wish to appear as if they took away the doctrine; yet they remove the consolation which has its commencement in the word, when they dispute that the promise is particular, and that God has wills which are contradictory. But I propose the universal promise to those who are in the congregation of the called and are troubled, and I do not state the existence of contradictory wills in God. I often reflect upon the mortal agony of a certain holy man, who at intervals before his decease employed this expression: Thy word is a light to my feet! Other persons beside me saw Luther himself in a certain severe agony, and heard him frequently repeating this sentence: He hath concluded ALL under sin, that he might have mercy upon ALL! I also remember a pious matron, who shewed herself to be elevated by true consolation, after having in the course of her agony often repeated these words: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Thus explicitly did the Lutherans speak concerning the assurance of salvation, which they represented as communicated by the Holy Spirit to every man that was in a state of Justification. To what a high and hallowing object do they make it conducive! Very different from this is the sinister use to which the Calvinists have rendered it subservient. One of the most vulnerable points in their system, was, in former days, the frequency of the unhappy lapses of those who made the greatest professions of this certainty, or assured confidence. Not anticipating any such flagrant consequences, Calvin bad very inadequately provided against their occurrence; but the experience which his successors had gained by seeing the defects of his system when operating on a larger scale, and their own ingenuity, induced them to accommodate the assurance of salvation to these unchristian lapses. The unsanctifying principle, "ONCE IN GRACE, ALWAYS IN GRACE," how speciously soever it may be disguised, is a necessary fruit of irrespective and

or regenerate persons, in this life; and it is reported, that I entertain sentiments on this subject, which are very improper,

personal election; and the one must be maintained with as much pertinacity as the other. When therefore any eminent professor fell from his Christian steadfastness, the early Calvinists did not imitate other religious denominations by bewailing his fall as a kind of apostacy from the faith, but virtually held out not merely a palliation but some encouragement for such offences by coolly observing, "He has only lost the grace of assurance: He has fallen foully indeed, but not finally." Such subterfuges as these were also employed by men who styled themselves BAXTERIANS; and it must be owned, that the wary founder of that scheme cannot be cleared from the accusation. At the period when this perversion of assurance occurred, many of the halls and castles of the nobility had galleries or verandas which gradually projected from each story that overlooked the inuer court,-much in the same way as several of our large inn-yards are at present garnished. The Calvinists had only to imagine the grace of assurance to elevate a man to the highest veranda; and if from that he happened unfortunately to fall, it was scarcely possible for him to descend further at once than to the next veranda,-for each of the galleries gradually projected, till the lowest overhung a greater portion of the yard, and could contain more spectators, than any of those above. Though fallen from the highest elevation, the unfortunate tumbler was still an occupant of one of the lower galleries, and was considered to be a legitimate inmate of the mansion. An unexpected and rapid descent from one platform to another, though contrary to the strict decorum of the house, was viewed in the Papistical light of a venial offence. The greatest praise to which such an invention entitles itself, is this,-However unscriptural it may be, like many of the appendages to Calvinism, it seems vastly ingenious! See (page 444,) what our own Divines said on this point at the Dutch Synod.

In one of the excellent letters of the learned Grotius, in which he offers some animadversions on one of Peter Moulin's productions, the following brief history of this doctrine is given: "I now come to the assurance of salvation, in which the statements of Moulin wonderfully attract my approbation. He says, (1)There are some degrees of real faith that may be ' overturned. (2) Some of the elect may entertain doubts respecting their 'salvation.-(3) There is a degree peculiar to that faith which never fails. ́ —(4) A full assurance of faith must be importunately asked of God.' (Heb. x, 22.) From these premises I deduce the following conclusions:-(1) That the faith which is overturned, and that which is not, do not differ so much in essence as in degree,-which was likewise the opinion of Junius.—(2) That perseverance is obtained from God, and is promised by God on this condition, that we must ask it by earnest and importunate prayers, and therefore that it is not entirely absolute.

"But, not to be deceived by the ambiguity of words, we must observe, all the ancients have stated that faith which may he overturned to be so far true faith, as not to deny to it the effect of Justification. For they openly declare, that many persons to whom their former sins have been remitted, are damned on account of sins which they have subsequently committed. Nor are they less agreed on this point,—“ justifying grace cannot exist at the same time with sins against conscience, such as murder, adultery, and similar offences.' Wherefore, since some of the elect fall into sins of that kind after having received the gift of faith, (as is proved by too many examples,) it follows, and is openly avowed by the Holy Fathers, that, after faith has been received, a period of time may arrive, in which an elect person may not be in a state of justification.' If it were needful, these their declarations might be proved by many authorities. With them agree those Protestant Confessions which condemn them who say, Those who have once been justified do not lose the Holy Spirit; (Augsburgh Con. xi.) or which teach, on the contrary, After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given and fall VOL. I. RR

and nearly allied to those of the Pelagians, viz. " that it is possible for the regenerate in this life perfectly to keep God's pre

:

into sin (ENGLISH ART. xvi.) It is possible for some of those who have been born again, to shake off the Holy Spirit, and to become obnoxious to the wrath of God and to eternal punishment. (SAXON CON. xi.)

"The ancient authors appear to me to acknowledge three modes of being assured of salvation.-(I) The FIRST of them is an extraordinary one by revelation, which, St. Augustine intimates, is given to some men, when he says: 'What man knows that he will persevere to the end in the exercise and progress of righteousness?, unless through some revelation he be assured by HIM who in his just and secret counsel does not instruct all men con6 cerning this matter, but deceives no one.' (City of God, xi, 12.)—(2) The ordinary methods are two: Of which the first derives its origin from the time, the other from the degree of faith.-From the time a man who believes is assured of his salvation, when death is at hand, and a continuance in life is hopeless. For when a believer knows these two points, which, from the sacred writings and with pious antiquity we defend against the Papists,— that is, when he knows that he believes, and that a believer is justified before God, and when these are the last moments of a believer, he knows, therefore, that he is dying in a state of grace and is thus assured of his salvation. In reference to this, when Prosper had declared predestination to be uncertain with us, he added, while we are exercised with the perils of the present life.-(3) The other ordinary mode of ASSURANCE is from the degree of faith. For the ancients constantly affirm, that the charity [or love] which never fails is perfect,'-speaking according to the perfection of the present life; because, as the saying of St. Augustine is, In this life the most perfect charity has no place.' This saying of St. Jerome is very remarkable, The charity [or love] which was but a herb in Peter before he denied 'Christ, and which in every man springs up before it arrives at maturity, " is lost and recovered before it attains to its perfection.' This is that root which St. Augustine says, cannot possibly be dried up, even under a burning sun.' Nor does that Father seem to have had respect to any thing else, when he asks, Who among the multitude of believers may ' presume that he is in the number of those who are predestinated?' For, by mentioning the multitude of believers, he apparently excludes some few and select persons.

"Beside these three plenary modes of assurance, there are other inferior degrees. For, as St. Bernard himself acknowledges with all the ancients, 'God has not left his own elect in this life without a testimony of consolation: But this testimony is the more certain and assured, according to the greater ' and more numerous exercises of their piety. This is clearly demonstrated by the Holy Scriptures, when they command us to make our calling and

• election sure or certain, by faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.' (1 Pet. i, 5-10.) On this account St. Augustine proclaims, with all antiquity, Fear is diminished exactly in proportion to the increase of charity.''

St. Bernard's practical views of assurance accord well with those of the Lutherans; but the Calvinists were scandalized at what they called "the LEGALITY of sentiments which made the strong attestations of the Spirit dependent on the practice of piety." But they should have recollected, that such pious "exercises" are not performed, except by the aid of the Holy Spirit. The words of St. Paul, (Phil. ii, 12,) have also been urged against this doctrine: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. But this exhortation must be consistent with another, and apparently a contradictory one, in the same epistle: Rejoice in the Lord alway: Be careful for nothing. (iv, 4.) Yet any youthful theological student, who by the aid of a Greek Concordance will examine the grammatical structure of the evangelical exhortations to Conversion, may easily reconcile these two passages

cepts." To this I reply, though these might have been my sentiments, yet I ought not on this account to be considered a with each other, as well as with St. John's words, Perfect love casteth out fear. This objection was particularly urged by Waddingus, a Popish clergyman at Antwerp, in a disputation which he had in 1620 with the learned Professor Episcopius, during his exile from Holland. The close of it is thus stated. "At length Waddingus said, 'No man can be assured that he has a supernatural act.'-But I said, He can know whether he does or does not believe God who commands it, and therefore whether he performs that act which God requires: If otherwise, what could God require? And what could man do, if he were ignorant of what he should do? Then, for any man to be certain [or assured] that he believes, it is not requisite that he should know the faith which he has, to be a supernatural act,-provided he knows it to be an act that is commanded, and that it proceeds from a sincere heart.'"

From these extracts it will be seen, that none of the latter Dutch Remonstrants were so evangelical in their sentiments on this point as Arminius was. See pages 276, 294, 319, 333, and 362. In their anxiety to inculcate the performance of moral duties, a branch of divinity most culpably overlooked by the Fatalists their opponents, they neglected to take the high and sacred ground on which Arminius stood. To avoid all appearances of enthusiasm, they abandoned the doctrine as a duty, and imitated the Calvinists in representing it only as a privilege. Limborch says, "A believer cannot be otherwise than well assured of his being in a state of salvation, if he use his reason and judgment." This is quite correct as far as it goes: For the Apostle says, "This is our rejoicing, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have. had our conversation in the world." (2 Cor. i, 12.) This amounts to nothing more than moral evidence, as Waddingus the Papist well observed.

But the same Apostle has declared: "Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear: But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA! FATHER! THE SPIRIT ITSELF beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." (Rom. viii, 15, 16.) The pious Melancthon, in a short comment on these words, says, "The Apostle in this passage makes a clear distinction between the Holy Spirit exciting and consoling us, and that consolation by which the heart is gladdened and quickened."This is something divinely super-added to the testimony of our conscience, and to Limborch's "use of reason and judgment." It is one of those good things which He who is a sun and a shield to his people, will not withhold from them. that walk uprightly. When they cease to walk uprightly, they are excluded from the enjoyment of all such favours; and when the consciousness of Divine approval is withdrawn, the unhappy backsliders in heart are deprived at the same time of the attestations of their own approving conscience. Our Saviour has said, "How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give, to them that ask him, good things!; (Matt. viii, 2.) which, in the parallel passage of Luke, (xi, 13,) are comprised in the gift of THE HOLY SPIRIT. There would be no difficulty in demonstrating from Limborch's own showing in the preceding extract, that this grace of ASSURANCE ought to be possessed by every Christian. For he allows, "The Spirit will be "bestowed, if it be asked of God in prayer, and it will effect a stronger "confirmation of that hope which has been conceived through his promises. "God is accustomed to grant to believers this gift, [which in the preceding "sentence he terms SAVING,] and he will also preserve it in them to the end, "IF THEY PERSEVERE IN FAITH." Are not all these desirable enjoyments? In the word of God none of those unsound limitations can be found which men have invented. Let us then no longer render ourselves liable to receive this reproof,-Ye have not, because ye ask not, or because ye ask amiss. But let us" ask and receive, that our joy may be full!"