ESSAY ON BIGOTRY. erty, to ties I know . d excellence | cured! Tante io | medy—it is a lar ly, and with apparent earnest- | cannot, in strict righteousness and above inquiry, the The Calvinist has met the inquiry in a different way. He has attempted to extricate himself, and to vindicate his creed and conduct from the charge of inconsistency, by appealing to man's purity and ability in Adam when he was created, and to the high sovereignty and rights of God; alleging, that man's want of power, seeing he lost it himself, cannot oblige the Divine Law-giver to bring down his demands to man's present ability. God has still a right to demand as much as ever, though man be wholly unable to yield any, even the least, obedience to his will. The opinion of the Calvinist, though it may seem to some persons unanswerable, has doubtless many difficulties attending it. God's right to command cannot be disputed, nor can we assert that Jehovah has any way altered, softened, or changed his law, so as to adapt its requisitions to the debilitated powers of fallen man. But granting this, the disciples of Geneva surely will not affirm, that God will condemn men, or that he has a right to do so, eternally, for not performing impossibilities; that is, for not yielding obedience beyond their ability. He commands men to love him with all their heart, to repent and believe in his Son Jesus Christ; but, if they really can do none of these How far these solutions, one or the things, then he commands what is imother, or both of them, are consistent possible; and then, allow me to ask, with the scriptures of truth, and calcu- will he sentence the disobedient, I lated to remove the difficulty, Mr. Edi- mean those who could not be otherwise tor, you and your readers must judge; than disobedient, to everlasting punishbut your correspondent was never per-ment on that ground? and shall sinful fectly satisfied with either of them. He cannot approve the idea of the Lord being under obligation to impart grace, or strength, to his guilty, rebellious creatures, in order that he may be just in their condemnation. If Jehovah mortals presume to vindicate the justice of the Diviue proceeding, by saying, God has not lost his right to com mand, though man has lost his power to obey ?" With very high ideas of the sovereignty of God, and with the high LITY TO DO THE WILL OF GOD. THERE is a subject which ap- Is human ability the measure of human guilt? Or, in other words, reference to the means he employs | ON THE EXTENT OF MAN'S ABI against those who differ from him in opinion-professes to regard the Scriptures as his only guide in matters of religion, and yet in plain cases refuses to submit to their authority-and finally, he cherishes the disposition to persecute, if he be not actually a persecutor. The truly candid Christian, on the other hand, sincerely loves all his fellow-creatures, especially his fellowchristians, however they may differ from him in opinion. When he defends the truth, the law of kindness is on his lips and in his heart, and flows from his pen-he trembles at the thought of taking God's judgment-seat, and of cursing any of his fellow-christians-be rejoices in every part of divine truth, and holds it with a firm hand, but he is principally concerned for the vital doctrines of Christianity-he aims at the furtherance of the truth, and the glory of God, more than at the prosperity of any party whatever-he searches the Scriptures diligently, before he will decide on any important point, to see if the things affirmed are so, or not-scorns to serve even the truth by dishonest means conscientiously follows the Bible wherever it leads him-and is sincerely and affectionately concerned for the present and everlasting welfare of the human race. If I were to mention a single criterion by which Bigotry may be generally and immediately known, I would It is a say, want of that spirit of love which is every where inculcated by the New Testament, and which was delightfully exemplified in the character of our divine Redeemer, and his immediate disciples. 86 Does man's present duty EXCEED his present strength? suffer me to offer a few remarks, still That I may not be misunderstood, leaving the subject open for discussion. That sinners are represented as criminal in rejecting the salvation published by the gospel, I suppose very few will deny. There are in the Bible ma ny very pointed, pressing exhortations, and gracious invitations, addressed directly to the wicked, the unrighteous, the stout-hearted, &c. Isa. Iv. 1-7. ch. xlvi. 12. Ez. xxxiii. 11. For a disregard to these warnings and advice, sinners are threatened with aggravated punishment and misery in a future world. Matt. xi. 20-25. chap. xii. 40—42. Their guilt and condemnation are represented, as proportioned to the greatness of neglected and despised privileges. But if man be without strength, Rom. v. 6. John xv. 5, and have no ability, 2 Cor. iii. 5, how can he comply with his prescribed duty, or do otherwise than sin against God? Rom. viii, 7, 8. The The time will indeed arrive, it is foretold in the sure page of prophecy, when it can be consistent with the views we Here let me ask, Mr. Editor, whether none shall hurt or destroy in all God's entertain of the unimpeachable equity holy mountain; when the wolf shall of God, and with the representation the dwell with the lamb, and the leopard holy Scriptures give us of the righteous shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, Judge, for him to inflict eternal punishand the young lion, and the fatling to:ment upon his creatures, for the omisgether, and a little child shall lead sion of what they had never any power them;" then, and perhaps not till then, to perform, and for doing that which this monster shall die, and be buried. they could not possibly avoid? Happy day! glorious end! O that it writer would be thankful to have this were indeed already come! then, having witnessed the interment, I would has heard many persons of the Calvinisdifficulty satisfactorily removed. not indeed write its epitaph, but flee afar tic, and also of the Arminian persua “The pois’nous steams, and stenches of its sepul- sion, represent their hearers, and sinners in common, to be as dead as stones, or as the bodies of men consigned in the grave-yard to their mother earth; and yet in the same discourse exhort, chre; And lift my hands to heaven, and pray,- Southampton. B. H. D. He very warmly, and with apparent earnest In meeting the above inquiry, the Arminian has replied, that he felt no difficulty upon the subject, believing, as he did, that though man by nature was dead as a stone, yet that the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, had appeared to all men; that Christ" was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world;" and that a measure of the Spirit is given to every one to profit withal;" and on this ground, he could, as a worker together with God, exhort sinners, most consistently, not to receive the grace of God in vain; but to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. The Calvinist has met the inquiry in a different way. He has attempted to extricate himself, and to vindicate his creed and conduct from the charge of inconsistency, by appealing to man's purity and ability in Adam when he was created, and to the high sovereignty and rights of God; alleging, that man's want of power, seeing he lost it himself, cannot oblige the Divine Law-giver to bring down his demands to man's present ability. God has still a right to demand as much as ever, though man be wholly unable to yield any, even the least, obedience to his will. cannot, in strict righteousness and equity, proceed against sinners of mankind, unless he first communicate to them supernatural ability,or grace,such a communication becomes a debt to them, and consequently cannot be considered as grace at all. This plan, therefore, however plausible at its first appearance to a superficial observer, is attended with many difficulties, and is evidently repugnant to both reason and revelation. It represents the Divine Being as having given a law, to which his creatures, as such, cannot yield the required obedience without supernatural assistance, and that they have no right to demand that assistance, because it is the free grace of God; and yet, that God cannot justly condemn them, un less he previously give them that which he is under no obligation to bestow.It exhibits the same thing on the one hand, as free and undeserved favour, and a ground of eternal gratitude to God; and on the other, as a matter of strict and impartial justice, which every sinner of mankind has a right to claim at the hand of his Judge; and that God cannot be just in the condemnation of the sin ner, except he first give him what he is under no obligation to confer. The opinion of the Calvinist, though it may seem to some persons unanswerable, has doubtless many difficulties attending it. God's right to command cannot be disputed, nor can we assert that Jehovah has any way altered, softened, or changed his law, so as to adapt its requisitions to the debilitated powers of fallen man. But granting this, the disciples of Geneva surely will not affirm, that God will condemn men, or that he has a right to do so, eternally, for not performing impossibilities; that is, for not yielding obedience beyond their ability. He commands men to love him with all their heart, to repent and believe in his Son Jesus Christ; but, if they really can do none of these How far these solutions, one or the things, then he commands what is imother, or both of them, are consistent possible; and then, allow me to ask, with the scriptures of truth, and calcu- will he sentence the disobedient, Í lated to remove the difficulty, Mr. Edi- mean those who could not be otherwise tor, you and your readers must judge; than disobedient, to everlasting punishbut your correspondent was never per-ment on that ground? and shall sinful fectly satisfied with either of them. He cannot approve the idea of the Lord being under obligation to impart grace, or strength, to his guilty, rebellious creatures, in order that he may be just in their condemnation. If Jehovah mortals presume to vindicate the justice of the Divine proceeding, by saying, "God has not lost his right to command, though man has lost his power to obey " With very high ideas of the sovereignty of God, and with the high est regards for it, the writer cannot be persuaded to suppose, that in its exercise God ever steps over the line of equity, or condemns men by mere prerogative; or, that the Most High will ever thank any man for vindicating the glory of his sovereignty, at the expence of the glory of his justice. Excuse my prolixity, and if this meets with an early insertion and reply, you may expect to hear from me again. I am yours sincerely, to serve in the gospel, May 17, 1822. 29, Charles Street, City Road. MR. EDITOR, C. H. J. the gospel, to look to him and be saved, saying," He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned." Now, Mr. Editor, as faith and unbelief are here made the hinges on which our salvation or condemnation turns, your correspondent wishes to be informed, But all Calvinists do not take exactly" Whether man's present strength be the same ground, in attempting to re-equal to his present duty? or, whether move this difficulty. Some of them, he must finally perish for the want of who run pretty high in the predestina- that faith which it was never in his rian scheme, endeavour to remove all power to possess?" difficulties which attach to this question, by representing man as in a state of condemnation in consequence of the original sin of Adam, and (tacitly) through an eternal decree, and that man is not, therefore, the proper object of exhortation, any more than the unhappy inhabitants of the regions of despair, until God has marked him by his grace, as the object of eternal love. The law may be preached to him, but no gospel. | The curses of the law may be denounced, but no invitations to come to Christ, to repent, and believe the gospel to the saving of the soul. Such persons are reluctant to bring any charge against men for their actual transgressions, or to represent unbelief as a crime. They explain it rather as descriptive of the character who shall perish, than as the meritorious cause of condemnation itself. Neglecting the great salvation; making light of the invitations of the gospel; refusing to hear when God calls; rejecting the counsel of God against themselves, and receiving the grace of God in vain, are things of which no man can possibly be guilty upon their system. Certainly, this theory, when maturely considered, must appear more flatly contrary to the plan of doctrine revealed in the Bible, than either of the others. It must be admitted, that God might justly have executed his threatening in its fullest extent against our first parent Adam, and all his posterity at once, but it is undeniably evident, that he has acted a different part. Man is spared the world is peopled with sinnersmercy is proclaimed-God so loved the world, that be not only spared man, but that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus came into the world to save sinners: and (to me) it appears that he alls upon sinners to repent and believe SINCE the first publication of your Magazine, a considerable alteration has, I believe, heen effected in the views of many Christians, especially on the subject of church order. It is no flattery to say that you have been the instrument of effecting the change. You have placed truth in a light new to most of us; and, notwithstanding the cloud of dust which the sweeping away of old prejudices raised around you, we have followed out your arguments, and thank you for your labours. Had you lived for this alone, you would have descended to no unhonoured grave. Not a few, perhaps, of those so convinced, are ministers-I am one; and, as I fear I do not stand alone in the difficulty I am about to describe, I take leave to address you in the plural number. We lament, then, Sir, that the alteration has hitherto been confined to our sentiments-that it has but little, if at all, affected our practice. If it be asked why we have not acted up to our convictions, we reply, that if a reformation is to be produced in a church by the instrumentality of one man, he must generally be a man of considerable influence; not to give weight to truth, but to give it a fair hearing. Perhaps you have found, Sir, that even dissenters have an instinctive horror of innovations not sanctioned by their leading men. We, then, who have not attained either age, riches, or popularity, have but little expectation of ranking as reformers in our own denomination. Three ways only seem to remain at all open to us, and these have their diffi culties at the very outset. To join the | pline, Matt. xviii. 15-17, and keeping Scottish Baptists, to decline the regular up those distinctions in the church, ministry, or to raise new interests. As which is Christ's kingdom, that prevail to the former, we say your churches are in the kingdoms of this world, have infew, they do not want us in our pastoral troduced that corrupt state of things in capacity, and if they would be glad of most societies, which renders them little, our labours, they could not support us, if at all, better, as regards the ends of nor are we sure that we should agree Christian union and fellowship, than the with them on all points. Perhaps we national establishment. This melanare willing to labour, but we cannot choly fact is not concealed from many jump back at once into our forsaken intelligent members of these churches, professions, and we deem it right that both ministers and others, who sigh for we should, if we can, live of the gospel. a reformation; and we have good reason We should delight to break up fallow to believe that a very respectable Baptist ground, and form new churches; but, minister, who has lately given substanthen, what becomes of us while the tial proofs of his ability, is now occuwork is in progress? In short, Mr. pied in preparing for publication a work Editor, while on the one hand we are which is directly intended to meet and willing to act honestly in following our to redress the evil. Knowing what we convictions, we fear, on the other, to do of his mind, we look, with some imquit our present sphere of usefulness patience, for his appearance at the bar and means of living honestly, unless of the public-and as he is a constant conscience absolutely demand the sacri- reader of this Magazine, and, we believe, fice, or Providence indicated the path of wishes well to it, we should be glad to duty more clearly. see from his pen an answer to our corWill you then, Sir, seriously take up respondent's queries. At present, the the subject, and in so doing, furnish aonly advice we can give him is, to folsatisfactory reply to the following que- low out the dictates of his own conries? You may thus serve and oblige, science, leaving consequences to him together with others, who hath said, "I will never leave thee Yours, nor forsake thee." EDITOR. In Christian affection, A COUNTRY PASTOR. 1. If a dissenting pastor believe his views of Church order to be more scriptural than those of his people, is he bound in duty, either to convince them, or to leave them? 2. Is he bound to resign, when no other sphere of usefulness opens before him? REMARKS. NOTE ON ROM. vii, 6. I WAS pleased with the general tenor of the remarks of your correspondent J. S. inserted in the number of your Magazine for June, p. 172, respecting the perpetual obligation of the moral law, and should be glad to find him following up the subject, and rescuing the different texts of Scripture from the corrupt Though the Editor is profoundly ig-glosses which are imposed on them by norant of the writer of the preceding ar- the Ultra-Calvinists of the present day. ticle, he tenders him his unfeigned In so meritorious an undertaking his thanks for the respectful terms in which time and talents must be usefully emit is couched, and would feel happy in ployed, and could not fail to be rewardsolving his difficulties, or giving satisfac-ed by the gratitude of the churches. tory replies to his queries, were he com- There is, however, one passage of Scrippetent to the task, but he is not. Al- ture adduced by him, respecting which though the instituted order of the house I have a somewhat different opinion, of God be not of equal importance with and as J. S. writes with so much mothe gospel itself, or the unfeigned love desty, I beg leave to submit to his conof the brethren, which consists in a prac-sideration, my view of it. The text to tical regard to Christ's new command, which I refer, is to be found, John xiii. 34, yet, as it certainly is of divine appointment, Acts ii. 42, &c. it surely ought not to be treated with that marked indifference which it too com- I perceive that your correspondent monly is, among the English dissenters. refers these words to the body of the In attention to Christ's rule of disci-Lord Jesus Christ, the sinner's substi Rom. vii. 6. "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held." |