“there are none of us all, but we may be saved by Christ, he wOULD HAVE HAD Judas the traitor to be saved, but he refused his salvation."*

Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Heb. i. 14.) The metaphor "heirs of salvation," alludes not to the Calvinistic elect, as some have supposed, but is to be regarded as a pariphrasis for true Christians. The ratio of inheriting seems to be this; sincere believers are said in Scripture to be the heirs of glory. An undoubted heir may by continued bad conduct, so lose his father's [e. g.] esteem as to be disinherited; the allusion to this is designed to teach us the same lesson, that though heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, we ought not to presume on these privileges as if they could not be taken away, but remember, that their continuance is by divine appointment, suspended upon our own conduct.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb. xii. 2.) The translators of the English Version have omitted the article prefixed to faith, leading the reader to suppose that the believer's faith is here alluded to. Render "Looking off (all hindrances to our Christian course,

* Sermons, vol. 2, 556-888.

verse 1) unto Jesus the author and finisher of the faith, i. e. the Gospel." To support the Calvinistic opinion, that faith is the gift of God, infallibly securing salvation, another passage has also been frequently quoted, where Christians are spoken of as being kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation; (1 Peter i. 5) here, though the believer be represented as guarded by the divine power in a secure citidel, still his faith or belief of the Gospel is adduced as the condition of his continuance there: that the Christian's own belief or faith is alluded to, is evident, from a part of the passage, verse 9-"Receiving the aid of YOUR faith."

The meaning of 1 Peter ii. 6, 7, has been greatly perverted, some having supposed that the latter clause in verse 7, "unto which they were appointed," favours Calvinistic reprobation. "Behold I place in Zion a chief corner stone, elect precious, and he who believeth in it, [Christ, who is to be understood by this corner stone,] shall not be ashamed, for you BELIEVING is this honor, [security under the protection of the corner stone, Christ] but for the DISOBEDIENT the stone which the builders rejected, this was made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, [or which may be stumbled at,] and a rock of offence, who

being disobedient, stumble at the Word, unto which they were appointed. It is not said here, let it be carefully noted, that the Jews were appointed or designed for disobedience, but being disobedient, were appointed to this punishment, that the corner stone which should have been for their salvation, was to them an occasion of falling.

Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these things ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the evertasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter i. 10 11.) Christians are here exhorted by the Apostle to make their calling and election sure; how is this consistent with its being already certain by an infallible decree? but if the calling be simply to the external church, the election or approval dependent for its continuance on our own works, the meaning of the exhortation is very apparent, accordant with what follows, "For if ye do these things, [good works, see verses 5, 6, 7] ye shall never fall," [if they did not do them, they could not according to Calvinism, fall; having obtained like precious faith, as the Apostle verse 1] for so shall an entrance be ministered unto you abundantly, &c.

Having now examined the whole, or at least,

the most material and important passages brought forward by Calvinists, in support of their dogmas of Election, Reprobation, The Will, and the Grace of God, and we trust satisfactorily proved, that they are ALL inconsistent with, and many, even decidedly opposed to the Calvinistic scheme, our assertion at the head of this chapter is established, that these doctrines (whether true or not,) are not supported by, or are deducible from Scripture.

CHAPTER III.

CALVINISM IS

CONTRARY TO, AND UTTERLY IR

RECONCILEABLE WITH SCRIPTURE.

Having in the preceding chapter shewn that Calvinism is not derived from Scripture, we proceed to prove it absolutely opposed to numerous passages in the sacred volume-thus taking away the only remaining plea which could possibly be urged in its defence; since it has been said that the Calvinistic doctrines, though not deduced from Scripture might be nevertheless true, their proof not being connected with or to be derived from the subjects discussed in the sacred Volume. The present chapter is intended completely to exclude this last subterfuge, since if Calvinism be not contained in scripture, and contrary to what is there revealed, we presume the christian will admit its falsity, without further investigation, nor endeavour to call up, as some have done, metaphy sical science, in order to cavil at, with "its philo.