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My Dear Young Friend, — "^'ou seem very anxious to ascertain my opinion of the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, and the dogmas he so boldly announced to the community in his sermons lately preached in Belfast, and now published at large. To give ir publicly, I can form no objection, but *vhat arises from the high respect I entertain for many Ministers and laymen, who may, at least in part, approve of the sentiments he advanced. Several of these are among the excellent of the earth, having hearts filled with faith and love — principles which develop themselves in zeal for the glory of God and the benefit of the whole humaa family. However I may differ from such in minor points, I cannot but esteem them in love for their works' sake ; and hence, I shrink from giving offence to the generation of God's children. I trust, nevertheless, this will not be the result — that the same right to think, speak and publish, which good men accord to Mr. Spurgeon, though a young man, will not be denied to one who has something of age and experience, and who, if he judges rightly, ought to be fully as well acquainted with the sub- ject in hand as one who is but a student of yesterday. I am happy to find I cannot give offence to Mr. Spurgeon himself, seeing he declares in bis first sermon, that " it does not signify to me the turn of a finger what any man existing chooses to think of me." This relieves my mind greatly in appear- ing before the public. This is, certainly, a very independent declaration. It equally sets the scorn of an enemy and the sympathy of a friend aside. It seems to set the world at defiance. It would, therefore, be a work of super- erogation for any friend to sympathise or offer assistance to one so careless, reckless, independent, and even infallible ; and thus cast a reflection on his wisdom and sincerity in giving utterance to the conscious sense he entertains of his own gigantic strength and position. Dr. Johnson sard of " Gulliver's Travels," " It defies criticism, because there is nothing else in the world to which it can be compared." It would seem as if Mr. Spurgeon entertains the same notion of himself. Dean Swift thought the itian who talked in this style was a mere braggadocio. The celebrated Doctor ju.st named con- sidered the individual not sufficiently endued with wisdom, who dissents from the universal sen?e of mankind, ami affects to despise public opinion. The pillions, or opinions, of lliis young man are so strong, and liis flight so liigh, that he has no fear of a shot, even from a Minie rifle. While he looks down with indifference on all below, a tinge of modesty might have prevented him from giving utterance to the sentiment now quoted. It would appear, how- ever, that this commodity was scarcer in the region of his birth than Tyrian dye was among the ancients. That he is possessed of talent, no one can deny ; but, like a wild colt, it requires training, it refuses the bit and bridle of regular discipline, and raises clouds of dust by eccentric movements. A sturdy intellect, a retentive memory, a luxuriant imagination, a simple Saxon style of words, a familiar mode of address, a knack of telling old and new stories, and a large stock of the most consummate eff'rontery. that any young man ever possessed, constitute the nucleus of his popularity among the high and low vulgar, such as attend his ministry in the Surrey Gardens. His voice is loud, clear and distinct — not a word is lost to his audience; and his whole ministration seems to be a medium between the stage and the pulpit. At one time he depicts the Father and Son holding a dialogue from eternity about the elect ; at another, .Justice and Mercy arc engaged in the same manner; and perhaps in the same discourse a dialogue takes place be- tween Tommy and jenny. In one sentence he is an apostle, in another a poor sinner. To-day he is little David, with a sling and a stone going forth to meet Goliah ; and to-morrow he will appear as Goliah himself, with a staff and a spear, bidding defiance to all opposers. Some of his audience are astounded, others seem edified, and many are amused. Thus one thinks him inspired, another says he is an original, a third says he is much indebted to the Puritan authors, and a fourth is shocked at his familiarity with things sacred and divine, anf" ".barges him with inordinate self-conceit. It is not for me to say who ' . ^lit or who is wrong in his estimate of the man. It is rather my object. present to point out the injurious tendencies of his dogmas and misrepresentations. My dear young friend, I wish you seriously to consider your position and relative influence in society, and especially on the rising generation ; you are, I believe, heartily identified with the Wesleyan Church, having received a change of heart through the means which it furnishes ; you are a member of the Youug Men's A.ssociation, under the guidance of the Minister stationed on your circuit ; you are a distributor of tracts and a teacher in a large and important Sunday-school. It is therefore of the utmost importance that you should have settled principles : ones that will always terminate in good and practical results. The Apostle furnishes a rule of judgment, by which you need never mistake. Here it is : '< "^I'he doctrine which is according to godhncssy How is thu applied? In this way. Take any doctrine, dogma, or opinion whatsoever, and ask yourself the question, what is the tendency or result it is calculated to produce I Will it terminate in godliness 1 Will it make our thoughts, words or actions like God ? If it has not this tendency, discard it at once ; it does not come from God, and hence cannot lead to Him or His image in the soul. All doctrine revealed by God must have a God-like influence that assimilates to Himself. Hence, there is not one speculative doctrine revealed in the Holy Scriptures ; all is experimental and practical. Anything proposed in the shape of doctrine that is useless, frivolous, absurd, or that leads the mind into mere speculations, without /l»wing into personal and appropriating faith in Christ, love to God and mankind, and the rtnal conversion of the world, c:\nnot possibly be froni Ood. It is but a puff of tSatan's breath, a mere *• wind of doctrine,'* a cloud without rain, a well without water, and a tree without fruit ; jt bears the vine of Sodom, and the grapes of Gomorrah. Hence the necessity of trying all doctrines by this rule, plainly laid down by God himself. True, the mind may be puzzled by knowing parties whose fruit is good, while principles are enter tained that are not evidently in accordance with this rule ; but you must take into account ihat such possess good principles, that neutralise the evil ones, and therefore they will always be better than their creed. Besides, false prin- ciples are imaginary, and thr> good Spirit of God operates on the settled facal- ties and affections, so that inidgination is cooled down in the conversion of the heart and the fruits of holiness that result. Apply this rule to the peculiar doctrines of Calvinism and Arminianism. There are principles common to both. Never mind these in the present subject which we have in hand; pass by the universal corruption resulthig from the fall of man, justification by faith, the indwelling of the Spirit, and His various fruits, holiness of heart and life, and the doctrine of reward and punishment; these are common to bof-h. Confine your mind exclusivelij to the first znA peculiar principles of both systems. If you find the Arminian creed sets the common prin- ciples aside, then have done with it ; it is not according to godliness. If, on the other hand, tlie pecidiar 2}rijiciples of Calvinism \\a.ve no tendency to godliness, j et them aside as vain and imaginary. Try Mr. Spurgeon's peculiar dogmas by this rule. Never mind the excellencies — the common principles which he advanced. These are common to all evangelical parties ; attend to his peculiar dogmas. Pass by his confident manner and figurative langiiage, and look at the marrow of his teaching. He comes to Belfast, and is heard by thousands. His first sermon in Dr. Cooke's church is rather unexceptionable. He invites, persuades, points out the way of salvation, and leaves you to think it is free for all. In fact, he there seemed to belong to the church universal ; and a Primitive Methodist might have mistaken him for the man who was instrumental in his conversion, if he had not heard the story. " Thou art not far from the king- dom of God," was his text. It had the same object in view as John Wes- ley's on "the almost Christian," though greatiy inferior in arrangement, Scriptural knowledge, and critical acumen, to the Fellow of Oxford College. Observe, T make no comparison between one and the other. Wesley was a scholar, a logician, a poet, and a man of taste. His next discourse was on '* Heaven," about the one hundred and forty and four thousand that stood with the Lamb on Mount Zion. According to him, not one can be added, ^lot one lost. What, then, is the use of his preaching ?" His next is on *' the True Seekers," in which he gives a glowing, or rather dark, description of a reprobate. He is a man "that has not a friend anywhere." God, angels, the elect in heaven and earth, the very hills, valleys, trees, fields and all kinds of beasts, are his enemies ; and why ? Because he is a «inncr, and does not telong to " the definite number." In this he announces the doc- trine of election, of which so " many are afraid." Fools that ihey are ! for, if elected, they are saved; if not they are lost. Fear, therefore, is useless in both cases. Why, then, did God implant a useless passion in the -human mind 1 and why torment both elect and reprobate before the time 1 Does God delight in misery ? His fourth sermon, in th-' Hotanic (iardeii, com- () pletes the course. " Thou shult call hi.s name J»)sus; tor ho shall save iiis people from their sins." In this he attacks free-will, as if he had none of his own ! gives a taste of imputed sin and righteousness ; decries Antinomianism as the fruit, and yet waters its root ; churacterises Christian perfection as hump-backed ; preaches up final perseverance, and finally illustrates the whole by stating, e% ccitkcdra, that " Arminianism is a very broad bridge, but it only goes halfway across the stream, and shoves the people out. Calvinism is a narrow bridge, but it goes the whole way. Let them put their foot oa it and they are secure, (iive them a firm footing at the first, and they shall have a firm footing to the end. They shall never perish, neither shall any person pluck them out of the Saviour's hands." I feel obliged to Mr. Spur- geon for this illustration. It is capital. I would ask no better. In the meantime, can an erection be called a bridge that reaches only halfway ? If this figure be worth anything, it means, first, that none of the elect are Ton the Arminian bridge; and, secondly, that all on it perish ; for when halfway it " shoves them" into perdition. Suoh is Mr. Spurgeon's charitable judg- ment in relation to Arminians! Could he not have saved at least a few of them by sending them along his own narrow bridge, and thus save them in their ignorance ? Are there no Arminians, or Wesleyans, who personally believe in Christ 1 His illustration says not. Is this according to Godlike love ? I am sure it is not. If this be the spirit of his gospel, I hope he will have few imitators. Surely there might be some Arminians on his iron bridge who fancy, that, like the ark, it is made of gopher wood. The Pa- pist claims exclusive salvation, and he does the same. His charity (or want of it) would be a capital qualification for an inquisitor. It would suit the cell, the pulley, the thumbscrew, and the saubonatto painted with flames and devils. This was the frock in which the reprobate martyrs were burned to death by the holy inquisitors at an Auto dafe. Perhaps Mr. Spurgeon's heart is better than his imagination. It drowns both his logic and charity. He is but a young man, and a still younger divine, and it is not improbable that his boyish imagination lifted his creed while he played at hop-step-and- jurap. It is now time for him to revise it ; and in doing so I would not feel astonished if he would ultimately sprinkle his neighbours' children : and erect a statue to the shade of the great and learned Arminius. Napoleon's new battering-ram will be nothing to the one he will then bring against Calvin's iron bridge. The thundering noise of every stroke will reverberate from Surrey gardens, throw down half of the houses in London, and blow up the Crystal Palace. Let ns now turn back to the two bridges — that of Calvin and that of Arininius. You may not be well acquainted with the architecture of either, and it is ray duty at present to place each before you. You may then judge wliich is human or which Divine. They stand professedly on different hut- ments, and each in common has five arches, called by some divines the five points. You are not to fancy that there are actually two bridges ; for if the one be real, the other is imaginary — the one is but the shadow of the other, seen in the deep broad waters. Each of them, according to its author, was planned in eternity. The Scriptures alone contain the draft and design, and must determine which is the original, and which the spurious, invention. It would be unbecoming either candour or honesty to give you a second* joand skrtoh of my own, when the originals are at hand. As Calvin's name is engraven on the one and thai of Arniinius on the Onicr, it maj be best to let each, or theii* moat judicious followers, give tlie description. Let the great and the woHd-vvide famed Calvin speak for himself. He does not descend to describe the arches minutely. He speaks of the bridge as a whole, and leaves the particulars to minor men like Mr. Spurgeon. If I don't mistake, he has but one hutment — namely, the sovereignty of God. In this case, it is something like those drawbridges — that is, moved in or out of its place, as the elect or reprobate come forward. When the elect ap- proaches it is fixed and steady ; but when the reprobate draws near it moves on an invisible spring and leaves a chasm. Mr. Spurgeon invites all to try, finds great fault with those who do not, and yet he tells us, in effect, if one not in the hundred and forty and four thousand makes the attempt, he may sink into perdition while one foot is on the bridge and the other off. The master now speaks ; let the scholars listen. The great author of Calvinisui says : — 1. " Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which he hath determined in himself what he would have to become of every individual of mankind* For they are nc*^ all created with a similar destiny ; but sternal life 'is, fore-ordained fc. snme^ and eternal damnation lor others. Every man, therefore, being created for one or the other of these ends, we say be is predestinated either to life or death.^^* 2. " As Jacob, without any merit yet acquired by good works, is -^ade an object of grace, so Esau, while yet unpolluted by any crime, is accounted an object of hatred. If we turn our attention to works, we insult the Apostle, as though he saw not that which is clear to us. Now, that he saw none is evident, because he expressly asserts the one to have been elected and the other reprobated, while they had not ypt done any good or evil, to prove the foundation of Divine predestination not to be of works."! 3. " When the human mind hears these things its petulance breaks all restraint, and it discovers a serious and violent agitation, as if alarmed by the sound of a martial trumpet. Many, indeed, as if they wished to avert odium from God, admit election in such a way as to deny that any are repro- bated. But this is puerile and absurd ; because election itself could not exist without being opposed to reprobation. God is said to separate those whom he adopts to salvation. To say that others obtain by chance, or acquire by their own efforts, that which election alone confers on a few, will be worse than absurd. Whom God passes by, therefore, he reprobates, and from no other cause than his determination to exclude them from the inher- itance which he predestinates for bis children. But, now, we have heard that hardening proceeds from the divine power and will as much as mercy. Unlike the persons I have mentioned, Paul never strives to excuse God by false allegations ; he only declares that it is unlawful for a thing formed to quarrel with its maker. Let the reader observe that, to preclude every pretext for murmurs and censures, Paul ascribes supreme dominion to the wratli and power of God. This, however, I maintain, which is observed by Augustine, that, when God turns wolves into sheep, he renovates them by •Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated bv Allen. 21, Sec. 5. tClmi.. xxii. 1 1". Bookm., Chap, 8 I more powerful grace to conquer their obstinacy ; and, therefore, the obstinate are not converted, because (iod exerts not the mightier grace, of which he is Bot destitute if he chooses to display it."* 4. "Observe: all things being at God's disposal, and the decision of salvation or death belonging to Him, He orders all things by his counsel or decree in such a manner that some men are born, devoted from the woinb to certain death, that he may be glorified in their destruction. "f 5. " The perplexity and hesitation discovered at trifles by those pious defenders of the justice of God (observe, he speaks ironically,) and their facility in overcoming great difficulties, is truly absurd. Imagine, again, how it came to pass that the fall of Adam, independent of any remedy, should iDTolve so nany nations, with their infant children, in eternal death, but be- cause such was the will of God. Their tongues, so loquacious on every other point, must here be struck dumb. It is an awful decree, I confess ; but no one can deny that God foreknew the future, final fate of man before he created him, and that He did foreknow it because it was appointed by His own decree ."{ Such, lay yo«ng friend, is the sketch drawn by the masterly ^and of Calvin himself, in reference to the bridge — the narrow bridge without a hole — of which Mr. Spurgeon makes his boast. He may try to paint or polish its irons, and make it as pleasing to the eye as possible ; but as Calvin denom- inates it awful or horrible, so we may call it the bridge of horrors. Calvin tells us that God foreknows because He decreed. The Apostle says, Rom. viii., 29, that He predestinated because He foreknows. This makes an essential difference. This bridge, however has its arches. These are delineated by the followers of that great man. The Synod of Dordt bat in 1618, and gives them to us as reported by Dr. Womack, in the trial of Tilenus. The Arminians appeared there as remonstrants, and exhibited their bridge and its arches, as recorded by Mosheim. Let us place the two in juxtaposition, so that you may judge of the one by comparing it with tlie other. The sittaple question will then be, which of the two is worthy of the skilly goodness , mercy, and love of the Divine Architect ? •t J Arches of Calvinism. 1. That God, by an absolute decree, hath elected to salvation a very little number of men, without any regard to their faith or obedience whatsoever; and [hath] secluded from saving grace all the rest of mankind, and appointed them, by the same decree, to eternal damnation, without any regard to their infidelity or impenitency. 2. That Jesus Christ hath not suffered death for any other, but for those elect only ; having neither had any interest nor commandment of his Arches of Arminianism. 1. That God, from all eternity, determined to bestow salvation on those whom he foresaw would perse- vere unto the end in their faith in Christ Jesus ; and to inflict ever- lasting punishment on those who should continue in their unbelief, and resist unto the end His divine suc- cours. '^'. 2. That Jesus Christ, by his death and suffering, made an atonement for the sins of all mankind in general, and of every individual in particular j * Chap, xiiii.; titc. 1. t Sec, 4. t Sec. 7. of or to that '^'vever, none but those who belie ^iin cnn be partakers of their divii ? benefit. 3. Thnt true faith cannot proceed from the exercise of our natural faruf- ties and powers, nor from the force preaching and ministry. Father, to make satisfaction for the sins- of the whole world. 3. That, by Adam's fall, his pos- terity lost their free-itill, being put to an unavmlaldc necessily to do, or not to do, %chatsocve.r they do, or dn and operation of free-will, since man, not, whether it be L^ood or evil, being in consequence of his natural corrup- themselves predestinate by the ctei- tion, is incapable of thinking or doing nal and effectual secret decree of any good thing ; and that, therefore, Ood. . I . ' / id is necessary to his conversion and salvation that he be regenerated and '',''' renewed by the operation of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ. 4. That God, to save his elect from 4-. That the divine grace or energy the corrupt mass, doth beget faiih in of the Holy Ghost, which heals the them, by apmver equal to tkatvrhere- disorders of a corrupt nature, begins, by he created the world and raised advances and brings to perfection «p the dead ; insomuch that sitch every thing that can be called good tmto whom he gives that grace cart- in man ; and that, consequently, alt not reject it ; artd the rest, being re- good works, without exception, are to probate, cannot acc«pt of it, though be attributed to God alone, and to the it be offered unto both by the same operation of his grace ; that never- theless, this grace does not force the man to act against his inclination, but may be resisted and rendered ineffec- tual by the perverse will of the im- penitent sinner. 5. That they who are united to Christ by faith are thereby furnished with abundant strength and with suc- cours sufficient to enable them to triumph over the seductions of Satan and the allurements of sin and temp- tation ; but that the question " whe- ther such may fall from their faith, and forfeit finally their state of grace,'* has not yet been resolved with suffi- cient perspicuit)', and must, therefore, be yet more carefully examined b^ an attentive study of what the Holy Scriptures have declared in relation to this important point. Here Doctor Mosheim veiy justly remarks, that the Arminians, in process of time, positively affirmed that " the saints might fall from a state of grace." Such, my young friend, are the two bridges which Mr. Spurgeon's luxu- riant imagination exhibited at a glance in the 13otiuiic Gardens. 1 ai» - B .('< trV.' •I i;< ■•"Jm,. I -1 ■ 5 . That such as have once received that grace by faith can never fall from It finally nor totally, notwith- standing the most enormous sfns they can commit. 1 it!:' . i » ' ; ■;.' .1 ■ V. li r>! I 4 ,1 •t vl i 'I I.' 'i> i4 'M' X .]\\\\^l:\% f- 'A .He/ i It '*^'i' 10 afflftOat certain that, up to this daj, he never righllj measured the arches of cither sue or the other. Say, that he has not, it follows, that he was making a show of terms without understanding ihe subject to which they refer. Say that he has, then it is evident that, to serve a purpose, he wilfully and dis- dainfully caricatures the bridge of the Arminians. There have been some people in this naughty world who have despised the place and circumstances of the .' birth. It is hoped this is not the case with Mr. Spurgeon. It seems from his own statement, that God neither honored a Calvinistic minister or a Calvinistic place of worship in his conversion. The simple plan of salva- tion was pointed out to him by an Arminian preacher, and in an Arminian place of worship, and also from an Arminian text of Scripture — " Look unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth.'' How, then, comes it to pass, that he is now so earnest in warning all who hear him against putting their foot in an Arminian place of worship 1 Has he found out the advice, •* Look ! look ! look !" was false, and bis experience a mere delusion 1 Was his con- version re&S and did the Spirit of God apply the word from the lips of an Arminian 1 Then, how can any man sincerely and conscientiously advise another against what might lead to a similar result? As the elect must be saved, it cannot be very material who is the instrument, or what the place of worship, or even what the creed. No danger can arise in relation to what vras decreed from eternity. If the Divine being decreed that an Arminian preacher and not a Calvinistic one should be instrumental in Mr. Spurgcon's conversion, why should he now decry the whole class to which such a one belongs ] Has not God a right to use any means he pleases ? '' Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed ft, why hast thou made me thus V* And may we not add, " Who art thou that repliest against God ?" In that hour in which Mr. Spurgeon left the Primitive Methodist Chapel, he bad no notion of decrying Arminianism. It was an after-thought with him. It arose from his creed ; not from his changed heart. When tlie Spirit o' God, who foreknows and searches all things, applied the word and sent him home with a light heart , it would seem to have taught him by the preacher, the place, and especially the broad principle container! in the text, that his present denunciations arise from some other quarter than the Holy Spirit of God. It never could inspire him to say what he uttered in relation to the Arminian bridge. According to him, it only reaches half over, and shoves all into the stream that travel on it. Here Mr. Spurgeon and I come to a complete issue. I consif'fr the bridge of Arminius is a solid. Scriptural, and real construction, and th h n mere phantom. Like the Flying Dutchman, it exists only by refiecJ>:^n. ;spre is a " high mystery" in predestination, because the heights sjnr' (i.iptiiA of liuman magination cannot be fathomed. All the perfections of GO'I, '■' ' •i'' sides •. a pyramid, are equal. Calvin and Spurgeon give hiai tik^^tn: •>/ t giant and the body of a dwarf. A wild imagination depicts 4:liie It *d of Love as all power and sovereignty, without the attributes of justice, mercy and truth being taken into account. This gives one side to the pyramid instead of four. From this spring absolute p.edestination and election, a partial atonemant, denial of free-will, irresistible grace, and the final perseverance of the imaginary elect. All these are contrary to facts, reason, and revelation, and, hence, must be the evobitiv)ns of 'imagination. This will appear evident by entering into a brief examination of the five arclios iz Mr Spurgeon's two bridges. — I remain yours, &c., DANIEL MACAFEE. 11 SECOND LETTER. Mr Dear Young Friend, — We now proceed to the consideration of the arches. In doi'^g so, let it be well observed that, if one of the five fall, the other four must iopple down along with it. You will perceive also, that the sketch of each bridge is roughly drawn by those fathers in the controversy ; still, they were honest and consistent, and did not raince the matter. In modern times you will find some wise architects, v/ho make out a beautiful sketch of a bridge of their own devising, and represent honest John Calvin as the author ; it has only three arches of his, with two borrowed from Arminius. They have absolute election, universal atonement, free-will, irresistible grace, and final perseverance. This bridge is made up of two facts and three imaginations. The great and good Richard Baxter built a bridge *f his own, in which he had the first arch consisting of absolute election, and th ? other four were taken from Arminius ; in this he rejects the side-wall of repnbation. Calvm, however, would have laughed at such a conceit. He was perfectly right and consistent in stating, that, wherever election Is held, reprobation must necessarily be acknowledged to be its counterpart. No man can find out a mean proportional between the two systenis. All those ovho have tried failed in the attempt ; one or other must be received or rejf cted just as it stands. Tens of thousands, nay, I trust, millions, have travelled on the solid bridge of Arminius, while they thought it was Calvin's all the way till they came to the end ; they, there entered into a region where imagination dissolved into reality, and perhaps sitting down beside Calvin and Arminius, Wesley and Whitfield, Fletcher and Sir Richard Hill, they found out, « That the Lord is good to all ; and Hii tender mercies are over all His works" — yea, that " He willeth all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth." You will perceive from this, that I do not wish you to imbibe Mr. Spur- geon's spirit, or imitate his example. He sends all Arminians into the gulf of misery ; but this is no reason you should send him and multitude! of pious Calvinists into the same unhappy place. Your bridge is too broad for that ^ you are not to condemn a man,, who has real heartfelt religion, because he happens to have a gloomy imagination, that was raised and culti- vated in youth by his parents and minister. It is no newopinian of mine, that if Calvin's decrees were true and real, there could be no dispute *bout the matter. God, in His high and holy sovereignty, would have decreed one item that is evidently left out. He would have decreed that aW men should believe it. Then, there could not have been the slightest suspicion, that there is such a thing as free-will ; all would think alike, and be as passive as hills and stones. That free-thought and free-will are in being, we have the fullest evidence, ^ing an ssemblage together, even of those whose creed requires a denial of tWfree pnnciple, aad> if free expression be any proof, they show as much free-will as any otljer party. I should think Mr. ypurgeon himself i^ endued with a lion's share of tWs sturdy principlft. Perhaps, if he had 12 less, he would he more charitable to poor Arminians. He is very apt at illustrations founded on hearsay or personal observation. Anecdotes are like pedlar's mirrors ; they show the face too broad or too long, but still, they are better than a pool of water. The image, whatever it is, is steady, being unruffled by the wind. Several of his were among m^ collection, and exhibited many a time before he was born. I must treat you and him to one or two ; they always enliven a dull subject. One of ihe most acute and ready reasoners was the Rev. Robert Crozier, a Wesleyan Minister, who died the other year at the advanced age of between 90 and 100 years. Leslie had a short method with Deists, and this venerable man a still shorter with his Calvinistic brethren. One of them, in argument with him, assented broadly, boldly, and honestly, that God had depreed everything, and fore- ordained wliatsoever comes to pass. " Well, well, my dear friend," said Mr. Crozier, " you and T need not fall out cr get warm on the subject, for if God decreed everything, then he decreed me to be an Arminian and you to be a C^lvinist ; therefore, if you are right I am right, and if you are wrong I am rigit, so that I am always right." Perhaps Mr. Spurgeon may tell you that mere tdeas do not come under the influence of decrees — that they onlf relate to ac dons and results. If so, then thought is free, and I suppose words, also, as the expression of thought. What, then, about actions as the offspring of volition ? Another anecdote is here quite in point. Rather a loquacious stranger was delivering an oft-hand lecture on Predestination, in a railway carriage, a few years ago. He asserted, roundly, that God had dereed every action that comes to pass. A shrewd countryman was listening, but itiade no remark, although, happening to be an Arminiap, he disliked that doctrine as unscriptural and absurd. The conversation soon dropped, as there ap- peared no opponent. The murder of a magistrate in a neighbouring county became the next topic, when the stranger launched out in no measured terms against the murderer. « Sir," said the countryman, " do you know if thfer^ be a reward for the murderer?" The other replied, " I believe there is." " Then I Would recommend you to claim it," said the countryman. " Is 'it 1 1" said the other with astonishment, " I know nothing ibout it." " Yes, but you do," was the reply, " for you have told us that God decreed every- thing, and hence he decreed that, and you have nothing to do but call at the first magistrate's ofiBce you come to, and swear against your Makef, and get the reward. ' The force and point of this mode of applying a piinciple, and illustrating a dogma, came home with humoious effect, and, no doubt, tayght the enlightened stranger to feel his way, before he launched oijit at large, among the simple people of the neighbourhood of B^fast, If I mistake not, Mr. Spurgeon commii*;ed a similar error in the Botanic Garden of ihat town. He addressed men taerc of more general literature, more theological knowledge, and, perhaps, of :iif re refined taste, than he has as yet found around him, on any occasion, ih Surrey Gardens. Many of them thotigjit, that the old story of " sanding the sugar,'' &;c., was rather stale, and ^v^n ill-tasted. However, as Mr. Spurgton cares about nobody, he will set their distaste down for what it is worth. Now, my dear young friend, we are prepared to examinAthe several ' arches of Mr. Spurgeon's bridges. These, like the two over the Straits of Menai, arc within view of each other Fancy yourself stationed so' ^s to command a view of the first arch of absolute decrees, and henc^' uricondi- 13 md Scriptural cannot be the j> tional election and reprobation; Is this a true, real, solic arch, worthy of the Divine architect 1 I apprehend not. const iction of God, because it is 1. Contrary to His nature. The express declaration in 1 John, iv. 8— 15 is that " God is Love." This, then, is His very essence — pure, univer- sal, eternal, and absolute love. Hence it is added, " Tn this was manifested the 'ove of God toward us, because that God sent his only beloved Son into the world that we mii^ht live through him." Mr. Spurgeon might here tell you, litis relates to the elect. Well, be it so. Our Lord himself eittends it beyond them in John iii. 16, " For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Here, the world is the express object of his love and pity. It relates to the intellectual yorld, to every soul of man. It means the same here as in Rom. v. 12, '* By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." Sin and death extend to all, so does the love of God in the gif: of His Son. The one is as extensive as the other. One side wall of the ar:h is now gone — absolute reprobation. If so, absolute election according to (Jalvin, is gone with it, for the one is counterpart of the other. Be it observfd that the term world never means the elect, but the whole or major part of mankind. In the following text put the word elect in place of the world, and see how it will read : — " If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have ehosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Try it now as I hare stated — ^" If ye were of ihe elect, the elect would love his own ; but because ye are not of the elect, but I have chosen you out of the elect, therefore the elect hateth you." See John xv. 19. This absolute election and repro- bation are repugnant. 2. To God's inrfections. Reflect on his goodness. " Tbcu art good and doest good."" "O praise the Lord! Tor he is good, end His mercy endureth for ever," saith the Psalmist." He is the " Father of lights, froill whom cometh every good and perfect gift," saith the Apostle Jt^e^. Paul declares " The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." Hie is ^-dod in His nature, good in all His perfections, and good in all His ways. Good- ness is a disposition to communicate happiness. God is happy himself, and hence, He hates misery next to srn, and communicates happiness to all «rea- tures according to their nature, instincts, and capacities. Is it «• proof of eroodness either to reprobate a portion of immortal and intellectual beings, or leave them out of the number of the elect? I ask, with all rever>3<• I.IIH !•"♦(!. •>K " Bad as he is, the Devil may be abused, ' Be falsely charged, and causelessly accused ; ■.•:■•> - .' • w ,. ^ < When Heaven, unwilling to be blamed alone, ' • ■''';■" u! •.. •'. jji '. ; . Shift off those crimes on him that are its own." 'd. > ' . Lif: the first stamp, and under " Procrastination" you will find Predsstina- tion ; lift the second, and under '* to-morrow" you will perceive absoltc^ ejection ; under the third, reprobation ; under the fourth, partial atonement ; under another, bound will ; under its neighbour, irresistible grace ; and under the \^^\., final perseverance. These corks have kept the net afloat since C 19 the days of Calvin ; and, if Mr. Spurgeon^s dogmas be true, Satan is too wise to put himself to the trouble of nshing, when he finds all who are not in the 144,000 caught to his hand and ready for his hre. Surely Mr. Spur- geon must forget his creed ia his earnest appeal to sinners. Can he per- suade one of the non-elect by all his reasoning and illustrations 1 Will one of the elect be lost, in case he preached none at all 7 As he is an admirer of familiar anecdotes, perhaps he will forgive the following. I admire it oa account of its good common sense. A negro, whose skin was as black as Satan's big net, went once to hear a popular minister preach in the United States. On his return, his master asked him how he liked the preaching: *' Why, massa," was his reply, " me don't know. Ministe says God made bein' called man, and he gib one part of dese to Christ and all de rest to de debil. De ministe he go about seeking to get away some of de debil's,and he can't ; and de debil he go about seekin to get away some of Christ's, and he can't. Me don't know, massa, which de greatest fool, de d^vil or de preacher." Now, I am far from saying that Mr. Spurgeon is a fool for his earnestness or illustrations. I do not believe in his peculiar principles. Earnestness is foil y, if they be true. Whatever good he effects is not done by them, but by those that spring from a better fountain. Salvation by faith in Christ, the remission of sin, the witness of God's Holy Spirit, and holiness of heart and life belong to the pure Gospel, that was preached for ,ag«s before Austin of Hippo first broached these peculiarities. ^ , . I remain yours, Su:., DANIEL MACAFEE. V r t : . // '••(• THIRD LETTEH. <^ Mt Dear Young Friend, — Having now disposed of the first arch in Calrui^s iron bridge, and thereby shown that his decrees are unscriptural aod absurd { that absolute election and reprobation, as the two side-plates, are mere non- entities, and, consequently, that the doctrine of conditional election and reprobation is the real and substantial arch of the Arminian bridge, we now pass on to say a few words about the second arch of partial atonement in the one, and universal atonement in the other. If God elected a certain numr ber without any condition on their part, it would certainly be absurd that he should give his Son to die for any but that number. If he did laot, there should be an express revelation on the subject ; but there is not one text in the whole book of God which says he died only for a part of mankiDd, or that he .did not die for the whole. Tme, it savs he gave hiai^f (or tfae Cfiurch, asd for the iheep , but, unfortuaateiy for CalviRisa it does aqt si^ 20 for them only. Want of spaee forbids long prsfaces and numerous infer- ences, and hence, we must come at once to the point, and prove the univer- sality of the atonement by Christ's death. Take the following digest on this subject. That Christ's .itoning sacrifice was intended for all is evident. 1. From its extent and remedinl in/lwnce in rflafion to the fall of the first man. " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." By his one act he lost the image of God, and all lost it ; he embezzled the family property, and ail are reduced to poverty ; he made himself a leper, and all his offspring are necessarily leprous ; he cast himself into a pit, and all, descending from him, are born in it; he raised a stream of polluted water which he could not stem, and hence it still bubbles up and overflows the world. By this one act, termed the offknce, the offence of one, in Ro- mans v., 12-21, he vitiated, altered, annulled, or destroyed the dispensation given to him ; he forfeited the favor, life and Spirit of God. Corruption must ensue for want of the Spirit of holiness ; spiritual death for want of the Spirit of life ; and temporal death for want of the tree of life. All resulted as a punishment for that one offence. Without a remedy, all these must be perpetual and eternal ; that remedy is found in the second Adam, Jesus Christ ; he is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world ; the merit of his blood extends from the cross back to the first pair,* and forward to the last pair that shall appear in the world. He appeared to ijitroduce a superior dispensation, founded on sacrifice, remedial in its design, gracious in its gifts, suitable in its nature, and vastly superior to that of Adam in its possibility of success. All these particulars are clearly placed before us in the passage referred to above. In contrasting the dispensations of Adam and Christ, in their influence and exient, the Apostle makes two exceptions. The first is in the 15th verse, "But 9iot as the offence, so also is the free gift ; for if, through the offence of one, many be dead, (does not this mean alii) mtich more the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many."*^ Here, we are plainly told that there is more of grace in Jesus Christ to save, than there was in Adam's sin to destroy, and that this grace hath actually abounded to the same number that he injured. The second exception is in verse 16, " And not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift ; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification." As the 15th verse shows an amplitude of provision above the dispensation of Adam, so this also displays a superior privilege of trial beyond that" enjoyed by Adam/ One sin sunk him for ever ; we rise out of multitudes that cannot be enumerated. This one sin must have been forgiven, or the first man could not have been spared a moment ; justice must have punished him at once unless there was an atonement. Suppose it spared him without as atonement, then justice is aot essential to God. On the principle he was spared a moment ; why not an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year ? and' vvhy not forever ? The atonement was made for him ; his first sin was for- given : all bis posterity in his loins must have been forgiven that one offence. Christ, therefore, died for all by dying for the first offence: so saith the Apostle in verse 18, " Therefore, as by the offence of one^ judgment came upon all men to ccmdemnation, ev$n so by the righteousness of one the free gift came ufon ail men onto justification of life." Here is n« distinction bHweet eleet and reprobate. Are ^11 eoodemned dy Adam's na ; all *r« ^% 21 nfei sin » id the acquitted from that first condemnation by Christ's righteousness ; and yet Calvinism imputes Adam's one act to the reprobates, and damns them to all eternity for the sin that God forgave both Adam and them, according to the statement of the Apostle. He that is able to receive this must have a wonderful control in keepin ^ reason asleep, while imagination is at play. What is the final testimony of the Apostle in this chapter ? " That as sin hath rnv;7ied unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." Observe these two declara- tions : the one is in the indicative mood, asserting what is — sin hath reigned universally unto death ; the other is in the potential mood, testifying not what w, but what might he. It follows, then, from this, that not one soul need have been lost ; that the actual reign of grace might have been as extensive as the actual reign of sin ; and, consequently, that Christ died for all, and that the second arch of the iron bridge is demolished. That He died for all, is equally manifest from those Scriptures. 2. That relate to the World — ^" The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein," Psalm xxv. 1. " All souls are mine," saith God ; Ezek. xviii. 4. Let us see what He intends forHiv own. " God so loved the world." &c., John iii. 16. " God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved," Rev. i. 7, He was not sent to buy the existence of re- probates out of Adam's loins, and then leave them to perish. " Behold the Lamb oK^od that taketh away the sin of the world," John i. 29. It is not said the sins, but the sin of the world. So Isaiah says, " The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Both are in the singular, denoting the punishment due to iniquity or sin. He bore the result of sin or iniquity, lifted it up as a burden, that all might escape. He is called Christ, " The Saviour of the world," John iv. 14 ; " The bread of God is He that ^veth life unto the world," John vi. 33 ; " My flesh which I give for the life of the world," Rev. v. 1 ; " I am the Light of the world," John ^iii. 12 ; " God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself," 2 Cor. v. 19; " We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world," 1 John iv. 14 ; " He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for outs only, but also for the sins of the tv)iole loorld,^* 1 John ii. 2. How amiable, beautiful and glorious are God and his Son represented in these passages ! The one is not a tyrant, the other an executioner. Take the views of the infallible Synod of Dordt. God is a being of power and wrath — a capricious father, that loves one son and hates another, without why or wherefore. He did not love the world ; did not send his Son to save all, and should not je called the Light and Saviour of the world. He did not give His flesh as the bread broken for the life of the world. He was not in Christ, reconciling the world, but only the elect, unto himself, and they testify that Christ was not the Saviour of all, nor the propitiation for the sins of any but the elect. John testifies that He is the propitiation not only for the Jews but the Gentiles, not only for the elect but for the whole world ; But they choose to dissent, and prefer the testimony of Calvin to that of the beloved Apostle ! Again, the universality of the atonement is proved, because 3. It intervenes, comes between, or is substituted for every m>an. So saith St. Paul : « We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead,"' J Cer. T. 14. Here the dniversality of death, spiritual and temporal, is lit bferred from the universal atonement. This shows that Calvin's bridge was not built in the limes of the Apostles. The Arminian people of that day bad never heard of it. Hear the Apostle again. <- The man Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom /or all," 1 Tim. ii. 6. ** But we see Jesus, who was made & little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man," Heb. ii. 9. These declarations are universal — they cannot be evaded. The cup of death was put into every man's hand. All is emptied into that of the substitute, and thus He swallows up death in victory. 4'. The universality of atonement is necessarily implied in those Scriptures that refer to apostates, and to those who do or who may perish. " Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died." " And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died 1" Here it is positive that Christ died for the weak brother ; and it is equally so that this same may perish, or be destroyed for ever. If Paul and the strong brother ad- dressed, believed in an absolute number of elect, am' a partial atonement, how comes he to preach Arminianism, and leave the impression, that one of the elnct might be lost f. Did he not in this case advance an impossible motive ? Might he not ns well have said, " And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother" become a tree, a stone, or a mountain, or anything impossible in nature 1 As it regards apostates, let me place two facts before you. The first is from Paul — " Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Soil of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace 1" The second is from Peter — " For it had been better for them not to I fe known the way of rightepusness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it has happened unto them accor- ding to the true proverb. The dog is turned to his vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." Now, these cases relate not to opinions or mere reports, but to facts well known to two inspired writers. Surely Christ died for the individuals here mentioned ; and yet Paul tells " it is impossible" for those who have thus fallen, " to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." 5. From the universality of the atonemetit we find the Scriptures full of facts, doctrines, and testimonies founded on the death of Christ. Briefly notice the foil wing. There is provision for all — pardon, holiness and Heav.en. " ^ id on this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of marrow and of fat things." Our Lord saith, " I have pre- pared my dinner ; my oxen and my failings are killed, and all things are ready. But they made light of it, and went their ways." The elect are invited and must come ; the non-elSct cannot. Wherein consists the sincerity of the invitation "? No wonder they made light of it ; for they only did what they could. There are benefits conferred on all. Five facts stated by inspiration prove this. The first fact^ not opinion : " Christ is the true light that en%htenetb every man that comes into the world." The second fact : " And when He (the Spirit of truth) is come. He will convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.*' The third /ocf : " For the grace of Grod, that briogetb salvation, hath appeared unto all men ;" or, according to the S3 margin, " the grace that brinf;eth salvation to all men hath appeared.** The fourth/acf : " fiehold, I bruig you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." The fifth fact. : "For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of a/l nu'?t, specially of tliose that believe."' Now, Calvinism either denies these facts, or resolves them into mere opinions. Again God com- mands all to believe on his !Son, and condemns all who do not. Does God ever command any one to believ. a lie ? Purely uot. Will he ever coadema any one for 7iot believing a lie ? Certainly not. Then, he can neither com- mand a non-elect to believe, nor condemn him for unbelief, because Christ did not die for him. The doctrine, therefore, that restricts the atonement to a part of mankind is not of God. Hence, the second arch of Mr. Spur- geon's bridge has dropped in the stream, where he sent the Arminiaos* !' 1 remain, &c., /, .; '. 1 . DANIEL MACAPEE. FOURTH LETTER. My Dear Young Friend, — You must be aware of the difficulty to explain points so important, and press a vast mass of matter into a small compaM. I must, therefore, be brief, and notice two of Mr. Spurgeon'a arches to- gether — free-will and irrestible grace. These tvro cannot coalesce in operation. If the will be free, grace cannot be irresistible ; and if grace be irresistible, the will cannot be free. Mr. Spurgeon, therefore, must not admit free-will in or on his bridge, for if it cannot find a hole to slip through, it might climb over the side wall, and lessen the " definite number." Pass now, from possibilities and come to realty. It is acknowledged by all that Adam was a free agent — that his will was free. Let us understand this. God made him in His own image, intelligent free and holy. The inteUec- tual faculty could perceive God and his works, but it could not contemplate. Without will it could not dwell on the object, or retain it in thought. Like a fixed and immoveable eye, it could turn to nothing and see nothing but what God placed before it. It could perceive premises, but draw no con- clusions. Free-will was, therefore, essential to his happiness ; and God uni- ted it to intelligence. He endued him with a principle of faculty, that could choose or refuse, move the understanding, direct it to various objects, enable it to contemplate or refrain, and render him capable, as a roora^ being, of moral obligation, praise, or blame, virtue or vice, reward or puisbment. God honored ftie intellect by placmg Himself and His works before it ; he ii \& 24 •qually honored free-will by placing it upon trial, and thus distinguished •ur first parents from the minor animals in creation. This faculty, as well as the understanding, was the gift ot His boundless goodness, the plan of His infinite wisdom, and the production of His absolute power. Hence, he pronounced it with the rest of his works to be very good. God could, therefore, furnish moti'^es, promise or threaten, entreat or protest, require or command, but never force. This would be to do and undo, and raise Himself *p against His own perfections. Man was tried, and fell. God foresaw thia. Did this foreknowledge influence his fall 1 Certainly not ; or eke it acted against His goodness, wisdom, and power. Did Adam's per- ception of the sun, moon, and planets, either cause or direct their motions ? Do the calculations of an astronomer bring about the eclipse that he foretells ? Neither does the foreknowledge of God influence any action, however con- tingent. All woiUd be the same if unfoieknown. Cahin says God decreed, and then foreknew. He simply represents Him as foretelling His own actions J and if the decree embraced the fall of Adam, then God is the author of sin. As God foresaw the fall of man, so He purposed to redeem him, garb His only begotten Son to " taste death for every man,'' sent down His Holy Spirit, made known His will in the Scriptures, and instituted the Chriijlian ministry and means of grace for the recovery of the human family. Did God thus intend to counteract the effects of the fall, and place man again upon trial '{ Then, as Mr. Wesley expresses it — '' A will to choose, a power to obey, Freely His grace restores. We all may find the living way, And call the Saviour ours." If nof , why does ( .je Apostle tell us that our privil.ge of trial is better than that of Adam ? One sin sunk him ; we rise out of many. Why say that " where sin abounded, grace did much more abound ]" The two prime facultie-. ( (^ the soul arc understanding and will. The whole system of reve- lation :s madv' to these two. There is knowledge for the one ; motives for the Gtber. i^ there be no free-will, why have we commands ano promis<^,s, precepts and threatenings, exhortations and expostulations, invitations and obtestations'? Why did the Saviour say to Jerusalem, " I would and ye would not?" The laws of all nations are fou.ided on the principle of free agency. Every grammar of the babbling languages of the earth recognises the same principle — all have 3i pote?itial mood, eryveasei or implied, signifying power, will or obligation. Every man in existence is conscious of freedom, of power to choose or refuse, of weighing motives and suspending volition ; and even of making indifferent things agreeable by the power of choice. What is the use of reasoning against facts 1 Calvinism sets up free-will to deity its own existence, and excites ridicule in the attempt. President Edwards wrote a large octavo volume with this intent. Its whole argument is levelled against a man's own consciousness. You read it, close it, think for a moment, aud consciously say, " This book is false. It contradicts a first principle of my nature. I feel I am free." This is a short argument for a long book. Jn addition to this, if there be no free-will in man, there is nothing in him capable of receiving free grace, of believing^or disbelieving, obeying or disobeying, and hence, of iy«ing the subject of praise or blame. ioL 25 (bed feW of he |ul(J, juire Faise ;od or )er- ills? What, now, is the highest exercise of free-will ? I aisvrer, t« submrt to be saved by free grace, and use it in obeying God, But would not this be doing something ? Most certainly it would ; but it is doing what God has commanded, and leaving undone what he has forbidden." " This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." Here believing is spoken of as work of the heart, On this ground, would not the believer claiw some merit to free-will? Oh! yes, to be sure, he will have the merit ef opening his eye to see the light, and his ear to hear the most delicious music ! The poor prodigal will have the great merit of returning in rags to his father'j house, and of eating of the fatted calf to satiate his hunger ! There is great merit in a man using his feet to run from danger, or a patient opening bis lips to receive a potion prescribed by the great Physician to save him from death ' This talk about the merit of free-will, in submitting to be saved by free grfc -c is a mere cloud of words, raised to obscure a fact and support an imagination. Passing on from this digression, we return to the main point. Every man must be capable of receiving or rejecting free grace, or else no man would be saved by faith or damned by unbelief. '• It is of faith," saitb the Apostle, " that it might be by grace.'' The one is suited to the other. It is evident from this, that grace is not physical power, else it could act as well without faith as with it. The physical power of God cannot be resisted ; grace may. Is there physical power in perceptions, ideas, reasonings, know- ledge, holy desires, advice, entreaty, invitations, and warnincs? These are the cords of grace, not of physical power. These constitute the moral pover of the Gospel and of the Spirit, and, hence, may be resisted. A few Serif • tures will settle the point. '* My spirit," saith God, *' shall not always strive with man." Various terms are used to express this resistance. Thus we read of those who despised the "' Lord' himself, his '' judgments," his *' sta- tutes," his " word," his " law," his " goodness," and finally, his only-begot- ten son — " He is despised and rejected of men." And hence the Apostle calls out, " Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish." The same prin- ciple is exhibited as rebellion. Thus Moses tells us that Israel rebelled " against the Lord ;" David says, " they rebelled aeaiast his words, &ni con- temned the counsel of the Most High ;" while Isaiah testifies, '• they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy." Reject and refuse are terms used in the Divine word to indicate the same principle. Thus, " ye have this day rejected your God who saved you," says Samuel. " They have rejected the word of the Lord " saith Jeremiah. The Pharisees " rejected the counsel of God against themselves." " He that rejecteth me," says Christ, »* receiveth not ray words." God saith by Jeremiah, " they refuse to know me ;" refused " instruction," saith Solo- mon* '' The Apostle gives the solemn warning, " see that ye refuse not Him that speaketh." Another word is used in the strongest sense by dying Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost. " Ye stitf-necked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears, as your fathers did so do ye, ye always resist the Holy Gho3t." Here is the direct testiinorty of the Holy Spirit himself, showing that grace in varied forms may be unyielded to, despised, rejected, rebelled against, refused and resisted. It is nothing strange, then, that the Apostle should command, '< Quench not the Spirit, grieve Kot the Holy Spirit of God,'* and beseech bis hearers to " receive not the grace of God in vain,' o >^ m fit • Vii ] V which he declares In relation to himself, '" I do n6t frustrate the grace of God ;" and that he " was not disobedierit to the 'heavenly vision." Four things are now demonstrated :—l. That absolute election is false, and conditional election is true. 2. That a limited atoneYnent is false am'. uhscriptural, and that universal atonement is true. 3. That boupd-will j? no will, and that man is a free agent. 4. That grace is not physical power, and therefore, is not irresistible. Where, now, are the several arches of Mr. Spurgeon's imaginary bridge ? Four are gone, and one only seems to remain — the final perseverance of the saints. I do not intend to d^vell much on this, for a reason shortly to be noticed. I would just uiance at his state- ment in reference to the children of God. He ridicules the Arminian notion of a man falling away ; and illu.9trates his doctrine by the prodigal son, beg- ging his father to do what lie had done from all eternity, according to his doctrine ; and, also, the cuse of a returned convict. Now, there are three ways of being a son or oi:ild of God. 1. By creation. Satan, Cain, Judas and all the reprobates can never dissolve that relations 'lip ; for He was the Creator of all. 2 liy the absolute decree. I'he elect were God's children from eternity ; and, if that hs true, not one of the definite nuniber can dis- solve that relationship. Hence, the elect n:- ^ sin as they like ; they can never fiill finally. i heir sins past, present and to come, were all cancelled before they were committed ! 3. Believers are only the children of God by adoption and faith. The first is a natural relation, the second an arbitrary one, and the third a gracious and moral one. Satan, Cain, .ludas, all the wicked, and, of course, the returned convict, belongs to the first, nobody to . the second, and all who believe, such as the prodi- al, to the third The first relationship cannot be dissolved by hatred, malice, wickedness, murder, betrayal of friendship, rash judgment, evil speaking low, mean and hellish passions; and, according to Lir. Spurgeon's " beau'iful doctrine," to use his oVen derisive phrase, neither can the third. Thus he confounds moral and {ihysiCal relation, the characterof the elect and reprobate, and repre- sents the God of iioliness as entertaining no higher notions of moral bonds and obligations than a washerwoman *Whose son wns transported. And this is called fine and, great preaching ! L6t him compare the high notions of Lynch, a fdrmer Mayor of Galway, in relation to justice and moral obliga- tion, with his o'wn, illustrated by the story of the convict's mother. The son of that man committed murder ; it Was proved against him 5 and, being S^ntencied to death, the father wae sowell-beloved, that no executioner could be found, ^rtd he hung him with his own binds. In «his case the natural f^lationship was not dissolved ; the moral ivas. 'TS'the blind impulse of Cal- vin's decree made without foresight of the moral tjualities of faith, love, and the Various graces of the Spirit to baffle and sfet these aside and save a man after he has lost themi It is evideht to every one acquainted with the I)ivine Word, driipensatidns, and ./ays, that relatior of amoral nature may be lost. Sdtan lost it, Adam lost it by hiis fall, an^l, in fact, all who die in lihbfelief lose it by wsjecting pu're based '^race. Many instano«S'are 'recorded , in Scripture of believers loiing it and Tiot regainingit again. On thiis fioint, ' hbWfeVeri I will hot at present dtrell. This'Wtfrk is already done in a pam- jJhl6tpubHsh