as were not thus ordained must necessarily do the same; and so there could be no sufficient reason why he should turn to the Gentiles on that account. Once more, 'If as many as (in that assembly,) were ordained to eternal life, believed, under that sermon of Paul, (where almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God,) it follows, that all who believed not then were eternally shut up in unbelief; and that all the elect, believed at once-that they who do not believe at one time, shall not believe at another; and that when Paul returned to Antioch, few souls, if any, could be converted by his ministry; God having, at once, taken as many as were ordained to eternal life, and left all the rest to Satan.'-Fletcher.

"We are, therefore, obliged to look out for another sense of the word Terayμevol, and that is easily found. It is a passive participle of the verb Taoow, which, although it has vari. ous significations, is never used to express eternal predestination of any kind. It is rendered ordained here, and Rom. xiii, 1, (where the margin certainly more properly renders it ordered ;) elsewhere, as chap. xv, 2, to determine ; 1 Cor. xvi. 15, to addict one's self; and frequently to dis pose, place, or appoint. In the Greek Classics, in its passive form, it is generally used of men, who, having been appointed for some military expedition, (and set in their proper offices, as it is rendered, Luke, vii, 8,) were drawn up in battle array, for that purpose. So that it expresses, or refers, at once, to the action of their commander, marshalling them, and to their own presenting themselves in their proper places, to be led on to the intended expedition. So Dr. Dodridge, who adds, 'This I take to be precisely its sense here, and have therefore chosen the word determine, as having an ambiguity something like that in the original.— The meaning of the sacred penman seems to be, that all

who were deeply and seriously concerned about their eternal happiness, (whether that concern began now, or were of longer date,) openly embraced the gospel; for surely none could be said to believe, who did not make an open profession of Christianity.'

In a similar sense, the clause is understood by Dr. Hammond, who renders it, 'As many as were disposed for eternal life, believed';—and by Dr. Heylin, whose translation and gloss upon it is, 'As many as were in a fit disposition for eternal life, believed.' Dr. Waterland, also, and many of the most learned expositors interpret it in the same manner, viz :—as describing those who were, at this time, in a disposition to comply with the terms on which God, by his Apostle, now offered them eternal life; that is, to repent, believe and obey the gospel. In other words, 'As many as were brought to a resolution of courageously facing all op position in the way to it, believed; and openly embraced the christian religion, as the best means to prepare them for an endless life of the greatest virtue and purity, as well as of the greatest glory and most perfect happiness.' The Syriac, likewise, one of the most ancient versions of the New Testament, has rendered the passage in the same sense, which is of great moment, as that translation was made before the meaning of this place was disputed by the different sects and parties of Christians. The sum is :-All those, and only those, now believed, who yielded to, instead of resisting, the convictions produced in their minds by the preaching of the truth, and the influence of the grace of God, which truth was preached with equal clearness to others, and which grace, in a similar way, visited and strove with others; for God had not reprobated the rest. It was his will that they, also, should have been saved, but by yielding to inclinations, affections, and passions, which they themselves knew to be

sinful, and to which they were under no necessity of yielding, they rejected the counsel of God against themselves, and thrust salvation from them. For they who then repented and believed, were not constrained so to do, but grace and mercy were then freely and copiously offered to them, and pressed upon them, and they did not put it away, but yielded to its influence, so that a great multitude, even of such as, it seems, had been idolatrous Gentiles, were converted."

The passages which Mr. H. has cited from the first chap. ter of Ephesians, it is believed are so far from proving an individual and unconditional election, that they prove the reverse; for this is doubtless the object of the Apostle, to inform them (the Gentiles,) that God had predestinated them as well as the Jews, to the blessings of the promises made unto the fathers. The fact seems to be this;-the Gentiles had ever been considered as outcasts and reprobates from the blessings of the Mesiah's kingdom; and when they and the Jews saw that God put no difference between them, but poured out upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, as he had on the Jews at the beginning, they were astonished and said, "then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life"! Now the object of the Apostle seems, evidently to be, to inform them that surprising as this might appear to them, or to the Gentiles themselves, it was no new thing with God; for he had purposed in himself even before the foundation of the world, to adopt the Gentiles into his family on the same conditions as he would the Jews, viz ;— repentance towards God, and faith in Jesus Christ; and for the same purposes, viz;—that they "should be holy, and without blame before him in love." ver. 4.

This explanation perfectly harmonises with the general tenor of the word of God, while the opposite only introdu

ces darkness and confusion into the whole system of theofo. gy. Moreover, if we consult the 13th verse of the same chapter, we shall find that these blessings were not sure even to those subjects of predestination until they believed; for, says the Apostle, "In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." Again, if we look at 2 Thess. ii. 13, we shall also find that faith is a condition of these blessings;-we are there told, that we are chosen through sanctification of the Spirit, and BELIEF of the truth," &c. Now as no man could either believe the truth, or be sanctified, before he has an existence, so no man could be absolutely elected to salvation, until he has an existence, and an opportunity to believe and be sanctified.

As the other passages cited, no more prove an unconditional election than the above, it will not be necessary to enter into a particular explanation of them here. This is the more unnecessary as we have had occasion in the course of this examination, to explain some of them.

The next objection in the way of the Calvinistic scheme of election, is contained in the following question of Mr. H. "Is not the purpose of God in election arbitrary ?" p. 158.

In answer to this question he observes, that "if by the term arbitrary we mean, as it is often understood, tyrannical, oppressive, or without reason, nothing can be more erroneous or unjust." We are well aware that these dispositions cannot with propriety be attributed to the Deity, from a just view of the Scripture doctrine of election; but it is a question whether the views of our opponents on this subject, do not render it impossible to draw any other conclusion. We are aware also that they deny these conclusions; but they must first reconcile their views of election with reason and Revelation, before they can reasonably expect that their denial of these consequences will be taken as proof.

The

question then is, whether the doctrines of unconditional election and reprobation do not represent the Almighty as "tyrannical, oppressive, and without reason." The election of a part of mankind unconditionally, certainly represents the Deity as using partiality, and of course, as being a respecter of persons; for the advocates of that system assert, that the election of some to life, and the reprobation of all the rest to eternal death, was not on account of "any moral distinction in them." Now it is certainly unreasona

ble to suppose that a God of infinite goodness, whose very nature is love, should thus act the part of a tyrant with his creatures. And it would certainly be oppressive to that part of mankind who are not elected, for they are not reprobated on account of their sins; for their reprobation (according to Calvinism) took place not only before the reprobates had committed one sin, but even before the foundation of the world! But if they were reprobated on account of their sins foreseen by God, then their reprobation was conditional; and of course was not the effect of an eternal and unalterable decree. I conclude therefore, that the doctrines of election and reprobation as held by the Calvinists, do represent the God of love whose tender mercies are over all his works, as

tyrannical, oppressive, and without reason. But I am happy in the consideration that we have not so learned of Christ, and that a more consistent system of divinity is taught in the word of God, and by a large majority of the Christian world.-A system which at once justifies the ways of God with man, and opens up the way for a wretched and rebel world to the throne of their offended Lord.

But Mr. H. will admit the term arbitrary provided nothing more is meant by it than "that the great Jehovah acts according to his own pleasure, or from motives entirely within himself." As to the term arbitrary, we do not con