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THE

CALVINISTIC MAGAZINE.

"Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

No. 9.

SEPTEMBER, 1828. VOL. II.

THE PREACHER WITHOUT A MESSAGE.

As I was travelling alone on horseback, meditating on that assertion of the Redeemer's, "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil," I came to the following conclusions:

Our blessed Lord did not mean by "the light" that "is come into the world," the light of science, or the improvement in the arts; for men do not prefer darkness to light in these matters. Shew the farmer a more profitable mode of agriculture, and he will readily adopt it-teach the seafaring man a safer and better method of navigating the ocean, and he will be willing to profit by your teaching. God has never given us to understand that the carnal mind is enmity to any thing but God and the things of God. But there the enmity is total. If it is not, the Saviour and his apostles have (at least) neglected to mention the exceptions. There is no one doctrine of the Bible that is not light. If men by nature loved any one of these doctrines, it would follow that in that instance, they preferred light to darkness. If wicked men loved light only to some small extent, there would be in that diminutive love, the seeds of immortality. And then the only difference between the regenerated or religious, and the natural man, would be, that the former had a more extensive love. The difference would be, that one had only a mustard seed preference for light, whilst the other had made greater progress in that love to God;-love to God-for we cannot love God without loving his truths, and we cannot really feel a love to his truths, without loving him more or less.

Now if the Saviour "knew what was in man,” and if he has dedared that those who are far from God, whose deeds are evil, love darkness rather than light, then it must follow that this class of men will not readily receive a truthful view of the gospel, but will more. willingly accept of error. ngly accept

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If a true doctrine were as easily understood, and as gladly en braced by them, as a false one, then it could not be true, that they prefer darkness to light.

By keeping in view these Scriptures, and making faithful observations on the reception which various doctrines meet with in the world, from those whose deeds are evil, we may secure some very profitable reflections.

First:-Let us suppose a Unitarian starting out into the world to deliver his message to a sinful generation.

He hears of a blaspheming infidel who forbids his family to go to church, and to him he preaches at his own fire side.

Unitarian. Sir, I have come to deliver to you the gospel mes sage, and to preach to you what I esteem to be the only correct view of the christian system.

Deist. Very well-proceed.

Unitarian. First, the doctrine of the Trinity is a perversion al the Scripture-unintelligible, and totally absurd.

Deist. It is ridiculous, and worse than ridiculous.

Unitarian. But I inform you further-the doctrine of total depravity is a libel on human nature; and the doctrine of atonement, as taught by Calvinists, is altogether dishonoring to the character ef God.

Deist. I know it; I always said so.

Unitarian. But I am not through. The doctrines of regenera tion, justification, &c. as we commonly hear them preached, are Taost irrational-the charitable societies (as they are called) of the day, are the offspring of priestcraft-creeds and confessions of faith should be held in utter abomination.

Deist. My sentiments, most cordially. It is astonishing that silly men cannot see these things.

REFLECTION. Surely the Unitarian need not deliver his message to the Deist. He believes it all before it is told him. If Unitarian ism is light, infidelity has always been exceedingly fond of that light. Next let us see a Universalist setting out to preach his favorite

tenet.

He hears of a nest of infidels-pays them a visit, and finds them deeply engaged at cards, and some of them partly intoxicated. He begins: My fellow men, I have the news of heaven to declare in your ears. The kind Maker of all things is too merciful to damn a soul forever, for the weaknesses and failings committed mercly ia this short life of imperfection.".

First Infidel. I hope I have more exalted ideas of my

Maker

than to suppose he would sentence any one to eternal punishment. Second Infidel. Noné but fanatics ever taught so.

Third Infidel. I myself could not be so cruel-and God is more merciful than I am.

REFLECTION. If the favorite and peculiar versalist is light, who will oppose that light?

doctrine of the UniThose whose deeds

are most evil? They would be the first to snatch at it. The light of the Universalist is darkness.

And now I fancy I see a young Arminian minister, starting out to bear that message to a dying world, which the Saviour has plainly given us to understand will cause the bearer to be hated of all men for his sake. The youthful preacher has tasted the sweets of religion, and zealous for his master, he burns to be instrumental in communicating the blessing to others. He determines that fatigue, opposition, or persecution, shall never deter him from following the footsteps of his Master, whose message and whose doctrines incensed the multitude so highly. He goes to the infidels, and to the teachers of error we have mentioned-to the notoriously abandoned, and to the professed haters of God. He preaches to them the Saviour's anderived divinity-his vicarious sufferings, and his awful determination, "that except they repent, they must perish," and perish forever. One calls his message mysticism-another calls him a fanatic-another sneers-another contradicts and blasphemes."Well," says he, "I looked for as much. It has always been the fate of true prophets and evangelists. Men love darkness. The carnal mind is the same it always was: If the world did not haté me, I would be of the world. God's will can never fit the will of the ungodly. Otherwise, where would be the necessity for reconciliation? Things that already harmonize, need not be exhorted to agree."

But just suppose him (like hundreds who now preach) to say within himself, "Calvinism is the most horrible of doctrines. It should be hunted out of the world. It is my duty to preach against it. I will go now and bend all my powers for a time, solely to arrest the mighty evils that must result from such awful tenets." And that very moment he stands a preacher without a message to a single son. or daughter of Adam's family. All who now follow him with only a moderate portion of candour, will be able to see this strange sight. He goes to the Atheist-to the Deist-and to the Unitarian-exclaiming against the absurdity, and the injustice of the doctrines of Calvinism. But to his utter surprise, he finds them as hearty in the cause as himself.

He goes to the Universalist-and to the Swedenborgian-and to the Shaking Quaker-explaining to them man's self-determining power, and deprecating in his zeal the views of Presbyterians on these subjects. But he discovers them swakowing every sentiment he utters with something like a portentous avidity. "Surely," thinks he, "I might have spared myself my last few days of toil. These people are all straight on this subject already. How my discourse delighted them! But I need not seek out any more mea out of any of these various classes of infidels, for they are already perfectly rational. I must find some one who needs conversion ou this point."

He next inquires for the notoriously wicked-hears of one whose. outbreakings have rendered him famous throughout the neighborhood. Arriving at his house, he finds him whipping his wife-his eye yellow with rage-his face carbuncled with brandy-and his tongue stumbling in the multiplicity of his blasphemies-and when he gets him calin enough to hear, and tells him of that portion of grace which all may foster, until it grows large enough to be called regeneration-tells him of the unreasonableness of Calvinism-and concludes by exhorting him not to believe election. He is answered, "I never did believe it. I have more exalted views of my Creator, than to believe he would create any one to damn him. I should think it insulting to God to accuse him of partiality.".

REFLECTION. Strange that this man should have such respect for his Creator all at once, when he quits swearing, and begins to talk of election.

Now to shorten this view:-There is not, on the face of the earth, and there never has been, an infidel, or a hater of Jesus Christ, or one who is daringly wicked, who will not say amen to the message against Calvinism, as fast as it can be delivered. (Of those few who hate God, and who say they believe in election, we will speak at the conclusion of this dissertation.) Of course our young minister must seek elsewhere for hearers, if he wishes to change the belief of any one for the better. He cannot do so by telling them that which they already heartily receive.

Suppose he goes to his own society, to prevent the members from believing Calvinism, and being injured by it. His message is useless. They do not believe election. Not one of them but thinks on these points already as he does himself.

The only class of men left, is that of Calvinistic Christians. If they do not need his sermons, then our position is shewn to be true-"That whilst he goes forth principally to preach whatever is

the opposite of Calvinism, he has no message for the sons of men.'

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He approaches then a Presbyterian, and tells him-"I have been preaching against election to unconverted men-but they did not like it, even before I opposed it. I found it useless to labor with Universalists, Deists and Unitarians, on this point, for not one of them but hates it more than I do. But my object is to do good.You believe the Calvinistic doctrines, and I wish to warn you against their evil tendency."

Presbyterian. Were it not for this evil tendency, (as you express yourself) you would not preach to me on this subject?"

Arminian. Certainly not. If these doctrines would do you ne injury, I should have no message to you against them.

Presbyterian. Then will you name their evil tendency? Arminian. I fear they produce a false security, causing men to fold their arms, and say, ‘if I am to be saved, I will be saved,' &c. Presbyterian. If these are your fears, your message is not to me, nor is it to those who believe as I do. Your theory is, that this belief will have this tendency. But ask your own observation, what are facts on this subject? Are any preachers more urgent in exhorting sinners to fly to Christ, than the Calvinistic divines? Do Presbyterians say, "if things will be, they will be," and remain inactive? or do they exert themselves to send Bibles through the earth-to send preachers to form societies-to scatter tracts, &c. &c.? In short, may they not compare, in every kind of christian activity, with any who disbelieve their doctrines. You fear Calvinism tends to encourage a fatal slumber, leading to apostacy. Do those who credit the doctrine of the final perseverance, fold their arms? Are cases of apostacy more frequent among them, than amongst those who speak of falling from grace?"

Thus observation shews, that the injurious tendencies feared by those who oppose this system, are not verified in the cases of those who believe it;-for in words, they disclaim all encouragement to sinfulness, or sluggishness; and in their actions, they prove the truth of their words for we see them as diligent and as watchful as those who deprecate their faith. And at this moment, although they do believe the decree of the Lord to fill the earth with his glory, is as unshaken as the pillars of heaven, they are as active, as benevolent, as liberal, and as industrious, as those are who fear the tendencies of Calvinism? And should a direct comparison of effort be made, it might appear that Calvinists are doing ten times more than all the world beside.

But if Calvinists do not need the message of Arminianism, infi

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