CONTENTS. BOOK I. THE NEGATIVE TESTIMONY OF HISTORY IN REGARD TO THE TRUE SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE OF ELECTION AND PREDESTINATION. CHAPTER I. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. Since SOME doctrine of Election is undeniably taught in Scripture, the question is WHAT doctrine ought to be received as the true Scriptural doctrine. p. 19. I. Three Schemes of exposition have been variously propounded. p. 19.-1. The Ideality and Causation of Election, according to Arminianism. p. 19.-2. The Ideality and Causation of Election, according to Nationalism. p. 20.-3. The Ideality and Causation of Election, according to Calvinism. p. 20. II. In the case of each Scheme alike, the whole question is really a question of Interpretation. p. 20. III. The proof of correctness of interpretation must be sought historically in the yet existing documents of primitive Christian Antiquity. p. 22. IV. Such a mode of investigation is professedly favoured and recommended by the Church of England. p. 25. CHAPTER II. ARMINIANISM. The Ideality and Causation of Election, according to the System of Arminianism. p. 28. I. Respecting Predestination and Grace, the sentiments of the Re monstrants, anterior to the Synod of Dort, were summed up in five Articles. p. 28. II. Arminianism, to a wide extent, has been received with approbation. p. 29.-1. If Arminianism really exhibit the mind of Scripture in regard to the doctrine of Election, we may expect to find it universally taught and maintained by the Primitive Church. p. 30.-2. As a System, no such Scheme can be found in the documents of Christian Antiquity. p. 31.-(1.) Its theory of Causation may be traced as high as Clement of Alexandria toward the close of the second century: but, before his time, no vestiges of it can be detected. p. 31.-(2.) Its theory of Ideality never appears in the expositions of the early ecclesiastical writers. p. 31. III. Historical Testimony, therefore, prohibits the adoption of Arminianism. p. 32. CHAPTER III. NATIONALISM. The Ideality and Causation of Election, according to the System of I. The principles of Nationalism, as developed by Mr. Locke. p. 33. IV. Since, therefore, the passages afford, in reality, no evidence to CHAPTER IV. CALVINISM. The Ideality and Causation of Election, according to the System of Calvinism. p. 40. I. The order of the five Articles, under the form of which, at the Synod of Dort, the Calvinistic System was exhibited. p. 40.— 1. According to God's decree of Predestination, some are elected to a certainty of eternal happiness, and others are either repro- bated or pretermitted to a certainty of eternal misery. p. 40.- 2. The Redemption of man is confined to the Elect. p. 41.- 3. Original Sin is conveyed through the propagation of a vicious nature. p. 42.-4. The Elect, in God's due time, obediently re- ceive an Effectual Calling. p. 42.-5. Thus being effectually called, the Elect are privileged by the grace of Final Perseve- II. The five Points of doctrine propounded by the five Articles. p. 43.-1. Predestination, branching out into Election and Reproba- tion. p. 43.-2. Particular Redemption. p. 44.-3. Original Sin. p. 44.-4. Effectual Calling. p. 44.-5. Final Perseverance. p. 44. III. Further modification of Calvinism. p. 44.-1. Supralapsarian- ism. p. 44.-2. Sublapsarianism. p. 44. II. The doctrine of Supralapsarianism was maintained by Calvin. CHAPTER V. SEMICALVINISM. In the mitigated Scheme of Semicalvinism, Reprobation is either studi- ously kept out of sight or is disguised under the name of Preterition: and the second Point, which propounds the Particular Redemption of the Elect only, is denied. p. 48. I. What this Scheme gains in moderation, it loses in concinnity. p. 51.-1. When the rotundity of genuine Calvinism is invaded, the reign of doctrinal chaos commences. p. 51.-2. Reprobation is the strict and necessary correlative to Election. p. 51.-3. To say, with the Semicalvinists, that All men may be saved if they please, and that There wants the will only in those who are not saved, is mere trifling. p. 52.-3. To say, that All are redeemed, but that A certain number only of the Redeemed are elected to eter- nal life, is inconsistent. p. 54.-5. Baxterianism is an attempt, sorely against the will of the parties, to wed Calvinism to dis- II. Remarks on the Scheme of Semicalvinism, as propounded by Mr. Milner. p. 56.-1. His vindication of his doctrine by the Tt 2. His vindication of his doctrine by an asserted appeal to Scripture. p. 57.-3. His recommendation, that those, who cannot receive the Scheme of Semicalvinism, should pray that God would teach them what at present they see not. p. 58.--(1.) This recommendation unhappily confounds the moral illumination of the Holy Ghost with his intellectual illumination. p. 59.—(2.) Practical inconvenience of the plan recommended, exhibited in cases which have actually occurred. p. 61.—(3.) Conclusion. p. 65. CHAPTER VI. INDUCTION AND EVIDENCE. Calvinism cannot be reasonably received without an inquiry, upon what foundation that Scheme has been erected. p. 66. I. Calvinism is strictly a System of Induction. p. 66.-1. According to the plan of inductive reasoning adopted by Calvinists, a certain definite number of individuals is, by the sovereign will of God, elected, through the medium of holiness here, to eternal glory hereafter. p. 67.-2. Such being the case, those who are not elected to life, must be reprobated or pretermitted to death. p. 67. —3. Therefore, as God never intentionally acts in vain, Redemption can only be the Particular Redemption of the Elect. p. 67.-4. But, as all mankind are born in sin, the Elect, in order to their predestined salvation, must be, not only particularly redeemed, but also effectually called. p. 68.-5. Finally, since the Elect are chosen to a certainty of eternal life, such an Election plainly involves and requires the Perseverance of the Elect to the very end of their lives. p. 68. II. The whole of this train of reasoning, and consequently the whole Calvinistic System, depends upon the scriptural accuracy of a proposed definition of the term Election. p. 68.-1. Unless some better reason, for adopting the calvinistic definition of the term Election, can be given, than the mere opinion of a private individual, the whole will simply amount to this: The calvinistic doctrine of Election MUST be true, because an individual THINKS that it is true. p. 70.-2. To allege the mere phraseology of Scripture, as any evidence, is nothing better than a gross petitio principii. p. 70.-3. What we require, and what we have a right to require, is some tangible PROOF that Calvin's interpretation of the word Election is, in point both of Ideality and Causation, its true interpretation. p. 72.-4. The same demand may, of course, be justly made upon every individual Calvinist of the present day. p. 73. CHAPTER VII. AUGUSTINE. If Calvinism be the mind of Scripture, it must have been well and familiarly known and received by the Catholic Church from the very beginning. p. 74. I. In regard to his advocacy of the Scheme now denominated Calvinism, we cannot justly charge the Genevan Reformer with inventive innovation. p. 75. II. The Scheme may be retrogressively traced, in well nigh unbroken succession, from Calvin in the sixteenth century, up to Augustine in the fifth century. p. 75.-1. Augustine, like Calvin, fully maintained the five Points. p. 75.—(1.) God's Sovereignty and Man's Original Sin. p. 75.—(2.) Absolute Predestination. p. 77.-(3.) Particular Redemption. p. 79.-(4.) Effectual Calling. p. 79.—(5.) Final Perseverance. p. 80.-2. In one particular only, that of Regeneration, there is an apparent difference between Augustine and Calvin. p. 80.-3. There is no evidence to determine, whether Augustine was a Supralapsarian or a Sublapsarian. p. 85. CHAPTER VIII. THE HISTORICAL VINDICATION OF HIS SYSTEM, PREFERRED BY AUGUSTINE, AND REPEATED BY CALVIN. Though Calvinism may be traced up to Augustine in the fifth century, the question will still remain: Whether Augustine himself was a daring innovator; or whether he propounded nothing else, than what had been the universally familiar doctrine of the Church from the very beginning. p. 89. I. Augustine's vindication of his System, on the score: that He set forth no new Scheme of doctrine; but that He faithfully delivered to posterity, what had been actually received from antiquity. p. 89. -1. Augustine's controversy with Pelagius and the Pelagians. p. 90.-2. The allegation made against him by the Christians of Marseilles that, In superfluously maintaining his own peculiar views of Election and Reprobation, he was advancing an entirely |