Dort, the doctrine of absolute decrees lost ground from day to day; and its patrons were put to the hard necessity of holding fraternal communion with those whose doctrine was either professedly Arminian, or at least nearly resembled it." *

See Mosheim's Eccles. Hist. and Neale's History of the Puritans. Maimbourg's Histoire du Calvinisme, "is remarkable for nothing," says Mosheim, "but the partiality of its author, and the wilful errors with which it abounds." A work bearing the same title, and which is chiefly a criticism on this last, was written in 2 vols., by the famous P. Bayle.

Neale's work also should be read with great caution, but not as adopting the faults of Maimbourg, for Mr. Neale's partiality and errors lean to the other side.

DISTINGUISHING DOCTRINES.The leading tenets of Calvinism have been reduced to these five-Particular Election,-Particular Redemption,-Moral inability in a fallen state,-Irresistible Grace, and the Final Perseverance of the Saints. These are termed, by theologians, the five points; and ever since the Synod of Dort, when they were the subjects of discussion between the Calvinists and Arminians, frequent have been the controversies agitated respecting them. Even the Calvinists themselves differ in the explication of them; it cannot therefore be expected that a very specific account of them should be given here. Generally

* Mosheim's Eccles. Hist. Vol. IV. p. 412, and V. pp. 336, 8.

speaking, however, they comprehend the following propositions

1st, That God has chosen a certain number in Christ to everlasting glory, before the foundation of the world, according to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love, without the least foresight of faith, good works, or any conditions performed by the creatures, and that the rest of mankind he was pleased to pass by, and ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sins, to the praise of his vindictive justice.*

2dly, That Jesus Christ, by his death and sufferings, made an atonement only for the sins of the Elect.t

3dly, That mankind are totally depraved in consequence of the fall; and, by virtue of Adam's

* The Calvinistical doctrine of Predestination, or of the Divine Decrees, may be seen unfolded in the 3d Chap. of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The controversy which has had this doctrine for its object, has exhibited in some of those who have engaged in it, an insatiable desire of sounding the deepest mysteries, and of being wise above what is written. Hence, the most subtle researches concerning the nature of the divine attributes, particularly those of justice and goodness; the doctrine of fate or necessity; the origin of evil; the connexion between human liberty and divine prescience, &c. &c.

†They believe in the all-sufficiency of our Lord's redemption for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual, but they deny its universality of intention or operation. See Calvin on St. John, iii. 15, and Acta Synodi Dordrechtana, Ses. 136, p. 250.

being their public head, the guilt of his sin was imputed, and a corrupt nature conveyed to all his posterity, from which proceed all actual transgression; and that by sin we are made subject to death, and all miseries, temporal, spiritual, and eternal.

4thly, That all whom God has predestinated to life, he is pleased, in his appointed time, effectually to call by his word and spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.

And 5thly, That those whom God has effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of * grace.

The most prominent feature of this system is, the election of some, and the passing by or reprobationt of others.-"The Calvinists consider the decree of election, by which God chose out of the whole body of mankind' certain persons, who are called the Elect, to whom in due season are effectually applied the means of their being delivered from corruption, as absolute, or arising entirely from the good pleasure of God. They consider the decree of reprobation including two acts, Preterition and Condemnation, as also absolute."

* For some of the texts of Scripture alleged in proof of these five heads of doctrine, and the decisions at Dort in regard to them, see Mr. Fuller's edit. of Hannah Adams's View of Religions, Art. Calvinists.

† Quos Deus præterit, reprobat.-Calvin.

Dr. Hill's Theol. Institutes, p. 95.

A distinguished Calvinist, who refers on this head to Fr.

On the 2d of the above points, holding that the destination of the death of Christ respected only such as shall finally be saved by him, they argue from such passages as John x. 11. xv. 12. 13. 14.; Ephes. v. 25. And they rest in this destination to save those only who shall be saved, as more worthy of the sovereignty of God, and as taught by our Lord.* John, vi. 37, 38, 39.

For a full statement of their sentiments on the 3d point, see President Edwards "On Original

Turretini Theol. Loc. 4. Qu. 14. Sect. 89, remarks here, in illustration of Dr. Hill, that, "as far as I understand the doctrine, while they hold that God acts sovereignly in preterition, or, in other words, that he does not pass by the rest of mankind as being in themselves more unworthy than the objects of his choice; they at the same time teach, that the decree of precondemnation, as its end proposes the glory of divine justice, must be viewed as proceeding on the ground of their being transgressors of the law, and therefore amenable to justice. That is, he does not in his eternal purpose condemn them simply as his creatures, but as rebels against his authority, both in Adam and in their own persons, whether as sinning against the law of nature, or against the light of revelation. In preterition he sustains the character of the Supreme Sovereign; in precondemnation, of a righteous judge."

* Dr. Hill, p. 90.

Dr. Mosheim remarks, that the early fathers "never presumed, before Augustine, to set limits to the extent of the divine grace and mercy."-Eccles. Hist. Vol. V. p. 370. Mr. Milner also, in Vol. II. p. 506 of his Hist. of the Church of Christ, says, "The notion of particular redemption was unknown to the ancients; and I wish it had remained equally unknown to the moderns."

That such a notion has not remained unknown to us, is

Sin." With regard to the 4th, they "consider the grace connected with salvation, as confined to those whom God hath chosen;-as a supernatural influence exerted by the Creator upon the faculties of the human mind, which, deriving its efficacy from the power of God fulfilling his purpose, never can fail of its effect; and which produces, in a manner that they do not pretend to explain, (John, iii. 8.) but ordinarily with the use of means, and always in a consistency with the reasonable nature of man, that change which is the work of the Spirit." And on the fifth point they hold, that "this grace does not preserve any man in this state from every kind of sin; but that those to whom it is given, cannot fall from it either finally or totally." And, accord

perhaps ma'ter of regret; and that it should be not only known to the moderns, but warmly maintained by many eminent and pious men among them, would be to the AnteAugustinian fathers, were they to know it, doubtless matter of surprise. For there are several sects of Christians, I suspect, that cannot produce, in proof of the grand and leading dogmas of their respective systems, so many or so express texts of Scripture as those on which rests the doctrine of Universal Redemption, or that Christ died for all.Ex uno disce omnes. St. Paul, writing to Timothy, says, that God our Saviour "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For," adds the apostle, "there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all."-1 Tim. ii. 4. 5. 6.

See the Doctrine of Universal Redemption asserted and explained, in four very able Sermons on 1 Tim. iv. 10. by the famous Dr. Barrow.