to the church at large, although a subject of just lamentation on account of the unhappy individuals, who were thus cut off unexpectedly in the exercise of fraud and dissimulation— We hear of Simon Magus being punished with blindness by the same apostle, for a crime not dissimilar to those of Annanias and Sapphira-but in order that the doctors of the Romish church, or their supreme prelate-prove to the satisfaction of others, that they are the successors of St. Peter-let them first shew forth the virtues of his character-and next his power and authority-but if they have neither to produce-how can impartial persons with the Bible before them, do any thing more than pity and pray for them-while they perceive so little of St. Peter's power remaining as that the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, with divers. sinful lusts of the flesh, are leading priests and people for the most part captive, in defiance of the seven sacraments, and all the other numerous institutions with which their church abounds To say more upon this subject is useless, for the error I encounter appears to me so obvious, as nearly to refute itself I shall therefore proceed to wind up this piece with conclusive observations on the doctrine of reprobation. CONCLUSIVE OBSERVATIONS ON THE DOCTRINE OF REPRO BATION -DIVERSITY OF GIFTS AND STATIONS, CON SISTENT WITH UNIVERSAL LOVE. The horrible doctrine of eternal reprobation by a decree, seems so contrary to our ideas of justice and mercy, those essential attributes of the Deity; that it could hardly be expected to have proceeded from being in a state of probation; for I shall not insult the regions of purity by supposing that it was ever forged therein fact it seems the proper and consistent production only of devils-The Calvinists I believe in their defence of this doctrine assert; that it would be no injustice in the Almighty to manifest his mercy to a part of mankind, and leave the rest to the fruit of their own doingsGod being the fountain of happiness; the privation of his presence by a decree, without any regard to the creatures abuse or improvement of his gifts, would really be such conduct, as men would condemn in one another and cannot be attributed to a pure and holy Being, without blasphemy---for who will say---that He who requires us to use the several measures of power committed to us," with justice and mercy, who are infirm creatures; would himself a being of perfect justice and mercy, act a contrary part. We can reconcile it to our ideas of these attributes, that the Almighty should appoint to some higher, and to some lower mansions in his eternal kingdom, John xiv. 2. even as in his church and in the world, there are diversities of gifts and stations, to which although greater and lesser degrees of honor are attached, yet no inherent happiness-this must result from something beside the station itself, as may be inferred from the misery of some potentates, and the happiness of some peasants; and which has been well described by the celebrated poet, in the following lines of his Essay on Man. "Order is heav'n's first law, this once confest, The temporal happiness therefore of the king, consisteth not in the exalted station he is deputed to fill; but in the suitableness of this station to his mind, and in feeling himseif possessed of the requisite qualifications to fill it; and precisely the same may be said of the peasant-health of body, contentment of mind, and the plainest necessaries of life, constitute his happinesspossessing these, he has not an anxious thought-he does not sigh after royalty on the contrary, if put in possession of it, he would soon lose his happiness, because destitute of those princely qualifications, which are requisite to fill it with honor; and yet who will say, that he is less happy than the other. The whole of these circumstances throw light upon those passages of Scripture, which speak of a peculiar election to glory; and which rightly understood, by no means destroy the numerous assertions of God's universal love, amongst which may be numbered the testimony, that he is just and equal in all his ways*-for this equality is peculiarly made manifest, by his placing ultimate happiness within the reach of every creature, however di * In the book of Ezekiel xviii. 25.-there is the following passage" "Yet ye say, the way of the Lord is not equalHear now O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal?"-So then the inequality was in the house of Israel, and not in the Lord; and may not the same be said of the house of Calvin? versified their station in the visible or invisible worldmany superstitions and immoral practices however, which have the sanction of custom in those countries as yet unvisited by gospel light, furnish a strong presumptive argument in proof of the divine origin of the gospel; and the state of society in those spots of Christendom, where it has in any tolerable measure prevailed, confirm the observation In this respect, the professors of christianity, may be said to have received ten talents for improvement-the Jews five, and the poor Heathens one; such of the latter as improve their one talent; and such their have been; will not be condemned to the portion, that many in those enlightened countries have to dread, where the peculiar bounty of heaven, is by most of us so frequently, and so conspicuously abused. I shall conclude the whole of my observations on the doctrine of reprobation, with a few quotations from the works of some of its early advocates. "God (saith Beza) hath predestinated, not only unto damnation; but also unto the causes of it, whomsoever he saw meet"" It is certain (saith Zanchius) that God is the first cause of obduration-Reprobates are held so fast, under God's Almighty decree, that they cannot but sin and perish”—“God (saith Zuinglius) moveth the robber to kill; he killeth, God forcing him thereunto" "Reprobate persons (saith Piscastor) are absolutely ordained to this two-fold end, to undergo everlasting punishment, and necessarily to sin; and therefore to sin; that they may be justly punished." ADVERTISEMENT TO THE CHRISTIANS WHOSE PRINCIPLES WERE ANALIZED IN THE FOREGOING. I think it necessary after the unequivocal declaration of my sentiments of the nature and effects of certain principles, received and acted upon in the religious world; to speak a little of the moral principle, which I conceive should influence men of opposite faith, in their personal intercourses. My sentiment (derived from reason-from experience and from the nature and design of the gospel) is— that such persons, should be ready at all times to render each other every kind of personal service---that they should not merely observe those rules of politeness, which are frequently the cover of keen and unworthy purposes---but that they should in reality be ever ready to serve each other, from a principle of gospel love, and human affection-They may be constrained even by these, to expose the evil tendency of what they conceive to be erroneous principles---but they can never be constrained by the smallest measure of either, to withhold their offices of charity from those who dissent from them; much less can they from a principle of charity or philanthropy---wound a merely theological adversary, in his life, liberty, or other natural interests---although I once heard the lawfulness of doing so, maintained by a person called a clergyman---and too, too often, the history of the church has furnished. us with proofs, that the |