1 Thess. iv, 3, 4.-I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away. 1 Cor. ix, 27.—If ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Rom. viii. 13, 16.—But grow in grace 2 Peter iii, 18.-This is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience towards God (not of necessity) endure grief. 1 Peter ii, 19. If ye do these things, ye shall never fall. Psalm xv, 5: 2 Peter i, 10.-Take unto you and put on the whole armour of God, &c. Ephes. vi, 10-19.-Give diligence to make your calling and election SURE. 2 Pet. i, 5.-Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. 1 Tim. vi, 12.-I pursue hard after IF THAT I may apprehend, &c. Phil. iii, 12. REJECTION II. They do utterly DENY, that "true believers cannot sin of deliberation, but only of ignorance or infirmity.” THE REASON. 1. From EXHORTATIONS.-Receive not the grace of God in vain, 2 Cor. vi, 1.-Quench_ not the Spirit: 1 Thess. v, 19.— Grieve not the Holy Spirit. Ephes. iv, 30.-Cast not away your confidence; if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure iu him. Heb. x, 35, 37, 38. 2. From EXPOSTULATIONS and ADMIRATION, &c.-Will ye also go away? John vi, 67.-How is the faithful city become an harlot! Isa. i, 21.-Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this ;-For my people have committed two evils:-Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me! Jer. ii, 12, 21. 3. He taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Matt. xii, 43–45 ; Luke xi, 24. 4. David's example.-He sent messengers for Bathsheba, and lay with her. 2 Sam. xi, 4.-He sends for Uriah to cover the fact, (verse 6.) and tempts him to that purpose. (verse 8.) He made him drunk, (verse 13.) plotted and contrived his death. (verses 14, 15. REJECTION III. They do utterly DENY, that "true believers can by no sins fall from the favour of God." THE REASON. If thou continue in his goodness; otherwise, thou shalt be cut off. Rom. xi, 22.—The thing that David had done displeased the Lord. 2 Sam. xi, 27. See xii, 10-12.-And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord. 1 Kings xi, 9. See 1 Chron. xxviii, 9; Canticles v, 2-6.-Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever; behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Isa. lxiv, 5, 7, 9.-All their wickedness is in Gilgal; for there I hated them. For the wickedness of their doings, I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more. Hosea ix, 15, 17.-He said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: So he was their Saviour. But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Isa. lxiii, 7-10.-There was wrath upon Hezekiah. 2 Chron. xxxii, 25.—When the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters. Deut. xxxii, 19.-I will spue thee out of my mouth. Rev. iii, 16.Thine own wickedness shall correct thee:Know therefore, and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord. Jer. ii, 19.-But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition: but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Heb. x, 39; see verse 38. REJECTION IV. They do utterly DENY, that "every man is bound to believe that HE IS ELECTED, and, consequently, that he cannot fall from that election: or that a thousand sins, yea, the sins of the whole world, cannot make his election void." THE REASON. See the places cited for conditional Election, (page 101,) and the Second and Third Affirmatives of this Article, (page 140,) and the Reason of the foregoing Negative. To which add:If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. Rom. viii, 13.-His servants ye are, to whom ye obey. vi, 16.-For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 2 Peter ii, 19. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth, as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John xv, 6.-Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works. Rev. ii, 5.— Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, &c. iii, 2.-I would thou wert cold or hot, &c verses 15, 16.-Judas, being one of those whom the Father had GIVEN TO CHRIST, was lost. He had power over all devils; (John xvii, 12.) yet through covetousness he made way for Satan to enter into his heart. (Luke ix, 1.) It seems that he had some title also to ONE of those TWELVE THRONES. (Luke xxii, 3, 4. See Matt. xxvi, 14, 15.) But he forfeited his interest and never came to sit on it. (Matt. xix, 28.) REJECTION V. They do utterly DENY, that "no sins of the faithful, how great and grievous soever they be, are imputed unto them; or that all their sins, present and future, are forgiven them." THE REASON. When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass and sin shall he die. Ezek. xviii, 24.-I will visit their iniquity with rods. Psalm lxxxix, 31, 32; 2 Sam. vii, 14. -Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house. 2 Sam. xii, 10.-O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath; thy hand is heavy upon me. For mine iniquities are gone over my head: as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Psalm li, 8, 9, 10; see vi, and xxxviii.—I have somewhat against thee. Rev. ii, 4, 14.— For this cause many are weak and sickly amongst you, and many sleep. 1 Cor. xi, 30.-You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Amos iii, 2.-See the reason of the Third Negative, page 147. REJECTION VI. They do utterly DENY, that "true believers falling into deadly heresies and most heinous sins, as adulteries and murders, (for which the Church, according to Christ's institution is forced to testify, that she cannot tolerate them in external communion, and that, unless they repent, they shall have no part in the kingdom of heaven,) cannot, notwithstanding, fall totally and finally from faith." THE REASON. If you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever. 1 Chron. xxviii, 9.-Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take On the 17th of Dec. 1618, according to appointment, the cited Remonstrants delivered to the Synod of Dort the remaining Four Articles, and added at the conclusion: "Most reverend Fathers and Brethren, since we thy crown. Rev. iii, 11.-Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought. 2 John 8.-Have ye suffered so many things in vain? Gal. iii, 4.—And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven. Matt. xvi, 19.-For it is impossible [the laws of the Church permit it not for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,-if they shall fall away,-to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Heb. vi, 4, 5, 6; and x, 26, &c.-Wherefore giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity for if you do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. i, 6, 8.-See the Second and Third Affirmatives, (page 140,) and the First and Third Negatives, page 147. These five last Negatives the Remonstrants do reject with their whole heart and soul, as enemies to piety and good life. were admonished in the last session by his reverence the President, that ⚫ we should abstain from negative propositions, and should treat on Élection ' rather than on the odious subject of Reprobation,'-after having more accurately examined the matter as we promised,-we have now proposed our sentiments on the before-mentioned Articles, as much as possible in affirmative terms. Yet we have occasionally rejected the contrary opinions, where necessity seemed to require us to adopt this course. That this may not appear to have been done without weighty reasons, we will present your Reverences with some of them for your consideration, which have induced us sometimes to express our sentiments in a negative form, and not to treat on Election alone, (which is only one part of Predestination,) but also on Reprobation which is the other part." They then adduce fifteen powerful reasons why they should be allowed to discuss both parts of Predestination, and seven why they should expose the abuses of Absolute Reprobation. After replying to some objections, they proceed thus: "Of one thing alone we desire to be informed by this venerable Synod, that is, whether they own for their doctrine and that of the Church those assertions which are contradictory to our propositions, and particularly those which affirm, the creation of the greater portion of the human race for destruction; the reprobation of [some] infants, even though born of believing parents; the necessity of the fall; the Divine call [given to some men is] inefficacious through the will of God; the inevitable necessity of all sins; the secret and revealed will of God; the operations and decrees of God for the existence of sin; the impossible defection of believers from justifying faith, even when they fall into horrid crimes ;'-with other points, which are maintained by many Contra-Remonstrants and those who are attached to their opinions, both in these provinces and in other countries, but which are rejected and disapproved by us in the Articles just recited. "We acknowledge with his reverence the President, the doctrine of ELECTION to be sweet and full of consolation,' and that of REPROBATION to be disagreeable. But we consider the consolation which is elicited from an Election that is absolute and unconditional, to be full of peril, and, if judged according to its nature, to grant mau an encouragement to commit sin. We also consider the opposite doctrine of Absolute Reprobation to be truly and deservedly odious, because it is pregnant with despair and contrary to Divine Justice. The sole employment of the Pastors of the Church must not be the consolation of sinners; but it ought likewise to be their care and study to warn the wicked and ungodly to flee from the wrath to come which is consequent on Reprobation. The visible Church contains the children of God; it also contains the slaves of Satan, although they by profession seem also to be the children of God. In this state of things, therefore, both doctrines are needful: To the children of God must be announced the inheritance which was fore-ordained by an eternal Election; and to the wicked must be denounced those punishments which were fore-ordained by an eternal decree of Reprobation. "Your reverences easily perceive, that the present questions and controversies are not concerning the parings of nails or other matters of trivial importance: But they relate to those points of Practical Divinity which tend greatly to illustrate the glory of God and to promote the exercise of piety, if correct sentiments concerning them be entertained; or, on the contrary, if incorrect opinions be received, they detract materially from the Divine glory and impede the progress of true piety.-It is the duty of an evangelical teacher to pursue, above all others, those objects which promote the truth which is according to godliness; and to banish out of Christian schools and churches those dogmas which are believed to be capable of furnishing excitation and nourishment to ungodliness. If your venerable Synod pass by these [erroneous] dogmas in silence, we shall conclude, and our Churches will form the same judgment, that such dogmas are approved by the tacit assent of your reverences. If they do obtain your approbation, it will then be our duty diligently to warn the flock of Jesus Christ that is committed to our trust, seriously to avoid and guard against dogmas of this description. But if those dogmas be condemned by the public voice of the Synod, (which we hope will be the result,) we will return thanks to God Almighty for having begun to cleanse and purify his Church from such tares and errors." It is scarcely necessary to add, because it is generally known, that the result did not accord with the hopes, but with the fears, which the Remonstrants expressed. In a few days afterwards, that Calvinistic Synod excluded the Remonstrants from all further communication with their choice assembly; and, instead of employing themselves in carefully refuting the Five Articles which the Remonstrants had delivered, they culled sentences and expressions from the insulated productions of different individuals that had previously written in defence of General Redemption, or from the statements which three or four of them (unauthorized by the remainder) had agreed to make, in a particular Conference between them and as many of the ContraRemonstrants. It is amazing, that in the lucubrations of the Synod, which occupy several hundred folio pages, very slight allusion is made to these plain and scriptural Articles, a tolerably strong proof of the distant respect which the Synodical members felt for them, and of their unwillingness to attempt a confutation. It was not therefore without reason, that Bishop Womack in the title-page of this pamphlet employed these expressions: The Tenets "of the Remonstrants touching those Five Articles voted, stated, and "imposed, but not DISPUTED, at the Synod of Dort."-In the treatise entitled, "ARCANA DOGMATUM ANTI-REMONSTRANTIUM, or The CALVINISTS' CABINET unlocked," which is a Vindication of this "EXAMINATION of Tilenus," our author has most ably exposed the intolerant conduct and the desecrating doctrines of the Dort Synodists. The judicious MOSHEIM published a Latin Dissertation on this subject, in 1724, which he entitled, "A Consultation respecting the Authority of the SYNOD OF DORT,—an Assembly destructive of Sacred Peace;" and which he prefixed to his Latin version of "The Rev. John HALES's Letters and Ex |
