Univ. Is it not absurd, cruel, and even blasphemous, to stigmatize the moral character of the ever-merciful Jehovah by affirming, that he had forced into existence millions of human beings who neither had, nor could offend him, and sentenced them to eternal damnation by an immutable decree of reprobation? Or to affirm, that he caused the final fate of millions to depend upon the conduct of one man, which he himself had chosen to represent them, although it is acknowledged that God positively knew that he, to wit, Adam, would transgress, and consequently render millions of his posterity eternally miserable?

It certainly can afford no just cause of surprize to any person who will candidly consider the relation subsisting between cause and effect, that those who believe that Calvinism contains the genuine principles of Christianity, which re presents the Deity to be the most partial, cruel, vindictive, inexorable being in existence, should renounce the Christian system and turn deists; because all which they had ever seen, felt or experienced, gave the lie direct to this infamous, atrocious calumny. And I am convinced by attentive observation, that the doctrine of the eternal, absolute, unconditional decrees of election and reprobation,were never calculated to an

swer any good purpose, and that it has done more real injury to the Christian system, than all the other errors which have disgraced it, -have ever done, as it has a natural and necessary tendency to cause all those (who do not presume that they are of the happy few, who have been the subjects of partial favour) to dread and hate God, as a cruel, partial being. These are the strongest pillars which support the temple of Antichrist, and as long as they remain unshaken, the devil may rest perfectly easy while his faithful sentinels on the watch-towers cry out, all's well. And this will probably be the case as long as his emissaries are successful in persuading people that God has made a partial election of a few individuals, and is the implacable enemy of all the non-elect. And at present, there is but little apparent danger of any defection or schism amongst our spiritual guides; for although they differ in trivial matters, almost every denomination of Christians, from his holiness at Rome to the truly sincere Westfieldien Methodist, inculcates the doctrine of partial election and eternal damnation! which is (gloss it as they please) an eternal, voluntary surrender of these very beings to the permanent do-minion of the devil, who were made on purpose for him; for it is the madness of folly to suppose that God would employ any effectual means to

reclaim those who were destined to hell, by an eternal decree, before they were created.

We must at present leave the poor, unassisted reprobate to contrive some means whereby he may remove the obstacles which Calvin says God has placed in the way to block up the entry of life against him, to examine the opinion of the Baptist Association on this momentous subject. Although the opinions of the Baptist Association are, in some respects, more rational than those of some of the most rigid Calvinists, yet they have espoused some of their most capital errors.

First, By maintaining an eternal, personal election antecedent to the subsequent deceptive semblance of a state of probation, in which scheme Adam was constituted our representative to act for us, as if he, by his good conduct, could have annulled the prior arrangement established by the eternal decrees.

Secondly, In precluding all the non-elect from any participation in the covenant of grace, and leaving them totally divested of every moral principle and power, to work out their own salvation by deeds of the law of works, or more properly, in other words, to the peaceable, or

uncontested dominion of the devil, for whom they must (agreeably to this plan) have been originally created; for the scripture declares, in positive terms, that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified; and if not justified, they cannot be saved. They affirm that Adam was constituted the head and representative of all his posterity, and prove it by quoting one half of the 18th verse of the 5th chapter to the Romans, viz. by the offence of one, judgement came upon all men to condemnation. But as they positively deny that Christ is the head of every man, they have cunningly suppressed the other half of the verse, which testifies that, even so, by the righteousness of one [i. e. Christ] the free gift came upon all men unto the justification of life. Should we, or rather can we repose confidence in those who are so much infatuated and pleased with the idea of a partial God, a partial Saviour, a partial redemption and restoration to the favour of God, that in order to establish these opinions, wilfully mutilate the scripture, and even divide a verse, which, when entire, fairly confutes their tenets, as it exhibits the benevolent plan of the Deity in its true light? Which was to convince the children of men, by an actual experiment, that their sole chance for happiness, both here and hereafter, depended

upon the infinite goodness, wisdom, and almighty power of God.

The devils were created free agents....they acted in a more exalted sphere, and were doubtless endowed with more excellent faculties than we are, or Adam was, and yet they transgressed and fell. Adam was created pure and innocent, and only prohibited from eating the fruit of a certain tree, but he transgressed and fell also, as God certainly knew he would; in consequence of which defection, his posterity have suffered temporary inconvenience, but not more than is absolutely necessary to teach us our entire dependance upon the head and representative of all men, chosen by our most merciful Father and bountiful benefactor (long before Adam was created) to be the propitiation for our sins, and to taste death for every man, and hath conferred the free gift upon all men, unto the justification of life.

But the Baptists who appear to be anxious to establish the doctrine of partial election and eternal damnation, are strenuous for excluding all those which they call non-elect, from any participation in the covenant of grace, and also from the benefits derivable by the elect, from the sufferings, death, obedience, and perfect