THE

Arminian Magazine,

For FEBRUARY 1782.

of ELECTION: tranflated from SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO'S Dialogues, between Lewis and Frederic.

DIA

LOGU

E II.

[Continued from page 7.]

Fred. GOD proceeds. Therefore speak to the men of Judah,

and to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, faying, Thus faith the Lord, Behold I frame evil against you, and devife a device against you. Return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. You fee here that goodness of God which St. Paul fpeaks of leading them to repentance. But you likewise see their hardness and impenitent heart. They faid, Nay, but we will walk after our own devices: and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. Do not you fee whence the wrath of God arifes? And can you be lieve that God, who fo kindly calls them to repentance, and VOL. V.

H

who

who is fo angry at their fins, created them to fin? Can you think God fuch a potter, as to be angry at his vessels for being fuch as he himself willed them to be?

But there is another text

Whom he foreknew, them he image of his Son. More

Lewis. As to this I am fatisfied. which I wish you would explain. predeftinated to be conformed to the over whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called; and whom he called, them he alfo juftified; and whom he justified, them he alfo glorified. Now this feems to contradict what you said, That fome are predeftinated and called, and yet do not attain falvation. Fred. Those who are elected of God, will never perish through him: but they may themselves make his counsel void, as it has a condition annext, namely, to renounce themselves, and abide in him to the end. Lewis. Does our falvation then depend upon our perseverance? Fred. It depends upon all the gifts of God, which are partly without us, partly within us. The mercy of God, his predeftinating, electing, calling us, thefe are without us. In these gifts he commands us nothing, and requires nothing flows them upon us without any condition. In us, are Faith, Courage, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Goodness, brotherly Love, Charity. Thefe, if we perfevere, we receive from the free mercy of God, and without them we cannot be faved.

of us, but be

Lewis. But I have one difficulty remaining. The Scripture fays, There is no refpect of perfons with God. But it seems there is respect of persons with him, if gratuitous Election be allowed: for when he chofe Abraham, and then the Ifraelites out of the nations, without any regard to their merit, was not this respect of perfons? Fred. Confider, there are two forts of respect of persons, one of which is evil, the other not. The latter fort is, when one gives of his own, and that freely, as much as he will, to whom he pleases. So the King (Matt. xxii.) invited whom he pleased to the mar riage. So their mafter gave to one fervant, five talents, to another, two, to another, one. Thus God freely chofe Abraham

and

and the Ifraelites, nor has any one reafon to complain. So variously he diftributes his goods to various nations. He has placed fome in a fruitful and happy foil, as Italy and France; fome in a barren foil, exposed to perpetual storms, as Switzerland. The fame we may obferve in man. Some are endued with a found Judgment, or a retentive Memory; others are wanting in both. Yet none has caufe to complain, seeing God does not owe any thing to any man. He that has the leaft, is a debtor for all that he has.

As if one

The other fort of respect of persons is evil. values a rich man for his riches, more than a poor man; or if a Judge condemns a widow or an orphan, because they have none to help them. This respect of perfons God is not capable of. So St. Paul; There is no respect of perfons with God. For they who have finned without the law, fhall be judged without the law. And they that have finned under the law, fhall be judged by the law. And here you fee Predeftination falls to the ground. For if God created any man to damnation, he hated and condemned him before he finned; and therefore had refpect of perfons, in condemning an inno

cent man.

But we may observe, whereas before the coming of Chrift, God called the Ifraelites alone his people, this difference is taken away by his coming, who hath broken down the middlewall, and made both one, fo that in Chrift there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but only a new creature. Therefore, although Chrift at firft obferved that diftin&tion, (for he forbade his dif ciples to go to the Gentiles, and faid of himself, I am not fent but unto the loft fheep of the houfe of Ifrael; whence it is plain, that the Ifraelites were then the Elect, and the only elect people,) yet after the veil was rent in twain at his refurrection, he took that diftinction away; commanding his difciples to go and preach the gospel to all nations. And even before the diftinction was taken away, he did not fo reject other nations, but that any of them might be received into the common wealth

H 2

wealth of Ifrael, provided they were circumcifed. But if before the coming of Chrift, a Gentile, and one not elected (for the Gentiles were not elected before Chrift) might yet become elected, by being adopted into the house of Abraham : how much more now the diftinction is taken away, may any none-elect perfon be elected?

Lewis. But what will become of thofe ancient nations, to whom the Law was not given? Or those to whom the Gospel is not preached? Fred. The Gospel either has been, or will be preached to all nations. For fo our Lord has told us exprefsly. Lewis. But in the mean time, many die without hearing it, who seem to perish thereby. For if they had heard it, they would have amended their lives. Fred. They who have finned without law, fhall be condemned without law. Lewis. But how can they fin without law! Since where there is no law, there is no tranfgreffion? Fred. They had the law of nature, which forbids to kill, lie, deceive: if they finned against this, they will be judged by it. Lewis. But Chrift fays, If I had not come, they had not had fin. And, This is the condemnation, that when light is come into the world, men love darkness rather than light. Fred. They will not be punished for rejecting Christ, to whom he was not offered; but they will be punished for rejecting the light, (whatever it be called) which was offered them. For to whom little was given, of him little fhall be required.

Lewis. I have one difficulty more. In our conversation you have frequently mentioned the Free-will of man. The difputes concerning this are many. I wish you could clear up the point. Pray come and dine with me to-morrow, and we will talk about it. Fred. I will come, provided you will give me a Pheasant. Lewis. I gladly would; but I know not where to get one. Fred. But you can give me a Pullet. Lewis. Yes, two if you please. Fred. My dear Lewis, there is no need of my coming to you, to dispute about Free-will. For you yourself have in few words cleared the whole argu

ment.

ment. Lewis. I? Indeed I did not fo much as think of it. Fred. So much the greater is the force of truth, that you have explained it, without thinking of it. You desired, that I would come to you to-morrow. Lewis. I did. Fred. Do you think it is in my power, to accept of your invitation? Lewis. Certainly, or I would not have invited you. Fred. If fo, I have a Free-will. And nothing but your invitation excited in me the will of going to you. And did not you fay, you would give me a Pheafant if you could? Lewis. Yes. Fred. Then you have a Free-will too; you had a will to give it me, when I asked you, whereas you had no will to do. it before. But ftill you have not the power; whereas with regard to the pullets, you have the will and power too. Thus you fee we have a Free-will in all things, but power in fome only, Lewis. You have decided the point in few words. However, come to-morrow, for I have many objections. Fred. I will come if it please God. And let us befeech him, who has all power, that our converfation may be for our good and his glory!

[The End of the Second Dialogue.]

SERMON VII.

FREE THOUGHTS

ON THE BRUTE CREATION:

A Sermon on Romans viii. 19, 20, 21, 22.

[Concluded from page 14.]

3. SETTING these few* afide, how little fhadow of good, of gratitude, of benevolence, of any right temper is now to be found in any part of the brute creation? On the con trary, what favage fiercenefs, what unrelenting cruelty, arc invariably obferved in thousands of creatures, yea, is insepa

• The few domeftic and friendly Animals. See page 14, of the preceding Number.

rable