the sins of the world."

The universal offer of

that redemption is contained in the assurance that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The corruption of the nature we derive from Adam is sufficiently expressed in that pregnant passage which instances the deadly and defiling sins, and traces their origin to the heart.* The dependence of all holy practice upon divine grace is, if possible, declared still more unequivocally in a multitude of passages, which are not exceeded in clearness and force by any thing in the Epistles.

Those, therefore, who endeavour, as they think, to take refuge from the mystery of St. Paul in the simplicity of the Gospels, will find that the truth pursues them still. The outline of the whole is there, in all its perfect lineaments and complete proportions: but the entire plan of our redemption, from the "first disobedience" which rendered it necessary, to the last accomplishment of all the promises, and

* Matth. xv. 19.

types, and predictions, in the crucifixion, is evidently brought out in stronger light and fuller force by the Apostles. This does not diminish one jot of the value of the Gospels, but results inevitably from the circumstances. The doctrine of redemption by vicarious sacrifice, could not but be more clearly explained, and therefore more easily understood, after the sacrifice had actually taken place, than while it was matter of prophecy.

Thus the writings of the Evangelists and of the Apostles, though indispensably necessary to each other, are different in their nature and design. The one contain the facts, the other the consequences. The Gospels "record the life of the Son of God; who came from heaven, not to make the Gospel revelation, but to be the subject of it, by doing and suffering all that was necessary to procure the salvation of mankind. Their professed design is to give, not a complete delineation of our religion, but the history of its Founder, and of that illustrious display which he made of his glory as the Son of God,

and Saviour of the world. To the Epistles we must look as the grand repository in which the whole of the Gospel doctrine is lodged, and from which the knowledge of it can be drawn with the greatest advantage. And although there is no doubt that the other canonical Epistles, being inspired by the same Spirit which guided St. Paul, are of equal authority with his; yet I have confined my inquiry to those which he has left us; first, because my concern is chiefly with the doctrines of the Gospel, and it is generally acknowledged that St. Paul has gone more deeply into the whole Gospel economy than his brethren: and secondly, in order to give the argument a compactness and conciseness which it would have been difficult to preserve, if all the Epistles had been brought under consideration. The writings of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, I shall therefore introduce, from time to time, only in the way of corroboration.

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CHAPTER II.

ON PREDESTINATION AND ELECTION.

PART I. On Predestination.

In making predestination the first subject of my inquiry, I am not influenced by the authority of the powerful reasoner who built up from this foundation the system of theology known by

his name. The example of our own Church has a higher claim to imitation; who, in her Articles, considers this doctrine separately, as a speculation distinct from the essential points of the Christian faith. In this, too, she has only followed the superior authority of St. Paul; who in the most systematic and doctrinal of all his Epistles, does not enter upon predestination as a fundamental article, nor introduce it till he has discussed the subjects of natural corruption, grace, and justification. From this example the conduct of Calvin and the divines at Dort makes a remarkable varia

tion. But in the present case, it seems proper to set out from this point, because, if predestination is preached by St. Paul, and ought to be preached by those who profess to follow him, this will at once decide most of the other disputable questions. If the Almighty had no other purpose in creating mankind than the display of his own glory; if the eternal condition of every individual was decreed immutably before the foundation of the world; or even if the sacrifice of Christ extended to the elect alone, and the rest of mankind remain under the imputation of Adam's sin; there need be no farther dispute concerning the degree of human corruption, or the power and efficacy of grace; and the only interest which the Scriptures retain, will be to furnish matter of inquiry into the mode which God has employed in accomplishing the purpose of his sovereign will.

It is necessary to premise, that I shall not attempt to fathom the depths of a subject, which seems likely always to exercise, and