sinners for which his sufferings sufficed as an atonement; but this in my account is no part of evangelical truth; and by the acknowledgment of Mr. B., that the same sacrifice is necessary for the salvation of one sinner as for many, it would seem to be none in his. I am, affectionately yours, A. F. LETTER V. On Calvinism. appear to me, that his opinions on either of the subjects in question, are those of Calvin, or of Calvinists during the sixteenth century. I do not pretend to have read so much of either as he has: but from what I have seen, so it appears to me. The quotations that have already been made from Calvin, prove that he had no other notion of imputation than that of the righteousness of Christ being reckoned to us 66 as if it were our MY DEAR BROTHER, own," and of our sins being so WHEN I had assured Mr. B., in reckoned to Christ, that " as the my letter of July 7, 1802, that I very guilty person himself, he sufdid not deny either Imputation or fered all the punishment that should Substitution, but merely the sense have been laid upon us." I should in which he held them, he writes think it were manifest from this, in answer, "That he is not aware that he did not believe in a "real of his either understanding or or proper" imputation, in either using those terms in a sense which case; nor in Christ's being really is not common among CALVI-guilty, and as such punished. All NISTS." And in his letter to you, he pleads for is, that "he felt all of Dec. 6, while he acquits me of the tokens of God when he is angry, being an Arminian, he says, "It and punisheth;" and this is preis to me, beyond a doubt, that he cisely what I believe. (Mr. F.) does not hold the doctrine With respect to substitution, from of Substitution, and of Imputation, what I have read of Calvin, he apas CALVINISTS have commonly pears to have considered the death done, and still continue to do." of Christ, as affording an offer of The amount is, that at least in salvation to sinners, without disthese particulars, Mr. B. is a Cal-tinction; and the peculiar respect vinist, and I am not. If this be which it bore to the elect, as contrue, it does not follow that I deny sisting in the sovereignty of its substitution or imputation. Mr. B. application, or in God's imparting says, "that in his juvenile years, faith and salvation through it, to he never hoped for salvation but them, rather than to others, as it through a vicarious sacrifice." If was his own design to do. To this then he could believe this doctrine effect is his comment on John while an Arminian, surely I might iii. 16, God so loved the world, be allowed to believe it, who, as that he gave his only-begotten he acknowledges, am not an Armi- Son, that whosoever believeth, &c. nian. But passing this, Mr. B.'s" This" (says he) "is a singular views on these subjects may, for commendation of faith, that it deaught I know, be more consonant livereth us from eternal destrucwith those of the general body of tion. For his meaning was plainly persons called Calvinists, than to express that though we seem to mine. All the high Calvinists will be born to death, yet there is doubtless agree with him, and dis- certain deliverance offered in the agree with me, so far as they know faith of Christ: so that death, our sentiments; but it does not which otherwise hangeth over our heads, is nothing to be feared. He duals, to whom God in his good added also the universal note (whosoever), both that he may invite all men in general to the participation of life, and cut off all excuse from unbelievers. To the same end tendeth the term world;' for though there be nothing found in the world, that is worthy of God's favour, yet he sheweth that he is favourable to the whole world, when he calleth all men without exception to the faith of Christ. Let us remember, however, that though life is promised to all who shall believe in Christ, so commonly, that yet faith is not common to all men; for though Christ lieth open to all men, yet God doth only open the eyes of the elect, that they may seek him by faith." pleasure sends the Gospel. The reason why many who are called by the Gospel do not repent and believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief, is not through any defect or insufficiency in the sacrifice of Christ offered upon the cross, but through their own fault."—“ All those who truly believe, and by the death of Christ are delivered and saved, have to ascribe it to the grace of God alone, which he owes to no one, and which was given them in Christ from eternity."-" The gracious will and intention of God the Father was, that the life-giving and saving efficacy of his Son's death should exert itself in all the elect, to endue them alone with justifying faith, and thereby infallibly bring them to salvation," * I would not wish for words more appropriate than the above to express my sentiments. If Mr. B.'s views accord with them, there can be no material difference between Mr. B. holds the substitution of Christ in a way that does not admit of "the command to repent and believe being promiscuously addressed to all." I have never been able to learn, however, from his writings, preaching, or conversation, after all that has been said about sinners as sinners being warranted to believe, that he even exhorts them to it; or avows it to be the command of God that they should repent and believe, in such a manner as is connected with The Calvinists who met at the SYNOD OF DORT, have expressed their judgment on redemption in nine propositions. Were they not too long for transcription, I would insert the whole, The following extracts, however, will sufficiently us. But, if I be not mistaken, express their sentiments on the points in question. "The death of the Son of God is the only and most complete sacrifice and satisfaction for sins, of infinite value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world. The promise of the Gospel is, that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish, but have eternal life which promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought promiscuously and indiscriminately to be published and proposed to all nations and indivi-salvation. Now what is it, but his ideas of imputation and substitution, that can be the cause of this hesitation? I call it hesitation, because I never heard or saw any thing in him that amounted to a denial of it. Yet he does not I question if any such concession as this can be found in the writings of Dr. Gill, or Mr. Brine, from whom the HighCalvinists seem to have taken their views. Neither of these writers considered the Gospel as addressed to sinners as sinners, but as sensible sinners; and their ideas of the atonement were calculated to such preaching. Acta Synod. Dordrecht. Sess. 136. pp. 250. ing of death, were not only un- avow it, though he well knows it was avowed by Calvin, and all Calvinists, for more than a century after the Reformation. They held the doctrines of imputation and substitution so as to feel at liberty to exhort sinners, without distinction, to repent and believe in Christ: Mr. B. does not. Have I not a right then to infer, that his ideas of these doctrines are different from theirs, and that what is now called Calvinism is not Calvinism? I could extract similar senti-ness, that notwithstanding the imments with the above, from many able Calvinistic writers in the seventeenth century: but I think these are sufficient. 66 Whatever reasonings we may give into, there are certain times in which conscience will bear wit putation of our sins to Christ, we are actually the sinners, and not He; and I should have thought, that no good man could have gone about gravely to overturn its testi The sentiments which I oppose do not appear to me to be CAL-mony. Far be it from me to wrest VINISM, but CRISPISM. I never the words of any writer, however met with a single passage in the ill expressed, to a meaning which writings of Calvin on this subject, he does not hold: but when I read that clashed with my own views: as follows, what other conclusion but in Dr. Crisp I have. He con- can I draw?" Believers think siders God, in his charging our that they find their transgressions sins on Christ, and accounting his in their own consciences, and they righteousness to us, as reckoning imagine that there is a sting of this of things as they are: (Sermons, poison still behind, wounding of p. 280.) Hast thou been an ido-them; but beloved, if this principle later" (says he), a blasphemer, be received for a truth-that God a despiser of God's word, a pro- hath laid thine iniquities on Christ faner of his name and ordinances, - how can thy transgressions, bea thief, a liar, a drunkard? If thou longing to Christ, be found in thy hast part in Christ, all these trans-heart and conscience? Is thy congressions of thine become actually science Christ?” (p. 269.) the transgression of Christ, and so Perhaps no man ever went cease to be thine; and thou ceasest further than Dr. Crisp in his atto be a transgressor from that time tempts at consistency: and adthey were laid upon Christ, to the mitting his principle, I am not able last hour of thy life: so that now to deny his conclusions. To have thou art not an idolater, a perse-been perfectly consistent, however, cutor, a thief, a liar, &c. thou art he should have proved that all the not a sinful person. Reckon what- confessions and lamentations of ever sin you commit, whereas you believers, recorded in Scripture, have part in Christ, you are all that arose from their being under the Christ was, and Christ is all that mistake which he labours to rectify; you were. (p. 270.) If this be viz. thinking that sin did not cease true, all the confessions of good to be theirs, even when under the men, recorded in the Scriptures, fullest persuasion that the Lord that they were sinners, and deserv-would not impute it to them, but would cover it by the righteousness on Justification. I have bestowed of his Son. 66 cease If Christ be actually" the transgressor, and our transgressions, being laid upon him, to be ours," God cannot be offended with us for any thing we do; nor ought we to be offended, one should think, with one another. Our displeasure ought to terminate on the person to whom the offence actually belongs, be it whom it may. two days upon them, but cannot say that I have read them through. They are so circuitous, and full of artificial distinctions, and obscure terms, that I could not in many cases come at his meaning, nor could I have read them through without making myself ill. It is true, I have found several of my own sentiments maintained by Mr. Baxter. He speaks of salvation by a substitute, as being a What Mr. B. may think of these measure, rather " above law," than sentiments, I know not. For my according to it, and of satisfaction part, without approving of the being made to the lawgiver, rather Neonomianism which was after-than to the law." If he means wards opposed to them, I account them, to use the softest terin, gross extravagance. Yet if this be not what he means by a real and proper imputation, (I mean when pursued to its just consequences), I have yet to learn what that doctrine is. I {am, affectionately yours, A. F. LETTER VI. Baxterianism. Jan. 22, 1803. MY DEAR Brother, Mr. B. in his letter to you of Dec. 6, 1802, though he acquits me of Antinomianism, yet ventures to say; "That I appear to him to have adopted some of the leading peculiarities of Mr. Rd. Baxter." I wish he had named them: I would in that case have frankly owned whether I approved or disapproved. As it is, I have been constrained to do what I never did before, look over such polemical pieces of that writer as I could procure. I have found this, I confess, an irksome task. I endeavoured to procure his Aphorisms on Justification, but could not. All I could get of a polemical kind were his treatise on Universal Redemption, and Four Disputations any thing more by this, than what I have said in Lett. iv. I have no concern in it: and this for substance is allowed by Dr. Owen, in his answer to Biddle (p. 512.) He pleads also, that the faith by which we are justified includes a submission of heart to Christ, IN ALL HIS OFFICES, or A RECONCILIATION to God; and consequently, that a sinner when justified, though ungodly in the eye of the law, yet is not so in the eye of the Gospel, or in our common acceptation of the term. In this I agree with him. It appears to me, however, that though it be essential to the genuineness of faith, to receive Christ in every character he sustains, so far as it is understood; yet, believing for Justification has a special respect to Christ's obedience unto death, with which God is well pleased, and of which our justification is the reward. Mr. Baxter pleads for "Universal Redemption:" I only contend for the sufficiency of the atonement in itself considered, for the redemption and salvation of the whole world; and this affords a ground for a universal invitation to sinners to believe; which was maintained by Calvin, and all the old Calvinists. I consider redemp- | accepting us to favour; exempting tion, as inseparably connected with eternal life, and therefore as applicable to none but the elect, who are redeemed from among men. us from the curse of the law, and entitling us to the promises of the Gospel; not on account, or in consideration of any holiness in us, Mr. Baxter considered the Gos- ceremonial or moral, before, in, or pel as a new law, taking place of after believing; but purely in rethe original law under which man ward of the vicarious obedience was created; of which faith, re- and death of Christ, which on our pentance, and sincere obedience, believing in him, is imputed to us, were the requirements: so, how- or reckoned as if it were ours. ever, I understand him. But these Nor do I consider any holiness in are not my sentiments: I believe, us to be necessary, as a concomiindeed, that the old law as a cove-tant to justification, except what nant, is not so 'in force, as that is necessarily included in believing. men are now required to obey it in order to life; on the contrary, all such attempts are sinful, and would have been so, though no salvation had been provided. Yet the precept of it is immutably binding, and the curse for transgressing it remains on every unbeliever. I find but little satisfaction in Mr. Baxter's disputation on Justification. He says a great deal about it, distinguishing it into different stages, pleading for evangelical works, as necessary to it, &c. &c. Sometimes he seems to confine the works which Paul excluded from Justification to those of the common law ("the burthensome works of the Mosaical law," these are his words), and to plead for what is moral, or as he would call it, " evangelical." Yet he disavows all works, as being the causes, or grounds, on account of which we are justified; and professes to plead for them only as "concomitants;" just as we say repentance is necessary to forgiveness, and faith to justification, though neither are the considerations moving God to bestow those blessings. In short, I find it much easier to express my own judgment on Justification, than to say wherein I agree or differ with Mr. Baxter. I consider justification to be God's graciously pardoning our sins, and Mr. Baxter writes as if the unconverted could do something towards their conversion, and as if grace were given to all, except those who forfeit it by wilful sin. But no such sentiment ever occupied my mind, or proceeded from Finally : my pen. Mr. Baxter considers Calvinists and Arminians as reconcileable, making the difference between them of but small amount. I have no such idea: and if on account of what I have here, and elsewhere avowed, I were disowned by my present connections, I should rather choose to go through the world alone, than be connected with them. Their scheme appears to me, to undermine the doctrine of salvation by grace only, and to resolve the difference between one sinner and another into the will of man, which is directly opposite to all my views and experience. Nor could I feel a union of heart with those who are commonly considered in the present day as Baxterians, who hold with the Gospel being a new remedial law, and represent sinners as contributing to their own conversion. The greatest, though not the only instruction that I have received from human writings, on these subjects, has been from PRESIDENT EDWARDS's Discourse on Justification. That which in me I |