[Remarks, by the Editor, on the preceding Number.]

In the preceding number the author of Miscellanies makes two assertions which require particular notice: That the Epistles of Ignatius are not genuine; and that the Articles of the Church of England are Calvinistic.

In regard to the genuineness of the Epistles of IGNATIUS:

That this venerable Father wrote certain Epistles cannot admit of a doubt. Many of the primitive writers quote from Epistles which they attribute to him. Eusebius in particular makes mention of seven Épistles, which he considers as the genuine productions of this apostolic Father. These seven Epistles are now alone defended, and some others which have been attributed to him are given up as spurious.

These seven Epistles first appeared in a larger form than at present; in which state though they were defended by many learned men, as in substance the production of Ignatius, yet all acknowledged that they were corrupted and interpolated. There was no reason to believe, however, that the testimony in regard to Episcopacy, which was interwoven with almost every sentence of these Epistles, was spurious, or not entitled to credit. Archbishop USHER at length published a Latin version of these Epistles, from two manuscripts; one of which he found in the University of Cambridge, and another in a private library. This version exactly agreed with all the passages recited by the Fathers; and is not liable to the objections urged against the larger copies of these Epistles. A short time after, the learned ISAAC VOSSIUS (who, it should be recollected, was not an Episcopalian) found in the library at Florence, a Greek manuscript of these Epistles, in which the text exactly agreed with the Latin version published by Usher.

These Epistles, as published by Usher and Vossius, and which are known by the name of the smaller Epistles, are those which, according to Mosheim, "the most learned men acknowledge to be genuine." This opinion he himself adopts as "preferable to any other." These are the Epistles which even BLONDEL, SALMASUS, DAILLE, learned opponents of Episcopacy, acknowlege are the Epistles which EUSEBIUS, the ecclesiastical historian of the third century, possessed; and which answer-exactly to quotations from the Epistles of Ignatius, in the writings of several of the Fathers. These are the Epistles which have been received as genuine, not only by all the learned advocates of Episcopacy, but by other learned men who were not Episcopalians; by GROTIUS, by LE CLERC, &c. and even by Dr. LARDNER, (than whom there could not be a more accurate judge of the genuineness of ancient writings) who says, 66 I do not affirm that there are in them any considerable corruptions or alterations."*

What greater proof can we have of the genuineness of any writings than that they were quoted by contemporary and succeeding writers. The Epistles of IGNATIUS, as published by Usher and Vossius, are quoted by POLYCARP, who knew Ignatius, and by

* See Bishop Horsley's Letter in Reply to Dr. Priestley. Letter 5.

IRENEUS, ORIGEN, and EUSEBIUS, of succeeding ages. All the passages recited by them may be found, word for word, in the edi❤ tions by Usher and Vossius. According to the learned DUPIN, "This is true not only in the resemblance of one or two passages, but in a very great number that are cited by different authors; which makes it so much the more certain." "Besides," continues this learned historian, "there is nothing in these Epistles which does not agree with the person and time of Ignatius; there are no defects in the chronology, nor any anachronisms, which are usually found in supposititious works; there is no mention made of any he retic that lived after Ignatius; the errors that are refuted belong to his time, as that of the Simonians and Ebionites, concerning the passion and divinity of Jesus Christ; the tradition of the Church is confirmed according to Eusebius: he speaks of those gifts of the Holy Spirit that were visible in the Church, &c. Upon the whole matter, these Epistles are written with great simplicity, and bear an apostolical character."*

Unable to resist the powerful evidence in favour of these Epistles, the opponents of Episcopacy maintain that those we now possess are full of corruptions and interpolations. But if you exclude from these Epistles, as spurious and interpolated, all that relates to Episcopacy, you will destroy their sense and connection. The testimonies concerning Episcopacy are so numerous and various, so essential to the sense of the author, that it is impossible they could have been, by any ingenuity, incorporated with the text of which they were not originally a part.

We may therefore sum up the evidence in favour of the Epistles of Ignatius, in the words of an able writer, who has given a learned and perspicuous detail of this evidence.t "The sum of the matter is this: Polycarp, in his Epistle to the Philippians, the acts of Ignatius' martyrdom, and Ireneus, in the second century; Origen, in the third; Eusebius, Athanasius, Chrysostom, and Jerome, in the fourth; and a great number of writers down to the fifteenth century, all bear witness to these Epistles. And with regard to the internal evidence, there is nothing in the Epistles which indicates a period subsequent to that of Ignatius. The distinction of Bishops from Presbyters was common in the second century;} the inscriptions of the Epistles are simple, and in the apostolic manner; there is nothing which savours of the Platonic philosophy, which prevailed in the Church in the conclusion of this, and in the next century; in short, every thing suits the time and circumstances of the holy martyr when he wrote."

* Dupin's Eccl. Hist. vol. i. on the Epistles of Ignatius. † Dr. Bowden, in his second letter to Dr. Stiles.

To these may be added the names of the most learned men since the Reformation. Those marked in italics, are not Episcopalians. Usher, Vossius, Grotius; Pearson (who wrote a learned vindication of these Epistles), and Hammond, Petavius, Bull, Wake, Cave, Cotelerius, Grabe, Dupin, Tillemont, Le Clerc, Bochart, and the learned Fabricius, Professor at Hamburg, in the last century.

Blondel, Salmasius, and Chamier, acknowledge that, about one hundred and forty years after Christ, Episcopacy prevailed.

Ed.

Writings attested by such powerful external and internal evidence cannot be questioned, without endangering the credibility of all ancient writings. And it is worthy of remark that the genuineness of the Epistles of Ignatius has been called in question only by those who, on account of the decisive evidence which they give in favour of Episcopacy, are interested in opposing them.

The author of Miscellanies also asserts, that the articles of the Church of England are Calvinistic; and that the seventeenth article in particular maintains the Calvinistic doctrine of "election and reprobation;" and that those Episcopalians who oppose this doctrine," attack" the articles of their Church.

These are very serious assertions: for, if true, they involve the great body of the Clergy of the Church of England, and almost every individual among the Episcopal Clergy in this country, in the criminality and odium of opposing the doctrines of their Church. It is of importance to ascertain what are the peculiar tenets of Calvinism.

Many Calvinists indeed, with a disingenuousness for which it is difficult to find an apology, are in the constant practice of ranking among the peculiar tenets of Calvinism, of appropriating exclu sively to the religious system so called, the doctrines of the corruption and guilt of man-of the atonement and grace of Jesus Christ-of justification through a true and lively faith in him, as the only mediator between God and man-of the sanctification of the soul through the grace of the Holy Spirit. But these were doctrines that prevailed in the Church long before CALVIN imposed his gloomy system. They were the glory and the consolation of primitive martyrs, long before St. AUSTIN, in the fifth century, first introduced the doctrine of particular absolute election. They have been espoused by a host of eminent Divines, who, while they opposed the peculiar tenets of Calvinism, were zealous in proclaiming the doctrines of salvation through the cross of Christ, These, indeed, are the doctrines of the Church of England. But the pretensions, that would confine these doctrines to the system of Calvin, are equally unfounded and arrogant.

No! the tenet which is peculiar to Calvinism, and distinguishes this system from all others, is the doctrine of PARTICULAR ABSOLUTE ELECTION. This doctrine is laid down in the institutes of Calvin, in terms that are revolting to every idea which reason or scripture affords us of the attributes of God. He divides the whole human race into the Elect and the Reprobate; and thus lays down the decree of election and reprobation concerning them.

"Non enim pari conditione creantur omnes: sed aliis vita æterna, aliis damnatio æterna preordinatur.”

"For all are not created in like estate, but to some eternal life, to others eternal death is forcappointed." Cal. Inst. lib. iii. chap. 21.5. "Quos vero damnationi addicit, his justo quidem et irreprehensibili, sed incomprehensibili ipsius judicio, vitæ additum precludi.” "But those whom he appointeth to damnation, to them, we say, by his just and irreprehensible, but also incomprehensible judgment, the entry of life is blocked up." Cal. Inst. lib. iii. chap. 21. 7.

"Ergo si non possumus rationem assignare, cur suos misericordia dignetur, nisi quoniam ita illi placet; neque etiam in aliis repro bandis aliud habebimus quam ejus voluntatem.”

"Therefore if we cannot assign a reason why he should confer mercy on those that are his, but because thus it pleaseth him; neither indeed shall we have any other cause in rejecting of others, than his own will." Cal. Ins. lib. iii. chap. 22. 11.

"Quemadmodum suæ erga electos vocationis efficacia, salutem, ad quam eos æterno consilio destinaret, perficit Deus; ita sua habit adversos reprobos judicia, quibus consilium de illis suum exequatur. Quos ergo in vitæ contumeiiam et mortis exitium creavit, ut iræ suæ organa forent, et severitatis exempla; eos, ut in finem suam perveniant, nunc audiendi verbi sui facultate priveat, nunë ejus prædicatione magis excæcat et obstupefacit."

"As God by the effectualness of his calling towards the elect, perfects the salvation to which by his eternal counsel he had appointed them; so he hath his judgments against the reprobate, by which he executes his counsel concerning them. Whom therefore he hath created to the shame of life and destruction of death, that they may be vessels of his wrath, and examples of his severity, them, that they may come to their end, sometime he deprives of the power to hear his word, and sometime he more blinds and confounds, by the preaching of it." Cal. Ins. lib. iii. chap. 24. 12.

"Ecce vocem ad eos dirigit, sed ut magis obsurdescant: lucem accendit, sed ut reddentur cœciores: doctrinam profert sed qua magis obstupescant: remedium adhibit, sed ne sanetur."

"Behold, he directs his voice to them, but that they may become the more deaf: he lighteth a light, but that they may be rendered the more blind: he showeth forth doctrine, but that they may be made more dull: he applies to them a remedy, but not that they may be healed," Cal. Ins. lib. iii. chap. 24. 13.

66

Well might Calvin himself confess, that this decree of election and reprobation is a HORRIBLE DECREE." "Decretum quidem horribile fateor." Cal. Ins. lib. iii. chap. 23. 7.

Well may Cyprian have declared, "if there are any doctrines uncharitable in themselves; if there are any doctrines that would excite my zeal to extirpate them from the Church of Christ, they are the doctrines of election and reprobation as taught in the institutes of Calvin."

And yet this HORRIBLE DECREE, so contrary to the attributes of God, and to the explicit declarations of his holy word, Calvin hesitates not to found on some doubtful and obscure passages of scripture, on texts evidently applied, not to the eternal destiny of individuals, but to the spiritual privileges of nations and communities in the present world.

This doctrine is thus laid down in the Confession of Faith of the. Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It is laid down in similar language in the Confessions of Faith of the other Calvinistic Churches.

"By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death." Conf. of Faith, ch. iii. sec. 3. The next section of this chapter of the Confession of Faith re

presents the number of the predestinated and foreordained, as "particularly and unchangeably designed," as "certain and defi»

nite."

The next section declares that those "predestinated unto life, God hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature as conditions or causes moving him thereunto."

The conclusion of the sixth section declares, "Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, or saved, but the elect only."

The seventh section deserves particular notice, as it contains the doctrine usually distinguished by the term REPROBATION.

"The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withdraweth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.”*

On the subject of effectual calling, the Confession of Faith declares, that it is "not from any thing foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein." Chap. x. sec. 2,

The third section of this chapter declares, that "Elect infants dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the spirit-so also are other elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the word."

" not

Let the reader consider well the fourth section of this chapter. "Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the word, and may have some common operations of the spirit, yet they never truly come to Christ, and therefore cannot be saved." Here appears the reason why those finally perish who " never tru ly come to Christ, and therefore cannot be saved;" they are elected." That none but the elect can be saved, is expressly declared in the sixth section of the third chapter, quoted above, And that those elected are not elected in consequence of God's foreseeing that they would improve the means of grace, accept the offers of salvation, and persevere unto the end, is evident from the section above quoted, which explicitly declares that the elect are chosen, "without any foresight of their faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature as conditions, or causes moving thereunto." The elect, therefore, are arbitrarily unconditionally elected. The first section of the seventeenth chapter declares, that the elect "can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved."

* Calvin says, " Quos Deus preterit, reprobat"" whom God passes by, he reprobates." "Ac multi quidem, ac si invidiam a Deo repellere vellent, electionem ita fatentur ut negent quenquam reprobari; sed inscite nimis et pueriliter; quando ipsa electio nisi reprobationi opposita non staret." ." "And many indeed as though they would drive away the malice from God, do so grant election, as to deny that any man is reprobated; but this too ignorantly and childishly; forasmuch as election itself would not stand unless it were set contrary to reprobation." Cal. Inst. lib. iii. chap. 23. 1.