as,

At this time, nothing had been said concerning the priesthood, the worldly sanctuary, the meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances which were aftewards imposed. (Heb. ix. 10.) But these things were afterwards included in the words of the covenant which the Lord made with the children of Israel in the land of Moab. What then are we to understand by the law of works? Surely, that first covenant, of which it is written, "If that first covenant had been faultless, then should not place have been sought for the second." And which first covenant is described "that which decayeth and waxeth old, ready to vanish away." (Heb. viii. 13.) And here allow me to observe, it is truly recorded, there was no other nation so great 66 as the nation of Israel, which had statutes and judgments so righteous as all the law, which Moses had set before them;" (Deut. iv. 8.) for all other nations were under the law of condemnation: but, the law or covenant which was given by Moses was of life and good, and in it is written; "Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." To which solemn denunciation all the people said, Amen! (Deut. xxvii. 26.)

Whilst Israel was under this law or covenant, which was a shadow of good things to come; "there was not other nation so great as the nation of Israel, who had God so nigh unto them as the Lord their God in all things that they called upon him for."-(Deuter. iv. 7.)

As the law or first covenant was a shadow of good things to come, we therefore find in the book of the prophets, it is written; "Behold the day is come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.". (Jer. xxxi. 31, 34.) Upon which we have the following comment in the New Testament, namely, "If that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold the day is come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. viii. 7, 13.) Now this first covenant which is said to wax old includes the ten commandments : for it is written, "And the Lord said to Moses, write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words, I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights: he did not either eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with them. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them and till he had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face." (Exod. xxxiv. 23-27.)

Upon which the Holy Spirit hath given the following comment; which plainly testifies, that the words of the covenant, or the ten commandments is the covenant which waxeth old and decayeth ; for it is written, "If the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away. How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, who put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished! (2 Cor. iii.

7, 13.

Therefore as the first covenant is abolished, the law being a shadow of good things to come, so Christ being come, the believer will do well to see in the law the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ.

To the Editors of the Gospel Magazine.

A.

GLEANINGS FROM TOPLADY'S HISTORIC PROOF OT THE DOCTRINAL CALVINISM OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

(Continued from p. 200.)

MESSRS. EDITORS, POPERY never has been, and I believe it never can be successfully opposed but by the bold asssertion and defence of the doctrines of grace, as they are revealed in the scriptures. These doctrines cannot, by any ingenuity of man, be made subservient to Popery or any other universal enslaving scheme; but, on the contrary, they have a direct tendency to disturb and overthrow all priestcraft, and to prevent all unseemly clerical usurpation and encroachment. Hence it is, that they are regarded with such abhorrence and detestation by all pretenders and free-will schemers, who seek worldly applause and gain, rather than true godliness. Such persons profess much affection and reverence for the Bible, and they avail themselves of every means, which money and commerce afford them, to circulate it through the world; and yet, strange to say, they at the same hate the leading and distinguishing truths of Holy Scriptures, and do every thing in their power to suppress them and diminish their influence. They seemingly admire and revere the whole, notwithstanding they labour incessantly both by preaching and writing to corrupt and deteriorate the several parts; and all this is done under an external show of piety, holiness, and universal philanthropy. This is an anomaly peculiar to our days, and if it were possible, such specious proceedings would deceive the very elect. But, thanks be to God, this is not possible, because he hath promised that they shall all be taught of God, who will redeem their souls from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

It is Arminianism-the unhallowed leaven of Pharisaical Arminianism-which is working all manner of mischief by perverting the truth and right ways of the Lord; and it never can be too deeply impressed upon our minds that, " Arminianism came from Rome, and leads thither again." As surely as all rivers run into the sea, so surely all Arminianism tends towards Papal Rome. It rejects the only rest which God has revealed-namely, Christ and the covenant of grace, and vainly seeks rest in an universal, infallible church. Nevertheless the Lord reigneth, his counsel must stand, and he will do all his pleasure; and though his enemies will ultimately be overwhelmed with confusion, his truth declares that believers in Jesus shall never be ashamed nor confounded, but shall always triumph in Christ. My first gleaning is this:

"Well may the author of the Confessional (than whom with all his mistakes; scarce any age has produced a more keen and nerVOL. III.-No. IV.

Y

vous reasoner) make the following just and incontestible remark: 'Our first Reformers framed and placed the Thirty-nine Articles, and more particularly those called Calvinistical as the surest and strongest barriers to keep out Popery. A Protestant divine, adds this masterly writer, may possibly have his objections to the plain sense of these Articles; but in this case he ought not to subscribe to them at all. For if he can bring himself to assent and to subscribe to them in a Catholic (that is, in a Popish-Arminian) sense, I would desire to know what security the Church has, that he does not put the like Catholic sense (with which he may be furnished by the Jesuits) upon those articles which concern transubstantiation and purgatory-Works 1825.-Vol. 1. p. 257.

2. "Certain free-willers, who were the first Separatists from the Church of England, just emerged from Popery, and who sheltered themselves under the profession of the gospel, held among other tenets, That the doctrine of predestination was meeter for devils than Christian men. That children were not born in original sin. That no man was so chosen, but he might damn himself; neither any man so reprobate, but he might keep God's commandments and be saved. That St. Paul might have damned himself if he listed. That God's predestination was not certain, but upon condition. That lust after evil was not sin, if the act were not committed. That there were no reprobates. And, That the preaching of predestination is a damnable thing.' How like this is to Modern Arminianism, sheltering itself, too, under a profession of the gospel.-Vol. I. p. 214.

3. Wickliff, the great harbinger of the Reformation, was at least as strong a Predestinarian as either Luther or Calvin, which is proved by the two following propositions, extracted from his own writings:

1. The prayer of the reprobate prevaileth for no man.'

2.- All things that happen, do come absolutely of necessity.' "He defined the Church to consist only of persons predestinated. And affirmed, that God loved David and Peter as dearly when they grievously sinned, as he doth now when they are possessed of glory. This latter position might, possibly, have been more unexceptionably expressed, be it, substantially, ever so

true.'

"Wickliff was sound in the article of gratuitous pardon and justification by the alone death and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The merit of Christ, says he, is, of itself sufficient to redeem every man from hell. It is to be understood, of a sufficiency of itself, without any other concurring cause. All that follow Christ, being justified by his righteousness, shall be saved as his offspring.'Vol. I. p. 341-5.

"Predestination," says Toplady, "is the only ground, on which the divine foreknowledge and providence can stand. Abstracted from the will and purpose of God, neither persons, nor things, nor

events, could have any certain futurition: consequently, they could not be certainly, foreknowable."

4. Every Christian will allow, that the putting of Christ to death, was in itself, infinitely the greatest crime perpetrated by man. And yet, so absolute a predestinarian was Latimer, that he represents this greatest of crimes as exactly corresponding to the predestination and providence of God concerning it. Nay, he even supposes, that Satan would have hindered the Messiah's crucifixion; but was not able to hinder it, because God's counsel and purpose were, that the Messiah should be crucified. Let us attend

to Latimer's own words. 'After that, when Christ was born into the world, he did what he could to rid him out of the way; therefore he stirred up all the Jews against him. But after he perceived that his death should be our deliverance from everlasting death; and therefore he stirred up Mistress Pilate, who took a nap in the morning, as such fine dames are wont to do, that she should not suffer her husband to give sentence against Christ. For as told you, when he perceived it was to be his destruction, he would hinder it, and did what he could with hand and foot to stop it. But yet he was not able to disaunul the counsel and purpose of God. Far be it from me to vindicate the whole of this remarkable paragraph. On the contrary, I think it very exceptionable, in more respects than one. But it certainly proves, that Latimer carried his idea of predestination to the highest pitch it is possible for man to do."- Vol. I. p. 443.

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5.-" But though he (Latimer) believed redemption not to be absolutely universal, this belief of his did by no means arise (any more than ours) from a diminutive idea of the worth and value of Christ's atonement. He acknowledges its intrinsic sufficiency to redeem every individual of the human species, though he denied its actual universality. Thus he speaks, Notwithstanding his death might be sufficient for all the whole world, yet, for all that, no man shall enjoy that same benefit, but only they that believe in him.' And who are they that shall believe and be saved? Let Latimer answer the question. Therefore he is called Jesus, because he shail save his people from their sins; as the angel of God himself witnesseth. "Vol. I. p. 463.

All history concurs to prove, that the Reformation was founded upon the doctrines of predestination and grace; and it is equally certain, that Protestantism must lose its ground, in proportion as the opposite Arminian doctrines are propagated and encouraged. A passage or two from Peter Martyr in my next. Meantime, I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,

Feb. 25, 1839.

A LAYMAN.