was put into a deep dungeon, where he was almost eaten up with vermin, forbidden the supplies he needed in his confinement, and with all, before they cast him into this dungeon, they took from him 97 pieces of gold, a gold chain worth 20 crowns, and 6 gold rings!

Castellio, a man of learning and piety, had the misfortune to differ with Calvin in judgment, in relation to absolute predestination. This Calvin could not bear, and therefore treated Castellio in so rude and cruel a manner, that even his warmest friends are ashamed to justify him. In his writings he calls him, "blasphemer, reviler, malicious, barking dog, full of ignorance, beastiality and impudence, imposter, a base corrupter of the sacred writings, a mocker of God, a contemner of all religion, an impudent fellow, a filthy dog, a knave, an impious, lewd, crooked-minded vagabond, beggarly rogue." Castellio, by the persecutions of Calvin, was thrown into such circumstances of poverty, that he was scarce able to maintain himself. And for drawing out of the river Rhine, near the banks of which he lived, the wood that floated down, (which was every man's property that could' catch it) this charitable man Calvin, published him to the world for theft! Reader, this is pious reform! This is re-. forming that spirit of intolerance in the church of Rome! All this cruelty was practised upon a Protestant, in the Protestant city of Geneva! And this is the old man, whose doctrines, discipline and practice, are held in such high esteem by the Presbyterians, and the rest of the Calvinistic denominations. But to return. Calvinism, within the last half century, has undergone so many and great changes, or rather modifications, that it is no longer in form and appearance what it was, that is, in the sermons of Calvinistic divines; though, in their printed works, the doctrine is the same, and these they are determined never to revoke. They have used a great deal of art and policy, and deception, in order to keep their doctrine in countenance, but all to little purpose, for the sovereign multitude are determined to believe their own eyes, in preference to the statements of any people.

The Calvinists complain much of being misunderstood and misrepresented; but when they shall set forth their new faith, and their old faith in plain and. intelligible language, I am confident their complaints will cease; for I cannot believe. there is a disposition in the community to do them injustice. But the old system of Calvinism all understand: the new system no one can understand. Whether a concealed method of holding and teaching the doctrines of the gospel be in accord

ance with the spirit and design of the same, deserves to be seriously considered. And whether or not it be desirable to add a number of persons to a church, under a mistaken view of what is the faith of that church, will not long be doubted by any who love frankness and open dealing. However, I do not wonder in the least, that those who resolve all the wicked motives and conduct of men and devils, into the efficient decrees of God, should labor to conceal their real sentiments, or hide the deformities of such a system. Now, as John Calvin will be allowed by all to be a competent teacher of Calvinism, I insist that his exposition of the doctrine which take his name, may be consulted as the most satisfactory authority. Therefore I shall commence with extracts from his own Institutes. He teaches the doctrine in the following style:

"CALVIN'S INSTITUTES.-Vol. 2.

"Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which he hath determined in himself, what he would have to become of every individual of mankind. For they are not created with a similar destiny; but eternal life is ordained for some, and eternal damnation for others."

Page 420. "We affirm that this counsel, as far as concerns the elect is founded on his gratuitous mercy, totally irrespective of human merit; but that to those whom he devotes to condemnation, the gate of life is closed by a just and irreprehensible, but incomprehensible, judgment. In the elect, we consider calling as an evidence of election, and justification as another. token of its manifestation, till they arrive in glory, which constitutes its completion. As God seals the elect by vocation and justification, so by excluding the reprobate from the knowledge of his name and the sanctifi cation of his spirit, he affords an indication of the judgment that awaits them." Page 425.

"When the human mind hears these things, its petulence breaks all ́ restraint and it discovers as serious and violent agitation as if alarmed by the sound of a martial trumpet. Many indeed as if they wished to avert odium from God, admit election in such a way as to deny that any one is reprobated. But this is puerile and absurd, because election itself could not exist without being opposed to reprobation. God is said to separate those whom he adopts to salvation. To say that others obtain by chance or acquire by their own efforts, that which election alone confers on a few, will be worse than absurd. Whom God passes by therefore he reprobates, and from no other cause, than his determination to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines for his children.” Page 442.

"These things will amply suffice for persons of piety and modesty, who remember that they are men. But as these virulent adversaries are not content with one species of opposition, we will reply to them all as occasion may require. Foolish mortals enter into many contentions with God, as though they could arraign him to plead to their accusations. In the first place they enquire, by what right the Lord is angry with his crea tures who had not provoked him by any previous offence; for that, to devote to destruction whom he pleases, is more like the caprice of a tyrant than the lawful sentence of a judge; that men have reason, therefore to

expostulate with God, if they are predestinated to eternal death without any demerit of their own, merely by his sovereign will. If such thoughts ever enter the minds of pious men, they will be sufficiently enabled to break their violence by this one consideration, how exceedingly presumptuous is it only to inquire into the causes of the Divine will: which is in fact, and is justly entitled to be, the cause of every thing that exists.” Page 444.

"Observe; all things being at God's disposal, and the decision of salvation or death belonging to him, he orders all things by his counsel or decree in such a manner, that some men are born devoted from the womb to certain death, that his name may be glorified in their destruction." Page 449.

"The perplexity and hesitation discovered at trifles by these pious defenders of the justice of God, and their facility in overcoming great difficulties, are truly absurd. I inquire again, how it came to pass that the fall of Adam, independent of any remedy, should involve so many nations with their infant children in eternal death but because such was the will of God." Page 450.

"Another argument often urged to overthrow predestination is, that its establishment would destroy all solicitude and exertion for rectitude of conduct. For who can hear, say they, that either life or death is appointed for him by God's eternal and immutable decree, without immediately concluding that it is of no importance how he conducts himself; since no action of his can in any respect either impede or promote the predestination of God? Thus all will abandon themselves to despair, and run into every excess to which their licentious propensities may lead them. And truly this objection is not altogether destitute of truth; for there are many swine who bespatter the doctrine of predestination with their impure blasphemies, and with this pretext elude all admonitions and reproofs: God knows what he has determined to do with us: if he has decreed our salvation, he will bring us to it in his own time; if he has destined us to death, it will be in vain for us to strive against it. But the scripture, while it inculcates superior awe, and reverence of mind in the consideration of so great a mystery, instructs the faithful in a very different conclusion, and fully refutes the wicked and unreasonable inferences of these persons." Page 455.

"They carry their blasphemies much farther, by asserting, that any one who is reprobated by God will labor to no purpose if he endeavor to approve himself to him by innocence and integrity of life; but here they are convicted of a most impudent falsehood. For whence could such exertion originate but from election? Whoever are of the number of the reprobate being vessels made to dishonor, cease not to provoke the Divine wrath against them by continual transgressions, and to confirm by evident proofs the judgment of God already denounced against them; so that their striving with him in vain is what never can happen." Page 456.

"As the Lord, by his effectual calling of the elect, completes the salvation to which he has predestinated them in his eternal counsel; so he hath his judgments against the reprobates, by which he executes his counsel respecting them. Those therefore, whom he hath created to a life of shame and a death of destruction, that they might be instruments of his wrath, and examples of his severity, he causes to reach their appointed end, sometimes depriving them of the opportunity of hearing the word, sometimes, by the preaching of it increasing their blindness and stupidity." Page 475.

REMARKS.-It will be seen from the above extracts, that

whatever has or shall come to pass in this world, whether it be good or whether it be bad, proceeds from the divine will entirely, and is irrevocably fixed from all eternity; God having secretly predetermined not only the adverse and prosperous fortune of every person in this world, but also his faith and infidelity, his obedience and disobedience, and consequently his everlasting happiness or misery after death; which fate or predestination it is not possible, by any foresight or wisdom, to avoid.

The principle involved in this doctrine, that is God's absolute decree, is directly at variance with St. James's doctrine of faith and works, which, in a qualified sense is predicated upon the principle of merit; for there can be no merit in obedience, nor demerit in disobedience, where the individual is compelled by fate or predestination, to obey or disobey; besides, this doctrine violates every attribute of the Deity; his absolute decree, deprives him of all power to govern the world, and renders nugatory his providence, his mercy, and his justice. Such are the puerile doctrines held by most, if not all, the Calvinistic sections of the christian church. It cannot be necessary to enlarge upon these extracts, to show that Calvinism when carried out, contains inherently all the essential principles of idolatry; and that it is every way calculated to raise its admirers to the very achme of pagan splendor! Calvinism, being thus found both in faith and practice, derogatory to the supremacy and spirituality of God, inconsistent with the divine nature, and at variance with itself; it is impossible that it could have had a divine origin, and must, therefore, have been a mere human invention, contrived by its founder for political purposes, to gratify his ambition and raise himself to regal dignity.

Truly, the God whom Calvin worshipped, was every way as different from the God of the Bible, as the Bible itself is from the Koran. Nay, the difference between the two beings, is as great, as that existing between Mohammed the preacher at Mecca, and Mohammed the sovereign prince and pontiff of Medina, or Oliver Cromwell the farmer, and Cromwell the "Lord Protector." But the difference betwixt Calvin the preacher, and Cromwell the farmer, was as follows: The latter was raised from the cultivation of the soil, to direct the helm of state, agreeably to known laws and established customs; but the former stood forth the vicegerent of God, armed with the sword of persecution to enforce his high and heaven-daring commands-he only was the favorite of heaven, the only dispenser of its justice, all the rest of the

world were heretics, while the love of God sharpened the sword of persecution in his hands! The goodness, mercy, and providence of God, were, in his hands, made subservient to the establishment of a military despotism, and the wasting Upas of error and falsehood, was nurtured and raised to maturity by the blood of the innocent men he caused to be slain!

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And certainly, the man who can swallow his doctrines and conduct, horns foremost or otherwise, must have the throat of an ostrich; while the stomach that can digest them, need not dread to encounter iron, adamant fish-hooks, and glassbottles! I could sooner believe all the fables in the legend, and the Talmud, and the Koran, than that the doctrine of Calvinism has any foundation in truth. I will here add the views of THOMAS JEFFERSON, a disinterested judge at least, in relation to the doctrines, policy, and ambition of the Presbyterians, as contained in the IV vol. of his works-page 358. In a letter to Doctor Cooper, bearing date November 2, 1822, Mr. Jefferson says: "Your favor of October 18th, came to hand on yesterday. The atmosphere of our country is unquestionably charged with a threatening cloud of fanaticism, lighter in some parts, denser in others, but too heavy in all. I had no idea, however, that in Pennsylvania, the cradle of toleration and freedom of religion, it could have arisen to the height you describe. This must be owing to the growth of Presbyterianism. The blasphemy and absurdity of the five points of Calvin, and the impossibility of defending them, render their advocates impatient of reasoning, irritable, and prone to denunciation of character."

Mr. Jefferson, in a letter to old John Adams, dated April 11, 1823, writes as follows: "The wish expressed in your last favor, that I may continue in life and health, until I become a Calvinist, at least in his exclamation of 'mon dieu! jusqu a quand!" [My God how long! is the French signification] would make me immortal. I can never join Calvin in addressing his God. He was indeed an atheist, which I can never be; or rather his religion was dæmonism. If ever man worshipped a false God, he did. The being described in his five points, is not the God whom you and I acknowledge and adore, the creator and benevolent governor of the world; but a dæmon of malignant spirit. It would be more pordanable to believe in no God at all, than to blaspheme him by the atrocious attributes of Calvin." In conclusion, as some of my readers may not fully know what is meant by the "five