DEAR N. 13th October. I have pleasure in repeating what I have formerly said, that Christians of the Calvinist profession do manifest a degree of piety towards God, and of zeal in doing good to man, which are very exemplary. I hold the persons of these people in high respect. The dogma against which I am opposed, is not the peculiar doctrine of the Calvinists, but that which has unhappily tainted Christian Churches of all denominations, with a few exceptions. St. Paul expressly says that the grand mystery of the restitution of all things is to be testified in due time; or, according to a revised translation, is a testimony for its proper season: that season is now at hand. One cheering sign of its approach, is the cordial union of all sects of Christians for the purpose of extending the knowledge of divine truth to all the nations of the earth. I have just read with great pleasure a report of the proceedings of the Southampton Bible Society. The Chairman, Sir George Rose, said, "he was attached to the Bible Society, on account of the charitable spirit of co-operation which it aimed to secure among Christians of different parties and of different opinions on minor points. Its tendency was to fraternize the whole Christian Church, and to make all parties active in promoting one great object, amicable rivalry and brotherly affection." In another speech, adverting to the discouraging report of the Abbé Dubois, respecting the progress which has been made in converting the Hindoos, he says, "If he (the Abbé) had read and believed the prophecies, he must have perceived and believed that the whole world is destined to come under the spiritual dominion of Christ." Such a faith as this is undoubtedly well calculated to animate the exertions of Christians; and the man who cordially holds it, is prepared to hope and expect that so powerful a principle as the love of Christ will eventually triumph over sin and misery, wherever they may be found. The leaven will continue to

work until the whole shall be leavened. Such is the nature and design of Christ's kingdom, that wherever sin has abounded, it will conquer and superabound; for this end Christ both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

The belief of this revealed mystery will not, as you justly observe, affect the state of the dead, nor influence the Divine decrees; but, nevertheless, it does affect the mind of him that believes it, because it strengthens his confidence in the love of God, it excites a feeling of joy at the prospect of the triumph which awaits the kingdom of Christ, and it is calculated to excite charity towards the human race at large, as eventual partakers of the blessings of the gospel. This is the utility of the doctrine. To be deprived of this hope would be a serious injury to me; but I do not say that you may not be able to enjoy a sense of the Divine favour, although the truth in question is hidden from your eyes.

With respect to the words for ever, everlasting and eternal, as applied in the English Version of the Bible to future punishment, I need not deem it necessary to advert to them, because you know that the original words do not convey the idea of endless duration; and that even in the English Bible the words are actually applied to many things which, it is admitted on all hands, have or will come to an end. I now close all that I intend to say upon the subject.

You still insinuate that I have not sought for a knowledge of the truth by prayer. Private devotion is a thing not to be boasted of, and I shall not say a word more respecting it, than that He who heareth and answereth prayer knows, and will hereafter make manifest, who they are that seek him.

With respect to the exercise of reason in matters of faith, to which you appear to object, I venture to challenge you to produce a single passage of Scripture that forbids it. I am well aware that much is said as to the temper of mind in which our inquiries should be conducted; namely, that we should, like little children, (free from pride, malice and anger,) apply our ininds to learn the truth. No man is against reason until he finds reason against him. Some men

are so sophisticated by system as not to perceive that they resort to reasoning, even when they endeavour to prove that we ought not to reason. Christian liberty, however, after a long period of darkness, is now beginning to be pretty generally understood. Men have the wit to discern that when one mortal usurps authority over the mind and conscience of another, he lays claim to a divine attribute. Why did Jesus and Paul reason, or Calvin and Luther argue against the errors and follies of Popery? The answer which justifies them will suffice for I.

me.

N to I.

14th October. You have set me at ease in respect to one grand point, namely, that neither the state of the departed nor the decrees of God can be affected by what we can think, or feel, or speak, or do, with respect to the dead. But you say justly, that the living are affected. I am perfectly satisfied in my mind that your doctrine does harm to your self and those who hold it, and to those to whom it is preached. What you say with respect to reason strengthens my convictions. The time for you and all of us to know the effects of the fall, and to experience a full know ledge of the evil of sin, is yet to come. As to the pleasure which you speak of, I consider it to be dangerously delusive, and I think the same with regard to the pleasing experiences of the great bulk of professed Calvinists. As to the true scriptural Calvinist, he possesses all the consummation that you can hold out to him. He is as sured that every thing will be restored to its proper place-that he will find every thing in heaven any good being could wish for; and he cannot have more. He soon is swallowed up in a sense of the love of God in Christ Jesus, brimfull, and can hold no more -is immersed in an ocean without bounds. He will be of one mind with God to all eternity; and all creature considerations will be resolved into the glory and sovereignty of God, which is, at all events, what it ought to be; and we shall be enabled to see that hereafter. The true Calvinist, bowing to the sovereignty of God, receives what is said with respect to the character of the finally impenitent, as

well as the nature and duration of the punishment, in such a manner as to give to the words employed the fullest meaning which they are able to bear. Consequently the texts you have quoted are, in their judgment, overruled. It is an act of submission and obedience which clears God of every unfavourable imputation, gives the fullest allowance to the penitent, and instead of beguiling men into danger, warns them to flee from it. Penitents are not the subjects of the threat, and they are told so in the strongest terms. As to feeling for impenitent and unconverted fellow-creatures, God is the judge which of the two sects feels most the agony, the travailing in birth for souls, and gives the most impressive warnings. Every one will be ransomed who accepts the offered pardon with that feeling of repentance which God will accept. Wherever repentance is proved there will be salvation. All this will be known hereafter. You assume that men will repent in a future state, but you cannot prove it. It is a great pity that while we are so anxious for the repentance of condemned spirits, we should be so little anxious for our own. I verily believe that if we were fully convinced by the Holy Ghost in our ownselves, of sin and righteousness and judgment, we should not be anxious to prove that lost spirits repent and are saved. We should leave these matters in God's hands, making use of Scripture language, and adopt the word conian if you please and the designation of the impenitent. We ought to be very care ful how we encourage men to put off repentance, by telling them they may repent savingly after death. All sects of Christians appear to see the evil tendency of this doctrine, and many a worldly man sees it, or professes to see it.

The true Calvinist experiences an increasingly deep conviction of the blindness and depravity of his heart by nature; and, therefore, longs for the light of life. Such does not ap pear to be the experience of your sect. They look to distant periods and events; and their professed sense of the love of God, seems to make them lose sight and feeling of what God has said with respect to sin and the sinner, those awful denunciations. Our sect, under quickenings and awakenings,

perceive and feel with acute anguish, horror and dismay, such deviations as, I believe, your people would think very little of; and as respects spiritual affections and desires, I cannot see how it is possible that the two sects can harmonize. This applies to partially awakened Calvinists.

True Calvinists do not exult over the finally impenitent and their doom, but tremblingly say, "I am by nature and conduct under the same tremendous liability, but hope I have found a sure refuge. I am taught the evil of sin by this awful exposure. He will offer salvation to every true penitent; leaving it to God to judge as to the nature of the repentance of the individual. But this is swerving from the avowed object of this paper, which is intended to be confined to thorough awakenings, quickenings and enlightenings, and real spirituality of affection. You will, I suppose, say that your sect are truly spiritual. I do not remember to have ever seen one that I thought to be so according to the definition of scripture.

There seems to be a great difference as respects convictions of righteousness and of holiness; and between convictions as to sufferings or liability to suffer, and conviction of the evil of sin, both which can only be spiritually discerned by supernatural light of the Holy Ghost. This must be sought for on both sides, and as soon as that is the case I believe the discussion respecting future dispensations will be superseded and left to God.

DEAR N.

I to N.

15th October. "As to the true scriptural Calvinist, he possesses all the consummation that you can hold out to him. He is assured that every thing will be restored to its proper place-that he will find every thing in heaven a good being would wish for; and he cannot have more. He is swallowed up in a sense of the love of God in Christ Jesus, brimfull, and can hold no more -is immersed in an ocean without bounds. He will be of one mind with God to all eternity; and all creature considerations will be resolved into the glory and sovereignty of God."

Introduce me to such a man, and I will gladly give him the right-hand of

fellowship, and acknowledge him for a true Christian.

It is not quite correct in free discussions for one of the parties to assume the point in dispute. The question was not what Calvinists believe, but what the Bible teaches. You always make the term Calvinist (a modern sect) synonymous with true believer, which was precisely the course pursued by the Papists, when reasoning with the Reformers. This is puerile and unworthy a man of sense.

In speaking of the spiritual condition of those who believe conscientiously that the Bible teaches some things which the Calvinistic creed does not contain, and that some of the dogmas of that sect are not to be found in the Bible, you undertake that for which you are not qualified; for you do not know the people of whom you thus judge. The Calvinists are very numerous, and, I doubt not, that among them there are many sincere and humble Christians. The other parties to whom you allude are earnestly desirous that a sectarian should be superseded by a more Catholic spirit: they do not underrate the paramount importance of personal holiness, nor treat lightly the consequences of sin; but they do think that the conversion of sinners is more likely to be effected by scriptural representations of the love of God to mankind, and of his justice and impartiality in his dealings with his creatures, than by those dreadful denunciations which, although they may for a while astound the faculties of men, are so opposed to every idea of the character of a just and good Ruler, as speedily to evaporate and leave the mind void of any well-defined notions. In fact, the experiment of the doctrine of neverending punishment has been tried for ages, and has left men as hardened and as dissolute as ever. It is time that another course should be tried, and tried it will be.

You say, "It is a great pity that while we are so anxious for the repentance of condemned spirits, we should be so little anxious for our own." It would, indeed, be a pity if this were the case; but is it the case? pleases you to assume that it is so. Whether or not you have judged correctly I leave with a power to whom we are all accountable.

It