Section 2.

SECTION 2.

Calvinism upon its legs, or a full view of the arguments by which Mr. Toplady attempts to reconcile Calvinism with God’s holiness; — a note upon a letter to an Arminian teacher.

SENSIBLE that Calvinism can never rank among the doctrines of holiness, if “the elect shall be saved, do what they will,” and if the “reprobate shall be damned, do what they can;” Mr. Toplady tries to throw off, from his doctrines of grace, the deadly weight of Mr. Wesley’s consequence. In order to this, he proves that Calvinism insures the holiness of the elect, as the necessary means of their predestinated salvation: but he is too judicious to tell us that it insures also the wickedness of the reprobate as the necessary means of their predestinated damnation. To make us in love with his orthodoxy, he presents her to our view with one leg, on which she contrives to stand, by artfully leaning upon her faithful maid, Logica Genevensis. Her other leg is prudently kept out of sight, so long as the trial about her holiness lasts. This deserves explanation.

The most distinguishing and fundamental doctrines of Calvinism are two; and therefore they may with propriety be called the legs of that doctrinal system. The FIRST of these fundamental doctrines is, the personal, unconditional, absolute predestination, or election, of some men to eternal life; and the SECOND is, the personal, unconditional, absolute predestination, or reprobation, of some men to eternal death. Nor can Mr. Toplady find fault with my making his doctrine of grace stand upon her legs, Calvinian election and Calvinian reprobation: for, supposing that our Church speaks in her seventeenth article of Calvinian, absolute predestination to eternal life, he says himself, in his Historic Proof, page 574, “The predestination of some to life, asserted in the seventeenth article, cannot be maintained without admitting the reprobation f81 of some others to death, &c, and all who have subscribed to the said article are bound in honour, conscience, and law to defend reprobation, were it only to keep the seventeenth article [or rather, the Calvinian sense which Mr. Toplady fixes to that article] upon its legs.”

Agreeably to Mr. Toplady’s charge, Calvinism shall stand upon its legs. He takes care to show the right leg, in order to vindicate God’s holiness upon the Calvinian plan; and I shall set forth the left leg, in order to show that the honour of God’s holiness is as incompatible with Calvinism, as light with darkness. Mr. Toplady’s arguments are produced under No. 1, with the number of the page in his book where he advances them. In the opposite column, under No. 2, the reader will find my answer, which is nothing but Mr. Toplady’s own argument, retorted in such a manner as to defend the second Gospel axiom, which Calvinism entirely overthrows. No. 1 displays the unguarded manner in which Mr. Toplady defends the first Gospel axiom, To form No. 2, I only make his arguments stand upon the other leg; and by this simple method, I show the lameness of Calvinism, and the infamy which she pours upon God’s holiness and goodness, under fair shows of regard for these adorable attributes.

The left leg of Calvinism, or the Calvinian doctrine of reprobation and necessary wickedness.

ANSWER. No. 2. I affirm, with Calvinism, that the reprobates cannot be damned without wickedness and disobedience. Yet is not their damnation precarious; for that very decree of reprobation, by which they were nominated and ordained to eternal death, ordained their intermediate conformity to the image of the devil in sin and true wickedness. Nay, that conformity is itself the dawn and beginning of actual damnation.

ANSWER. No. 2. The reprobates could no more be damned without personal wickedness, than they could be damned without personal existence. And why?

Because God’s own decree secures the means as well as the end, and accomplishes the end by the means. The same gratuitous predestination which ordained the existence of the reprobate as men, ordained their pollution as sinners; and they were ordained to both, in order to their being finally and completely damned in Adam with eternal shame.

The right leg of Calvinism, or the Calvinian doctrine of election and necessary holiness.

ARGUMENT II. No. 1. Page 17. “I affirm, with Scripture, that they [the elect] cannot be saved without sanctification and obedience. Yet is not their salvation precarious; for that very decree of election, by which they were nominated and ordained to eternal life, ordained their intermediate renewal after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness. Nay, that renewal is itself the dawn and beginning of actual salvation.”

ARG. III. No. 1. Page 17. “The elect could no more be saved without personal holiness, than they could be saved without personal existence. And why?

Because God’s own decree secures the means as well as the end, and accomplishes the end by the means. The same gratuitous predestination which ordained the existence of the elect as men, ordained their purification as saints; and they were ordained to both, in order to their being finally and completely saved in Christ with eternal glory.”

Before I produce the next argument, I think it is proper to observe that “the election of grace,” which St. Paul defends, is not, as Calvin supposes, an absolute election to eternal life, through necessitated holiness: an election this, which, in the very nature of things, drags after it an absolute reprobation to eternal death, through remediless sin. But the apostle means a gratuitous election to the privileges of the best covenant of peculiarity, — a most gracious covenant this, which is known under the name of “Christianity, the Gospel of Christ,” or simply “the Gospel,” by way of eminence. For as, by a partial election of distinguishing favour, the Jews were once chosen to be God’s peculiar people, (at which time the Gentiles were reprobated, with respect to Jewish privileges, being left under the inferior Gospel dispensation of reprieved Adam and spared Noah,) so, when the Jews provoked God to reject them from being his peculiar people, he elected the Gentiles, to whom he sent “the Gospel of Christ:” he elected them, I say, and called them to believe this precious Gospel, and “to be holy in all manner of conversation, as becomes Christians.” But far from absolutely electing those Gentiles to eternal salvation through unavoidable holiness, Calvinistically imposed upon them, he charged them by his messengers to make “their Christian calling and election sure, lest they also should be cut off,” as the Jews had been, for not “making their Jewish calling and election sure.” In short, “the election of grace” mentioned in the Scriptures, is a gratuitous election to run the Christian race with Paul Peter, and James; rather than the Jewish race with Moses, David, and Daniel; or the race of Gentilism with Adam, Enoch, and Noah.

It is a gracious election, which implies no merciless, absolute reprobation of the rest of mankind. And the Calvinists are greatly mistaken when they confound this election with our judicial election to receive the crown of life, a rewarding crown this, the receiving of which depends, (1.) On the grace of God in Christ; and, (2.) On the voluntary obedience of faith; and will be judicially bestowed according to the impartiality of justice; and not according to the partiality of grace. This will be demonstrated in an Essay on the Election of Grace and the Election of Justice, where the reader will see the true meaning of the passages which Mr. Toplady has so plausibly pressed into the service of the following arguments: — LEFT LEG.

ANSWER. No. 2. God the Father hath reprobated us in Adam, before the foundation of the world, that we should [not be “damned, do what we will;” but] be unholy and full of blame before him in malice. Reprobation is always followed by apostasy; and apostasy is the source of all bad works.

ANSWER. No. 2. We [the reprobates] are his subsequent workmanship, created anew in Adam unto bad works, which God hath foreordained, that we should walk in them. Consequently, it does not follow from the doctrine of absolute predestination that “the reprobates shall be damned, do what they will.” On the contrary, they are reprobated as much to wickedness as to hell; and are foreordained to walk in bad works, by virtue of their reprobation from eternity, and of their perversion in time.

ANSWER. No. 2. Yet again, God hath from the beginning, [that is, from everlasting,] reprobated you to damnation, through pollution of the Spirit, and disbelief of the truth. All, therefore, who are reprobated to damnation, are no less unalterably destined to wickedness and unbelief in the meanwhile. And if so, it is giving God himself the lie to say that “the reprobate shall be damned, do what they will.” For the reprobate, like the blessed person who rejected them, come into the world not to do their own will, but the will of Him that sent them:

and this is the will of God concerning them, even their wickedness. Hence they are expressly said to be reprobated unto disobedience. Not indeed reprobated because of disobedience, but reprobated unto it: for works are not the foundation of wrath, but streams RIGHT LEG.

ARG. IV. No. 1. Page 18. “God the Father hath chosen us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should [not ‘be saved, do what we will;’ but] ‘be holy and without blame before him in love,’ Ephesians 1:4.

Election is always followed by regeneration, and regeneration is the source of all good works.”

ARG. V. No. 1. Page 18. “We [the elect] are his subsequent workmanship, created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath foreordained, that we should walk in them. Consequently, it does not follow from the doctrine of absolute predestination that the ‘elect shall be saved, do what they will.’ On the contrary, they are chosen as much to holiness as to heaven; and are foreordained to walk in good works, by virtue of their election from eternity, and of their conversion in time.”

ARG. VI. No. 1. Pages 18, 19. “Yet again, God hath from the beginning, [that is, from everlasting, &c,] ‘chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth,’ 2 Thessalonians 2:13. All, therefore, who are chosen to salvation, are no less unalterably destined to holiness and faith in the meanwhile. And if so, it is giving God himself the lie to say that ‘the elect shall be saved, do what they will.’ For the elect, like the blessed person who redeemed them, come into the world not to do their own will, but the will of Him that sent them: and this is the will of God concerning them, even their sanctification. Hence they are expressly said to be elect unto obedience. Not indeed chosen because of obedience, but chosen unto it: for works are not the foundation of grace, but streams flowing from it. Election does not depend upon flowing from it. Reprobation does not depend upon wickedness, but wickedness depends upon reprobation.

So far, therefore, is predestination from being subversive of bad works, that predestination to death is the primary cause of all the bad works which have been and shall be wrought from the beginning to the end of time.

holiness, but holiness depends upon election. So far, therefore, is predestination from being subversive of good works, that predestination is the primary cause of all the good works which have been and shall be wrought from the beginning to the end of time.”

Dreadfully crooked as the left leg of Mr. Toplady’s system is, it perfectly agrees with the right leg; that is, with his crooked election, and his bandy predestination. He may deny it as absolutely as prisoners at the bar deny what is laid to their charge: but their denial goes for nothing: the witnesses are called in, and I produce two, who are capital, and to whom I suppose Mr. Toplady will hardly object. The first is Zanchius, and the second is his ingenious translator, who says in his translation, page 50, “He [man] fell in consequence of the Divine decree.” (Observ. p. 7.) “Whatever comes to pass, comes to pass by virtue of this absolute, omnipotent will of God.

Whatever things come to pass, come to pass necessarily.” (Ibid.)

“Whatever man does, he does necessarily,” page 15. “All things turn out according to Divine predestination; not only the works we do outwardly, but even the thoughts we think inwardly,” page 7. “The will of God is the primary and supreme cause of all things,” page 11. “The sole cause why some are saved and others perish, proceeds from his willing the salvation of the former, and the perdition of the latter,” page 15. “We can only do what God from eternity willed and foreknew we should,” page 7. “No free will of the creature can resist the will of God,” page 19. “The purpose or decree of God signifies his everlasting appointment of some men to life, and of others to death: which appointment flows entirely from his own free and sovereign will,” page 57. “If between the elect and the reprobate there was not a great gulf fixed, so that neither can be otherwise than they are, then the will of God (which is the alone cause why some are chosen and others not) would be rendered of no effect,” page 56. “Nor would his word be true with regard to the non-elect, if it was possible for them to be saved,” page 15. “The condemnation of the reprobate is necessary and irresistible,” page 25. “God worketh all things in all men, even wickedness in the wicked.”

On these propositions, the most unguarded words of which I have produced in Italics, I rest the left leg of Calvinism, and taking my leave of the translation of Zanchius, I return to the Vindication of the Decrees; and continue to make Mr. Toplady’s doctrine of grace stand “on its legs,” that is, on absolute reprobation to death, as well as on absolute election to life.

LEFT LEG.

ANSWER. No. 2. Reason also joins with Scripture in asserting the indispensable necessity of WICKEDNESS, upon the footing of the most absolute and irrespective reprobation: or, in other words, that the certainty of the end does not supersede, but insure the intervention of the means.

ANSWER. No. 2. It was necessary that, as holy, they [the reprobate] should not only be appointed to punishment, and entitled to hell, but endued moreover with an internal meetness for that inheritance. This internal meetness for hell, can only be wrought by the perverting agency of [the Manichean] god the unholy ghost, who officiously engaged and took upon himself, in the covenant of wrath, to pervert and defile all the reprobate people of God; saying, “I will put my law in their minds.

Reprobate, &c, through pollution of the spirit unto disobedience.” Reprobation, though productive of bad works, is not founded upon them: on the contrary, they are one of the inglorious ends to which they are reprobated. Sinners do not bear the root, but the root them.

Reprobate unto disobedience. They who have been reprobated, &c, shall experience the wicked spirit’s pollution, in beginning, advancing, and perfecting the work of sin in their souls.

The reprobates, &c, are made to disobey the commandments of God, and to imitate Satan, &c. I said, made RIGHT LEG.

ARG. VII. No. 1. Page 19. “Reason also joins with Scripture in asserting the indispensable necessity of SANCTIFICATION, upon the footing of the most absolute and irrespective election: or, in other words, that the certainty of the end does not supersede, but insure the intervention of the means.”

ARG. VIII. No. 1. Pages 21, 22. “It was necessary that, as sinners, they [the elect] should not only be redeemed from punishment, and entitled to heaven, but endued moreover with an internal meetness for that inheritance. This internal meetness for heaven can only be wrought by the restoring agency of God the Holy Ghost, who graciously engaged and took upon himself, in the covenant of peace, to renew and sanctify all the elect people of God; saying, ‘I will put my law in their minds. Elect, &c, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience.’ Election, though productive of good works, is not founded upon them: on the contrary, they are one of the glorious ends to which they are chosen. Saints do not bear the root, but the root them. Elect unto obedience.

They who have been elected, &c, shall experience the Holy Spirit’s sanctification, in beginning, advancing, and perfecting the work of grace in their souls. The elect, &c, are made to obey the commandments of God, and to imitate Christ, &c. I said, made to obey.

Here perhaps the unblushing Mr. Wesley to disobey. Here perhaps the blushing Mr. Wesley may ask, “Are the reprobates then mere machines?” I answer, No: they are made willing in the day of God’s power.

ANSWER. NO. 2. God decreed to bring his reprobate to hell in a way of sinning, and in no other way but that. If so, cries Mr. Wesley, “they shall be damned, whether they sin or no.”

What, notwithstanding their sinning is itself an essential branch of the decree concerning them? “The man may as well affirm that Paul might have preached the Gospel, viva voce, in fifty different regions, without travelling a step!” page 23. Equally illogical is Mr. Wesley’s impudent slander, that “the reprobate shall be damned, do what they will,” that is, whether they be wicked or not.

ANSWER. NO. 2. The rich glutton’s gluttony, and his unmercifulness, were as certainly and as necessarily included in the decree of the means as his being tormented in hell was determined by the decree of the end.

ANSWER. NO. 2. Hate, when Calvinistically predicated of God, signifies his eternal ill will; that is, his everlasting will, purpose, and determination, to enthral, curse, and damn his [reprobated] people. In order to the eventual accomplishment of that damnation in the next world, wickedness is given them in this, to preserve them (and preserve them it does) from doing the good they otherwise would. This is all the reprobation which Calvinism contends for; even a predestination to wickedness and hell.

ANSWER. NO. 2. Now, if it be the Father’s will that Satan should lose may ask, ‘Are the elect then mere machines?’ I answer, No: they are made willing in the day of God’s power.” f82 ARG. IX. No. 1. Pages 23, 24. “God decreed to bring his elect to glory, in a way of sanctification, and in no other way but that. If so, cries Mr. Wesley, ‘they shall be saved, whether they are sanctified or no.’ What, notwithstanding their sanctification is itself an essential branch of the decree concerning them?

The man may as well affirm that Abraham might have been the progenitor of nations, though he had died in infancy, &c. Equally illogical, is Mr. Wesley’s impudent slander, that ‘the elect shall be saved, do what they will,’ that is, whether they be holy or not.”

ARG. X. No. 1. Page 20. “Paul’s travelling, and Paul’s utterance, were as certainly and as necessarily included in the decree of the means as his preaching was determined by the decree of the end.”

ARG. XI. No. 1. Pages 28, 29. “Love, when [Calvinistically] predicated of God, signifies his eternal benevolence; that is, his everlasting will, purpose, and determination, to deliver, bless, and save his [elect] people. In order to the eventual accomplishment of that salvation in the next world, grace is given them in this, to preserve them (and preserve them it does) from doing the evil they Otherwise would. This is all the election which Calvinism, &c, contends for; even a predestination to holiness and heaven.”

ARG. XII. No. 1. Page 33. “Now, if it be the Father’s will that Christ should lose none of his elect; if Christ himself, in consequence of their covenant donation to him, does actually give unto them none of his reprobate; if Satan himself, in consequence of their covenant donation to him, does actually give unto them eternal death, and solemnly avers that they shall never escape; if God be so against them that none can hinder their damnation, &c; if they cannot be justified, and naught shall separate them from the hate of Christ; it clearly and inevitably follows, that not one of the reprobate can escape; but they must all necessarily be damned.

Which damnation consists as much in the being stripped of moral rectitude on earth, as in the enduring of eternal torments in hell.

eternal life, and solemnly avers that they shall never perish; if God be so for them that none can hinder their salvation, &c; if they cannot be condemned, and naught shall separate them from the love of Christ; it clearly and inevitably follows, that not one of the elect can perish; but they must all necessarily be saved. Which salvation consists as much in the recovery of moral rectitude below, as in the enjoyment of eternal blessedness above.”

By such wrested texts, and delusive arguments as these, it is, that Mr. Toplady has vindicated God’s holiness upon Calvinian principles. Now as he requests that Calvinism may stand “upon its legs,” that is, upon absolute election and absolute reprobation; I appeal to all the unprejudiced world, have I not made the Diana of the Calvinists stand straight? Have I not suffered her to rest upon her left leg, as well as upon the right? If that leg terminates in a horribly cloven foot, is it Mr. Wesley’s fault, or mine? Have we formed the doctrinal image, which is set up in mystical Geneva? Is the quotation produced in my motto forged? Is not absolute reprobation one of “the doctrines of grace” (so called) as well as absolute election? May I not show the full face of Calvinism, as well as her side face? If a man pay me a guinea, have I not a right to suspect that it is false, and to turn it, if he that wants to pass it will never let me see the reverse of it in a clear light? Can Mr. Toplady blame me for holding forth Calvinian reprobation? Can he find fault with me for showing what he says I am “not only bound to show, but to defend?” If Calvinism be “the doctrine of grace,” which I must engage sinners to espouse, why should I serve her as the soldiers did the thieves on the cross? Why, at least, should I break one of her legs? If ever I bring her into the pulpit, she shall come up on both “her legs.” The chariot of my Diana shall be drawn by the biting serpent, as well as by the silly dove; I will preach Calvinian reprobation, as well as Calvinian election. I will be a man of “conscience and honour.”

And now, reader, may I not address thy conscience and reason, and ask, If all the fallen angels had laid their heads together a thousand years to contrive an artful way of “reproaching the living God — the Holy One of Israel,” could they have done it more effectually than by getting myriads of Protestants (even all the Calvinists) and myriads of Papists (even all the Dominicans, Jansenists, &c,) to pass the false coin of absolute election and absolute reprobation, with this deceitful, alluring inscription: “Necessary holiness unto the Lord,” and this detestable Manichean motto on the reverse: “Necessary wickedness unto the Lord?” And has not Mr. Toplady presumed too much upon thy credulity, in supposing that thou wouldst never have wisdom enough to look at the black reverse of the shining medal by which he wants to bribe thee into Calvinism?