"Semper autem disputatum est de causâ elec "tionis; sicut fratres duo Cain et Abel dispu"târunt, cur alter alteri prelatus sit. Dispu

târunt item Esau et Jacob, ac plerumque hi, "qui nihil nisi rationis aut legis doctrinam "nôrunt, cogitant ut de judice humano, causam "electionis legem esse, seu nostra merita et dig "nitatem. Sic Judæi senserunt, sic scripserunt " plerique sententiarij. Prima est: nec ex ra❝tione, nec ex lege judicandum est de electione, “ sed ex evangelio. Altera est: totus numerus "salvandorum propter Christum electus est. "Quare tertia est: non aliam justificationis, aliam « electionis causam quæramus. Ideo Petrus est "electus, quia est membrum Christi; sicut ideo * justus est, id est, Deo placens, quia fide factus "est membrum Christi. Ut igitur cùm de jus"tificatione loquimur, ab evangelio, seu agni❝tione vocis evangelij ordimur; sic de electione ❝ dicturi, complectamur vocem evangelij: sic ❝ nobis judicandum est, quia à Christi agnitione "et evangelio ordiri debemus. Quaitamus ergo promissionem, in quâ voluntateħi suam expres"sit Deus, et sciamus, non esse aliam voluntatchi "quærendam de gratiâ extra verbum," &c.

And again, "Causam igitur reprobationis "certum est hanc esse, videlicet peccatum in hominibus, qui prorsus non audiunt nec ac

thought he could not lawfully use; which was certainly a matter of much less consequence.

A few passages from Bishop Latimer shall be added, to shew his opinion of these rigid doctrines, and the horrid inferences the GOSPELLERS too naturally made from them.

"Some vain fellows seeking carnal liberty, "when they read these words, MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN, make their reckon< ing thus: Need I mortify my body with ab"staining from all sin and wickedness? I perceive "God hath chosen some, and some are rejected. "Now if I be in the number of the chosen, I "cannot be damned: but if I be accounted

66

among the condemned number, then I cannot "be saved. For God's judgments are immutable. "Such foolish and wicked reasons some have, "which bringeth them either to DESPERATION, C6 or else to CARNAL LIBERTY. Therefore it is "needful to beware of such reasons, or exposi"tions of the scripture, as it is to beware of the "devil himself.".

In his sermon on the third Sunday after Epiphany, he says "We read in the Apostles †,

* 2d. Sermon on Septuages. Sunday, p. 325.

+ P. 311, 312.

(Acts

* Acts xiii. 48.) that when St. Paule had made

"

a long sermon at Antioch, there beleeved (saith "the Evangelist) as many as were ORDAINED to "life everlasting: with the which saying a great "number of people have been offended, and "have said, we perceive, that onely those shall "come to beleeve and so to everlasting life, which are chosen of God unto it; therefore it is no "matter whatsoever we doe, for if we be chosen " to everlasting life we shall have it, and so they "have opened a doore unto themselves of all "wickednesse and carnall liberty against the true ແ meaning of the scripture. For if the most " part be damned, the fault is not in God, but "in themselves: for it is written, GOD WOULD THAT ALL MEN SHOULD BE SAVED: but they "themselves procure their owne damnation, and

despise the passion of Christ, by their own "wicked and inordinate living. Heere we may "learne to keepe us from all curious and dan

gerous questions, when we heare that some "be chosen and some be damned: let us have "good hope that we shall be amongst the "chosen, and live after this hope, that is uprightly " and godly, then shalt thou not be deceived. "Think that God hath chosen those that be"leeve in Christ, and that Christ is the booke

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of life. If thou beleevest in him, then thou "art written in the booke of life, and shall

"be saved. So we need not go about to trouble "ourselves with curious questions of the predes"tination of God, but let us rather endeavour " ourselves, that we may be in Christ; for when we be in him, then are we well, and then we may be sure that we are ordained to everlasting "life." He afterwards goes on to shew how we may know that we are in the book of life. He asserts universal redemption in several of his sermons, and in his sermon 23 Sunday after Trinity, he acknowledges the same in the following words:"Christ shed as much blood for "Judas as he did for Peter, Peter believed it, "and therefore he was saved; Judas would not "believe it, and therefore he was condemned, the "fault being in him only and in nobody else."

I am tempted to make another quotation from the same sermon, on Septuages. Sunday, which was preached the year our articles were published (1552), containing a full declaration of universal redemption.

"We learn by this sentence, THAT MANY ARE CALLED, that the preaching of the gospel " is UNIVERSAL, that it APPERTAINETH TO ALL MANKIND, as it is written, THRO' THE WHOLE EARTH THEIR SOUND IS HEARD. Now seeing

• P. 208.

the

"the gospel is universal, it appeareth that н

WOULD HAVE ALL MANKIND TO BE SAVED; "AND THAT THE FAULT IS NOT IN HIM IF WE

BE DAMNED; for it is written thus, GoD "C WOULD HAVE ALL TO BE SAVED, 1 Tim. ii. 4. "His salvation is SUFFICIENT TO SAVE ALL

MANKIND, but we are so wicked OF OURSELVES "that we refuse the same, and we will not take it, when it is offered to us, and therefore he saith, FEW ARE CHOSEN; that is, few have pleasure or delight in it.”

Thus have we seen that Calvinism did not prevail amongst our Reformers in King Edward's day, but appeared only amongst a few Gospellers, who drew consequences from it, which Calvin would willingly have guarded against; but he had lain down the premises; and notwithstanding he stopped there, and would have persuaded others to have done the same, yet the corrupt hearts of these men boldly drew the conclusion for him.

V.

THE DIFFERENCE IN OPINION ON THIS SUBJECT BETWEEN THOSE WHO WERE IMPRISONED

BY QUEEN MARY, IS NEXT TO BE CONSIDERED.

We must own that in Queen Mary's days (in the year 1554) there were disputes on the subject

F 2