AN EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIAN DEVOTEDNESS.

THE reality and habitual exercise of grace in the heart must be evidenced by a corresponding outward walk. As the quality of the tree is known by that of the fruit, so the state of the heart is known by the uniform practice of the life. Christian contentment, regular attendance upon ordinances, and conscientious contributing for their maintenance, may be regarded as the more prominent and important fruits of vital religion. All these were beautifully and harmoniously blended in the life of an aged female disciple connected with one of our congregations in the north, who has just passed from amongst us. With unfailing regralarity she waited upon all the appointed means of grace, throughout a long life, exceeding the limits assigned. Despite rapidly increasing infirmities, and often, often, when physically unable, she wended her way to the sanctuary, not only on the day specially set apart for God's worship, but equally assiduous was she in her attendance upon the weekly congregational meeting for prayer, thus manifesting her preference for the gates of Zion, and fellowship with God and His people, rather than the dwellings of Jacob, and worldly intercourse. Although a poor widow, living in a small attic room, and dependent upon the charity of others, her prevailing disposition was contentment, and gratitude, to which she often gave expression in tears, was her constant exercise. She was also remarkable for the measure in which she possessed the grace of Christian liberality. It was indeed manifested far beyond her ability. Rather would she have denied herself a portion of food and raiment, than withhold her offering from the treasury of the Lord. Unlike too many who serve themselves first, and give to God of the remainder, and only if there be anything over, of whatever she received, God's portion was first laid aside, while implicit trust in His goodness was exercised for her own future provision. A few months ago she received a small sum of money from a friend. On the following Sabbath she cast five shillings into the Lord's treasury. Her contribution having been observed, and caused considerable wonder, a friend said to her afterwards, "You gave far too much on Sabbath for one in your dependent circumstances. She replied, "Too much! Too much to give to Him who opened that gentleman's heart to give to me. I never gave the Lord a sixpence, but he afterwards gave me four in return." Shortly before her death the claims of the Church pressed heavily upon her mind. Indeed, it would seem, that the grace of liberality abounded as years advanced, and of this she gave tangible evidence not long before the silver cord was loosed. While some give but scantily out of their abundance, she gave liberally out of her scantiness. In her own small way she made a will, and expressed it as her desire that the congregation should be remembered, as far as the proceeds from her meagre effects would allow. After her death, a near relative accordingly carried out her wish on the day of the funeral, just before the clay tenement was removed from the deceased's humble dwelling, and so handed to the pastor of the congregation a half sovereign, remarking, "This is the widow's mite." We were reminded of the poor widow whom our exalted Redeemer so greatly commended, and could not but conclude, that similar would be the commendation of this departed friend, a commendation that might well be envied by a Rothschild. Divine grace made both widows do what they did, and won for them the special approval of Jesus. Those from whom this grace is withheld, cannot be expected to imitate such examples, but they are none the less responsible. This can be obtained for the asking. Let then those who profess to be the followers of Him "who though He were rich, for our sakes became poor," make application and exercise faith. The result will be the abundant outpouring of this Christian grace. So shall they, in some measure at least, maintain the Christian character as a whole, and avoid the reproach of being charged with serving God with what costs them little or nothing. "Let us not be slothful, but followers of them, who, through faith and patience. inherit the promises."

THE

ORIGINAL SECESSION MAGAZINE.

MARCH, 1880.

CALVINISM THE THEOLOGY OF THE BIBLE.

INTRODUCTORY.

TAKEN in its widest acceptation, the name "Calvinism" is sometimes applied to the whole system of doctrine commonly known as "the theology of the Reformation," and which we have so fully and admirably embodied in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the two Catechisms. This system has been so designated, not because it originated with Calvin, as some have ignorantly, or to serve their own sinister purposes, alleged, but chiefly because it has found in that great reformer and theologian its most able expositor and defender. The doctrines of the system, as the doctrines of God's Word, have been held and professed by witnesses for the truth in every age from the earliest times; but to Calvin has been reserved the high honour and distinction of having vindicated and set them forth in clear, systematic order as they had never been before. And all intelligent adherents of this system will readily agree with the estimate thus expressed by the late Principal Cunningham, "that the great doctrines of Christian theology are upon the whole about as well arranged, as ably and accurately expounded, and as satisfactorily and conclusively defended in Calvin's Institutes' as they ever have been or can be."

But while our creed, as a whole, is described as "Calvinistic," that term is more strictly applicable to those parts of it familiarly known. as the "Doctrines of Grace," so that Calvinism in its more restricted sense stands opposed to those erroneous systems by which these precious doctrines are denied or subverted. In other words, Calvin

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ism, properly so called, is the distinctive title given to our Confessional interpretation of those numerous and important passages of Scripture which deal immediately with the vital questions, Why some men are saved and not others? and How those who are saved become partakers of salvation and are brought ultimately to glory? By antiCalvinists of every shade it is admitted that all men are not saved. According to their theories, however, the reason why some are saved and others not does not lie with God, in His electing some to everlasting life and bringing them into a state of grace by the irresistible operations of His Spirit; but it lies with the saved themselves, who are supposed to have been chosen of God in consequence of certain good qualities which it was foreseen they would possess, and to be able of themselves to believe the Gospel, and to submit to God without any more aid from the Holy Spirit than is common to all mento those who perish as well as to those who are saved. According to the Calvinistic theory, the reason why some men are saved and not others is to be found with God Himself, who, in free sovereign grace, made choice of them in Christ, and gave His Son in due time for their redemption, and their redemption alone, and who imparts to them His Holy Spirit effectually to persuade and enable them to believe the Gospel testimony and embrace Christ as their Saviour, and to persevere unto the end in the way of faith and holy obedience. Such a theory, it is very evident, is one that signally honours God, by ascribing, as the Scriptures everywhere do, man's salvation exclusively to divine grace, "reigning through righteousness unto eternal life;" while the Arminian and other anti-Calvinistic theories honour the creature, by resting his election on his possessing some supposed good that commends him to God, and by ascribing his actual participation in the blessings of salvation not to the irresistible grace of the Spirit making him willing, but to his own free-will and his own efforts.

The leading points in the Calvinistic system, viewed in its more limited aspect, have been thus succinctly and admirably stated by an able writer on this subject :-"That the Gospel finds all men by nature dead in trespasses and sins, destitute alike of the image and favour of God, and incapable of regaining either in virtue of any strength or resources within themselves; that the plan of man's recovery from this state of rebellion, depravity and sin, is, from beginning to end, a system of mere unmerited grace: that it was the wonderful unprompted grace or undeserved love of God, which, in the eternal counsels of peace, contemplating man as fallen, devised a stupendous plan of redemption from the guilt and power of sin: that in these eternal counsels and purposes he regarded the whole human

race as equally fallen, and as equally undeserving on account of their sins; that, however, in His sovereign mercy, He resolved to save a portion of them; that He was prompted to this choice, not by any foresight of faith and obedience on the part of the elect, because their faith and obedience are His own sovereign gift, but by the mere good pleasure of His will, that they might be to the praise of the glory of His grace; that God was under no obligation to provide deliverance for any of our race; that He might justly have left us all to perish in our iniquity, as He did the fallen angels, toward whom He was, surely, guilty of no injustice; that He was pleased, however, in the exercise of amazing mercy, to provide a plan of pardon and of restoration to life and blessedness; that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but obtain everlasting life. Farther, we believe that not only the providing of this Saviour, but the disposition, in each individual, to accept of Him, is all of gracethat is, the free unmerited gift of God; that all mankind, left to themselves, would reject this great salvation, and that it is discriminating and all-conquering grace which inclines any to receive it. are persuaded farther, that as salvation is all of grace, and as it is evident from Scripture, and from daily observation, that all men are not believers, and, of course, that all are not saved, so it was not God's original intention to save all, for it is granted that He does not save all; and that which He now does, if He be such a God as the Bible represents Him, He always intended to do. We believe, that known unto God are all His works and ways from the beginning; and that all the dispensations of His grace, as well as of His providence, and, among the rest, the effectual calling and salvation of every believer, entered into His plan from eternity; yet so,' as our Confession of Faith declares, 'as that thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.' In short, the sum of our belief, in reference to this great economy, may be expressed in one sentence-'All that is evil in man is of himself, and to him belongs the blame of it; and all that is good in him is of God, and to Him belongs the praise of it.'"

No theological system was ever so bitterly opposed, or so grossly misrepresented and vilified by its opponents, as this has been. And the reason of this is not far to seek, or difficult to discover. It is to be found chiefly in the fact that its doctrines are so humbling to human nature-to the innate pride of the human heart—and make men so entirely indebted to Divine grace for salvation, that the "carnal mind" cannot endure them, and must therefore modify them or get rid of them altogether. Had Calvinism only flattered and

exalted man a little in place of abasing him, and given him a share in the work of his restoration to the Divine favour and image, instead of denying him this, it would never have met with such virulent opposition and foul abuse.

The enemies of the Calvinistic System have often sought to depreciate and raise a prejudice against it, as a whole, by representing its distinctive doctrines and principles as having been invented by Calvin, and as consequently unknown, unheard of, before his time. And if this be so, it is plausibly argued, surely they cannot be the doctrines and principles of God's Word, and are therefore to be rejected. For what the Bible teaches on the subjects with which Calvinism professes to deal, was certainly known before Calvin's day, and, if so, then Calvinism cannot be the theology of the Bible. Now such a representation as this betrays on the part of those who make it, either ignorance of the grossest and most inexcusable kind, or a deliberate purpose to impose upon the ignorance of others of the most reprehensible character. For it is a well-known, interesting, historical fact, that the leading tenets of the Calvinistic System, were held, and taught, and vindicated by many faithful witnesses for the truth, long before the age of Calvin. It is indeed true that in the very earliest ages of the Christian Church-those immediately following the Apostolic era-these peculiar doctrines do not appear to have had much prominence given to them. The reason of this no doubt was, that they were not then called in question or corrupted, but were the generally received doctrines of the Church, everywhere recognised as bearing the stamp of divine authority. In such cases, as has been observed, and particularly in regard to doctrines so ready to provoke discussion, the silence of history becomes a proof, not that such doctrines did not exist or were not professed, but that they met with general acceptance. So long as such apostolic doctrines were not controverted, there was of course no occasion for any particular reference being made to them, or any special prominence being given to them in the Church's Creed and Testimony. By and by, however, events occurred which led to this being done. During the second and third centuries, the Church became gradually corrupted both in doctrine and practice, and this doctrinal corruption at length showed itself conspicuously, first in the Arian heresy, which was a denial of the Deity of Christ, and which arose about the beginning of the fourth century; and then in the Pelagian heresy, about the close of the same century, and beginning of the following one. This heresy was started by one Pelagius, a British monk, who, amongst other things, denied original sin and a definite election, and maintained that man was able of himself to believe the Gospel and receive salva