received doctrine of election, but I shall not at present cite more, as my reader may probably be in the condition in which I was myself, when first these things were presented to me. I acknowledged the force of the passages-I acknowledged my inability to interpret them in consistency with the doctrine of election-I fully admitted the responsibility of man and the righteousness of God-but I could not allow any logical conclusions of my own understanding to interfere with my submission to the inspired word; and, therefore, I still felt that whilst the 9th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, continued to be an undisputed part of Divine Revelation, it would be an act of ungodly presumption in me to reject a doctrine which appeared to be so manifestly contained in it.

I felt also that there was something in the doctrine, to which my own heart bore witness, as being true to experience, as well as glorifying to God, namely, that there was nothing good in man, but what was of the direct acting of the Spirit of God; and therefore, I could not receive any argument against the doctrine which proceeded on the ground of an inherent self-quickening power in man. What I required, then, in order really to

free my conscience from the power of this doctrine, was to discover in the 9th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and some other similar passages, an unforced natural meaning, different from that which hitherto they had borne to me; and in that new meaning to find also what might correspond with my distinct experience of the action of the Spirit of God within me, in opposition to the spirit of my own will.

I continued then to read this dark chapter, from time to time, hoping always that it would please God to give me farther light upon it; for I felt quite free to do this in humility, because God had said, "Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard." The first ray of light that visited me in this course, was in reading the 18th chapter of Jeremiah, to which the 21st verse of the 9th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, evidently refers. No part of the chapter appeared to me more dark than this 21st verse, for it seemed as if in it the apostle were claiming for God, the right of making a man wicked, and then denying to the man the right of complaining that he had been so made. "Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that form

ed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?"

These verses do certainly seem to assert in unequivocal terms, the Calvinistic doctrine of election; but let us turn to the 18th chapter of Jeremiah, to which they refer. In the beginning of that chapter it is thus written: "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold he wrought a work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you, as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.” ver. 1-6.

This passage, so far as we yet see, appears to give full confirmation to the Calvinistic interpretation of the 9th chapter of the RoIt seems to say, that as the potter

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has the right of making or marring a vessel, as may appear good to him, so God claims to Himself the right of making or marring the character and condition of a man, as seems good to Him; and that as the potter in this particular instance appeared to have chosen to mar a vessel, so God would choose to mar the condition of some men, without giving any reason, but His own sovereign pleasure. Such a claim on the part of God, were indeed a fearful thing; but if this be really the meaning of the passage, there is no replying to it, and we must either acknowledge the Calvinistic doctrine of election in its darkest extent, or deny the authority of the Scriptures.

But this is not the true meaning of the passage, as we shall see by merely going on to the following verses, in which God himself makes the application of the spectacle which He had brought the prophet to witness in the potter's house. "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a people, to pluck up and to pull down, and to

destroy it, if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. Now, therefore, go to, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Behold I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you, RETURN YE NOW EVERY ONE from his evil ways, and make his ways and his doings good." ver. 6-11.

I saw from this inspired application and interpretation of the action which the prophet witnessed in the potter's house, that what, to a superficial reader, appears to be the meaning of the passage, is not its real meaning. I saw that it contained a meaning not only different from, but opposed to the ordinary doctrine of election, for it declared that the future prospects of men were placed by God in their own hands; and that as God's promises and threatenings were addressed not to individuals but to characters, a man by changing his character, might