Through the Puritans the Calvinist ic notions were spread all over New England, and by the Reformed Dutch and other Presbyterian bodies carried through most of the Middle and Western States of America. In some quarters they have been either outgrown [see ( >i;erlin Theology] or so modified by outside Armin- ian influences as to be scarcely discernible; still, in the creeds and standards of several large denominations of the world the peculiar doctrines of Calvinism are unequiv- ocally enunciated. From that celebrated synod known as the Westminster Assembly came forth the Calvinistic Confession and its catechisms, and its form of Church government. These wonderful documents have been preserved unchanged to the present time. The formu- las of the Presbyterian Church of America at this time are essentially the same that were promulgated by the Westminster Assembly of Divines more than two hun- dred years ago. These forms of doctrine must be as- sented to, at. least tacitly, b3' all the members of that Church. They must be distinctly professed by all its ministers and office-bearers. They are taught from the chairs of its theological schools, and they are elabo- rately systematized and ably defended in its noble "bod- ies of divinity" — of which the best and ablest, by Dr. Hodge, of Princeton, has recently been issued. That these teach the doctrines of predestination nobody de- nies ; that to unsophisticated minds they exalt the divine sovereignty at the expense of his justice and his grace has seemed to be the case to Arminianists, who hold that, to make them agree with the language of Holy Scripture, entirely illegitimate methods of accommoda- tion have had to be resorted to. See Arjiinianism ; Calvinism.
IV. Connection of Predestination with other Doctiines. —Much confusion and obscurity has arisen in the prog- ress of the predestinarian controversy from failing to keep the real issue always distinctly in view. The point in controversy is not whether or not God had a plan when he entered upon creation. See Foreknowl- edge; Providence. Neither is it whether or not that plan embraced a positive preappointment of every in- dividual event in the whole range of futurity. Nor yet is it whether or not an exercise of divine energy is inseparably connected with any or all of God's predeter- minations so that they are "effectual" decrees. See Calling; Grace. The real question is: Has God by an immutable and eternal decree predestinated some of the human family unto eternal life, and all the others unto everlasting perdition, without any reference what- ever to the use they may make of their moral agency ? This the Calvinist affirms, usually basing his affirmation solely on what he regards as Scripture authority, and often admitting that the human mind cannot reconcile it with the character of God or the dictates of human reason. Among the deniers, some have repudiated the supposition of any "decrees" at all respecting individual salvation, maintaining only the general ones, " He that
PREDICABLE
502 PRE-EXISTEXCE OF CHRIST
believeth shall be saved, he that believeth not," etc. Others allow an individual or personal election, but, like Watson, understand by it "an act of God done in time, subsequent even to the administration of the means of salvation" | Tnst. ii, 338). ( (there, as the older Arminians generally, suppose that specific individuals were eternally predestinated to life and death, but strictly according to their foreknown obedience or diso- bedience i" the (iospel.
V. Literature. — The bibliography of this subject is blended with that of Akmimammi. Election, Frei Will, Grace, Remonstrants, Reprobation, and will be found under these titles. In addition to the works there cited, the following may be referred t<> as treating specifically of predestination : respect inu the views of the Reformers, consult the symbolic writings of Mohler and Buchmann; Staudenmayer, In Behalf <>/ th, Religious Peace of the Future | Freib. im Br. 1846, Lsl pi. I vol.); id. Fheol. Encycl. (Mentz, 1840, fol.), p. 622; Vatke, Du menschlich Freiheit in ihrem Verhalt- niss .in Siind< mi'/ zur gottlichen Gnad\ i BerL 1841 I; Muller, Die christliehe Lehre von der Siinde, ii.i'll 301 ;
Diilllie. lie prnsrii'ii/iir dirimr ciiui Vila rial, Ii Hum ml
concordia (Leips. l*:>n); Braun, l>< Sacra Scriptura prcescii n/iam docente, etc. (Mognnt. 1826); Auselin, De concordia prascientia et pradestitiationis nee non I hi cum lib. arbU. etc.; Augustine, /'< I'nrdistinatiime ,Snur- torum, and De Dono Perseverantia ; Wiggers, Augus- tinism and Pelagianism, and art. in [Ugen's | Niedner's) Zeitsch.fiir hist. Theol. pt. ii. 1*.">7; Hagenbach, Hist, of Doctrines, % 183 (Leips. 1857); the works of Calvin. Beza, Zanchi, Perkins, Gomar, Turretin ; Arminius, Dec- laration of Sentiments, Friendly Discussion with Prof. Junius, and Review of Perkins; id. Scripta Synodalia Remonslrantium ; the works of Eptscopius, Curcellseus, Limborch; Plaifere (early Eng. Armin.). Apello Evan- gelium ; id, '/'nuts on Predestination (Camb. 1809) ; Wo- mack. Cn/riiiisiir Cabinet Unlocked (very rare) ; Exam- ination of Tilenus, printed in Nicholl's Calvinism and Aimiiiiiiiiism Compared (Fond, ls-j I ) ; Wesley. Predes- tination Calndi/ Cmsidi n d ; Fletcher, Clucks; Mozley, Augustiman Doctrine of /'/, d, stination I ibid. 1857). A curiosity of the subject is Henry Bleby's Script. Predest. not Fatalism; Two Conversations on Rom. riii, 29, 30, and Ephes. i. 5, disii/md to show that the Predestination of the Bibb refers chiefly and primarily to the Restora- tion and Perfection of the Physical Natun of the Saints at tin Last Day (ibid. 1853, 16mo). The best exposition ofCalvinistic predestination is of course by l>r. Hodges, the Nestor of American theology of that type. See, therefore, his Systematic Theology, ana compare Pope, Compendium of christian Theology (ibid. 1875, 8vo); Raymond, Systematic Theology (Cincinnati, 1877,2 vols. 8vo). See also nihl. Sac. < >ct 1863 ; ( >n. 1865, p. 58 1 ; North British Rev. Feb. 1863; Journal Sac. Lit. vol. xvi, xviii ; Contemp. /<'■ r. Aug. 1872, art. vii; Mith. Quar. Rev. July, 1857, p. 352; Oct 1867; July, 1873; Studien u. Kritiken, 1838 17; Theol. Medium,3\Ay, 1873, art. iv; Brit. Quar. Rev. Dee. 1871, p. 202 Bq.;" Jahrb. fur deutsche Theologie, 1860, ii, .'11.'! : christian la m, m- brancer, Jan. 1856, p. 132; 1861, p. 188.