1420. EBB to William Merry
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 8, 22–26.
50 Wimpole Street
Novr 2. 1843.
My dear friend,
If you did not threaten me up to the top of your actual threat, I shd still have gratitude enough in me to answer your kind note & acknowledge your gift of a work upon a great subject, .. believe me. You never thought to the contrary for a moment—I am sure. But you did think & with reason, that I shd decline a controversy with you upon a subject which I profess not to understand, [2] —& upon which I believe,––considering the bare fact that persons of equal piety & spiritual instruction otherwise, do differ upon it directly,—that the church is not instructed by the Holy Spirit to come to a definite understanding. You charge me however too earnestly to leave me free to the silence, which, after thanking you, I shd choose. I will speak openly, as you desire it,—& so when it comes to the worst, I must remain as the contract renders it, … Mr Merry’s friend, .. which will not leave me inconsoleable.
Your book [3] (to begin from the beginning) is written in a spirit so amiable & conciliating, .. so Christian-heartedly,—to use a more applicable expression, .. that it almost reconciles me to its controversial character & its subject. It is a book likely to do good to many with whom it wd fail in particular persuasion—and again and again, as I read along, I felt … ‘That is true’—‘that is rightly put’—‘we shd remember that.’
And now, from the construction of that last sentence, you will think that I disagree with you altogether——and I do disagree with you,—but not altogether.
The truth is, dear Mr Merry, that Arminians in general wd call me a Calvinist,—while Calvinists wd call me an Arminian. [4] I certainly do not believe in particular redemption & predestination in the strong Calvinistic view of them—I believe so far in particular grace, as that no human being can be saved, “except the Father draw him,” [5] except the Saviour redeem him, except the Holy Spirit “list” to breathe on him [6] —— and I believe so far in free will & responsibility, as that every human being who is lost, will stand in the midst of his fulfilled experience, & witness before the universe,––“Woe—is me, for I [7] have sinned, [8] —it is by my own choice that I am here.” [9] That there is contradiction in this view, .. apparent contradiction, I do not deny: but my impression of Scriptural revelation is, that these two points, apparently contradictory as they are, are equally revealed by God, & that the Key of the reconciling interpretation is in Christ’s hand with the keys of Death & of Hades, far beyond the reach of ours. Probably the turning point of the whole argument lies in a distinction (as you suggest) between God’s foreknowledge & His preordination, [10] —altho’ you are probably aware that when human metaphysicians begin to enquire into the several natures of these acts, they both seem to merge, under the crown of Deity, in pre-ordination,—nothing being an object of knowledge with God which has not been an object of ordination by Him. And thus, .. ‘within the deepest depth a deeper depth,’ [11] .. we fall from the mystery of predestination to the mystery of the origin of evil,—and if you write another book upon that, dear Mr Merry, you will charge me perhaps, at the hazard of forfeiting your friendship, to follow it up with the appendix of a private controversy—will you?
Ah!—you do not think me pert & light & perverse, I hope, upon these solemn things. It is because they are solemn to me, .. serious & important to me; it is because I have revolved them seriously and according to the best powers of my mind, .. it is because I have again & again sought with humility & earnestness for the meaning of God’s will in relation to these great points, that I now sink back ashamed & afraid, & willing not to be wise beyond what is written. Let us believe, let us pray!—& may God be blessed that we know enough to believe withal & pray. And “when the end cometh, whatever may have been the measure of grace, the measure of justice to every living soul, will be such as a Divine knowledge of our very thoughts will render perfect––” [12] I agree with you perfectly—it is admirably said.
For the rest, you will be patient with me while I very humbly doubt whether your book is successful in the interpretation of the Church of England articles against the Calvinistic theory. I am not myself a member of the Church of England, & therefore whichever way the articles may lean, is of the less importance to me: but certainly if words mean anything, and if the obvious meaning of the words of the 17th article is to be received in all honesty, why it is a Calvinistic article, & could scarcely by any imaginable change of expression (according to my apprehension of it) be rendered more Calvinistic. [13] I am bold enough to think, my dear friend, that it is your will & not your reason, which consents unaware to this anti-calvinistic rendering. If bishop Mant [14] endeavours to colour the interpretation anti-Calvinistically, you will admit with an all-conquering candour, that other bishops would colour it calvinistically,—& that nearly the whole evangelical party of the Church of England does receive the article in the Calvinistic sense. In the obvious meaning of the words, my impression is, that they do, so, rightly receive & apprehend it,—& that any Calvinist among them, would be puzzled, if called upon to compose another article, in other words than those used in the Church of England, yet as Calvinistic in the full bearing & expression.
The view of the nature of Faith, commonly called Calvinistic, is, in my view of it, altogether Scriptural, & very important to be held strongly. By an expression or two you seem to reject it,—but as you open out your own view it grows to be absolutely Calvinistic; & I could not express my own creed upon the point in question, in preciser words, I think. The Arminian view, held & preached on the subject of works by the majority of Ch. of England divines,––& by the whole Puseyite party,—is,—is it not?—that man is saved by his works, & not by Christ’s work—by works, rather than faith—while the Calvinistic view, that man is saved by faith in Christ’s work, & not by works of his own—by a living faith the blossom of which is good works,—is opposed to the other, & comprises the great good news of the New Testament. “That human virtues however excellent & indispensable as an evidence of faith, &, as such ‘pleasing in God’s sight,’ do not & cannot form the groundwork of man’s justification,” [15] is all that the Calvinistic body contends for, however they may be commonly misrepresented on this point of doctrine. There may be indeed a very small number of persons, antinomians [16] in a worse sense—but the class is very small indeed; & I believe that when the individuals of it begin to explain their own meanings, they are for the most part convicted of meaning something very different & more Scriptural indeed, than their actual profession. To call a faith which will not work, faith, is to call a corpse, a man,—or a paracide [sic], an affectionate child. Good works are as absolutely a consequence of Faith as Salvation is—but the quarrel is whether salvation turns upon Faith or upon works as a groundwork,—& thus your language is perfectly satisfactory to those who hold faith to be the groundwork. There is only One work which brings salvation—and That is Christ’s upon the cross. And He saves us that we may work,—and not because we work. Is it not so?
For the rest I differ from you in holding fast what is called “the final perseverence of the saints”, [17] believing that the general spirit of Scriptural promise is for it, although a few passages may seem to militate against it.
Will you permit me to add to these divers boldnesses, one more,—greater than the rest,—in the expression of a deep regret that you shd have embodied in your book, the very objectionable (as it appears to me) extract from Mr Hare. [18] To become “elect of God” [19] by baptism, & a “member of Christ [20] by virtue of a sacrament”! .. is this scriptural, in whatever light we regard it?–
And now, if I have not sinned against the liberty granted to me beyond your forgiveness, will you forgive me, & be one with me consciously, as I trust we are actually, in the brotherhood of Jesus Christ? ‘To walk together as far we are agreed,’ [21] is the duty of all Christians, & should be the pleasure of those who differ the most widely,—so that that “unity of the Church” which is now “hid in Christ,” [22] yet talked of so much & so vainly, may be guessed at a little in its right sense, by the world. But for you & me, we do not differ after all “the most widely,” while it is peculiarly pleasant for one of us (that is I–) to walk together agreed with the other. I respect & thank you for this employment of talent, generously offered & usefully, in the great cause of religion,—so much do I respect & thank you, as to take courage to wish that your next work may avoid the rocks of controversy & be content to lead us into some green meadow beside those living waters. [23] We do not require so much to know more (and every controversy perhaps which has eaten deep into the heart of the Church, refers obliquely to something unknown—unrevealed,) as to feel & think more upon what we know—and the simplest & plainest Scriptural subject will reward the Thinker & earnest writer, more abundantly, in all probability, than the hardest subject,—as ground for work & musing.
I have written too much now, instead of too little, I am sure.
Yet I must observe that poor Calvin who has the credit of certain opinions when extended to the uttermost, could not hold them more strongly, that [sic, for than] Luther did, who grasped with his two most pugnacious fists, the dreadful doctrine of Reprobation. [24]
May God bless you & lead you into all truth, & beautify the truth to you in love!
I remain, with much esteem
Always & faithfully yours
Elizabeth B Barrett.
When I have used in these little sheets the term, “the church”, .. I meant of course the Church of Christ generally, & not any particular denomination of Christians. Christ’s Church is One,—and we alas! “are many.” [25]
Publication: Nicoll, II, 125–131.
Manuscript: British Library.
1. For details of EBB’s association with Merry, see pp. 329–330.
2. i.e., predestination (see letter 1401).
3. Predestination and Election, Considered Scripturally.
4. For brief details of the tenets of Arminians and Calvinists, see letters 269, note 7 and 499, note 1.
5. Cf. John, 6:44.
6. Cf. John, 20:22.
7. Underscored twice.
8. Cf. Isaiah, 6:5 and Joshua, 7:20.
9. Isaiah, 66:3.
10. See Romans, 8:29–30. EBB had previously debated this question with Boyd (see letter 1071). Merry deals with it on pp. 10ff. and 64ff. of Predestination and Election.
11. We have not located the source of this quotation.
12. Op. cit., p. 61.
13. The 17th of the 39 Articles of Faith commences “Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby … He had constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom He hath chosen in Christ.” On p. 25 of his book, Merry quotes Calvin: “for all are not created to like estate, but to some eternal life, and to some eternal damnation is foreappointed.”
14. Richard Mant (1776–1848), Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, collaborated with George D’Oyly in publishing an annotated Bible (1814) and himself wrote prolifically on theological subjects.
15. EBB refers to p. 13 of Merry’s book.
16. Antinomianism, a term coined by Luther to stigmatize Johannes Agricola, deals with the relationship between repentance and faith, and the place of moral law in the experience of the believer.
17. Cf. Ephesians, 6:18.
18. Merry quotes Hare on pp. 71–72: “Every man … I apprehend to be so far an Elect of God, by the act of Baptism, that by virtue of this sacrament, he becomes a Member of Christ … and ever continues so, if to the best of his power, he complies with the stipulated conditions of this rite …” Julius Charles Hare (1795–1855), Archdeacon of Lewes, was the author of The Victory of Faith (1840) and other works.
19. Colossians, 3:12.
20. Cf. I Corinthians, 6:15.
21. Cf. Amos, 3:3.
22. Cf. Colossians, 3:3.
23. Cf. Psalms, 23:2.
24. The state of being rejected by God and ordained to eternal misery; the opposite of election (OED).
25. Ezra, 10:13.
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