to abandon the use of their reason; for, until this is done, it is impossible to believe it. The prejudice of education has implanted it in the infant mind, and may yet preserve some vestiges of it for some time longer; but as it can neither stand the test of reason, nor the true theological standard, which is founded upon the glorious attributes of the Deity, it must finally fall; and it is high time that it should be discarded; for it has already stocked the world with deists, and the Clergy now find great fault with the effects which the absurdity of their own tenets have naturally produced: for whenever people can divest themselves of the prejudice of education, and begin to reason on this subject, and are led to believe that these God-dishonouring sentiments are contained in the scriptures, they rather choose to be directed by the light of nature and experience; which teaches them that the Deity is the most benevolent, impartial, bountiful, and merciful being in existence, than to believe without, or rather contrary to, both reason and experience, that he is the most partial, cruel, revengeful, implacable, and unjust being in the universe, creating reprobates, and forcing them into the world, under his wrath and curse, and then damning them eternally for being what he had made them! If this doctrine is not the unpardonable sin, it is certainly very nearly allied to it. The unpardonable sin of the Jews consisted in insinuating that Christ was in league with the devil, by which means he acquired the power to cast out devils by the assistance of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. If we could suppose this com pact possible, it was calculated to be productive of some good to the poor wretches out of whom the devils were cast. But Calvin's assertion, that God creates souls which he has reprobated by an eternal decree, and blocked up the entry of life against them, shut them out from the knowledge of his name, and from the sanctification of his spirit, and appoints them to eternal damnation, thereby consigning them to the dominion of the devil, to people the infernal regions, and establish the reign of vice and misery upon an eternal basis, that can never be shaken, is certainly worse. This is such a malignant aspersion of the moral character of the Deity, that the sin of the Jews seems to vanish in the comparison.-But we need no better evidence to prove that this is a most groundless calumny, than the merciful forbearance of God: for if he was such a wrathful, revengeful being as they represent him to be, he would strike them dead in the very act of defaming him, whose kind providence is protecting them from evil every moment. But we hope that Christ will make the same apology for them that he did for the Jews, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. This scheme (by which they suppose the satanic empire amply stocked with subjects, properly qualified for that region) they have dignified with the appellation of the covenant of grace. This they proclaim as glad tidings to all men ; this they call bringing life and immortality to light! If this be a covenant of grace, it is very different from that which the Lord has promised to make with the people of Israel and Judah, when he will put his law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be his people; and the Lord himself shall be their teacher, when they shall all know him, from the least of them to the greatest of them and will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more. It surely is not in his nature F A Dialogue between a Partialist and an Universalist. Par. Sir, motives of friendship have induced me to call upon you this morning, to converse with you upon a subject which has agitated the public mind for some time past. I mean the doctrine of the universal restoration of all men to the favour of God; which has been fairly confuted, and cut up by the roots, in three sermons lately preached by the Rev. Mr. George Strebeck; who has demonstrated that sin is an infinite evil, and therefore justly subjects the sinner to an infinite punishment: and as I have been informed that you are writing in favour of this doctrine, which is now fairly invalidated, I wish you to retreat from the field in time, and not wait until you are driven out with disgrace; for your strongest fortress is already taken by storm. Univ. Pray, Sir, has Mr. Strebeck demonstrated that sin has had an eternal existence as a self-existent, evil principle? Par. No: I conceive he is not so simple as to believe such an absurdity. Univ. By what arguments, then, does he attempt to prove, that any thing can be infinite which has not had an eternal existence? We know only of three infinites, which are God, eternity, and space; and these have existed necessarily and eternally....they never have had a beginning, and can never have an end....they cannot admit of any augmentation, diminution, or any possible change. But if Mr. Strebeck imagines that he has discovered a kind of compound, factitious infinities, which have been produced by an illicit act of a finite agent, act ing upon the irascible passions of an infinite being, he has certainly made a new discovery, for which he should obtain a patent. If he has been successful in proving sin to be an infinite evil, he has done more than he intended: for the same arguments that will fairly prove sin to be infinite, will also prove it to be indestructible; for that which is absolutely infinite, can neither be destroyed in whole or in part; but must be as immutable as God, eternity, and space. If sin is not an eternal principle (as the Manichæans suppose) it cannot be infinite; for were we even to suppose with Mr. Strebeck, that it derived some part of its infinity from the infinite displeasure of God, it would even in that case be finite, having had a beginning; and whatever has had a beginning, must also come to an end, unless it is sustained in being by infinite power; and we cannot reasonably sup |