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While he was attempting to extricate himself from this fuppofed difficulty, he was gradually led into his plan of universal falvation. As he here informs us. 'What has lain on his mind* with increafing preffure is this. When he had exhibited to his audience the infinite fulnefs and all-fufficiency of Chrift to fave finners, both by price and by power; and the great duty of every finner to believe it to the falvation of his foul, then to tell them; Many finners, many alas! are left out of "the covenant of redemption; many for whom Chrift never died. A part only are comprehended, a very few in comparifon,'- God will certainly make fuch as are elected, to believe, by his own almighty power and grace; and he will "moft certainly leave all the reft to eternal damnation, as their "fins juftly deferve: for they never were comprehended in the "decree of God, or the covenant of redemption and falvation.' I have been more and more preffed and perplexed in my own * mind with regard to the confiftency of this manner of preach. ing with itself, or with the word of God.'t In this line of ftating, or rather mifstating of things, he ought to have been more and more perplexed in his own mind." For he intimates a deficiency in the atonement, as the caufe why fo many fuffer eternal mifery: eftimating the righteoufnefs of Chrift in proportion to the number faved. And that finners, contrary to their own choice, are excluded, by the divine decrees, from believing in Jefus. Whereas they ought to be reminded of the Saviour's words to the Jews. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem !— how often would I have gathered thy children together,—and 'ye would not.'

*

The Doctor goes on to fay, My audience have generally almoft to a man fet down fatisfied. Yet, at evening, much per'plexity hath invaded my own mind; thoughts have thus returned upon me. I have this day told my audience, making no difference, and without the exception of a fingle perfon, that if we do not believe that God hath given to us eternal lite in his Son, we make him a liar; and quoted the evangelift John in fupport of it.'-'I have told them they must fo believe; they have right to, they ought to do it; and then every one of them fhall be faved. When upon the limitarian plan, I know not that one tenth part of them, or even one of them * was ever included in the covenant of redemption, or given to . Chrift, or that he ever died for one foul of them. Ought I not to have known for whom among them Chrift did indeed die,

'before Meaning his own mind; he fometimes speaks of himself in the third pufon, Page, 8.

'before I gave out this doctrine; and then to have addressed the ⚫ fame to them only? or ought I not, at least, to have spoken hypothetically and faid; if you are of the number of the elect, you have full warrant and ground to believe to falvation. Otherwise there is no foundation laid for your faith; but, on the contrary, you will make God a liar in fo believing, as you will believe what he knows is not true, viz. that every foul that hears the gospel has a foundation for his faving faith, laid ' in Chrift. We again fee how Dr. H. has miftaken the nature and extent of the atonement, as well as the calviniftic principles relative to it. This will hereafter be confidered.

As the above leads us to expec, Dr. H. fuppofes the gospel cannot be preached with propriety, if only a part of the human race is faved. The more I have thought on these things,' he fays, the more I am convinced of the utter inconfiftency of the general preaching of proteftant divines, on any other ground than this-All mankind are alike included in the moft glorious and merciful covenant of redemption.' It is a fixed principle with the Doctor, that if part of mankind be chofen to eternal life, and the remainder marked out for eternal death, it is then nothing but contradiction and abfurdity to make offers of free grace to every creature. A confiftent fcheme of free grace, as he pretends, and the offer of free grace to all men, muft prefuppofe the falvation of all men.

But the Doctor holds to predeftination, election and reprobation, in his fenfe of them, as ftrongly as can be expreffed by words. He confiders the fore-knowledge of God to be founded in his own infinitely wife choice, and unalterable determi ⚫ nation or decree:'- including every thought, volition or in⚫clination of all moral agents, that fhould ever come into being.' And every thing moral and natural,' fays he, every being and mode of being, every circumftance, and connection and confequence throughout the whole fyftem of being, did originally, abfolutely depend on the choice, election, decree, or predefti'nation of the eternal, immutable Jehovah. And all things, in 'actual being, have now the fame entire, abfolute dependance, ⚫ and ever will have to all eternity. I can conceive of no God ' at all but in the above view. If I recede in the leaf, from this idea, I fall into complete atheism.'§

Under the head of particular election and reprobation, he remarks upon the great diftinction God makes between one man and another, and between bodies of men. As in these words :

Election,

Election, or predeftination hath fometimes fpecial regard to ⚫ fome particular men, in diftinction from others; and is always fovereign, and becoming God, who never can foresee any dis⚫tinctions among creatures, but what, from all eternity, he was determined himself to make. Thus, he elected Abraham to be a favorite of his, the father of his covenant people, rather than Nahor. Thus, for wife and holy ends, he chofe that Pharaoh 'fhould be an example of great obftinancy, rather than Moses. Thus, he elected Jacob, rather than Efau; David, rather than Shimei ;-Paul to know and enjoy the confolations of the gofpel, rather than Pilate. Thus the Jews were elected to enjoy the fpecial privileges of divine revelation, for a long feafon, in diftinction from all their fellow men befide. Alfo, a few among them were elected to know and enjoy inward faving confolation, in this world, in diftinétion from the great major "ity of that nation.'* Thus far his account of those who had 'the oracles of God, before Chrift's time.

And the whole body of chriftians, from Chrifl's time to the prefent, or the gentiles who have had the gofpel, he has given a character not preferable, certainly, to that he has given the Jews. See in Let. V. Part I.Therefore, but few among them, as he argues, have been elected to know and enjoy inward faving confolation, in this world, in diftinétion from the great ma 'jority.'

Of the pagan world in general Dr. H. gives us this account. Satan hath long led away moit of the nations after images, and into various kinds of idolatry.'t In connection with this, Sa. tan and the Mediator he represents as two oppofite parties, car rying on a long war, or a long obftinate battle.' The point

6

Satan aimed at,' he adds, was to involve us all in death, tem. poral, fpiritual, and eternal.” ‹ Satan fhall not finally have his will in the leaft part, or degree; though for a feafon he may 'be gratified. Although Satan, as the Doctor here afferts, will be completely defeated in the final iffue; yet for a long feafon he will be gratified, by involving men in death, temporal, and fpiritual. And this is what we understand by the above expreffion. Satan hath long led away most of the nations after images,' &c. Again, keeping up the connection, our author fays, For divine wifdom and goodness have ordained, that there fhall be a long contention, and the war not foon over.' 'The prize in contest may be divided for a time; and Satan may fcem to have the greateft fhare of it. It has indeed been fo

ever

*P. 75, 76.

+ P. 216..

P. 208.

§ P. 209, 214.

ever fince the fall, to this day, and may be fo, to the end of this prefent world.'* Thus, according to Dr. H, Satan is likely to fhare the greatest part of the prize, and to lead away most of the nations after images, as he has already done; holding them under the power of fpiritual death, to the end of this prefent world.

Furthermore, under the head of election Dr. H. fays, Not only all particular perfons that are wife and virtuous, holy and good, in this life; but also all churches or holy communities, that, as fuch, fuftain the character now mentioned, enjoy allo all the privileges and comforts connected with fuch a charac ter, in this life, in confequence of the eternal election, or free fovereign choice of God. And they are, in this proper and very important fenfe, the elect; in contradiftinction from 'thofe that live in blindness, and are tormented by the cruel power of unfanctified nature, and diftreffed with the awful flavery of fin.'† '

In this manner we have the Doctor's account of the ftate of mankind, from the beginning to the end of time. The great body of the nations led away wholly by Satan, or held in pagan darkness. Where revelation is, but few who are, in this important fenfe, the elect, in contradiftinction from the great majority' that are tormented by the cruel power of unfanctified nature. '..........

We may now, my dear Friend, fee how Dr. H. labours to eftablish the fame things, in kind, which he charges upon his opponents. Which things are very exceptionable in his view. As,

1. That only a very fmall part of mankind is elected, as to this life; and that the great majority' is reprobated, or given up to the dominion of fin, until the day of their death. At death, he pretends, all men are made holy. See in Let. III. Part. I.

2. That the depravity of man is total. This is implied in the words, Diftreffed with the awful flavery of fin.' And he afferts this doctrine in emphatical terms, and dwells upon it, and fays, Fallen'man [or men] became as bad in a moral view, as fallen angels, at their firft apoftacy, according to their inferior natural capacity.'

3. He holds to the fame way as to the application of divine grace, or the power of divine grace, on the hearts of men, and their recovery from fin, as the limitarians do. Which is wholly by the creative and fanctifying agency of the Spirit, and application of the word. This is clearly implied in what he fays on

*P. 214.

+ P. 7
· 77.

P. 144.

the

the divine decrces and election, as we have feen.

And we * differ not a fingle attom,' fays he, as to the way and manner of application [of divine grace to men]; but only in this, I extend the glorious work of God, and every good influence of it, much further than they do,'* meaning his opponents.

4. Dr. H, holds to man's activity and free agency; and that every one is under facred obligation to believe and obey the gofpel immediately, or as foon as he hears it. His idea of this we fhall prefently fee.

5. We have had Dr. H's fenfe of the divine decrees, and of our entire dependance on God: All things, in actual being, have now the fame entire, abfolute dependance, and ever will have to all eternity."

His fore complaint against the limitarians, as cited above, may now be turned againft himself. This complaint the Doctor keeps up, throughout his book. That, in their plan, Many finners, many alas! are left out of the covenant of redemption; many for whom Chrift never died. A part only are comprehended. a very few in comparifon, as we have reafon to believe, or at leaft to fear.' The Doctor, in his plan, has comprehended but very few, in comparifon. Many finners, many alas! has he left out of the covenant of redemption; or but very few are to be brought in, fo as to become the elect, until the day of their death. His fcheme is more limited, makes the death of Chrift lefs efficacious, and gives to Chrift not fo many fruits of his glorious death, certainly with relation to this prefent life, as can be found among the writings of general efteem, published during the laft century. For if Satan be likely to fhare the greatest part of the prize until the end of the world, notwithstanding the glorious ftate of profperity and univerfal holinefs among men, for a thousand years yet to come; to the prefent day, it appears, he has kept nearly the whole, or more than an hundred to one, in a flate of damnation, as Dr. H. fays, tormenting them by the cruel power of unfanctified nature.

And, in our author's language, it is by the fixed decree of God, that the great body of fallen men are involved in this doleful ftate of fin and damnation, and to continue in it till the day or moment of their death. At the diffolution of foul and body, he pretends, all men are to have repentance, and every qualification requifite to their eternal falvation. But, an exceeding fmall number only is to enjoy the faving bleffings of Chrift's righteoufnefs, here in time, or before death cominences.

* P. 138..

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