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and they refuse, they will have no excuse; they will deserve their fate. If they deserved it, in case my boat had not gone at all, for refusing my offer, they deserve it doubly.

The decree of election is carried into effect, and the elect are saved, not merely because they were elected, but for the same reason for which they were elected. The same may be said of all the decrees of God. He is infinitely wise and unchangeable. His decrees I understand to be his previous and immutable determination to do every thing in the manner which would be best, or which his wisdom would approve, at the time of doing it, had there been no previous decree. If, therefore, he was, in fact, able to create, uphold, and govern a universe of intelligent creatures, in perfect consistency with their freedom, he was equally able to form a previous determination to do so. In short, whatever he can do, he can previously design to do: and whatever he has done or will do, he did unalterably and eternally design to do. As much more liberty as can actually exist under an infinitely wise and powerful government, can, with equal ease, certainty, and equity, have been unalterably predetermined. The opposers of decrees seem never to have considered, that with a being of almighty power, wisdom and goodness, it is as easy to determine beforehand as it is to do; and that the whole plan of divine government is not carried into effect, as I said, merely because decreed, but both its execution and decree rest immutably on the same basis, viz. the entire approbation of God as the best plan.

Yet, surprising as it may seem, some of our triangular preachers pretend to have found out that God's plan is not the best possible plan; and it offends them very much to hear any one assert that, of all possible plans, God's plan is the best: you might nearly as well tell them that all sin consists in selfishness. I think they must be far greater metaphysicians than Edwards. They must be as sharp-sighted as the companions of Poole, who saw the fiery dragon, “ cum cada retorta in circulo." Perhaps, they will draw their main argument from their ignorance, and rely upon saying, that they do not know but there may be a better plan. To this I shall only reply, that the material of this

argument is as plenty and abundant as it is useless. It is not "ad ignorantiam," but ab ignorantia.

I have noticed some articles in which the reformation fell short of that maturity to which it will one day certainly arrive; and have pointed out the obvious progress which has been made in those articles, in various sections of the church, and particularly in our own country. The people, at least of our own country, will not be backward to allow, that, in the great article of religious freedom and toleration, we are far in advance of every nation on earth. Why should it be thought incredible that we have made some progress in the great and exalted work of reformation. Is it less probable that Christ would favour his church in this country than in Europe, where the accumulated crimes of thousands of years swell the materials of national retribution to a vast amount ?-Where national establishments and churches slumber on the bosom of luxury, and repose in the golden dreams of ambition?

Why should the wrinkles of malice deepen, and the finger of scorn be pointed at the names of Edwards, and Hopkins, and Bellamy, and West, and Emmons, when they and their fellow labourers have been made instrumental of turning many souls to righteousness; and have been more successful in religious reformations than any men now living on earth? And if that portion of the church has been favoured and honoured with a larger portion of the Holy Spirit than any other, does not this fact bear testimony to their doctrine? To the purity and spirituality, the life and power of their doctrine, can alone be ascribed the success which has attended their labours.

With feelings of regret, which I have no words to express, I am compelled to advert to the systematic, determined, persevering, and diversified efforts of a set of men, who have acquired influence, in this city, to subvert the doctrines and destroy the influence and reputation of these reformers in the christian church. Their writings are accused of consisting of nothing but " verbiage, tautology, absurdity, arminianism, socinianism, atheism, nonsense," &c.* The reformation which they effected in

See Dr. Samuel S. Smith, in his note on the cover of Ely's Poems.

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doctrine and discipline, though thousands of souls, both on earth and in heaven, will remember it with eternal joy and triumph, is either altogether hissed into opprobrious silence, or loudly spoken of with contempt.

It is nothing to them, that to claim the birth of such a man as Jonathan Edwards, is an honour to a nation; that for vigour of intellect he can fall into no class beneath that of Newton and Aristotle. As to "verbiage," his writings, and those of many of his brethren, will be read with instruction and pleasure, when the vapid books of those who cast the reflection, written with moon-beams and dictated by the Night-mare, shall have perished in the rubbish, lumber, and rust of libraries.

There are two very cogent reasons why they do not answer the books of these tautologists; one is, because they never read them. This, of all suppositions, is the most charitable, after hearing their statements, so infinitely distant from the truth. Had they read the books they condemn, they must either hold a different language, or give up all pretence to veracity. The other is, that were they to read these books, and in those few instances where they have read them, they cannot answer them. Were they honest and candid, they would say, as Dr. Taylor said, after reading a small tract of Edwards, "I have been writing these thirty years, and this little book confutes it all."

But they have no notion of argument; they do not like that way of defence; it is too metaphysical. Their plan, both of defence and attack, is drawn from two sources; bold assertious, and gross ridicule. Yes, the great gun of the city has been fired so incessantly, charged with this kind of ammunition, that he is suspected by many to be breech-burnt. But he does not shoot bullets, of consequence nobody is killed. And, not only the great gun, for I love to talk figuratively, but field pieces, swivels, blunderbusses, muskets, carbines, pistols-even down to popguns, have fired in squadrons and battalions; and some, I believe, as small as the cannon made by an artist of the queen of Sweden, to shoot fleas and bed-bugs with, which is still kept as a curiosity in the Swedish museum. One of this last description it was that fired off the "Contrast" already mentioned. But, luckily, he did not kill even a bug.

But the weapons of this controversy are not generally levelled at Edwards, Hopkins, &c., but against the teachers in the city, supposed to hold their sentiments. Unwearied efforts are made to dislodge them from their stations, and drive them out of the city. This is done by weakening their influence-representing their sentiments as horrible and dangerous--withdrawing from them the confidence of their hearers-treating them with coldness and contempt--disseminating dark surmises and uncertain rumours among the people, and endeavouring, as was said in another case,

"With ambiguous words to sound or taint integrity."

Besides, great exertions are made to fill all the neighbouring vacancies with ministers of their own stamp, and to prevent one of a different description from obtaining a settlement. In this they are greatly facilitated by a ministerial nursery, not far off, in which abundance of saplings are growing, nearly ready to set; and these they can prune and shape as they please.

But what is the motive of all this? Ah! here I must be cautious, for it is dangerous to inquire into the motives of great men. I have lived long enough to discover that a man's motives are generally as obvious as his conduct. And many men put me in mind of the ostrich, which, when pursued over the tropical sands, will run a while, and then hide his head in the sand, while his hind parts, to speak delicately, are all exposed; and you may come up and take him at pleasure. But these men hide nothing; their motives are perfectly obvious. But we may judge with still greater certainty, by considering who they are.

Some of them are foreigners, from the island of Great Britain; some are Dutch, &c.; and they certainly have their national prejudices to plead their excuse. They are men of considerable learning and talents; and had not this paltry national prejudice covered their minds with a kind of intellectual vellum, highly unfavourable to sharp sight or quick sensation, they would be very clever fellows. But this renders them, on certain occasions, quite numb and rigid. It is perfectly natural for them to spurn the idea of being instructed, or detected of errors, by any

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thing indigenous to the new hemisphere. They did not come hither to receive, but to give instruction; "non ab allis corrigendi, sed alios corrigere."

Some of this description there are from New-England, who were once professed Hopkinsians-stars in the Zodiac

"But, O, how fallen!-how changed!"

Of this number is the Queen of Sweden's little cannon, who, little as he is, is a sharp shooter. He it was, as I before said, that shot off the "Contrast." A disappointment in love, it is commonly reported, made him, at once, an anti-Hopkinsian and a poet. His poems were so lucky in the article of flattery, to certain great men he wished to please, that they effectually did his business for him; and I suspect few have read them without feeling a strong propensity to do the same for themselves. There goes a pleasant story with regard to this man. It is said, after his total defection, wishing to convince a certain audience of the enormous errors of the Hopkinsians, he read them, as a specimen, one of his former sermons. I believe few will wonder that his audience should be struck with horror. His poems fully indicate his disappointment, as they abound in the well known

"Hair-brained, sentimental grace."

Not grace in Calvin's sense of the word, for neither his poems, Contrast, nor conduct, show much of that. But whether the Hopkinsians have reason to regret the cruelty of his mistress, or the lovers of poetry to rejoice in it, I leave for future consideration.

Perhaps these men will consider it as a matter of joy and exultation, that this city has, from the first, shared little in the great and frequent reformations prevailing to the north and east; nor do they consider, that the comparatively small number of professors of religion found in this city, would be still much smaller if restricted to those whose profession commenced in this city.

Confused, unsettled, and bewildered, like all great cities, with an immense heterogeneous mass of strangers, of no certain character, overwhelmed in business, dazzled with wealth and show, and occupied with every thing more than religion, yet willing to have enough of that to be fashionable here, and go to heaven

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