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vation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth."

The order, first stated, not only leaves no room for any manifestation of grace, in the offer of salvation, to the non-elect; but it gives opposers opportunity to urge against the doctrine of election, arguments drawn from such passages of scripture, as speak of the atonement of Christ as made for the sins of all, and from those, also, in which the invitations of the gospel are addressed to all, with very great effect, if not unanswerably. Besides, it does not well harmonize with the order of events.

Against the order last stated, no such objections can lie. It takes out of the hands of opposers all arguguments drawn from the universality of the atonement, and the general invitations of the gospel, and leaves them, in producing these arguments, to fight, "as one that beateth the air." For, the universality of the atonement, and the general invitations of the gospel notwithstanding, sinners reject the offer of salvation, and, from among those who reject, God has chosen some to salvation; and his purpose, according to election, must stand. It perfectly harmonizes, also, with the order of events. Man was created before he fell; he fell, before salvation was offered, through Christ; salvation was offered, before rejected; and it was rejected, before the Spirit was sent to communicate" all spiritual blessings," to some," according as they were chosen in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy." According to this view of the subject, too, there is the same grace manifested to the non-elect, as to the elect, in the gift of a Saviour, in the atonement, which he has made, by his obedience, and sufferings, and death, and in the offer of salvation. But, when all ungratefully re

fuse the salvation offered, God has "mercy on whom he will have mercy;" and it is true, that, in their election to salvation; in the renovation of their hearts; in being enabled to persevere in holiness, and in being brought home to glory, the elect do receive, from the fulness there is in Christ, and "grace upon grace," in which the non-elect do not share.

TROPHIMUS.

GENERAL ATONEMENT.

AN EXTRACT

From the CHRISTIAN OBSERVER's Review of the Bishopi of Lincoln's Charge, Vol. II. p. 544, considered by many respectable persons the most able periodical work ever published.

THE doctrine of universal or general redemption is unquestionably contained in the sacred scriptures, and is taught in the articles, homilies, and liturgy of our church (church of England.) The Irish articles of religion compiled in the reign of James I. are most explicitly Calvinistic, having the Lambeth articles incorporated into them; now it is well known that they were digested and reduced into form principally by the labours of the learned Usher; yet this eminent prelate maintained, most unequivocally, the doctrine of general redemption. The English divines who attended the Synod of Dort, and assented to the tenets of predestination, and the divine decrees, as taught by Calvin, nevertheless contended for the doctrine in

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question. And not to multiply authorities on so plain a subject, many of the most learned among the Puritans, who agreed with Calvin in matters of discipline, as well as in the tenets of predestination, were, never. theless, strenuous advocates for the doctrine of general redemption. Upon this point, we believe his lordship will meet with few opponents among those whom he may call Calvinistic clergymen ; few among the more learned and respectable, who will deny that "Christ made a full satisfaction and complete atonement for the sins of the whole world.”

Nay, Calvin himself, in commenting on Rom. v. 18. admits that Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and is offered indiscriminately to all men by the goodness of God. And we believe that among our English divines of the present day, who incline to the views of that reformer, there are few who do not adopt the language of our church upon this point. In a sermon now before us, written by the Rev. Thomas Scott, late chaplain of the Lock Hospital, in which he endeavours to prove, that the doctrines of election and final perseverance are scriptural, and that they consist with exhortatory and practical preaching, and conduce to holiness of life, we find the following passage: "But what is the general purport of this commission (viz. Christ's?) Let us hear the word of God: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.'— • God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.' His blood is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world." He then proceeds to ob-,

serve "For my part, I dare not use any arts of criticism to narrow the obvious sense of these and similar texts; and as I hope this day, previously to receiving and administering the Lord's Supper, to use the fol lowing terms in solemn prayer, Christ by his own oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world;' I would no more contradict this solemn profession from the pulpit, than I would preach against the seventeenth article respecting predestination. The compilers of our liturgy evidently thought both true and consistent with each other; and I am happy to coincide in sentiment with these venerable characters."

EXTRACT

From the 31st Article of the Church of England.

THE offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone.

EXTRACT FROM THE

HEIDELBURGH CATECHISM.

XVth Lord's Day.

CHRIST "sustained in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sins of all mankind, that so by his passion, as the only propitiatory sacrifice, he might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the favour of God, righteousness and eternal life."

The Necessity of Atonement, and the consistency between that and Free Grace, in

Forgiveness.

ILLUSTRATED IN THREE SERMONS,
Delivered at New-Haven, Oct. 1785,
BY JOHNATHAN EDWARDS, D. D.

PRESIDENT OF UNION COLLEGE.

SERMON I.

EPHESIANS i. 7.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

THE doctrine of the forgiveness of sins is a capital doctrine of the gospel, and is much insisted on by the writers of the New Testament: above all, by the author of this epistle. In our text he asserts that we are forgiven according to the riches of grace: not merely in the exercise of grace, as the very term forgiveness, implies: but in the exercise of the riches of grace: importing that forgiveness is an act of the most free and abundant grace. Yet he also asserts that this gratuitous forgiveness is in consequence of a redemption by the blood of Christ. But how are these two parts of the proposition consistent? If we be in the literal sense forgiven in consequence of a redemp

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