The gospel will be understood and regarded by every person in exact agreement with his sentiments and affections in respect to God. If you, dear Sir, do not involve yourself in ignorance and error respecting God and the fundamental principles of natural religion, you will easily understand the fundamental principles of revealed religion. And with these fundamental principles perfectly agrees every article of natural and revealed religion, and the existence of every creature and event in the universe. Neither the doctrine of the Trinity, which is in its greatest extent, the foundation, essence and glory of revealed religion, nor the doctrine of the union of divinity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ; nor of the al perfection, which consists in his eternal decrees; which are the foundation of all his conduct and happiness, and of whatever exists in the created universe. The perfection of his character, decrees and conduct, is the foundation of the affection and confidence, the submission and obedience, which God demands and deserves from his rational creatures. And their perfection is also the foundation of the decisions of the final judgment and the retributions of eternity, which are designed to manifest, as fully and clearly as possible, the greatness and goodness of God forever. Since God is, from the very perfections of his character, influenced by the greatest, wisest and best motives in his decrees and conduct, he must have a supreme re-divinity, personality and influence gard to his own holiness and happiness in his affections, designs and works. And he will be known and blessed, exalted and glorified in respect to every creature and every event, that ever exists. No-nal self-existence of God, or his thing, therefore, but the true knowledge of God can afford his creatures any real light in respect to any object in the universe. If, then, you would be a burning and shining light," it must be your constant object to acquire and exhibit the true knowledge of God, as he manifests himself in the accomplishment of his great decrees, by the wonders of creation, providence and redemption. of the Holy Spirit, nor any other doctrine, which the orthodox believe and declare to be contained in the Bible, is more mysterious or incomprehensible than the eter creation of all things from nothing. The doctrines of total depravity, election, atonement, justification, sanctification, reprobation, and endless punishment, which are fundamental doctrines of revealed religion, are no more obscure nor doubtful, offensive nor objectionable, than the inflexible holiness and absolute sovereignty of God. And his holiness and sovereignty are as evident as his existence; and as glorious and beautiful as his greatness and goodness. And they are the safety, glory and happiness of the universe. Let God be truly known and loved in his holy sovereignty, and every article of natural religion, and every article of revealed orthodoxy will also be understood, believed and loved. The whole system of natural and revealed religion agrees and will forever agree with the truth in respect to God. The student and teacher of theology must, in his progress, learn and teach the whole "length and breadth, height and depth" of orthodoxy; or he must adopt the creed of the fool's heart, and say, "there is no God." So long as God lives and reigns in heaven, and "the whole earth is full of his glory," it is utterly impossible for earth and hell, by fraud or force, by open war, or secret plots, to destroy or obstruct the high-toned orthodoxy of Moses and the prophets, of Jesus Christ and the apostles. From disaffection and enmity, ignorance and error in respect to God, arise all the delusions, heresies, and errors, which ever exist on the face of the earth. Thorough and correct views of God give light and weight to the precept and penalty of the divine law; and to every institution and requirement, every doctrine and duty, every promise and threatening, every blessing and curse of the gospel. And they spread And they spread light, beauty and glory over all the works of creation, providence and redemption. But you cannot place a single doctrine or duty of religion, nor a single creature, object, or event in its true and proper light, unless it be seen in view of God. Let God be unseen and unknown, and darkness, confusion and vanity are enstamped upon whatever exists. If, then, you would be an instructive, consistent, powerful teacher of divine truth, follow the example of Moses, who said, "I will publish the name of the Lord;" of the prophets, by whom God so often says, And they shall know, that I am the Lord:"-of Jesus Christ, who said unto the Father, "I have declared thy name and will declare it;"-and of the apostle, who said to his hearers respecting God, "whom ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." The angel who flies in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred and people and tongue, says with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him, that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters." The gospel, that shall yet prevail and triumph among all nations, agrees with the fundamental principles of natural religion; the gospel, which shall cause earth to repent, and hell to despair, begins and ends with God. Let the true knowledge of God, then, lead, guide and guard you in your sentiments, as a preacher and teacher of divine truth. If you would possess the true knowledge of God in its purity and power, and increase in this knowledge, be like God in your spirit; be holy as God is holy. In the exercise of holy affections, you will, in your heart, enter into the views and feelings, the designs, exertions and enjoyments of God himself. "He that is spiritual, judgeth all things. "In the spirit of holy love, which forms the moral perfection and beauty of the divine character, and sanctifies and glorifies all the perfections, designs and works of God, you will walk with God, and then God will walk with you: you will dwell in God and God will dwell in you. Then in his light you will see light; you will be strong in his strength; you will be wise in his wisdom, and happy in his blessedness. The spirit of holy love agrees with the whole system of divine truth, and with the whole counsel and conduct of God, in all his works and ways. This spirit will give you clearness and decis ion, confidence and firmness affections; but, in the exercise of such affections, to exhibit such sentiments in their proper connexion, attitude, and order; and for this purpose, study, compose, and preach sermons. The number of your religious sentiments. It will give you light in darkness, and strength in weakness, and anoint you with the oil of gladness in your afflictions and sorrows. The spirit of holy love will prepare you, with discernment, energy and af-professed preachers in our day fection, to penetrate the very spirit of your hearers, whether they be saints or sinners. It will sympathize with the afflicted, tried and feeble children of God in their afflictions, temptations, conflicts, comforts, hopes and joys. And it will enable you to exhibit the sinfulness, folly, deceit, guilt and shame of sinners in the perfect light of holiness. And in this light, they will see and know, that they must repent and turn to God, and be like him; or be condemned by their own conduct and their own consciences, as well as by the law and gospel of God, to endure the eternal abhorrence of all holy beings, and the endless punishment, anguish and despair of hell. If we take the sword of the Spirit, without an unction from the Holy One," it will be to our own souls the instrument of death; it will wound the church of God, and frighten and drive sinners from the pleasant path to heaven. The knowledge of divine truth ought, especially in the ministers of the gospel, to be eminently sanctified by the spirit of holiness. Benevolence, without orthodoxy, in the teachers of divine truth, is, indeed, pitiable weakness. But orthodoxy, without benevolence, is the most offensive wickedness. -The union of orthodoxy and benevolence is the virtue and strength of the Christian ministry. While, then, dear Sir, it is your constant object to speak the truth, let it be no less your object to speak the truth in love. rapidly increases; but the number of real teachers of divine truth, does not so rapidly increase. We hear many speeches on religious subjects, and religious occasions; but "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" A sermon is not an essay, nor an address, nor an oration, nor an exhortation, nor an exposition, nor a declamation, however impassioned and eloquent. If you would preach sermons, have an important and definite object in your discourses. To gain your object, have a subject equally definite and important. To exhibit your subject, let it be plainly and simply stated; fully and distinctly explained; and then proved, and enforced, by weighty, obvious, and decisive reasons and arguments. Then in the improvement and application of your subject, your exhortations, entreaties, warnings, reproofs, and cautions, will fall and press upon the attention, the consciences, the interests, and affections of your hearers, with the weight and power of a full and heavy torrent. The sentiments, which are properly illustrated in sermons, have, from their attitude and order, an intimate connexion with the whole system of divine truth, with the whole system of created existence, and with all the fulness of God." The sentiments of sermons, properly illustrated and applied, will cause the hearers to see and feel, that if they will only submit to divine fruth, they will gain and enjoy the universe; and that, if they oppose In your ministry, let it be your divine truth, they will fall under object, not only to possess and ex-its dreadful weight, and be opposhibit correct sentiments with holyed, punished and tormented by ings over the whole church of God, There review this world as it has been from the morning of the creation until the present time; and by the light of truth, view it, as it will be, until the dissolution of the all things forever and ever. While, then, you study and labour to be, in your ministry, correct and thorough in sentiment, and holy in your spirit and affections, let it also be your care and study, in respect to the method and manage-heavens and the earth. There keep ment of your discourses, to be a scientific, rational and instructive preacher. If, with correct sentiments and proper affections you study and compose sermons, you will see and feel, that the Lord's day and the house of God, are, especially, the time and the place for you to bring your people before God by the light of truth; and by the same light to place God before your people. And if you would do your duty to God and man, you must make the Sabbath a high day; a holy and blessed day. Be what you ought on the Sabbath and in your pulpit; and you will establish and maintain a proper reputation and influence with your people. And then you will easily be and do what you ought, in all the concerns of your office. But in order to be what you ought on the Sabbath and in the pulpit, your study must be your fortress.There meditate on divine subjects and divine objects. There study the holy scriptures with diligence, reverence and humility. There watch, search and know your own heart. There consider and realise the character, condition, interests and necessities of your people. There extend your views and feel saints and sinners, angels and dev- To conclude: In your inter- W. T. FOR THE HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE. MR. EDITOR, A Sermon in manuscript, by a late distinguished divine, has fallen into my hands, from which I send you the follow ing extracts for the Magazine. The Sermon is long, or I would gladly send it entire. In making the extracts, I have been careful to retain the leading ideas of the discourse, and to exhibit the argument of the able author in its full force. I have several reasons for desiring the inse:tion of the extracts. The subject is manifestly of the first importance, and one which has been often misapprehended and represented in such a light as to excite strong, if not just, prejudices against the Calvinistic doctrine of original sin. The views of the writer are somewhat new, and apparently very ra tional and scriptural. They are calculated, as will be seen, to give an easy solution of several difficulties attending the subject discussed, and a satisfactory answer to several objections against the doctrine maintained. The manuscript, | through that one offence, or one man's disobedience, they were all made or constituted sinners.These positions, with some variation of expression, are conveyed in the twelfth verse of the context, where the argument upon this sub I understand, is circulated pretty wide.ject is introduced. Here the aposly, and read with much interest and aptle says, "As by one man sin probation. If the sentiments advanced entered into the world and death are correct, they ought to be more ex-by sin, and so death passed upon tensively diffused and adopted. But as all men, for that all have sinned." some may possibly think them incorrect; The universal sinfulness and conthe plan of your work, which admits free and candid discussion, will afford demnation of mankind, in consethem opportunity to state their objequence of the disobedience of the tions, and exhibit their own views of the subject-a subject, on which light is much needed, and by no one more than A MODERATE CALVINIST. by EXTRACTS. ROMANS V. 18, 19. Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. ... "Here, that divine economy, under which mankind came into a state of sin and condemnation, and that economy under which they have righteousness and salvation, or what are sometimes called the old covenant and the new, are obviously placed in contrast. And my present design is to consider distinctly, in the light in which they are presented, First, The fall; Secondly, The recovery of mankind. I. The fall of mankind is first to be considered. It is here (in the text) clearly asserted, that all mankind are brought under condemnation by one, or through one, offence. It is also clearly represented, that they are thus brought under condemnation, because that by or first man, the apostle proceeds to prove, from the indisputable fact of the universal reign of death. "For (says he) until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed where there is no law, Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression." That his argument might be disencumbered, the apostle refers to the period of time, which was before the promulgation of the law of Moses, and during which no law could be supposed to be in force for the condemnation of mankind, excepting that under which Adam was originally placed. During that period, however, death reigned universally over mankind. This awful fact proves, that they were universally in a state of sin. But sin is not imputed where there is no law. Against what law then had they sinned? If it be said, they sinned individually against the law which Adam violated, or against the law of nature; the question occurs, why should it have been universally so? What satisfactory reason has been assigned, that all men were sinners? Besides, it is to be distinctly considered, that death reigned not only over adults, but over infants alsoover such as had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's trans |