In this work I have endeavored to show the deception, impiety and gross imposition, of the doctrines and conduct of certain sects, believing that the salvation of souls requires an exposure of the abuses of Christianity. This is my only apology for undertaking this work. I therefore humbly request to be heard, as my only motive is to do good, and lead men to the Bible for heavenly truth, instead of following the impious systems of divinity now taught for divine truth. Some idea of the total depravity of these systems may be gathered from the following articles of faith, of the West Congregational church in Taunton. They are acknowledged as evangelical in every part of the United States, where Calvinism prevails. By a comparison of the different articles, particularly the 6th, 9th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, the reader will perceive in how amiable a light this system presents the character of God.

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH.

1. There is one, and but one God, who is the Creator, and Preserver, and Governor of the Universe, and who possesses every natural and moral perfection.

2. The Bible was written by holy men, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; and it is a perfect rule of faith and practice.

3. God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence and equal in every divine perfection.

4. God has for his own glory, fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass; and he works all things after the council of his own will.

5. God created Adam perfectly holy, and constituted him the representative of all his posterity, suspending their moral character upon his probationary conduct.

6. In consequence of the fall of Adam, all mankind are by nature in a state of total depravity, and deserve to be punished with eternal death. 7. The Lord Jesus Christ who is God and man, has by his death or the cross, made an atonement for the sins of the world.

8. Through the atonement, salvation is freely offered to sinners in the Gospel yet they all naturally reject this gracious offer, and refuse to come to Christ that they may have eternal life.

9. God has, in the covenant of redemption, given to Christ a certain number of mankind who were from eternity predestinated to be holy and to be heirs of eternal glory.

10. The Holy Spirit, by an act of special grace, renews the hearts of all the elect, und causes them, in the present life, to accept the salvation of the gospel.

11, The foundation of the elect's forgiveness and salvation from endless punishment, is the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which they become interested by true faith alone, yet God will reward them for all their holy services.

12. God promises to preserve all who have been renewed in the temper of their mind, from final apostacy, and to conduct them, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, into the kingdom of glory.

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13. All who were not given to Christ, in the Covenant of redemp tion, will persist in sin, and be formed into vessels of wrath and fitted for endless perdition, to which they are appointed.

The above Creed contains the substance of the doctrines now taught by the Presbyterians, the Calvinist Baptists', and the Orthodox, throughout New-England. These sects declare them heavenly truth-and pronounce those persons infidels and enemies to the gospel, who deny the truth of such horrid sentiments as their articles of faith advance. Indeed, these sects, by their abominable doctrines make infidels of their people, because they teach them to believe doctrines which are not found in the Bible. I will go further, and say, that these evangelical sects, as they call themselves, actually deny the plain doctrines of the Scriptures, and substitute "vain babblings” and doctrines of men, which are ruinous to Christianity, and put even Infidelity to the blush. I will mention only one of their essential and fundamental doctrines, and show its complete blasphemy and perfect impiety. It is contained in what these orthodox sects claim for divine truth, and commonly called the doctrine of the sacred trinity.' Let me show you the great wickedness and absolute error of this doctrine.

It teaches that our Heavenly Father, after he made man and pronounced him very good, was pleased,' for his own glory,' to create a Devil to deceive our first parents, that all mankind through them might be eternally miserable! And they also teach us that our Heavenly Father took upon himself human nature, dwelt on earth, and was put to death by his creatures !! The great impiety of these doctrines is not generally considered. It makes God the author of sin-and represents Him as delighting in tormenting his creatures. This is not the worst feature of their doctrines. They teach us that the Father of the Universe was led about, while on earth, at the will of the Devil, and was actually set on a pinnacle of the temple! by Sa

tan.

Think of the blasphemy of this doctrine. Here we have Almighty God set on a pinnacle of the temple by the devil, and commanded, with promises, to obey this Fatan! I cannot express my horror at such sentiments. But the Presbyterians, Calvinist Baptists', and the Orthodox, insist that this blasphemy is heavenly truth-and that we shall certainly be damned if we reject this absurd dogmas and perfect infidelity. I shall not enlarge on this unscriptural doctrine. It is astonishing that any can teach such impiety for the true gospel of Christ-but it is taught, and the New-Hampshire Observes, the last summer, labored hard to prove this absurdity, that the Devil took ALmighty God and made him sit on a pinnacle of the temple !These sects declare that God has made a devil, and that Jesus

was the Father of the devil, for he is very God, they say, and consequently they have manufactured the most infamous doctrines, and pronounce eternal wo on those who reject them.

It is well for us that the Bible teaches no such doctrines as some teach for truth at this day. The above articles of faith, with the exception of the first and second, are wholly destitute of divine truth. The Bible assures us in direct terms, that "God HATH NOT appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." 1. Thess. v. 9. And we are further assured, that " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance." 2 Peter, iii. 9. Again, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. These passages are enough to show the utter fallacy of special election.

It will also be found on examining the Bible, that the notions taught us at this day about an atonement being made for sin, is a great orthodox fiction-no where to be found in the whole Bible. Neither of the Old Testament writers, nor Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, say one syllable about making atonement to reconcile God to man. If this doctrine, now so much insisted on by certain modern divines, is true, it is very remarkable that Jesus never once mentioned it: nor have the Evangelists once mentioned such a doctrine. The word alonement occurs only once in the New Testament, and that is in Romans, at the fifth chapter and in the eleventh verse. As this doctrine is now taught as essential to salvation, I will lay before you ALL that the New Testament writers have to say on the subject. Here we have all that is said about atonement in the writings of all the Evangelists and Apostles, in these words:

Rom. ch. v. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth HIS LOVE toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from

wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [This is the only place in the New-Testament where the word atonement, is mentioned, and it totally condemns the popular ideas of atonement, as the scriptures further explain.] Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when 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, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead; MUCH MORE the grace of GOD, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And NOT as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free GIFT is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ:) 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. Moreover, the law entered that the offence might abound: but where sin abounded, GRACE DID MUCH MORE abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, EVEN SO might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."

I have copied the whole of this chapter in order for all men to know what the New Testament says about atonement. We learn by it that not one word is said about infinite sin, or about an infinite atonement. Neither does it countenance the orthodox absurdities of the day,viz: that God hates his creatures,and entered into covenant with himself, from all eternity, to elect and save a part of the human family-and determined to damn all the rest for his pleasure!-that God is reconciled to man by the death and sufferings of Christ-that Jesus died to reconcile God to man! The Bible does not, teach these fictions, and no confidence whatever is to be placed in the astonishing errors and corrupt dogmas now taught for evangelical truth by those who claim the title of Orthodox.

"You may be unwilling to believe what we are about to relate; and so were we, until irresistable evidence convinced us. It will be hard, we are aware, to convince you that those whom you have long been accustomed to revere as the good, the great and the pious, have laid the plans of the deepest deception, have been guilty of the blackest frauds, and are striving to destroy the brightest laurel of American glory, viz. religious liberty. It is true, we do not believe them, as yet, able to carry into effect their perfidious designs; but their want of power neither makes their intentions more pure, nor them better men.

They have used every method within their power to increase their numbers and strengthen their influence. They have told their artful story to our tender-hearted wives and children; they have exerted all the influence of persuasion, and all the force of terror, to induce them to aid the cause of missions; they have enriched themselves with the spoils which they have obtained from the houses of the widow and the fatherless; and even the rags which cover the back of poverty have not escaped their eager grasp. Thousands of dollars are annually expended in sending missionaries and tracts into all parts of our country on the errand of making proselytes to their doctrine; for this purpose are sabbath schools, in great numbers, established; and we are informed by those who are carying on this work, that "in ten years, or certainly in twenty, the political power of our country would be in the hands. of men whose characters have been formed under the influence of Sabbath Schools," This language needs no interpretation. One of the leading men engaged in this ecclesiastical tyranny,says, 'let us awake, then, fellow christians, to our sacred duty, and let us have no rulers with our consent and co-operation, who are not known to be avowedly christians." "Let us never support, by our votes, any immoral man, or any known contemner of any of the fundamental DOCTRINES OF CALVIN for any office; and least of all, for the Presidency of these United States." Let the principle here urged be put into operation, and none but Calvinists will be acknowledged christians, and none but Calvinists will be permitted to hold any office of emolument or trust, All our liberal men, how good and worthy soever they may be, must retire from office and bend beneath the sceptre of Calvin; and the period would soon come when all the temples of religious devotion must be dedicated to Calvin before they can be dedicated to God. To rulers who are truly religious, we have nothing to object; but those who may be called religious by some, "we would fear and dread much more than his holiness, the Pope." We have reason to believe, that if our rulers be come Calvinists, that many of our worthiest citizens, Servetuslike, will perish,