"Q. Did God leave all mankind to perish in this state of sin and misery ?"

All

"A. God, of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some." You will recollect, my hearers, if you please the word "some.” mankind were contained in the first answer I read to you; now, the word "some," is brought forward -“elected some to everlasting life; did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of a state of sin and misery, and bring them into a state of salvation by a Redeemer." Now, have I not presented you with the foundation of inconsistency, of partiality, and of unmerciful cruelty? Have not I represented to you, in that creed, all those characteristics! Yes, my friends, if God did, from all eternity elect some to everlasting life, were that "" some ever made liable to the pains of Hell for ever; Your good sense, says at once, "If they were elected from all eternity to salvation, they were not liable to the pains of Hell for ever!" But these doctors of divinity seem, in the same breath, to say, that some are, and have been, elected from all eternity to everlasting life; whereas, they have declared, that all mankind by the fall, were liable to the pains of Hell for ever! Is that consistency, or inconsistency? It is inconsistency. It is a contradiction, it is a proof positive, that is not of the wisdom of God, but of the wisdom of man. After they had stated, that all mankind were in one condition, they then come forward and state, that God elects some of the number to everlasting life: I ask, is not that partiality? It is partiality, or it is impossible for language to describe partiality. Is this the language which the divine wisdom makes use of, in treating of the same subject? The framers of the catechism were speaking of the covenant of grace,

and say, God from all eternity elected some to everlasting life, and entered into a covenant of grace, to deliver them, &c. When God Almighty preached the covenant of grace to Abraham, did he use such language? No; but he says, "In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thee; and in thee shall ALL the nations of the earth be blessed." You see the difference of the language. God says, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed these divines say some! Can you persuade yourselves, that the subject these divines had under consideration, was the same as that which Almighty God had in view, when he made this promise to Abraham? No; their language differs so much, that you would suppose the subjects must differ. Is this not believed in the Christian church, and is it not made such an article of faith, that the Christian fellowship must be denied for want of it? namely, that thousands and millions of the human family, the offspring of God, must be banished from his favor and his love to all eternity; and suffer indescribable torment as long as Cod or the world exists? Yes. If that is not unmerciful cruelty, my hearers, what is? Now, these three peculiar characteristics, certainly discover themselves in that creed. I admonish you, by the force of this argument, that you never receive such creeds yourselves, nor suffer them to be taught to your children. Reconcile that creed with consistency, reconcile it with impartiality, reconcile it with the boundless grace of our Lord and Saviour, and then receive it. But if this be impossible, as your own sense will tell you, then reject it. If you have taught such a creed to your tender offspring, God pardon you, and save you from repeating the enormity.

We might investigate other peculiarities and contradictions in the doctrines of men, but it seems to be unnecessary; for you will find in them, nothing but a tissue of contradictions; and it is exceedingly mortifying to a man of sense and feeling to be told, by men who preach such contradictions, that they are "mysteries!" They are mysteries of iniquity, my hearers. Contradiction is not the mystery of the gospel. It is the mystery of Iniquity! And now permit me to leave the doctrines of men, and dwell on a theme that is infinitely more sweet and lovely. Let me recommend to you the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ-the gospel of your salvation-a system perfectly free from inconsistency-entirely free from partiality, and containing in itself nothing like unmerciful cruelty. In the first place that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is destitute of partiality, will be seen by the language which is recorded in the Scriptures. Hear the prophet Isaiah. "In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth." xxv. 6, 8. My friends, is it possible, that divine wisdom would make use of such language as this to represent that God had elected some ?-No. "In this mountain shall be unto all a feast of fat things." You will read language that corresponds with what I have just cited, from the same inspired writer. "It shall come to pass in the last days, that the

mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." ii. 2. Why shall all flow unto it? Because " a feast of fat things" is there prepared for all. The same inspired writer, says, speaking on the theme of grace divine, "Ho! Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no 'money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money aud without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." lv. 1, 2. Is not such language as this, evidently designed, to communicate the idea of impartiality ? Yes, it surely is.

Now, look at the language of the New Testament. Read what our blessed Saviour has done for the world in his suffering and death, and compare that, with the language made use of in the creed we have noticed. St. Paul, writing to Timothy, exhorts as follows: "I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." This is the same God to whom the divines had reference, when they said, that "God elected some! And now hear what the inspired writer says, "Who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth ;" and he renders the following reason for so saying. "There is one God,

and one Mediator, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for ALL." 1 Tim. ii. 1, 6. This is the same blessed mediator, to whom these divines alluded, when they said "God entered into a covenant of grace to deliver some from a state of salvation by a Redeemer." The same apostle says again, "We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he night taste death for every man." Heb. ii. 9. The beloved disciple, whose soul was sweetened by its intimacy with the lovely Jesus, has his creed, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."-How different this is, from the word "" some !" Agreeably with this, we read in the prophesy of Isaiah, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressians-he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." liii. 5, 6. Can you gather any thing from this language of divine inspiration that indicates inconsistency, partiality or cruelty? No. Now look at the consistency of this doctrine with the works of God, how perfectly does it harmonize with the universal Providence of God! Here also we may see the beauty, excellence and divinity of this doctrine. The doctrine of universal grace corresponds with the kindness of our heavenly Father, in all his ways, in all his works, and in all his providence. How impartial are the rays of the sun! How impartial are those genial showers, that call forth, and ripen the fruits of the earth for the use

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