what is denominated moderate Cal- | 1702, was not Hopkinsian Calvin

vinism; that this sunk down into a compound of Antimonianism and Arminianism, and that this gave place to Arianism and Socinhyianism.

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ism.

In 1744, the Rev. Thomas Prince, minister of Boston, published an account of the revival of religion, which had taken place there, in the three or four préceding years. From this account, we learn one or two important facts. He came to Boston in 1717; at which time both Increase and Cotton Mather, were still living, and there were six other Congregational ministers besides himself, making nine in all, in that town; and, as he says, "all most happily agreeing in the doctrines of grace," that is, in such views as Cotton Mather has expressed above. Of course, Hopkinsian sentiments did not then prevail And at the publication of his work in 1744, he says, "As to the doctrinal prinour congregations, and have been the subjects of the late revival, they are the same as they have been all along instructed in."

The following extracts will show what kind of Calvinism prevailed in Cotton Mather's day. He quotes with disapprobation the well known Richard Baxter, as saying, with reference to some in This time, "They feign Christ to have made such an exchange with the elect, as that having taken all their sins, he has given them all his righteousness; not only the fruit of it, but the thing in itself. They forge a law, that God never made, that saith, thou or thy surety shall obey perfectly, or die.They infer, that Christ was made the legal representative person of every one of the elect, taken sin-ciples of those who continue in

gularly; so that what he did for them, God reputeth them to have done by him. Hereby, they false ly make the person of the Mediator to be the legal person of the sinner." On these quotations from Mr. Baxter, Cotton Mather remarks as follows:--" These things, which our churches with - amazement behold Mr. Baxter thus calling fictions, falsehoods, forgeries, were defended by Mr. Norton; nor do our churches at this day consider them as any oth. er than glorious truths of the gospel; which, as they were main tained by Mr. Norton, so two divines, well known in both Englands, Nathaniel and Increase Mather, and a third, a worthy minister of the gospel, Mr. Samuel Willard, now living in the same house from whence Mr. Norton went unto that house not made with hands, have, in their printed labours, most accurately express ed them and confirmed them."

Thus we see, that the Calvinism which prevailed in Boston in

From comparing these declarations with the above extract from Cotton Mather, relative to Mr. Baxter's views, I should conclude, that the prevailing opinion was, that Christ died for the elect only, and that he made such an exchange with them as to take all their sins, and give them all his righteousness; that Christ satisfied the law by obeying its precept in their place, and then by suffering its proper penalty, being literally punished stead. these views of atonement and justification are correct or not, they are certainly not the views of Hopkinsian Calvinists.

Another important fact which is to be gathered from Mr. Prince's history, is this: It was not then the practice for churches to examine applicants for admission as to their Christian experience, and to make that a condition of admission.

far the greater part have since givin hopeful signs of saving conversion."

Speaking of the year 1755, he says, ❘ those admitted to his church, "By "The general decay of piety seemed to increase among us in Boston. And for the congregation I preach to, though for several years some few offered themselves to our communion, yet but few came to me in concern about their souls before." Again, speaking of the time of the great earthquake, he says, "Though people were then generally frighted, and many awakened to such a sense of their duty as to offer themselves to our communion; yet very few came to me then under deep convictions of their unconverted and lost condition. Nor did those who came to me then, come so much with the inquiry, what shall we do to be saved? as to signify that they had such a sense of their duty to come to the Lord's table, that they dare not stay away any longer." Speaking of Mr. Tennent's preaching, in 1741, he says, "Mr. Tennent being so exceedingly strict in cautioning people from running into churches, taking the sacred covenant, and receiving the Lord's supper, the seal thereof, until they had saving grace, that divers brought to a very hopeful disposifion, were through fear and darkness kept from coming into full communion. So far did Mr. Tennent's awakening ministry shake their hopes and hinder them, that those whom I apprehended to be thirsty, and thought myself obliged to encourage, I found the impressions of his preaching had discouraged. As to my own opinion, it seems to me, that where there is a thirst for Christ and his spiritual benefits, that thirst is raised by the Spirit of Christ; and in raising such a thirst, he qualifies for them, shows his readiness to satiate it, invites, requires, and gives suffic-years. ient grounds for coming to him, at these pipes of living waters." And he quotes Mr. Webb, as saying of

From these extracts it appears, that though Mr. Tennent thought a change of heart necessary to qualify an applicant for admission to the communion of the church, it was not the prevailing opinion in Boston. If any thought it their duty to come, and expressed their desire to enjoy the privilege, they were admitted, though they exhibited no signs of a saving conversion. Hopkinsians have always opposed this lax practice in the admission of members, as they have done the lax practice of baptizing according to the half way covenant. President Edwards was dismissed from his people in Northampton, in 1750, on this very account. The Council say, "Finding the sentiments of the Pastor and church concerning the qualifications necessary for full communion, to be diametrically opposite to each other; the Pastor insisting upon it as necessary to the admission of members to full communion, that they should make a profession of sanctifying grace; whereas the brethren are of opinion that the Lord's supper is a converting ordinance, and consequently, that persons, if they have a competency of knowledge and are of a blameless life, may be admitted to the Lord's table; although they make no such profession." Mr. Stoddard, the predecessor of Mr. Edwards, had been of the same opinion with the church; and from several passages in the writings of President Edwards, it is evident that such had been the prevailing opinion and practice in New-England for many

President Edwards in his Narrative of surprising conversions, speaking of the year 1734, observes, "about this time began the great noise that was in this part of the country about Arminianism, which seemed to appear with a very threatening aspect upon the interest of religion here. The friends of vital piety trembled for fear of the issue. Many who looked upon themselves as in a Christless condition, seemed to be awakened by it, with fear that God was about to withdraw from the land, and that we should be given up to heterodoxy, and corrupt principles."

This shows that Arminianism was then making an alarming progress in New England.

published in 1749, says, "A considerable part of the religious appearances that were six or seven years ago, especially towards the latter part of that extraordinary season, was doubtless of the same sort with the religion of the Separatists; but not all." This was his deliberate opinion, after he had taken time for mature reflection and full examination. And he considered this false religion as singularly adapted to promote the progress of error. He complains much of a prevailing disposition to confound true and false religion together, and says, "it is attended with very many most dismal consequences; multitudes of souls are fatally deluded about themselves, and their own state; and thus are eternally undone. Some of the most dangerous and pernicious enemies of religion in the world, (though called bright Christians,) are encouraged and honoured, who ought to be discountenanced and shunned by every body; and prejudices are begotten and confirmed in vast multitudes, against ast every thing in which the power and essence of Godliness consists; and in the end, Deism and Atheism are promoted." Brainerd speaks often, in his writings, of the prevalence of such notions in many parts, and especially mentions his feeling himself called upon to bear his dying testimony against such errors in Boston, where a distinguished individual not named, had openly appeared as their public and strenuous defender.-Before passing from this part of the subject, let it be carefully observed, that these remarks of President Edwards respecting the extensive prevalence of false religion, and its tendency to promote the spread of error, were made some years after the great revival when the permanent effects had

In 1740, and several succeeding years, there was a great religious excitement, under the preaching of Whitefield and others. But so great had been the declension and so extensive the progress of error, that the work was wholly opposed by great numbers of ministers and churches. And though there was, no doubt, a great revival of true religion, yet there was also, in the opinion of Edwards, Brainerd, and other judicious eye witnesses, a great deal of false religion too. Antinomian views of doctrine and experience were embraced and encouraged by many; such as that saving faith consists in an individual's believing that Christ died for him in particular; that this is made known to him by some extraordinary discovery, vision, dream, or revelation, or mysterious impression upon his mind, which was called the direct witness of the Spirit, upon which the individual begins to love God, because he supposes God loves him and intends to save him. Such notions of religion appear to have been embraced by the Separatists, accompanied with much reliance upon sudden impulses of the feelings, and other supposed revelations.Edwards, in his life of Brainerd, I begun to develop themselves.

Again: The practice oflicensing selves, the fair, specious disguises men to preach the gospel, without they are wont to put on, by which a particular examination into their they deceive others, to maintain religious experience and belief, their own credit, and get themwhich has so much favoured the selves into others' confidence and progress of error in later years, improvement, and secure and esappears to have been begun, even tablish their own interest, until then; as well as the practice of they see a convenient opportunisoftening down the truth to suit ty to begin more openly to broach the taste of opposers;-both which and propagate their corrupt tenpractices, Hopkinsians have al- ets." "Labour to obtain a man ways opposed. The biographer who has an established character, of Edwards says of him, “Не as a person of serious religion and looked upon those, who calling fervent piety. The present time, themselves Calvinists, were for which is a time wherein religion is softening down the truth, that they in danger, by so many corruptions might conform it more to the taste in doctrine and practice, is, in a peof those who are most disposed to culiar manner, a day wherein such object against it, were really be- ministers are necessary. Nothing traying the cause they pretended else but sincere piety of heart is to espouse; and were paving the at all to be depended on, at such a way not only to Arminianism, but time as this, as a security to a to Deism. In this view of things, young man, just coming into the he thought it of importance that world, from the prevailing infecministers should be very critical tion, and thoroughly to engage him in examining candidates for the in proper and successful endeavministry, with respect to their ours to withstand and oppose the principles, as well as their relig- torrent of error, and prejudice ious dispositions and morals.-against the high, mysterious, evanAnd on this account he met with gelical doctrines of the religion of considerable difficulty and opposi- Jesus Christ, and their genuine tion, in some instances." This effects in true experimental religunwillingness to examine or to be ion." In the same sermon, he examined, no doubt, then, as since, says, "Another thing that vastly proceeded from a wish to keep in concerns the future prosperity of the dark, and to propagate error this town, is, that you should without detection. Edwards, in watch against the encroachment of his farewell sermon at Northamp- error; and particularly Arminianton, in 1750, advises his people, ism, and doctrines of like tenin choosing a successor, to take dency. You were, many of you, care, "that he be a man of thor- as I well remember, much alarmed oughly sound principles in the with the apprehension of the danscheme of doctrine which he ger of the prevailing of these cormaintains; and says, "This you rupt principles, near sixteen years will stand in the greatest need of, ago But the danger then was especially, at such a day of corsmall in comparison of what apruption as this is. And in order pears now. These doctrines, at to obtain such a one, you had need this day, are much more prevalent to exercise extraordinary care and ❘ than they were then; the progress prudence. I know the danger.- they have made in the land, withI know the manner of many young in these seven years, seems to have gentlemen of corrupt principles, been vastly greater than at any their ways of concealing them-time in the like space before.