Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

this produced a godly sorrow, and a renunciation of those evils which rendered repentance necessary? Have we been led by faith to Jesus Christ, as our only refuge in the day of trouble? Do we now feel that we have peace with God; and are pressing forward after higher attainments of Christian knowledge, and experience ? Can we demonstrate to the world the truth and reality of our religion, by our sober, faithful, holy, and upright lives, by an honest attention to all our lawful avocations? Does the purity and excellence of religion thus shine forth in our daily walk and conversation?

It is good to have our judgments accurately informed respecting divine truth; but unless this truth influence our hearts, we shall be none the better for it at last. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." If this publication should so stir up the flame of controversy, as to extinguish love to God and man, I should repent of my labour, and miss the main object of writing. Let us hold fast the form of sound words, earnestly contend for the pure system of truth; but let us do it with meekness and respect, confirming our love, even towards those who may differ from us in some speculative points, which are deemed of importance. But that which is the most important, is a full deliverance from sin, and a perfect conformity to the divine image of righteousness and true holiness. May we so speak and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. Amen.

ON ELECTION.

Election does not depend on works as its cause, 97—The

principal design of the Apostle in his epistle to the Romans,

98-Shocking idea of Mr. W.'s respecting Esau, 105—He

beats the air, 108—Explanation of the word reprobate, 110—

Reasons why sinners are damned, 111-A remark on his mo-
desty, 113-He is mistaken respecting Paul's having obtained
mercy because of the greatness of his sin, 114-An interpre-
tation of those scriptures brought by Mr. W. to prove his
doctrine of election, 115-Consequences of his doctrine; it
destroys accountability, 132-Hopkinsian views of an indis-
position to do good unscriptural, irrational, and contrary to
experience, 134-In what free-agency consists, 136-His doc-
trine puts a reasonable complaint into the mouth of all infidels
and sinners, 137-It makes God appear partial, 139—It en-

courages sin, and a neglect of the means of grace, 143-and

therefore it cannot be a bible doctrine, 152.

LETTER IV.

ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.

Inference retorted, 209-Unlimited perfection, not scriptural,
211-His doctrine self-contradictory, one part being subver-
sive of the other, ibid-The candid reader invited to deter-
mine for himself, 212.

ON THE POSSIBILITY OF FALLING FROM GRACE.

LETTER VI.

His contradictory assertions, 257-A sample of Satan's doc-
trine, 258-His religion suited to the taste of depraved
sinners, 260;-and has a deceptive influence, 261-Satan will

« AnteriorContinuar »