this. It is with pleasure I expect to have all the mistakes and errors in my publications detected and exploded; and all the truth contained in them set in a much clearer and more advantageous light; and great advances made, far beyond what I have attained, or even all the divines who have written."

In his extreme old age, he was "asked by a clergyman, whether, if he should write his System over again, he would not make some alterations in it. He replied, I do not arrogate to myself infallibility, and perhaps some things in it might be altered to advantage.' But would you,' continued the clergyman,make any alteration in the sentiments?' Raising his withered arm, and kindling with the glow of youthful energy, he brought it down with a solemn and emphatic No: I am willing to rest my soul on them forever.'"†

1

About two years before his death, he said to his people, in a ser

mon:

.....

"I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God, so far as I have understood what it was. . . . . Some of the doctrines which I have preached and published have been opposed from the press and the pulpit, and more privately, and have not been understood, and [have been] represented as horrible and mischievous, tending to destroy all true religion, &c. But all this has no impression on me, to excite the least doubt of the truth of the doctrines so opposed, or to incline me to cease to assert and vindicate them. I have such clear and full conviction, and unshaken confidence, that the doctrines which I have for a long course of years preached and maintained, are the truths contained in the Bible, that I stand as a brazen wall, unhurt, and not moved by all the shafts of opposition and reproach which have been levelled at me, and the system of truth and religion which I have espoused; being assured that it will stand forever; and certain beyond a doubt, from Scripture, reason, and experience, that a cordial belief and love of these truths, with religious exercises and conduct agreeable to them, is connected with salvation, and is a sufficient ground of support and comfort under the greatest trials, and in the nearest view of death and eternity. On this foundation I cheerfully rest my eternal interest, which indeed is infinite, and invite all to do the same."

The discourse from which the preceding paragraph is taken, was published a few weeks before its author's death. It is eminently characteristic of him. A man so modest and lowly must have had a firm confidence in the truth and the worth of his speculations, or he would not have dared to preach, still less to publish, a sermon entitled "The Author's Farewell to the World." An equally interesting illustration of the same faith overpowering his personal diffidence, is seen in the Dedication of his Treatise on the Millennium. It is dedicated To the People who shall live in the Days of the Millennium;" and it commences thus:

"Hail, ye happy People, highly favored of the Lord. To you the following treatise on the Millennium is dedicated, as you will live in that happy era,

* Dr. Ryland had exerted himself much to circulate Hopkins's System and his other works, in England.

+ Ferguson's Memoir, p. 153. See also Patten's Reminiscences, Introduction, pp.

xi. xii.

See Hopkins's Works, vol. iii. pp. 768, 769.

and enjoy the good of it in a much higher degree than it can now be enjoyed in the prospect of it; and that you may know, if this book shall be conveyed down to your time, what is now thought of you, and of the happy day in which you will come on the stage of life. You will be able to see the mistakes which are now made on this head; and how far what is advanced here is agreeable to that which is noted in the Scripture of truth, and a true and proper description of the events which are to take place, and to rectify every inistake. All is therefore humbly submitted to your better judgment."

This "Dedication to the Millenarians" was condemned by Dr. Jonathan Edwards, as the reader has perceived on p. 207 above. It is, however, as an exhibition of a modest man's assurance, so peculiar that it would have been a pity to expunge it.

SECT. XLVI. TESTIMONIES IN FAVOR OF HOPKINS AND OF HIS THEOLOGY.

Throughout this Memoir many expressions have been made, indicating the deference with which Mr. Hopkins was treated by some of his contemporaries. Without recurring to those expressions, we will simply refer to a few other testimonies which were given in favor of this much injured man.

At a time when a doctorate of divinity meant something, Mr. Hopkins received that honor from Brown University. It was given him in 1799, at the same time that the degree of "doctor of laws" was conferred by the same university upon George Washington. It was conferred during the presidency of Dr. Manning, who was not on terms of personal friendship with the leading Congregationalists of Newport. But the excellence of Mr. Hopkins's character secured the esteem of all candid men.

Dr. Patten narrates the following incident:

"Some time after Dr. Hopkins had sent his manuscript 'System of Divinity,' to be printed, he was obliged to go to Boston to inspect the press. While there, Dr. Clarke, who had been the colleague and was then the successor of Dr. Chauncy, invited him to preach the Thursday lecture for him. Dr. H. declined. Why, are you not in health?' 'Yes, sir.' 'Why then,' replied Dr. Clarke, with urgency, do you decline?' 'Since you are so candid as to wish me to preach, [said Dr. Hopkins,] I will tell you the reason. My manner is not polished, and my doctrines do not agree with yours, and I cannot accommodate myself to the occasion as your substitute; and if I preach at all, it must be as I am accustomed to preach in my own pulpit, and this, if it should not be a mortification to you, might bring on you some reproach.' 'I do not wish,' replied Dr. Clarke, that you should attempt to accommodate yourself to any one; you cannot gratify me more than to preach your own doctrines, in your own way. This is precisely what I wish.' Then,' said Dr. H., 'Í will preach.' It providentially happened, that a Scotch gentleman of Roxbury, [nearly related to] Governor Sumner's wife, was at the lecture. On leaving the house, he expressed strong approbation of the preacher; said he was such a looking man and such a preacher as he had been accustomed to hear in Scotland; and on learning his name, and that he had a small and pre

carious salary, made him a present, to the amount, it is believed, of five or six hundred dollars.":

The reputation which Dr. Hopkins's works acquired in Great Britain, in the day when men asked, "Who reads an American book? ”—-was a sign of their intrinsic value. Such men as Pearce, Thomson, Carey, Sutcliff, expressed in various ways their regard for the "pious metaphysician." The Earl of Buchan sent an elegant portrait of himself, as "a token of his warm attachment," to Dr. Hopkins. There were more subscribers for his System in Great Britain, than among all the "white inhabitants" of Rhode Island.

A signal honor which Dr. Hopkins has received, is the esteem of all his theological opposers who were personally acquainted with him. No divine in this country, has felt a greater repugnance than Dr. Channing, to our author's creed; and the encomiums of Channing were elicited simply by the fact, that he knew the character of the man who was regarded as so much better than his creed. By whom was the New Divinity more steadfastly opposed, during the last century, than by President Stiles? But in the very height of his opposition to it, he discloses his own and the general opinion, that Hopkins was both a great and a good man. His statements are instructive, even when they are incorrect. They illustrate the character of the resistance, which was made to what he calls "the Eurekas of New Divinity." In the satirical style of the following extract from his Literary Diary, he reveals much that is honorable to his chief opponent:

66

August 10, 1787. Reverend Messrs. Hopkins, West, Amzi Lewis, Fowler, and some few other New Divinity gentlemen, are beginning to hold, that the faith of parents in the act of baptismal dedication insures grace and real holiness to baptized children. Reverend Messrs. Sanford, (brother-in-law of Mr. Hopkins,) Emmons, Smalley, Foster, and some others, are beginning to concur with Mr. Bacon in denying a real vicarious suffering in Christ's atonement. They hold atonement, but deny it in the orthodox and Calvinistic sense. Messrs. Hopkins, West, &c., differ from them, and hold the atonement in the just, scriptural sense. The New Divinity gentlemen are getting into confusion, and running into different sentiments. They are generally giving up the doctrine of imputation, both in original sin, and in justification. They are dropping and leaving off the diction of love to being in general,' as describing the nature of holiness; and some of them, receding from disinterested benevolence, are going into the idea, that all holy motive operates as terminating in personal happiness, while others are still willing to be damned for the glory of God and the good of the universe.

"They (New Divinity gentlemen) perceive some of the pillars are removed, and others shaken and falling; President Edwards has been dead twenty-nine years, or a generation; Dr. Bellamy is broken down, both body and mind, with a paralytic shock, and can dictate and domineer no more; Mr. Hopkins still continues, but past his force, having been somewhat affected by a fit and nervous debilitation; Mr. West is declining in health, and, besides, was never felt so strong rods as the others. It has been the ton, to direct students in

* Patten's Reminiscences, pp. 130–132.

divinity, these thirty years past, to read the Bible, President Edwards, Dr. Bellamy, and Mr. Hopkins's writings;- and this was a pretty good sufficiency of reading. But now the younger class, but yet in full vigor, suppose they see further than these oracles, and are disposed to become oracles themselves, and wish to write theology and have their books come into vogue. The very New Divinity gentlemen say, they perceive a disposition among several of their brethren to struggle for preeminence; - particularly Dr. Edwards, Mr. Trumbull, Mr. Smalley, Mr. Judson, Mr. Spring, Mr. Robinson,* Mr. Strong of Hartford, Mr. Dwight, Mr. Emmons, and others. They all want to be Luthers. But they will none of them be equal to those strong reasoners, President Edwards and Mr. Hopkins.

"President Edwards's valuable writings in another generation will pass into as transient notice, perhaps, as scarce above oblivion, as Willard, or Twiss, or Norton; and when posterity occasionally comes across them in the rubbish of libraries, the rare characters who may read and be pleased with them, will be looked upon as singular and whimsical, as in these days are admirers of Suarez, Aquinas, or Dion. Areopagita."†

The progress of his opinions was still more honorable to Hopkins, than were the respectful allusions of his antagonists. Can any one doubt, that he has been a means of raising the standard of theology among us, far above that which would have been attained under the influence of his opponents? Hundreds of New England clergymen have made, substantially, the same remark which has been repeated by Professor Stuart: "After reading Dr. Hopkins's System of Divinity, a number of President Edwards's Treatises, several of Andrew Fuller's, a part of Ridgley's Body of Divinity, and some of Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, and a part of Prideaux's Connection, I was examined and licensed to preach, by the neighboring Association of Ministers." This relation of Hopkins to the clergy of New England, gave him an influence over them which is now too much forgotten.

The following letter to one of his best friends illustrates the honest, religious spirit of our author, his freedom from personal aims in

etc.

* A strong-minded man, father of Professor Robinson, the author of "Researches,"

+ Stiles's Literary Diary. It is well known that the clergymen here mentioned by Dr. Stiles, differed in some respects from the Newport divine, for they were independent thinkers; yet they were all termed Hopkinsians, in that day, and enjoyed the confidence of Hopkins himself.. It ought to be understood, that several of the clergymen whom Dr. Stiles thus compared with Hopkins, were at that time very young men.

The course here specified was marked out by President Dwight. As Dr. Stiles, in the preceding extract, and as Dr. Hopkins, in his letters, have both mentioned the name of Dwight in connection with the New Divinity, it may be proper to say, that this great man was in early life so much in favor of the Hopkinsian peculiarities, that he wrote an essay to prove man's obligation to be willing to be lost, if the glory of God should require the sacrifice. Subsequently, however, he burned the manuscript. Dr. Hopkins often writes in a eulogistic style, about "young Dwight." As late as 1798, he says: "I think Dr. Dwight's discourse to the citizens of New Haven, on the fourth of July, to be a masterly performance; in which he has outdone himself, and all the many publications of orations, &c., on that day. I wish it may have another edition, if not more."It was a noble trait of Hopkins, that he was inclined, in his old age, to speak well of young men, and had disciplined himself, as very few others have done, to say with composure, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

his theological studies, his full assurance that Hopkinsianism is the same in essence with Edwardeanism, and his modest, unselfish gratitude for the triumph of those principles which he was foremost in defending, and with which his interests were bound up.

To Reverend Andrew Fuller. - "Newport, October 15, 1799. Dear Sir: I thank you for your letter of August 12, which came to hand on the twelfth instant, and brings much agreeable intelligence. That concerning Mr. Pearce is grievous, as it represents him as near to death; since the loss of such an excellent man, in the prime of life, is great, and appears to us very undesirable. Yet there is ground of consolation in this, that Christ has raised up such a man, and continued him so long, and done so much by him, and he is now going to receive a rich reward. And the Lord is able to raise up many more accomplished and excellent men, and will do it when he shall want them, for which we have the greatest encouragement as well as a divine command to pray; to which the removal of this our dear and worthy friend is a strong incitement. My heart has been in a sensible and peculiar degree united to Mr. Pearce, since I saw his writings and perceived his connection with you, Dr. Ryland, &c.

"Since I first heard of Carey and Thomas, I was pleased with their character, that of Carey especially, and have had fond hopes that great things will be done by them, and those who may be added to them. I rejoice in the zeal and liberality of the people in promoting that design. May the blessing of thousands who are ready to perish come on you and them. I yet hope the report of the ship Duff being taken by the French will prove not true. But if it prove true, we have stable and sufficient ground of support and consolation in the exalted Head of the Church, who orders all things, all events, from the greatest to the smallest, in the most wise and best manner, so as to answer his own ends exactly; by which he will be glorified in the highest degree, and the greatest possible good to the universe will be effected. On this ground we stand firm and unshaken, in the midst of all the evils and revolutions which surround us, and are able to rejoice always.

"I am pleased to hear that Edwardean principles are gaining ground and spreading, as I am certain that every contrary scheme of principles [is irreconcilable with] the Bible, and that all or most of the late remarkable exertions to send missionaries among the heathen, and propagate the gospel among others in Europe and America, have originated in a poor shoemaker, from having imbibed these principles. I believe all the missionary societies lately formed in America, owe their rise to those formed in England, and their extraordinary exertions. There are five of these societies now in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts States, the leaders in all which, except one, (if that is to be excepted,) are Edwardeans. The Massachusetts Society, which has been formed this year, consists wholly of Edwardeans, which is [likely] to increase and flourish.* That in Connecticut consists of the General Association of Ministers, chosen annually from each of the particular Associations in the State. They have chosen twelve trustees, and these are to be chosen yearly, to manage the business of the society in their recess, and are accountable to them. The trustees consist of six ministers and as many laymen. The trustees they have chosen this year are all Edwardeans, which is an evidence, among many others, that men of these principles prevail, and are esteemed.

"These principles are gaining ground fast in New England. More mer of these principles are ordained in churches than others, and they are the most popular preachers. And some of those who have been prejudiced against these principles and opposed them, begin now to think more favorably of them, and to own that many Edwardeans are men of the best abilities. And

* See p. 64 of this Memoir.