ed, will certainly lead them to ruin in this life, and to everlasting shame and contempt in the world to come.

7. Another thing, which makes it evident that the godly are ceasing, is the diminished support of the gospel. When this country was first settled, and for many years afterwards, great attention was paid to this subject. Before the landing of the pilgrims, they made provision for the support of the gospel ministry. In each of the Churches there was a pastor, and a teacher. All persons were obliged to contribute to the support of the Church; and special care was taken to have all attend public worship. Formerly this land was a fruitful field with now and then a barren waste; but now it is a scene of moral desolation, with here and there a verdant spot. Considering the number of inhabitants, the number of gospel ministers is small, in comparison with what it was one hundred years ago; notwithstanding all the efforts now made to educate young men for the ministry. There are many towns, and even whole counties, in these States, where the sound of the gospel is scarcely ever heard. And their number is rapidly increasing. Besides, there are multitudes, in places where the ordinances of the gospel are enjoyed, who neglect and despise them altogether.

8. Lax views of divine truth prevail in almost every part of the land, which makes it certain, that the godly man is ceasing and the faithful failing. Within the last century there has been a great departure from the pure and holy truths of the gospel. And to this, more than to any thing else, may be ascribed all the evils, already mentioned, and all others of a similar nature, which are now to be found in these States. Unwearied pains are taken, and the most incessant efforts are made, to soften down and explain away some of the leading and essential doctrines of divine revelation. Multitudes in the different sects and denominations of the day, appear to be extremely unwilling to let the sacred scriptures speak for themselvesto have them taken in their plain and most obvious sense. Men have discovered, by the aid of their superior wisdom, that they do, in but few instances, mean as they say. But it was not so in the days of our fathers. They placed,' says the historian, 'implicit faith in the scriptures, and gave them a severe and literal construction; that is, they understood them in their plain, obvious meaning, without any additions, alterations, or amendments, suggested by human reason, under the influence of a depraved heart. They appear to have received, most cordially, the leading and fundamental truths of the gospel. And they laid great stress upon them; so much so, that they employed in each of the Churches, besides the regular pastor, a teacher, whose business it was to explain and defend the doctrines of Christianity. As they were Calvinists in sentiment, they believed and taught, that God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, that he

worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, governing all his creatures and all their actions; that he hath chosen a certain number of mankind in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world to a life of holy obedience, and ordained them as vessels of mercy to the praise of the glory of his grace, and that the rest of the human family, he was pleased to appoint to a state of sin and misery, and ordain them as vessels of dishonour to the praise of the glory of his vindictive justice. They believed also in the doctrine of disinterested benevolence—in total moral depravity-in regeneration by the special agency of the Holy Ghost-in justification through the atonement of Christ, which is sufficient for all-in the final perseverance of the saints-and in the doctrine of three distinct persons in the one undivided Godhead. These are the doctrines, which Luther and Calvin and their associates taught and defended, with so much zeal, perseverance and success. And these are the doctrines, which our fathers brought with them to this land; and which they taught their children; that these precious truths might be handed down to generations yet unborn. Historians agree in representing them as adhering firmly to the Calvinistic system. And to make it appear, that a correct statement of some of the leading points in this system has been given, a few quotations from the writings of Calvin himself, will be submitted to your serious consideration. These quotations, which might be extended to great length, will be confined to the doctrine of the universal decrees and agency of God, in governing all his creatures and all their actians, and to the doctrine of disinterested benevolence. After asserting, that the government of God extends to every event-that he is the efficient cause of whatsoever comes to pass-and that the words of Solomon, in reference to the king's heart, extend equally to all men; after showing, that God so inclines the minds of men, in all cases, as to execute his own purposes, working in them to will and to do-and that there is no inconsistency between human and divine agency in the same act; and after demonstrating, at great length, that this doctrine runs through the whole Bible, Calvin sums up his remarks in the following words: "If I am not deceived, I have now clearly explained how the same act displays the criminality of men and the justice of God." And to modest minds this answer of Augustine will always be sufficient :-"Since God delivered Christ, and Christ delivered his own body, and Judas delivered the Lord, why in this delivery is God righteous and man guilty? Because in the same act they acted not from the same motive."—But if any persons find greater difficulty in what we now assert, that there is no consent between God and man, in cases where man by his righteous influence commits unlawful actions, let them remember what is advanced by Augustine in another place :-" Who can but tremble at those judgments, when God does even in the

hearts of the wicked whatsoever he pleases, and yet renders to them according to their demerits."-And certainly it would no more be right to attribute to God the perfidy of Judas, because he decreed the delivery of his son, and actually delivered him to death, than to transfer to Judas the praise of redemption. Therefore the same writer elsewhere informs us, that in this scrutiny God inquires, not what men could have done, nor what they have done, but what they intend to do, that he may take cognizance of their design and their will. Let those, to whom there appears any harshness in this procedure, consider a little how far their obstinacy is tolerable, while they reject a truth, which is attested by plain testimonies of scripture, because it exceeds their comprehension, and condemn the publication of those things which God, unless he had known that the knowledge of them would be useful, would never have commanded to be taught by his prophets and apostles. For our wisdom ought to consist in embracing, with gentle docility, and without any exception, all that is delivered in the sacred scriptures. But those, whe oppose this doctrine with less modesty and greater violence, since it is evident that their opposition is against God, are unworthy of a longer reputation. Here, in a very proper manner, Calvin leaves all opposers to settle the controversy with their Maker. In the following judicious remarks, he illustrates the nature and extent of the doctrine of disinterested benevolence. 'And when we pray that the name of God be hallowed, because God will prove whether he be loved and honoured freely, or for hope of reward, we must think of nothing of our own interest; but his glory must be set before us with fixed eyes; as it is to be seen in the example of Moses and Paul, to whom it was not grievous to turn away their eyes from themselves, and with vehement and inflamed desire to wish their own destruction, if they might advance the glory and kingdom of God.' Such are the views of that celebrated reformer in relation to the universal decrees and agency of God, and in relation to the doctrine of disinterested benevolence. The citations from him have been confined to these subjects, because they, in a special manner, distinguish the Calvinistic system from all other schemes of religion, and because these two doctrines are now so generally hated and despised, reviled, rejected and opposed. That our forefathers embracep these divine truths, with those before mentioned, is abundantly evident from their own confessions of faith, and from the history of their day. But the scene is now changed. There has been a great departure from the truth. The history of the last century is evidence to a demonstration, that there has been, in this, as well as in other respects, an awful decline. In the process of time, they began to think, that their fathers had been too rigid in their views,' and that they had carried some things a little too far. Numbers gained admission into the

Church, who did not assent to their orthodox creeds, which were either reformed, or laid aside. At first, the progress of error was slow, though it was not the less sure. "The high Calvinism of the Pilgrims soon gave place to that strange mixture of truth and error, denominated moderate Calvinism. This sunk down, by degrees, into a compound of Antinominism and Arminianism.' From this, the step has been short and easy to every species of error and infidelity, where multitudes have landed. But since the faithful receive the words of God and abide, in the doctrine of Christ, and since so many reject the sublime doctrines of the gospel and entertain such lax views in respect to them, and since dangerous and fatal errors are spreading in every direction, it is evident, that the godly are ceasing from this guilty land.

9. Lax views of the primary duties of the gospel are prevailing in almost every direction, which makes it evident, that the faithful are failing. Where loose notions of divine truth prevail, there we shall be sure to find lax views of duty. And for this plain reason, the duties of the gospel are the necessary result of its doctrines. Our views of duty must always correspond with our views of divine truth. Accordingly, where lax views of truth prevail, the duties of the gospel are uniformly presented in the light of interest. Men are urged to the performance of duty from selfish motives. The Arminian, Antinomian and Unitarian systems of religion, require men to love their Maker; but the love which they require is selfish. They require men to repent; but the repentance, which they allow to be genuine, is wholly selfish, and is the sorrow of the world. They require men to be humble; but the humility which they admit, is selfish in its nature, and is consistent with a spirit of self-exaltation. They require men to be submissive; but it is a selfish submission, which they inculcate. They require men to deny themselves; but it is only for the sake of themselves. They require men to pray; but they allow them to do it with hearts full of enmity against the essential character and government of God. The same, to an alarming extent, is certainly true of modern Calvinism. Such lax views of some of the primary duties of the gospel, are the natural and unavoidable consequence of those loose notions of divine truth, which have spread themselves so extensively in this land. Where men deny the doctrine of disinterested benevolence, they must necessarily substitute in its place a selfish system of duties. And the fact, that this is so generally the case, is evidence that the faithful are failing.

10. Lax views of Christian experience prevail very extensively, which makes it certain that the godly are ceasing. Very little is done in this age, to distinguish between true and false in religious experience. Many, in the various sects and denominations of the day, seem disposed to regard every experience as equally genuine.

Indeed, they appear to be highly displeased, if any one is disposed to doubt the genuineness of this or that experience. Now it is readily conceded, that where the essential truths of revelation are lowered down, or explained away, or kept out of sight, and where the duties of the gospel are consequently allowed to be performed from selfish motives, there can be no difference in religious experience. Where all is selfishness, the experience of each must be selfish in its nature. But in years that are gone, it was not so. Much was said and written to distingush between true and false in religious experience. As it was then thought, that there was great danger, men were cautioned against being deceived. So long ago as the days of Edwards, lax views began to be entertained on this and its kindred subjects. Accordingly that venerable man wrote several volumes in order to lead men to discriminate more closely in matters of religion. But his works are little regarded at the present day. Multitudes appear to think there is no need of coming up to the experience of such men as Moses, and Paul, and Edwards, and Belemy, and Brainard, and of many others, an account of whose exercises of mind is left recorded upon the page of history. Such seem disposed to think, that there is no need of being so disinterested, and of being so cordially reconciled to the truth, as they appear to have been. But certainly such views stand at an infinite remove from what the gospel requires. And the extensive spread of such views is conclusive evidence that the godly man is ceasing.

11. Many of the revivals of this age appear to be different in their character from revivals of religion in former times; which goes to confirm the position, that the godly man is ceasing and the faithful failing. Indeed, there appears to be in many cases, a radical difference; which is to be regarded as the natural and unavoidable consequence of the general spread of lax views of Christian doctrine, duty and experience. It is to be feared, that many of the revivals of this day, would not bear the clear light of those truths, which were considered, in former times, the only means of promoting a genuine work. Those peculiar features, which distinguished revivals of religion years ago, and which were looked upon by such men as Edwards and Brainard as the only infallible evidence of a genuine work, are not to be found in many of the religious excitements, which are now called re vivals. In days that are past, a clear and faithful exhibition of revealed truth was employed as the grand instrument of promoting such a work. But now other means are employed; and it is often boldly and confidently and shamelessly said, that some of the great doctrines of the gospel are not adapted to promote a revival. And it is readily admitted, that they are not adapted to promote a revival of selfish religion. But if infinite wisdom may be allowed to judge in the case, they are well fitted to advance such a work as will carry men to