1

"ought perhaps to pray that he never may be led "to think of his Creator and of his Redeemer "either too little or too much.”

But Mr. SAMUEL GREATHEED has profeffedly given to the public, in a fermon preached at Olney, a view of his religious character; as to the fidelity of which, he declares that he has been "favored with the strongest testimonies " from perfons eminently qualified to decide."

In that publication we find the following paffage, defcribing Mr. Cowper's entrance upon a religious life. "Reflecting upon that awful eternity

into which he had nearly been plunged, he "became for the first time convinced of the evil " of fin, &c. While in this ftate he was visited "by the late Rev. Martin Madan his first cousin. "By explaining from the fcriptures the doctrine "of original fin, Mr. Madan convinced him "that all mankind were on the fame level with "himself before God. The atonement and ❝righteousness of Chrift being set forth to him, "Mr. Cowper difcovered therein the remely which " his cafe required. A conviction of the neceffity "of faith in Chrift, in order to experience the "bleffings of this falvation, excited his carnest

defire for the attainment; but although his mind "derived prefent eafe from these important "truths, he was yet unaware of his own inability "to believe. The calm which a defective appli"cation of the gospel had produced, was 'fo tran"fient that on the following day his mind again "became agitated by despair. The terror of "eternal judgment overpowered and wholly dif"ordered his faculties."

Similar to this is the account given in the Evangelical Magazine (for April, 1803.) "Mr. “Madan's converfation with his afflicted kins

"man

"man was attended with different fuccefs. Mr. 66 Cowper felt the redemption of finners, on "which he dwelt, to be the only refuge for his "troubled foul; and its darknefs was difpelled "almost instantaneously by a ray of hope and "6 peace. Mr. John Cowper was astonished at a "change which then feemed to him unaccount"able. It was, alas! but tranfient. Imagining "that the faith which is effential to falvation was "attainable by his own powers, his failure in the "trial involved him in aggravated diftrefs." From these accounts we have an obvious folution of Mr. Cowper's awful despondency. He appears to have received as the gospel, a system which is unworthy of the name; and which we are bold to affirm would be enough to drive all its abettors into the frenzy of defpair, if they were not mad with pride. When the atonement and righteoufnefs of Chrift were first set forth to him, he is faid to "have difcovered in them the remedy "which his cafe required;" and immediately. the darknefs of his mind was "difpelled by a "ray of hope and peace." This is the proper effect of the true gofpel, when it is fimply believed. But alas! poor Cowper! he appears to have fallen into the hands of one of those popular teachers of a falfe gofpel, who only fet forth: thefe doctrines to excite hopes, which, as foon as they have excited them, they proceed to blast, by reprefenting fomething as yet to be done in order to the attainment of the bleffings of redemption: while they tantalize their unhappy difciples by one moment exhibiting the greatness of thefe bleffings, and the next moment removing them to an infinite distance. Whether Mr. Madan was defignedly inftrumental in leading Mr. Cowper into this most unscriptural error,.

we

we shall not pofitively pronounce.

་

But that Mr. GREATHEED and the conductors of the EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE adopt and fanction it, is evident; and that Cowper was at that time loft in its dark labyrinth, their testimony affords the ftrongest ground to believe, as they are unintentional witneffes of the mistake.

According to these gentlemen, after a finner believes the gofpel and fees in it (as every finner will who believes it) "the remedy which his cafe requires," he has not yet, "the faith "which is effential to falvation." This is yet to be attained in order to a right application "of the "gofpel." And how it is to be attained, they are ready to give copious but not very confiftent inftructions. They will tell the finner that it is not "attainable by his own powers;" yet they urge him to great exertion in order to attain it. They will fometimes tell him that he can do nothing; but left he should believe them, they will quickly fubjoin an exhortation and encouragement to do what he can; and to perfevere in the myfterious struggle, till God does for him what he cannot.

Nor are they very well agreed what this FAITH is, that he is to try to get. Sometimes they will call it an appropriating act, by which he is to make out his right to believe that Chrift died for him, by a vigorous effort to believe it. Sometimes they will speak of it in the figurative language of fretching out a withered hand; which they at once exhort him to ftretch out, and tell him that he cannot. But whatever forms of expreffion they employ, we repeat our affertion that their doctrine only requires an enlightened confcience to plunge any man into the depths of despair: though we know that it is too fuccefsfully employed for a very different purpose. To

fuch

fuch falfe teachers of a corrupted gospel, which leaves the finner who believes it at a diftanee from the bleffings which it exhibits, and to all who have been mifled by them, we would recommend the serious confideration of the following words, Rom. x. 4-9. "Chrift is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth; for Mofes defcribeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doth those things fhall live by them. But the righteoufnefs which is of faith fpeaketh on this wife: fay not in thine heart who fhall afcend into heaven? (that is to bring Chrift down from above), or who fhall defcend into the deep? (that is to bring up Chrift again from the dead). But what faith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if thou fhalt confefs with thy mouth the LORD Jefus and fhalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou fhalt be faved."

K.

REMARKS on ROMANS, ix. 16. .*

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that herveth mercy.

IT feems almoft needlefs, in commenting on these words, to obferve that by "willing and "running" we are to understand what the Apoftle elfewhere calls "willing and doing of God's good "pleasure." We are concerned to thew, what

that

that is, which the Apostle afcribes to neither of thefe, and, how far, in afcribing it to the mercy of God, he is to be understood as excluding thefe.

And first, it is evident from the context, wherein, fhewing mercy is opposed to hardening, that the Apostle speaks of that efficacious calling of the Spirit, whereby finful man is brought into the knowledge of, and communion with the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom he hath fent, whereby he is called from death into life, and from the dominion of fin into the liberty of the fons of God. Supplying the paffage in this manner it will run thus, So then our calling (with all its bleffed effects) is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hereth mercy. In what sense then does the Apostle exclude willing and running as causes of our calling? Abfolutely. He not only declares that in calling us into a state of falvation, God difplays his mercy, but also that in fo doing he has no regard whatever to any holy defires, pious feelings, good inclinations or actions, in those whom he calls:and why? Because indeed, (as he had before declared and proved), it is impoffible for any, previous to this calling of God, either to will or to do any good thing, any thing that might avert the righteous indignation of God, or conciliate his favor.-No-here the beft finner and the wort, the most refpectable and the most infamous, all are on a level; for till this all are carnally minded, and the carnal mind is enmity against God. Rom. viii. 7, 8, 9. The natural man, he declares, cannot difcern the things of God, -how then can he will or do that which is good in his fight? 1 Cor. ii. 14. Nay, he even declares that willing and doing of God's good pleasure,