hatred of those truths, as the great enemies and disturbers of their idol lusts and pleasures. And this is an exact description of thousands in every age, Their understanding is compelled to believe such and such doctrines to be true; but their wills and affections rise up with fury against them, as severe and disagreeable to their prevailing taste. They do not like the pure, humble, lowly, benevolent, forgiving spirit, which the gospel requires. Hence they reject these rigid doctrines and laws, not because their understandings have no evidence of their truth and equity, but because their inclinations are opposed to them. Thus the contrariety of the things which the gospel reports to the vitiated tempers of sinners makes them angry with the truth of the reports, and sometimes with the very persons of those who report them."*

III. The character of Jesus Christ.

"The love of Christ is unchangeable. It exists the same

It is well known that Doctor Tappan's views of the character and works of unrenewed sinners differed, in some respects, from the views of many Calvinists. The controverted question chiefly respects the nature of means, and the outward, visible acts of obedience, which sinners perform. This question, which has an important relation to gospel preaching, and to experimental religion, was investigated with great labour and ability in the controversy between the Doctor and the Rev. Mr. Spring. Impartial and close examination of what was written on both sides is earnestly recommended to all who wish to understand the subject clearly, and to judge according to truth.

unvaried affection in his heart from everlasting to everlasting. All these things, (that is, the sins of his people,) were per fectly foreseen by him from eternity. If we view him in his divine nature, we at once behold infinite majesty and infinitely condescending love blending their glories in him, illustrating and commending each other. If we view him as man, &c." making his character to consist of godhead and humanity.

"The love of Christ is the love of an infinite, eternal Being, and so has no conceivable limits either in degree, or duration."

"It was the pure benevolence of Christ, which gave existence to universal nature; for all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made, that was made. He was as glorious and happy as he could be from everlasting; happy in the enjoyment of his. own perfection, and his Father's love. It was, therefore, from mere selfmoved goodness that he created all ranks of beings, and particularly angels and men."

"The love of Christ is as high as the most High God himself; for, it is the love of him, who is THE TRUE AND SUPREME GOD."

In a discourse on the words of Thomas, my Lord and my God, he says; "The words contain an ample and excellent confession of his faith, thatJesus is the Lord and God; that absolute, supr

dominion belong to him; that he is not only by office Lord and Christ, but by nature God, From the dignity of his media:torial character he infers and ascends to the dignity of his divine essence, which is presupposed and required in every part of his office; which office could not be discharged to any effectual and saving purpose, if he were not true God, as well as true man. Nor otherwise would the apostle have given him the title of God, nor would he have received it. For nothing could be more provoking to the great and jealous God, than to ascribe divinity to a creature. And therefore had Christ been a mere created Being, he would have severely reproved Thomas, for addressing him in this manner; which he does not, but on the contrary, commends and blesses him for it. We hence deduce an irrefragable proof of the proper Godhead of our Lord Jesus." In respect of personal beauty and amiableness, the chief objective ground of love, he says; "Christ infinitely surpasses the loveliest of creatures; for all the glories of Deity are wrapt up in his wonderful person. All the beauties we behold and admire in the world are but faint traces, scanty emanations and imitations of the uncreated Original. In short, the charms of Christ are infinite, immutable, eternal, without wane or diminution for ever."

One more passage on this sublime subject is subjoined.

It is taken from the last ordi nation sermon which the beloved Doctor preached.

"The unsearchable riches of Christ may denote his personal excellencies. Thus understood, they point us to the wonderful assemblage of divine and human perfections in that mysterious person, whose name is Immanuel, who is the image and ef fulgence of his Father's glory, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead, to whom the titles and attributes, the works and honours of divinity are ascribed; who yet was made flesh and tabernacled among

us.

What treasures of majesty and meekness, of dignity and condescension, of glory and humility, of justice and mercy, are united in his character!"

IV. The atonement and justification.

"In the way of forgiveness and reconciliation the gospel has opened to us an astonishing and unparalleled scene of divine compassion and love; and has assured us, that since God could not consistently and honourably pardon such a race of rebels without a satisfaction first made to his injured law and justice, and since we could not make it ourselves; he therefore sent his own eternal Son from heaven to make it for us; who by assuming our nature and substituting himself in our stead, gave himself to death as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins; and that in virtue hereof we shall be assuredly pardoned and accepted upon our repentance, and faith in

Christ; not for the sake of our faith, or repentance, or any other work of ours, but on the account of his merits and righteousness.'

V. Predestination and distinguishing grace.

"The love of Christ is a distinguishing love. It distinguishes those fallen human creatures, whom it finally saves, from sinning angels, and even from elect and happy angels. It also discriminates them from thousands of their own species, many of whom are less sinners than themselves, who are however permitted to go on, and seal their own destruction."He declares that the foresight of the sins of his people "did not prevent him from loving them, and determining their salvation."

These words of the Psalmist, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, he thus paraphrases; "Blessed is the man whom thou selectest by thy free and gracious choice, without any previous merit, contrivance, or endeavours of his own; whom thou distinguishest from others who are left to themselves."

Attempting to show that the government of God affords matter of joy and praise, he reasons thus; "God from eternity had a full view of all possible plans; and accordingly he then laid out the whole scheme and model of his future conduct. Every wise workman, before he enters upon any work of importance, first forms in his mind an exact plan of what he intends to do; and when he

has laid out his scheme, he steadily pursues and accomplishes it, without varying in the least from the original model. Whatever God does in time was planned out in his own infinite mind from everlasting; and on the other hand, whatever designs he formed from everlasting, he steadily pursues and accomplishes in time. God, having formed and settled his whole scheme of government, is now constantly carrying it into execution by his wise, holy, and powerful providence. God has a hand, in some sense, in every event that takes place in all parts of his creation, There are no

such things as accidents or casualties, or unforeseen and unexpected changes with respect to God; for he always has a full view of all events past, present, and to come, and they are all under his regulation and influ

ence.

VI. The necessity of regeneration.

The following reflection follows a discourse on self denial. "We infer that no one can be a true disciple of Jesus Christ upon the principles of unrenewed nature. If christianity is so contrary to the reigning sentiments and inclinations of fallen man; then it is absurd to suppose, that any person, without a change of heart, is prepared to embrace Jesus Christ and become his disciple. How can a man, whose prevailing temper is selfish, be truly disposed to deny himself? How can a man,

"Would we remain steadfast in the true doctrines of the gospel, let us love them for their transcendent excellence and purity; let us not only confess them with our mouths to be truths, but believe them with our hearts; let us be cordially willing they should be true; let us rejoice with the greatest complacency in the whole system of revealed truth. If our wills and affections do thus embrace and cleave to the truth, our understandings will be prepared to see more and more of its reality and beauty."

"There may be some very plausible arguments brought against the truth; but a truly pious heart would quickly solve all difficulties, and remove all objections. The weakest christian, that has an upright, sanctified temper, can readily and certainly distinguish between the voice of Christ and his truth, and the voice of hirelings and hereticks, in every point hat is essential to true religion. For he has a spiritual taste, which discerns, relishes, and eeds upon the vital, saving ruths of christianity, and so as the witness in himself, that hese doctrines are true and

divine, and that every thing contrary to them is dangerous errour and delusion."

"Whatever article of christian faith has a plain and necessary connection with the great object of christianity, viz. the glory of God in the salvation of men, as exhibiting a necessary cause, condition, or means of it, is to be esteemed essential to christianity. For instance, those truths, which exhibit the free grace of God the Father, the mediation, infinite atonement, and justifying righteous ness of God the Son in our nature, and the effectual influences of the Holy Spirit in bringing home to particular souls the grace of the one, and the redemption of the other. These doctrines are eminently fundamental objects of belief." He asserts the same of the doctrines, which exhibit the conditions, and the means of our salvation.

In showing the unreasonableness of an unsettled temper in religious matters, he observes; "God has given us all needful helps to determine us; the clear and bright sunshine of his word to inform us what is truth, duty, interest, and the grounds and evidences of each."

VIII. Practical and experi mental views.

"Let every man consider seriously the transcendent evil of sin, which is no less than a direct affront to our infinite. Creator and Governor, by violating the law which he values, as a transcript of his own holy nature, and enforces by the

penalty of eternal death. Let its read the nature of sin in the dismal history of its effects and consequences. Let us first see the fall and ruin of a whole species effected by a single act of sin. See the deluge. See the only Son of God suffering and dying. To add a finishing picture of the malignity of sin; when we shall see the elements melting with fervent heat, and the heavens passing away with a great noise; when we shall see the judgment set, the books opened, the irrever sible sentence pronounced on the impenitent; then we shall understand, that it was sin, that made all these desolations, that kindled all these fires, and will still be kindling a much greater, even the fire of hell, which shall burn for ever. Consider, oh sinner, all these scenes of horror; and know that there is unspeakably more evil in sin, than in all these."

"I grant that to love any object merely for the reward or happiness of loving, is not so properly to love, as to traffick, and flows not from pure affection to the object, but from selfish regard to our own interest. But on the other side, to love a worthless thing, to embrace a cloud, or cling about a bramble, in short, to place our affection where we can expect nothing but disappointment and misery, is very absurd, phrensical, and

ruinous."

The following passage is quoted from a sermon, which he wrote just before his death.

"As christianity is the relig

ion of sinners; so a cordial reception of it must presuppose and powerfully cherish a humbling sense of personal guilt and depravity, and a disposition to ascribe the needed blessings of pardon, holiness, and eternal life to the infinite mercy of God operating through the perfect atonement of his Son. Accordingly the habitual views and exercises of every real christian harmonize with the prayer of the publican, God be merciful to me a sinner; with the acknowledgment of our a postle, by the grace of God I am what I am; and with the song of the heavenly hosts, salvation to our God, who sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb. Whoever cordially repents of sin and embraces the gospel, will readily unite with our apostle in esteeming himself less than the least of all saints, and in ascribing all his privileges and hopes to the riches of divine mercy."

"The reason of things, as well as the arrangement of the Lord's prayer, instructs us to ask our daily bread, or needed external good, not merely as an instrument of animal, much less of sinful gratification, but as requisite or conducive to our serving the purposes of his kingdom; yea, to beg the forgiveness of our sins, and deliverance from temptation and all evil, not barely for selfish ends, but that God's honour and kingdom may be promoted by our pardon, sanctification, and final happiness, and by our correspondent, everlasting returns of service and praise.'