general deluge and the giving of the law, not under the Mofaic, but under the more mild and glo. rious difpenfation of the gospel; not in the dark places of the earth, where the people perifh for lack of vifion; but in those hap py regions, where the Sun of Righteoufnefs hath arifen with healing in his wings, beyond all calculation, obliges us to redeem the time. That he, in whofe hands all our times are, hath given us fo much health of countenance and fo much length of days, with all his love in Chrift Jefus, binds us indifpenfibly to redeem all our time for him. happy creature in everlasting fhame and punishment. Hours, thofe fhort portions of time, are worth more than crowns, empires and worlds. Well has the poet sung, «Throw years away! Throw empires, and be blameless. Heaven's on the wing: a moment When worlds want wealth to buy.” Who is not aftonished at the guilt and madness of trifting with time? Who can contemplate them, and not be excited to improve it with all his might? How should public teachers, parents, mafters, all who inftruct, all who love God and human na SHOULD not a confideration of the commands of God to redeem the time, not to be flothful, but folture, teach thofe under their care, lowers of them, who through faith and all with whom they have inand patience inherit the promifes, fluence, the duty of redeeming awaken us to this duty? Should time? not the doom of the flothful fervant rouse all to activity and diligence? Who can endure the thought of being caft into outer darknefs? In a word, we are conftrained upon a fubject fo folemn, fo highly interesting to yourselves, and to civil and religious fociety, to be feech you to hear our friendly ex hortations. Not only weigh the motives already fet before you, but confider further, That the time is fhort That God hath made your life as an hand breadth, and your age as nothing before him: That with many of you, a great proportion of this fpan is already gone: That every year and hour your span is fhortening: That another year is now gone That it hath flown away with an almoft incredible and imperceivable rapidity: That we are now entered upon a new year, of the events of which we have no knowl. edge. Another year may wholly change our profpects. It may How should contemplations on the immenfe guilt of not redeem ing time, of mifimproving Sabbaths and opportunities for fpiritual improvement, and to inftruct and do good to our families, to mankind, and the church of God, awaken us to all poffible exertion and diligence in our duty? To mifimprove time, ftanding all the day idle, is to abuse all the goodnefs of God, and rob him of all the honor and fervice we owe to him. It is to rob our families, mankind and ourselves! Nay, it is fuicide, the murder and total deftruction of ourfelves! The improvement of an hour for God may give us more honor and hap-be a year of great diftrefs and forpinefs than all the human race do row with you, as it has been with now, or ever have enjoyed. The many the year past. Your fami lofs of an hour. may fink an un- lies may be made defolate. LovVOL. IV. No. 7. Hh er and friend may be put far from | and John. I have endeavoured to give every argument and objec tion, that I was capable of finding (and that the fhort work would comprize) on both fides, its full weight. You will readily fee I have avoided a ftrict method, and have endeavoured to make it con. form to arguments naturally ari. fing in converfation.-I beg you would receive it as a token of love and friendship, and pardon every error that may have arifen in confequence of ignorance or prejudice you, and your acquaintance into MESS'RS EDITORS, and after a candid examination, your ideas communicated in your own way, will be highly gratifying to your friend, whofe prayer is, that we may be led into all neceffary truth, and cordially unite in the fundamental doctrines of the gofpel.-I am, fir, with esteem, your friend and humble fervant, I EVANDER. DIALOGUE I. James. T gives me many unhappy feelings, my good friend, to think you have embraced fuch principles of religion-which I conceive contrary to the benevolence of the Deity, and if preached, I think must have a very unhappy effect on fociety. John. I will affure you on my part it is a fource of grief that we difagree in the fundamental doctrines of the gofpel, while we fo cordially unite in other matters. James. It appears to me if we lay afide all party prejudice, and follow reafon and revelation, and carefully examine the fubject, you will be convinced of your error and receive the true principles of religion. John. Religious difputes generally prove unprofitable, by be ing carried on from wrong motives, and each by contending for maftery in argument, lofes the fearch of truth, which should be the only object of purfuit; it is frequent for difputants to have recourse to unfair means, which create acrimony that ends in anger and diffatisfaction. James. I am very fenfible of the truth of your remarks, and for the fame reason, generally avoid every thing that leads to religious controverfy. But we being well acquainted with each other's temper, and apprifed of this general error, can take up the fubject, and canvafe it, coolly and fairly. John. If we can agree to take the word of God for our guide, and examine the subject with an humble aim, to find and embrace the truth, throwing the idea of victory and the establishment of a favorite theory out of the question, I will with all my heart undertake. James. Under thefe impreffions, if you please, we will engage, and whenever we find ourfelves on weak ground, we will generoufly give up the point, and acknowledge our error. John. I think it expedient in the first place, to lay down fome general points, in which we both agree, as a standard by which to try our arguments. James. I conceive it proper. John. I fuppofe we both agree in the truth and divine authority of the scriptures? James. Thefe we may take as an unerring guide. John. Shall we take the present tranflation as generally a good one, and quote it accordingly? James. I think it prudent, as the tranflators undoubtedly were better qualified for tranflating than we are ourselves. the great point of the being and perfections of God? James. I prefume we are. John. You believe him felf-exiftent, independent, eternal and unchangeable in his being; infinite in knowledge, almighty int power, perfectly good in his na ture, poffeffing every attribute and perfection that can render him lovely and amiable, in the eyes of holy beings? James. Yes, I think it is unde-. niably taught in revelation; and I fuppofe you will agree, that every argument which perfectly comports with God's perfections muft be of weight, and of course every argument that does not, must be fallacious. John. I fully agree that every argument drawn from God's perfections must be true, and every thing that does not harmonize with these must be false; I prefume you will further agree, that every thing which comports with the general tenor of the fcriptures, fhould be believed, even if it is above our comprehenfion. For inftance, when fcripture faith, "there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, John. The way is now prepar- John. I trust we are agreed inently with reafon and revelation, reconcile God's perfections with the total depravity of all mankind by nature, which renders them unable to perform any good act? Or believe that he should command them to do good, and then eter nally punish them for disobedience, when they have no power to obey? Or that he should finally determine to regenerate a certain number with his irrefiftible grace, let them do what they will, and make them heirs of glory; and determine the reft of mankind shall eternally perish, let their works be what they may? John. I readily answer I cannot agreeably to your statement. -I perceive you have obtained a very unjust idea of those doctrines; and have a wrong notion of the nature of moral depravity, and in what it confifts. I fully believe in the total depravity of human nature, the abfolute fovereignty of God, his final determination of all events in the ages of eternity, and the neceffity of the fpecial agency of the Holy Ghoft, for falvation ; but by no means in the manner you have defcribed. I would inquire of you, previously to entering into particulars, what is your opinion of the moral ftate of man by nature? James. I can view it in no other fenfe but inability. John. Total depravity as I conceive, confifts in an evil tafte altogether, and does in no way infringe on the natural faculties, fo as to produce an inability for free, fpontaneous, voluntary exercises; but leaves men free to perform actions, praife, or blame worthy, and in no fenfe infringes on moral agency.-It confifts in being entirely deftitute of holiness, and poffeffing a fpirit of supreme selfifhnefs. James. In what do you conceive true holinefs to confift? John. It confifts in a fupreme aim for the glory of God, arifing from love to his effential nature, and in univerfal benevolence to beings in general; and every act that arifes from a principle entirely deftitute of holiness, has no moral goodness, notwithstanding the act itfelf may be good. James. I wish to be informed. how an act can be good, and have no goodnefs in it, at the fame time? To me it appears a contradiction. John. Moral goodnefs confifts alone in holy and benevolent exercifes of the heart; it does not confift in the external act, but in the heart, from whence the act ed, from malice prepenfe, to take flows. Suppofe I-am determinyour life; and to accomplish my defign, I propofe that we should go a hunting, determining when fent, to fhoot you; the conven a convenient time and place preient place prefents, and I fire at tion the fhot miffes you and kills your heart-but by divine direca tiger, which was ready to leap, and would have devoured you, if I had not fired and killed him. In this cafe in attempting to deftroy your life, I fave it. I pre James. I believe mankind moral agents, capable of choofing good or evil, and by nature pofed, feffing both virtuous and vicious principles, which is partial deprav ity. If they are perfuaded, by virtuous examples and arguments, to fhun vice and cherish virtue, they will progreffively conquer all their evil paffions and propenfities, and in principle become vir tuous. John. I would inquire if you do not conceive total depravity to imply natural inability? fume you will not contend I did morally good act, notwithstanding the effect was good, but on the contrary, that I in heart was a murderer. James. I acknowledge that I have been accuftomed to view the fubject a little differently; but this does by no means prove that mankind are all entitely deftitute by nature of benevolence; for I have feen perfons who profeffed no religion, poffefs almoft unbounded benevolence. They would give a beggar the only dollar they had; they would attend the fick, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, even if they went hungry and cold themselves; and were ready to do good to their fellow creatures, where there was not the leaft profpect of reward-and at the fame time, they were jovial companions. I think benevolence confifts in giving without expect ation of receiving. John. They are good abstractly confidered, and when properly regulated, have a very good tendency on fociety, and a perfon def titute of them, appears more cruel than the beafts. James. I ask then, if perfons are not praife worthy for exercif ing them? John. If they exercife them under the influence of wisdom, and benevolence, they are; but if they exercife them under the in fluence of natural affections only, they are not. Though they give all their goods to feed the poor, and their bodies to be burned, without charity they are nothing. If a parent has an incorrigible child, who is difobedient, fteals, fights, fwears, &c. if he cfteem it cruel and inhuman, to whip the child, and says, reafon and arguments will have a better effect, although they have hitherto proved ineffectual, he is very blame wor→ thy. For the wife man has faid, John. Mankind poffefs the na. tural affections of love, fympathy," Thou shalt beat him with a rod, pity, grief, joy, &c. in the exercife and deliver his foul from hell." of which God frequently makes And all actions, which arife from them inftrumental of doing good natural affections only, without to his people and church; tho' being regulated by true benevo they have not the leaft aim at his lence, are blame worthy; even glory, nor do it, in obedience to relieving the poor, and diftreffed; his commands. I very much dif- for they either originate in a defer from you in the idea of true fire to gratify the natural feelings, benevolence. As I conceive, it or to receive proît, or honor; is the genuine exercife of a holy and they have no aim at God's heart. What you call benevo glory, neither are they done in lence, I call humanity, which is humble obedience. common to moft men-and when a person is actuated by no higher motive than fympathy, pity and humanity, he is no more morally praife worthy, than the beafts are, which attempt to relieve each other in diftrefs, and which is common even to fwine. James. I am furprifed you think fympathy, pity and humanity are not good! James. Does it not follow then, that fuch perfons fhould refrain from giving to the poor and diftreffed, as they become blame worthy, which is fin agreeable to your arguments? John. I think it does by no means, as it is their indifpenfable duty to relieve the poor and dif treffed; and it is equally their du ty to perform fuch actions, in ober |