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gentleman was born at Southampton in Britain, 1764, and had acquired considerable reputation as a poet and a metaphysician. He had published his Imitation of the Psalms of David, designed for the purposes of devotion, and they had been introduced into several churches in Britain. Dr. Coleman, when in England, formed an intimate acquaintance with him, and after his return to America, corresponded with him. Until that time the old version of the psalms of David had been used almost exclusively in the congregational churches of New England. Dr. Coleman, considered the Bible as the best and only manual. He proposed to introduce into his congregation some of the psalms and verses of Watts' Imitation, and that where Watts had omitted whole psalms they should be supplied, for he says, "I judge it best for us to have the whole book of Psalms in its order as we now have it," though he was not averse to the use of other portions of scripture when versified for that purpose.

In the introduction of Watts' Imitation he was very cautious, and selected with great care those portions of it which he considered as translations of the original. As to the use of human compositions the doctor says:-" My opinion is, that in the book of psalms and in several other parts of holy scripture, there is full provision made for the collection of a body of psalmody, for the use of the church through all ages, in the public and private worship of God." Hence it appears that Dr. Coleman, would not have introduced the whole of scripture when versified, into divine worship, but only the poetic portions of it, and that he would have excluded entirely all human compositions. He wished a smoother version than the old, "though," as his biographer says, "he was far from despising and speaking reproachfully of it as some have." With all this caution Dr. Coleman was setting open the floodgates of error.

With the psalms of Dr. Watts, his other writings were introduced into New England. Men who had been accustomed to sing only divinely inspired songs, when they began to sing those of Watts, would naturally attach something

Life of Dr. Coleman, p. 177.

like the notion of inspiration to his character, as thousands have since done, who assert that he was as much inspired as David. Hence they would be ready to embrace any opinion which they found in his writings. Dr. Watts was a Sabellian, and an Arian. He maintained that there was but one person in the Godhead, who was represented as acting in the capacities of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that the human soul of Christ existed before all worlds and created them. Mr. Jonathan Edwards viewed his scheme in this light. "According to what seems to be Dr. Watts' scheme the Son of God is no distinct person from the Father. So far as he is a divine person, he is the same with the Father. So that in the covenant of redemption, the Father covenants with himself, and he takes satisfaction of himself.—But how does this confound our minds instead of helping our ideas!"* Such is the light in which Mr. Edwards viewed Watts' opinions. Watts, in his imitation of the second psalm, leaves out the words, "thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." It is true, that by others it has been introduced; but as Watts left it out we perceive how he thought. Perhaps no one cause was more efficient in opening the way for the northern heresies, which shall soon be exhibited, than the influence of Dr. Watts' name.

Men who have the best acquaintance with President Edwards know, that he maintained most firmly, the doctrine of divine decrees, the imputation of Adam's sin, the total depravity of human nature, the substitution of Christ Jesus in the room of the elect, a definite atonement, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to sinners for their justication. To establish these doctrines, is the main object of nearly all his works. But on some of these points, as well as others, he uses expressions, which some have wrested from their signification. His mind was remarkably acute and discriminating; and he permitted himself to attempt explanations of things which the scriptures, for wise reasons surely, leave unexplained; and here he rather bewilders himself and his readers. How can God decree, or foresee all things, and yet the creature be a free agent, and Edwards's Essays.

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accountable? Such questions he attempts to answer, forgetting that some intermediate truth may be necessary to explain the seeming inconsistency. As had any of the ancients been told that there are antipodes, and yet that both stand erect, they, believing the earth to be an extended plain, would have considered the proposition as involving a contradiction. But the sphericity of the earth and the doctrine of gravitation solve the phenomenon and render all perspicuous. So those difficulties in the Christian system may be, and no doubt will hereafter be explained, by truths whose revelation is reserved for heaven. If we have such difficulties in the natural world, why should we not in the moral? It is here that he used the rather unguarded expressions which follow:-"He should say, that God has decreed every action of men-and just so sinful as they are." He maintains that God arranges all the motives by which we are moved to act, that we necessarily act from motives; but that the mindpossesses an innate activity, and that its operations proceed from itself. His son Dr. Jonathan Edwards, who wrote against Chauncy, does not admit this distinction, and says that God is the efficient cause of all our actions, and hence is the author of sin. The father was however, far from making God the author of sin, and charges the sinfulness of the action wholly upon the sinner. He wrote a treatise on the foundation of virtue, which he maintains to be benevolence to being in general, and illustrates his position and defends it with his accustomed ingenuity. From this afterwards originated the doctrine of disinterested benevolence towards God, and the opinion that men should be willing to be damned for the glory of God.

In his History of Redemption, a most valuable work, he maintains that Christ owed obedience to the law for himself, besides that which he owed as mediator. On this hypothesis, we shall afterwards see that the error of Piscator respecting the active obedience of Christ was revived in the United Sates.

Sect. 8th. of his Miscellaneous Observations.
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The divine, who next to President Edwards took the most conspicuous part in this revival, was Dr. Bellamy, and contributed his part towards the northern errors. This gentleman was born at Cheshire, in the county of New-Haven, 1719, and was educated at Yale college, the seminary in which nearly all the Connecticut clergy have gone through their studies preparatory to the ministry, and which from its foundation has been a highly respectable seminary. In 1740, he was settled in Woodbury. As soon as the revival commenced, he itinerated as a preacher, every where fanning the flame kindled by Whitefield. He was a very pious and industrious man, but possessed less learning and acuteness than Edwards. In a system of theology which he afterwards published, we find almost the same views, which were taught by Cameron and Amyraut at Saumur. His chief errors were relative to the extent of the atonement, the steps preparatory to pardon, which he maintains is preceded by repentance, and in relation to our natural powers. On the first of these points he says:*"God therefore through Jesus Christ stands ready to pardon the whole world; there is nothing in the way." Again," If Christ died only for the elect, that is, to the intent that they only upon believing, might consistently with the divine honour he received to favour, then God could not consistently with his justice, save any besides, if they should believe." Much more might be quoted to the same purpose. He denied the doctrine of

substitution.

On the subject of our natural and moral powers his conceptions were indistinct, partly perhaps from unwillingness to abandon the doctrines in which he had been educated, and partly from a partial adoption of the "new light" creed of Whitefield. He says, "whether we are beings of as large natural powers as we should have been had we never apos. tatized from God, or not, yet this is plain, we are no where in scripture blamed for having no larger natural powers." Others improved upon this system. They soon began to teach that the atonement was made without any relation to

Vol. I. p. 381, of his works, p. 383.

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any individual; and merely to satisfy the general justice of God, so that all might be saved, or none, according as they should believe; yet they maintained that faith is the gift of God, in consequence of eternal election. On the subject of man's natural powers they said, that he was fully able to perform every thing commanded of God, but yet that he could not will without divine aid; as if volition were not required.

Such opinions as these introduced during a state of great excitement in the public mind, when Christians were not in a state to reason, spread with rapidity.

While incorrect views of the philosophy of the human mind, of the foundation of virtue; and while the Arminian errors, from various sources, were spreading themselves through the churches to the north, the condition of the church in the middle states was rather improving. The divisions, which had been produced by Whitefield's revival, were healed; the majority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church was orthodox, on the doctrines of grace; and many of them were opposed to that latitudinarianism, which treats with great courtesy all who profess to be Christians, whatever their tenets may be. This was tested by the arrival of Dr. Joseph Priestley in America. When he arrived in Philadelphia, the celebrity which he had acquired as a philosopher, chiefly as a chemist, procured him much attention, from many distinguished men; but the Presbyterian clergy did not recognize him as a minister of Christ Jesus; nor indeed did those of any of the Christain societies in the city. They were aware of his heretical opinions, and were resolved to shew him no countenance. Though he was introduced to many of the clergy, yet none of them invited him into their pulpits. In the Philadelphia academy there is a room appropriated to divine worship on the sabbath, for any denomination of Christians, who have no place of their own. In this Dr. Priestley was permitted to deliver his lectures, and was heard by crowded audiences, whom curiosity to hear a man of such celebrity drew together. Those opinions which he knew

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