fully justified by the event. He did not hesitate to avow all the opinions taught at the Andover school, and exerted all his energies to propagate them. The controversy raged in private families, and disturbed the peace of congregations. Hopkinsian books were circulated, and every machine put in motion to render prevalent the errors which they contained. Dr. M'Leod commenced a course of lectures from his pulpit on sabbath evenings, in which he gave a history of the origin and progress of Hopkinsianism, and combated the system with arguments drawn both from scripture and reason, with all the force of his eloquence. He was heard by crowded audiences, and a great interest was excited by his discussions. All the efforts, however, of the orthodox were not sufficient to arrest the progress of the errors, which were introduced at the door opened for them by the presbytery. It was not long until the Hopkinsian party obtained, by accessions from New England principally, a majority among the ministers of the presbytery. To the introduction of one of these, the Rev. Walter King, Mr. Ely gave the only dissentient vote; even though Mr. King was the intimate friend of himself and of his father; because the following dialogue was heard by the presbytery and recorded at the time.

Question by Mr. Ely. Can any man, strictly speaking, be declared guilty of original sin, excepting Adam?

Answer by Mr. King. No.

Mr. Ely. Have fallen men all that intellectual power which is requisite to perfect obedience?

Mr. King. Yes.

Mr. Ely. Has the sinner any union to Christ before saving faith in Christ is wrought in his soul?

Mr. King. Doubtful.

The last question was proposed because Mr. King had asserted that he had been himself the subject of saving repentance for several months before he had any saving faith in Christ. Many other questions were proposed which he declined answering. But let us not attribute to the presbytery too much blame, because they could not foresee the

future conduct of some who made an orthodox profession. One who became for a considerable time "Mr. Spring's bully of Hopkinsianism," was the Rev. Henry P. Strong, sometime pastor of a presbyterian church in Elizabethstreet, which became extinct under the blighting influence of his doctrines, in a few months after its organization. He came from Connecticut to New York in the character of a licentiate. While the presbytery had him under examination for ordination, Mr. Ely insisted on proposing to to him several propositions, that he might express to the presbytery his approbation or disapprobation of them. Mr. Spring requested a previous sight of them, and having read them objected to their being proposed; saying at the same time, that Mr. Ely, from his knowledge of the technical language of divinity in the north and south, was better able to entrap the candidate for ordination than any other member of the presbytery. The presbytery overruled the objection, and the following propositions were submitted to the consideration of Mr. Strong.

"I. The Holy Ghost unites a sinner to Christ, by working in him faith in God's testimony of grace.

"II. A person not united to Christ in this spiritual and mystical union, cannot be the subject of any one saving grace, any more than the branch can bear fruit without union to the vine.

"III. All the Christian graces will coexist in that person who has been made alive to God, by the saving belief of the truth as it is in Jesus.

"IV. In the decree of election, God gave Christ a definite number of our fallen race; and by the consent of the Son of God, appointed him to merit for them, by obeying the moral law and suffering its penalty for their sins, complete pardon, justification, sanctification and salvation.

"V. To fulfil this decree was the main object of the incar nation, obedience, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"VI. The sins of the elect were legally imputed to Christ, so that he was actually made a curse for them, and was

punished for their sins, even to the utmost demands of the moral law.

"VII. That obedience which Christ performed to the law for the elect sinner, is legally imputed to him; so that God declares the sinner, who is personally unjust, to be legally just on account of the vicarious righteousness of his substi

tute.

"VIII. The law which the sinner has violated, is that very law in relation to which the sinner is pronounced, by vicarious obedience, to be just.".

To the question, "do you believe each of these propositions to be true?" Mr. Strong gave publicly an affirmative answer, and then, either not understanding the force of language, or explaining it away, preached and taught Hopkinsianism, and particularly universal atonement, with boldness and assiduity. By such means any presbytery might be ruined. It is thought, however, that by exertions to procure a full representation from the sessions, the orthodox in the presbytery of New York could still have a majority, as the ruling elders are generally Calvinistic in their sentiments.

Each of the parties expressed a belief that it could command a majority in the general assembly. The subject of the atonement in relation to the controverted points, in three instances, had come before that body. One was from the west. The presbyterian church had become powerful beyond the Alleghany mountains. The first presbyterian minister settled in that country, was the Rev. (now Dr.) John M'Millan, who was ordained to the pastoral charge of a congregation on Chartiers creek in Washington county. In 1779, he opened a grammar school with a view to edu. cate young men for the ministry. Many pious men received the rudiments of an education in this seminary, studied theology under Mr. M'Millan, were ordained to the ministry, performed missionary labours through the new settlements then forming, organized congregations, and were settled in the pastoral office. They were but superficially versed in human literature, and their study of theology

was not very systematic, nor very extensive; but they were pious, industrious, and altogether Calvinistic on the doctrine of the atonement. The character of the devotions of the western people was rather affectionate than intellectual. In many instances the sermons of the clergy, owing to the ardor of their zeal and the want of solid learning, were rather of the declamatory character.

In 1802, there was a great religious excitement, produced by some unknown individual, on Green Briar river, in west Virginia. It spread into Kentucky, and vast crowds of people, amounting to many thousands from distant parts, assembled at camp meetings, at which they spent many days and nights in devotional exercises. These exercises were accompanied with loud cries, groans, alarming bodily agitations and convulsions. During the first stages, it possessed all the features which characterized the Whitefieldian revival. It extended over the greater part of west Pennsylvania, west Virginia, and Ohio; every where possessing the same character. But in Kentucky and Ohio, a few of the leading ministers in promoting it went to lengths of extravagance, which alarmed the more sober part of those Christians who approved it, and thought it a glorious revival. The Rev. Messrs. Marshall, Stone, Dunlevi, and M'Nemar, were the leaders in these extravagancies. When their brethren would not go the whole length with them, they formed a presbytery, and in an exhibition of their principles which they published, renounced presbyterianism. Their first step was a rejection of the doctrine of decrees and definite atonement; their second, a renunciation of the atonement altogether; and their third, of presbyterianism. They now gave themselves up to extravagancies, which shock every feeling of decency. Had it not been for the efforts of the Rev. Dr. John P. Campbell, who published replies to their books, and refutations of their wild principles, the church in Kentucky and Ohio would have been almost overwhelmed by them. In this the doctor was aided by the ministers of all the other Presbyterian denominations who had opposed the revival from its commencement, as cha

racterized by enthusiasm, rather than by enlightened devo

tion.

The Rev. Mr. Marshall, the most intelligent of those who had gone to lengths so extravagant, was convinced of his errors, by reading in the Christian's Magazine, the essays on the atonement that have been mentioned before, as coming from the pen of Dr. M'Leod. He used his influence with his brethren to bring them to their right mind, and with some of them he was successful. They now made application to the General Assembly, to be restored to the communion of the church, which, after much deliberation, was granted to them.

When the revival was about subsiding in the western part of Pennsylvania, Dr. Watts' book, in which he teaches Sabellianism, was circulated and read by many who embraced this heresy. But when the excitement entirely passed away they seem to have returned to the orthodox faith. They were never brought before the judicatories of the church. A second instance in which this doctrine was brought before the General Assembly, was, in consequence of the publication of a book entitled the Gospel Plan, by the Rev. Mr. Davis. In this work, he revives the opinion of Piscator of France, and asserts that the suffering of the penalty of the broken covenant was all that Christ did in the room of sinners. He takes for granted the doctrine taught by President Edwards in his History of Redemption, that Christ owed obedience to the law for himself as a creature, and that hence his obedience can constitute no part of our justifying righteousness before God.

Mr. Davis' book was referred to the General Assembly, which appointed on it a committee, whose report, which was adopted, is as follows:

"The committee presuming that a complete enumeration/ of all the objectionable parts of said book is not expected, called the attention of the Assembly only to the following doctrines, supposed to be contrary to the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian church.

"Doctrine 1st, That the active obedience of Christ con