Christian Brethren,

MUCH

UCH has been written of late years on the Socinian controverfy; fo much, that the attention of the Chriftian world has, to a confiderable degree, being drawn towards it. There is no reafon, however, for confidering this circumftance as a matter of wonder, or of regret. Not of wonder: for fuppofing the deity and atonement of Chrift to be divine truths, they are of fuch importance in the chriftian scheme as to induce the adverfaries of the gofpel to bend their main force against them, as against the rock on which Chrift hath built his church. Not of regret: for whatever partial evils may arife from a full difcuffion of a fubject, the interefts of truth will,

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doubtless, in the end prevail; and the prevalence of truth is a good that will outweigh all the ills that may have attended its difcovery. Controverfy engages a number of perfons of different talents and turns of mind; and by this means the fubject is likely to be considered in every view in which it is capable of being exhibited to advantage.

The point of light in which the fubject will be confidered in thefe letters, namely, as influencing the heart and life, has been frequently glanced at on both fides. I do not recollect, however, to have feen this view of it profeffedly and feparately handled.

In the great controverfy in the time of Elijah, recourfe was had to an expedient by which the queftion was decided. Each party built an altar, cut in pieces a bullock, and laid the victim upon the wood, but put no fire under; and the God that should anfwer by fire, was to be acknowledged as the TRUE GOD. We cannot bring our controverfies to fuch a criterion as this: we may bring them to one, however, which, though not fo fuddenly, is not much lefs fenfibly evident. The tempers and lives of men are books for common people to read; and they will read them, even though they should read nothing elfe. They are indeed warranted by the fcriptures themfelves to judge of the nature of doctrines, by their holy

or unholy tendency. The true gofpel is to be known by its being a doctrine according to godlinefs; teaching those who embrace it to deny ungodliness, and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in the present world. Those, on the other hand, who believe not the truth, are faid to have pleasure in unrighteousness. Profane and vain babblings, as the miniftrations of falfe teachers are called, will increafe unto more ungodliness; and their word will eat as doth a canker.* To this may be added, that the parties themfelves, engaged in this controversy, have virtually acknowleged the juftice and importance. of the above criterion; in that both fides have incidentally endeavoured to avail themfelves of it. A criterion, then, by which the common people will judge, by which the fcripture authorifes them to judge, and by which both fides in effect agree to be judged, cannot but be worthy of particular

attention.

I feel, for my own part, fatisfied not only of the truth and importance of the doctrines in queftion, but alfo of their holy tendency. I am aware, however, that others think differently, and that a confiderable part of what I have to advance muft be on the defenfive.

* 1 Tim. vi. 3. Tit. ii. 12. 2 Thess. ii. 2. 1 Tim. ii. 16, 17.

Admitting the truth," fays Dr. Priestley, "of a trinity of perfons in the godhead, origi"nal fin, arbitrary predeftination, atonement

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by the death of Chrift, and the plenary infpi"ration of the fcriptures, their value, eftimated "by their influence on the morals of men, can"not be fuppofed, even by the admirers of them, to be of any moment, compared to "the doctrine of the refurrection of the human race to a life of retribution: and in the opi"nion of thofe who reject them, they have a

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very unfavourable tendency, giving wrong "impreffions concerning the character and mo"ral government of God, and fuch as might "tend, if they have any effect, to relax the "obligations of virtue."*

In many inftances Dr. Prieftley deferves applaufe for his franknefs and fairness as a difputant: in this paffage, however, as well as in fome others, the admirers of the doctrines he mentions are unfairly reprefented. They who embrace the other doctrines, are fuppofed to hold that of arbitrary predeftination; but this fuppofition is not true. The term arbitrary conveys the idea of caprice; and in this connexion denotes, that, in predeftination, according to the Calviniftic notion of it, God refolves upon the

* Lett. to Phil. Unb, Pt. II. p. 33, 35.

fates of men, and appoints them to this or that, without any reafon for fo doing. But there is no juftice in this reprefentation. There is no decree in the divine mind that we confider as void of reafon. Predeftination to death is on account of fin; and as to predestination to life, though it be not on account of any works of righteoufnefs which we have done, yet it does not follow that God has no reafon whatever for what he does. The fovereignty of God is a wife, and not a capricious fovereignty. If he hide the glory of the gospel from the wife and prudent, and reveal it unto babes, it is because it feemeth good in his fight. But if it feem good in the fight of God, it muft, all things confidered, be good for the judgment of God is according

to truth.

It is afferted alfo that the admirers of the forementioned doctrines cannot, and do not, confider them as of equal importance with that of the refurrection of the human race to a life of retribution. But this, I am fatisfied, is not the cafe: for whatever Dr. Prieftley may think, they confider them, or at least fome of them, as cffential to true holinefs; and of fuch confequence, even to the doctrine of the refurrection of the human race to a life of retribution, that, without them, fuch a refurrection would be a curfe to mankind rather than a bleffing.