BEHMENISTS Flanders. Their grand rule of conduct was universal charity, and their only motive, the love of God. BELIEVERS self into perdition.-8. How and why sin and misery, wrath and death, shall only reign for a time, till the love, the wisdom, and the power of God shall in a supernatural way (the mystery of God made man) triumph over sin, misery, and death; and make fallen man rise to the glory of angels, and this material system shake off its curse, and enter into an everlasting union with that heaven from whence it fell. The year after he wrote his Three Principles, by which are to be understood-the dark world, or hell, in which the devils live-the light world, or heaven, in which the angels live-the external and visible world, which has proceeded from the internal and spiritual worlds, in which man, as to his bodily life, lives; Behmen produced his Threefold Life of Man, according to the Three Principles. In this work he treats more largely of the state of man in this world:-1. That he has that immortal spark of life which is common to angels and devils.-2. That divine life of the light and spirit of God, which makes the essential difference between an angel and a devil, the last having extinguished this divine life in himself; but that man can only attain unto this heavenly life of the second principle through the new birth in Christ Jesus.-3. The life of the third principle, or of this external and visible world. Thus the life of the first and third principles is common to all men; but the life of the second principle only to a true Christian or child of God. BEHMENISTS, a name given to those mystics who adopt the explications of the mysteries of nature and grace, as given by Jacob Behmen. This writer was born in the year 1575, at Old Seidenburg, near Gorlitz, in Upper Lusatia; he was a shoemaker by trade. He is described as having been thoughtful and religious from his youth up, taking peculiar pleasure in frequenting public worship. At length, seriously considering within himself that speech of our Saviour, My Father which is in hearen will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him, he was thereby thoroughly awakened in himself, and set forward to desire that promised Comforter; and, continuing in that earnestness, he was at last, to use his own expression. "surrounded with a divine light for seven days, and stood in the highest contemplation and kingdom of joys!" After this, about the year 1600, he was again surrounded by the divine light, and replenished with the heavenly knowledge; insomuch as, going abroad into the fields, and viewing the herbs and grass, by his inward light, he saw into their essences, use and properties, which were discovered to him by their linea ments, figures and signatures. In the year 1610, he had a third special illumination, wherein still further mysteries were revealed to him. It was not till the year 1612, that Behmen committed these revelations to writing. His first treatise is Behmen wrote several other treatises, besides entitled Aurora, which was seized on and with- the three already enumerated; but these three held from him by the senate of Gorlitz (who per-being, as it were, the basis of all his other writings, secuted him at the instigation of the primate of it was thought proper to notice them particularly. that place) before it was finished, and he never His conceptions are often clothed under allegori afterwards proceeded with it further than by add-cal symbols; and in his latter works he has freing some explanatory notes. The next production of his pen is called The Three Principles. In this work he more fully illustrates the subjects treated of in the former, and supplies what is wanting in that work. The contents of these two treatises may be divided as follow:-1. How all things came from a working will of the holy triune incomprehensible God, manifesting himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, through an outward perceptible working triune power of fire, light, and spirit, in the kingdom of heaven.2. How and what angels and men were in their creation; that they are in and from God, his real offspring; that their life began in and from this divine fire, which is the Father of light, generating a birth of light in their souls; from both which proceeds the Holy Spirit, or breath of divine love in the triune creature, as it does in the triune Creator.-3. How some angels, and all men, are fallen from God, and their first state of a divine triune life in him; what they are in their fallen state, and the difference between the fall of angels and that of man.-4. How the earth, stars, and elements were created in consequence of the fallen angels.-5. Whence there is good and evil in all this temporal world, in all its creatures animate and inanimate; and what is meant by the curse that dwells every where in it.-6. Of the kingdom of Christ; how it is set in opposition to and fights and strives against the kingdom of hell.-7. How man, through faith in Christ, is ble to overcome the kingdom of hell, and triumph over it in the divine power, and thereby obtain eternal salvation; also how, through the working of the hellish quantity or principle, he casts him quently adopted chemical and Latin phrases to express his ideas, which phrases he borrowed from conversation with learned men, the educa tion he had received being too illiterate to furnish him with them: but as to the matter contained in his writings, he disclaimed having borrowed it either from men or books. He died in the year 1624. His last words were, "Now I go hence into Paradise." Some of Behmen's principles were adopted by the ingenious and pious William Law, who clothed them in a more modern dress, and in a less obscure style. See Behmen's Works; Okely's Memoirs of Behmen. BELIEF, in its general and natural sense, denotes a persuasion or an assent of the mind to the truth of any proposition. In this sense belief has no relation to any particular kind of means or arguments, but may be produced by any means whatever: thus we are said to believe our senses, to believe our reason, to believe a witness. Belief, in its more restrained sense, denotes that kind of assent which is grounded only on the authority or testimony of some person. In this sense belief stands opposed to knowledge and science. We do not say that we believe snow is white, but we know it to be so. But when a thing is propounded to us, of which we ourselves have no knowledge, but which appears to us to be true from the testimony given to it by another, this is what we call belief. See FAITH. BELIEVERS, an appellation given, toward the close of the first century, to those Christians who had been admitted into the church by bap tism, and instructed in all the mysteries of religion. BENEFICENCE They were thus called in contradistinction to the catechumens who had not been baptized, and were debarred from those privileges. Among us it is often used synonymously with Christian. See CHRISTIAN. BENEFICENCE active goodness.-Next to justice, the most prominent virtue in the system of morality, is beneficence. Power makes us to be feared, riches to be flattered, learning to be admired; but benefi cence renders us amiable and useful in the scale BENEDICTINES, an order of monks, who of society. Some qualifications are solitary, and professed to follow the rules of St. Benedict. centre mostly in ourselves; but this is social, difThey were obliged to perform their devotions fusive and kind. The objects of our beneficence seven times in twenty-four hours. They were are all those who are in the sphere of our influobliged always to go two and two together. ence and action, without respect to party or sect. Every day in Lent they fasted till six in the even- Towards superiors, beneficence expresses itself in ag, and abated of their usual time in sleeping, respect, honour, submission, and service; toward eating, &c.-Every monk had two coats, two inferiors, in liberality, condescension, protection, cowls, a table-book, a knife, a needle, and a hand- and support; toward equals, in all the offices of kerchief; and the furniture of his bed was a mat, love their cases require, and which they have a blanket, a rug, and a pillow. The time when ability for. It includes all the kind exertions on this order came into England is well known, for the behalf of the poor, the sick, the fatherless, to it the English owe their conversion from idola- the widow, the distressed, &c. and especially try. They founded the metropolitan church of those "who are of the household of faith," Gal. Canterbury, and all the cathedrals that were af- vi. 10. The means of beneficence are-commu terwards erected. The order has produced a vast nication of temporal supplies, Gal. vi. 6; prayer, number of eminent men. Their Alcuinus form- James v. 16; sympathy, Rom. xii. 15; appropriel the university of Paris; their Dionysius Exi-ate advice and conversation, Col. iii. 16.-Obliguus perfected the ecclesiastical computation; their Guido invented the scale of music; and their Sylvester the organ. BENEDICTION, in a general sense, the act of blessing, or giving praise to God, or returning thanks for his favours. The Jews, it is said, are obliged to rehearse a hundred benedictions per day, of which eighty are to be spoken in the morning. It was usual to give a benediction to travellers on their taking leave; a practice which is still preserved among the monks. Benedictions were likewise given among the ancient Jews as well as Christians, by imposition of hands. And when at length the primitive simplicity of the Christian worship began to give way to ceremony, they added the sign of the cross, which was made with the same hand as before, only elevated or extended. Hence benediction in the modern Romish church is used, in a more particular manner, to denote the sign of the cross made by a bishop or prelate as conferring some grace on the people. Benediction is also used for an ecclesiastical ceremony, whereby a thing is rendered sacred or venerable. In this sense benediction differs from consecration, as in the latter unction is applied, which is not in the former: thus the chalice is consecrated and the pix blessed; as the former, not the latter, is anointed; though in the common usage these two words are applied promiscuously. The spirit of piety, or rather of superstition, has introduced into the Romish church benedictions for almost every thing: we read of forms of benedictions for wax candles, for boughs, for ashes, for church vessels, for ornaments, for flags, or ensigns, arms, first-fruits, houses, ships, paschal eggs, cilicium, or the hair-cloth of penitents, church-yards, &c. In general, these benedictions sre performed by aspersions of holy water, signs of the cross, and prayers suitable to the nature of the ceremony. The forms of these benedictions are found in the Roman pontifical, in the Roman missal, in the book of ecclesiastical ceremonies, printed in Pope Leo X.'s time, and in the rituals and ceremonies of the different churches, which are found collected in father Martene's work on the rites and discipline of the church. BENEFICENCE, the practice of doing good; gations to beneficence arise from the law of nature, Acts xvii. 26; the law of revelation, Heb. xiii. 16; the relations we stand in to each other, Gal. vi. 1, 2; the example of Christ and illustrious characters, Acts x. 38; the resemblance we herein bear to the best of Beings, Acts xiv. 17; and the pleasure we receive and give in so noble an employ. See BENEVOLENCE, CHARITY, LOVE. BENEVOLENCE, the love of mankind in general, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. It is distinguished from beneficence, that being the practice, benevolence the desire of doing good. Benevolence must be universal, reaching to every man without exception; but beneficence cannot be so universal, for it is necessarily confined by several considerations; such as our knowledge of objects, and their dif erent circumstances, as well as our own abilities and opportunities of exercising them. Benevolence or good will to others does not imply that we are to neglect our own interests. Our salvation, health, prosperity, and reputation, should all be objects of concern: nor will this clash with the affection we may bear to others; on the contrary, experiencing the importance of these blessings ourselves, we shall be anxious for others to possess them also. The duties of benevolence include those we owe to men, purely on the ground of their being of the same species with ourselves; such as sympathy, relief, &c.; those we owe to our country, desiring its honour, safety, prosperity; those we owe to the church of God, as love, zeal, &c.; those we owe to families and individuals, as affection, care, provision, justice, forbearance, &c. Benevolence manifests itself by being pleased with the share of good every creature enjoys; in a disposition to increase it; in feeling an uneasiness at their sufferings; and in the abhorrence of cruelty under every disguise or pretext. The desire of doing good unconnected with any idea of advantage to ourselves is called disinterested benevolence, though some doubt whether, strictly speaking, there be any such thing; as benevo lence is always attended with a pleasure to ourselves, which forms a kind of mental interest. So far, however, as we are able to prefer the good of others to our own, and sacrifice our own com ATHEIST ATONEMENT Was ever any considerable work, in which there was required a great variety of parts, and a regu lar and orderly disposition of those parts, done by chance? Will chance fit means to ends, and that in ten thousand instances, and not fail in any one? How often might a man, after he had jumbled a set of letters in a bag, fling them out upon the ground before they would fall into an exact poem; yea, or so much as make a good dis course in prose? And may not a little book be as easily made by chance as the great volume of the world? How long might a man be in sprink stant prayer, consulting the sacred oracles, Chris- | carries in the very face of it all the arguments tian communication, attendance on the divine and characters of a wise design and contrivance. ordinances, and perseverance in the path of duty; without which all our assurance is but presumption, and our profession but hypocrisy. Assurance may be lost for a season through bodily diseases which depress the spirits, unwatchfulness, falling into sin, manifold temptations, worldly cares, and neglect of private duty. He, therefore, who would wish to enjoy this privilege, let him cultivate communion with God, exercise a watchful spirit against his spiritual enemies, and give himself unreservedly to him whose he is, and whom he professes to serve. See Saurin's Ser. vol. iii. ser. 10, Eng. ed.; Case's Sermons, ser. 13.;ling colours upon canvass with a careless hand, Lambert's Ser. on John ix. 35; Hervey's Theron and Aspasio, dialogue 17; Howe's Works, vol. i. p. 342, 318; Brooks, Burgess, Roberts, Baxter, Polhill, and Davye on Assurance; Horace Sol. vol. ii. p. 269. before they would happen to make the exact pic ture of a man? And is a man easier made by chance than his picture? How long might twenty thousand blind men who should be sent out from several remote parts of England, wan der up and down before they would all meet upon Salisbury plain, and fall into rank and file in the exact order of an army? And yet this is much more easy to be imagined than how the innume rable blind parts of matter should rendezvous themselves into a world. A man that sees Henry the Seventh's chapel at Westminster might with as good reason maintain (yea, with much better, considering the vast difference betwixt that little structure and the huge fabric of the world) that it was never contrived or built by any means, but that the stones did by chance grow into those curious figures into which they seem to have been cut and graven; and that upon a time (as tales usually begin) the materials of that building, the stone, mortar, timber, iron, lead, and glass, happily met together, and very fortunately ranged themselves into that delicate order in which we see them, now so close compacted, that it must be a very great chance that parts them again. ATHEIST, one who denies the existence of What would the world think of a man that should God:-this is called speculative atheism. Pro- advance such an opinion as this, and write a book fessing to believe in God, and yet acting contrary for it? If they would do him right, they ought to this belief, is called practical atheism. Absurd to look upon him as mad; but yet with a little and irrational as atheism is, it has had its vota- more reason than any man can have to say, that ries and martyrs. In the seventeenth century, the world was made by chance, or that the first Spinosa, a foreigner, was its noted defender. men grew up out of the earth as plants do now. Lucilio Vanini, a native of Naples, also publicly For, can any thing be more ridiculous, and against taught atheism in France; and being convicted all reason, than to ascribe the production of men of it at Toulouse, was condemned and executed to the first fruitfulness of the earth, without so in 1619. It has been questioned, however, whe-much as one instance and experiment, in any age ther any man ever seriously adopted such a prin- or history, to countenance so monstrous a suppo ciple. The pretensions to it have been generally sition? The thing is, at first sight, so gross and founded on pride or affectation. The open avowal palpable, that no discourse about it can make it of atheism by several of the leading members of more apparent. And yet, these shameful beg the French convention seems to have been an ex-gars of principles give this precarious account of traordinary moral phenomenon. This, however, the original of things; assume to themselves to as we have seen, was too vague and uncomfort- be the men of reason, the great wits of the world, a le a principle to last long. Archbishop Tillot- the only cautious and wary persons that hate to son justly observes, that speculative atheism is be imposed upon, that must have convincing eviunreasonable upon five accounts. 1. Because it dence for every thing, and can admit of nothing gives no tolerable account of the existence of the without a clear demonstration of it." See Exworld.-2. It does not give any reasonable ac-ISTENCE OF GOD. ASSURITANS, a branch of the Donatists, who held that the Son was inferior to the Father, and the Holy Ghost to the Son. See DONATISTS. ASTONISHMENT, a kind or degree of wonder introduced by surprise. This emotion always relates to things of the highest importance; to things which appear too vast and extensive for the grasp of intellect, rather than to any thing of an intricate nature. The body marks in a striking manner the singular state of the mind under this emotion. The eyes are firmly fixed, without being directed to any particular object; the character of countenance, which was formed by the habitual influence of some predominant affection, is for a time effaced; and a suspension of every other expression, a certain vacuity, strongly notes this state of mind. ATHANASIANS, those who profess the sentiments held in the Athanasian creed. See CREED. of a Deity have been Charnock, Newton, Boyle, Cheyne, Locke, Nieuwentyt, Derham, Bentley, Ray, Cudworth, Samuel and John Clarke, Aber nethy, Balguy, Baxter, Fenelon, &c. &c. Til lotson's sermon on the subject, as quoted above, has been considered as one of the best in the English language. See ser, i, vol. 1. count of the universal consent of mankind in this Some of the principal writers on the existence apprehension, that there is a God.-3. It requires more evidence for things than they are capable of giving.-4. The atheist pretends to know that which no man can know.-5. Atheism contradicts itself. Under the first of these he thus argues.-"I appeal to any man of reason whether any thing can be more unreasonable than obstinately to impute an effect to chance. which ATONEMENT is the satisfying Divine Jus ATONEMENT ATONEMENT tice by Jesus Christ giving himself a ransom for us, sufficient proof that he endured punishments in undergoing the penalty due to our sins, and there- his soul which were due to sin, Mark xiv. 33. by releasing us from that punishment which God Heb. v. 7.-7. This doctrine is declared, and might justly inflict upon us, Rom. v. 11. The confirmed, and explained at large, by the apostles Hebrew word signifies covering, and intimates in their writings, 1 Cor. xv. 3. Eph. i. 7. Î John that our offences are, by a proper atonement, ii. 2., &c. &c.-8. This was the doctrine that covered from the avenging justice of God. In was witnessed to the world by the amazing gifts order to understand the manner wherein Christ of the Holy Ghost, which attended the Gospel. becomes an atonement, "we should," says Dr. [See the Acts of the Apostles.] The inferences Watts, "consider the following propositions, 1. and uses to be derived from this doctrine are The great God having made man, appointed to these: 1. How vain are all the labours and pregovern him by a wise and righteous law, wherein tences of mankind to seek or hope for any better glory and honour, life and immortality, are the religion than that which is contained in the Gos designed rewards for perfect obedience; but tri-pel of Christ! It is here alone that we can find bulation and wrath, pain and death, are the ap- the solid and rational principle of reconciliation pointed recompense to those who violate this law, to an offended God, Heb. iv. 14.-2. How Gen. iii. Rom. ii. 6, 16. i. 32.-2. All man- strange and unreasonable is the doctrine of the kind have broken this law, Rom. iii. 23. v. 12.- Popish church, which, while it professes to be3. God, in his infinite wisdom, did not think lieve the religion of Christ, yet introduces many fit to pardon sinful man, without some compensa- other methods of atonement for sin, besides the tion for his broken law; for, 1. If the great Ruler sufferings of the Son of God. [See above.]—3. of the world had pardoned the sins of men with- Here is a solid foundation, on which the greatest out any satisfaction, then his laws might have of sinners may hope for acceptance with God, 1 seemed not worth the vindicating.-2. Men would Tim. i. 15.-4. This doctrine should be used as have been tempted to persist in their rebellion, a powerful motive to excite repentance, Acts v. and to repeat their old offences.-3. His forms 31.-5. We should use this atonement of Christ of government among his creatures might have as our constant way of access to God in all our appeared as a matter of small importance.-4. prayers, Heb. x. 19, 22.-6. Also as a divine God had a mind to make a very illustrious display guard against sin, Rom. vi, 1, 2. 1 Pet. i. 15, both of his justice and of his grace among man- 19.-7. As an argument of prevailing force to kind; on these accounts he would not pardon sin be used in prayer, Rom. viii. 32.-8. As a spring without a satisfaction.-5. Man, sinful man, is of love to God, and to his Son Jesus Christ, I not able to make any satisfaction to God for his John iv. 10.-9. As a strong persuasive to that own sins, neither by his labours, nor by his suf-love and pity which wo should show on all occaferings, Eph. ii. 1, 8, 9.-6. Though man be incapable to satisfy for his own violation of the law, yet God would not suffer all mankind to perish.7. Because God intended to make a full display of the terrors of his justice, and his divine resentment for the violation of his law, therefore he appointed his own Son to satisfy for the breach of it, by becoming a proper sacrifice of expiation or atonement, Gal. iii. 10, 13.-8. The Son of God being immortal, could not sustain all these penalties of the law which man had broken without taking the mortal nature of man upon him, without assuming flesh and blood, Heb. ii. 13, 14-9. The Divine Being having received such ample satisfaction for sin by the sufferings of his own Son, can honourably forgive his creature [The Christian doctrine of Atonement, consian, who was the transgressor, Rom. iii. 25, 26. dered especially in respect to its nature and exNow that this doctrine is true, will appear, if we tent, has in our own country undergone great consider, 1. That an atonement for sin, or an discussion, and given rise to a diversity of opieffectual method to answer the demands of an nions, since Mr. Buck's work was first published. offended God, is the first great blessing guilty of the leading views entertained among the or man stood in need of, Mic. vi. 6, 7.-2. The very thodox on this subject, it will be proper to give a árst discoveries of grace which were made to man brief notice. These may be classed under the after his fall implied in them something of an heads of the general or indefinite, and the limited stonement for sin, and pointed to the propitiation or definite scheme. The advocates of the former Christ has now made, Gen. iii. 15.-3. The train maintain, that the atonement is to be viewed disof ceremonies which were appointed by God in tinct from its application-that the sufferings of the Jewish church are plain significations of such Christ were of such a nature that they constitute atonement, 2 Cor. iii. Col. ii. 7, 8, 9. Heb. a real atonement though we should suppose that 14. Some of the prophecies confirm and ex-none should ever actually repent and be savedplain the first promise, and show that Christ was that the grand design of the Saviour's sufferings to dhe as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men, was to make a display of the evil of sin and of Dan. ix. 24-26. Is. liii.-5. Our Saviour hin- the divine justice, and thereby to remove the obself taught us the doctrine of the atonement for stacle in the way of the sinner's salvation-that in by his death, Matt. xx. 28. John vi. 51. in consequence of the death of Christ, God can Luke xxii. 19.-6. The terrors of soul, the con- now consistently with all his perfections and the ternation and inward agonies which our blessed honour of his law, exercise his sovereign mercy Land sustained a little before his death, were a and bestow eternal life upon whom he pleases—- sions to our fellow creatures, 1 John iv. 11.—10. It should excite patience and holy joy under afflictions and earthly sorrows, Rom. v. 1 to 3.—11. We should consider it as an invitation to the Lord's Supper, where Christ is set forth to us in the memorials of his propitiation.-12. As a most effectual defence against the terrors of dying, and as our joyful hope of a blessed resurrection, 1 Cor. xv. 50.-13. Lastly, as a divine allurement to the upper world." See Watts's Ser., ser. 34, 35, 36, 37; Evans on the Atonement; Dr. Owen on the Satisfaction of Christ; West's Scripture Doctrine of the Atonement; Hervey's Theron and Aspasio, dial. 3; Dr. Magee's Discourses on the Atonement; Jerram's Letters on ditto. ATONEMENT ATONEMENT and as it was not designed for one man more than the Gospel, assuring them that if they will bo- This view of the atonement is supported by the following considerations:-1. The language of Scripture. "Christ loved the church and gave himself for it." "All that the Father hath given me shali come unto me." "I lay down my life for the sheep." "I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me." As to The grounds upon which this theory of the passages of apparently a contrary import, which atonement is urged, are the following:-1. The seem to extend the object and design of the atonestyle of the Scriptures; which, in speaking of ment to all, these they say are capable in general the atonement, apply to it the most universal and of being interpreted, according to the plain usages unlimited language. "Who gave himself a ran- of Scripture, as implying some of all sorts, instead som for all to be testified in due time." "Who of every individual, or as pointing out every one is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that of the class or body spoken of. 2. That the docbelieve." "He is the propitiation for our sins, trine of vicarious or substitutive atonement was and not for ours only, but for the sins of the taught by the typical sacrifices of the Jewish whole world."-2. If Christ has made an atone- economy. 3. That the meaning of the term ment for the elect, and for them only, then salva- implies an actual reconciliation as the effect of a tion is not provided for all, and those for whom it satisfaction to the demands of divine justice; conis not provided, cannot be guilty in not receiving sequently, if the atonement was made for all men, It. But this is contrary to the whole tenor of the all men are actually reconciled, which is contrary Gospel, which every where exhibits sinners as to fact. 4. That inasmuch as it is admitted on all greally guilty for rejecting Christ. 3. The Gos- sides that the Saviour suffered and died, not with pel, or glad tidings published by Christ, is said to the actual intention of securing the salvation of all be good tidings unto all people. But if there be men universally, but only of a definite number no atonement made for the sins of all people, the determined by the gift of the Father in the decree Gospel, instead of being good news to them, is not of election, the atonement is therefore properly to addressed to them at all. 4. Ministers are re-be denominated a definite atonement, and that quired to preach faith, as well as repentance, to all sinners as their duty. But if no atonement has been made for their sins, they cannot believe; for to them Christ is in no sense a Saviour, and therefore not a possible object of faith. every objection brought against this view of it falls directly against the doctrine of election. If it be conceded that the Father gave to the Son in the covenant of redemption a particular definite number of the human race to save; that for these, and these The advocates of the limited or definite atone- alone, did the Son die with an intention to save ment, on the other hand, maintain, that the atone- them; that to none but this elect number will the ment cannot properly be considered apart from atonement ever be in fact applied, the consequence its actual application, or from the intention of the is affirmed to be inevitable, that the atonement is author in regard to its application-that, in strict- definite, because election is definite. "We may ness of speech, the death of Christ is not an call it otherwise; we may call it general, we may atonement to any until it he applied-that the suf- call it indefinite. But it retains its true charac ferings of the Lamb of God are therefore truly ter. It is what the divine purpose has made it vicarious, or in other words, that Christ in suffer- definite, limited; not, indeed, in its value, which ing became a real substitute for his people, was is unlimited and infinite; but in its application, charged with their sins, and bore the punishment and in respect to the intention of the Father who of them, and thus has made a full and complete appointed, and of the Son who made, the atonesatisfaction to divine justice in behalf of all who ment." As to the objection, that if the atoneshall ever believe on him-that this atonement ment was not made for all, then those for whom will eventually be applied to all for whom in the it was not intentionally made are not guilty for divine intention it was made, or to all to whom not receiving it, and therefore cannot justly be God in his sovereignty has been pleased to decree condemned on this account, it is answered, that its application. They believe, however, notwith- the primary ground of a sinner's condemnation standing the atonement is to be properly consi-is not so much his rejection of the Gospel as his dered as exactly commensurate with its intended application, that the Lord Jesus Christ did offer a sacrifice sufficient in its intrinsic value to expiate the sins of the whole world, and that if it had Deen the pleasure of God to apply it to every individual, the whole human race would have been saved by its immeasurable worth. They hold, therefore, that on the ground of the infinite value of the atonement, the offer of salvation can be consistently and sincerely made to all who hear previous violation of the law. The rejection of the Gospel when sincerely, though conditionally, offered, aggravates his guilt, and according to human modes of speech adopted in the Scrip tures, there is no impropriety in referring his condemnation to his slighting the terms of pardon; as he knows nothing of the secret purposes of Heaven in regard to himself, and, therefore, has no excuse to offer for his perverseness. Thus, if a capital offender were doomed to die for a crite |