above all, for the gracious operations of his Holy Spirit. PHILO. How a perfon becomes juftified by MESS'RS EDITORS, azine. N and the remark upon it, are fubmitted to the Editors of the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine. Matthew iv. 5, 6. "Then the Devil taketh him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith caft thyself down for it is written, unto him, if thou be the Son of God, befball give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they hall bear thee up, left at any time thou dafb thy foot against a flone." this affault on the Son of INGod, the grand adverfary was O perfon is juftified before God, for the fake of any merit there is in his faith; though it be, in the gospel, a fixed term of pardon, reconciliation to God, and of eternal life; yet thefe precious benefits and ineftimable favors are more artful and plaufible, than in not bestowed upon any of the fin- all his other temptations. He transful human race, for the fake of formed hmfelf into an angel of light, in coverfing with Chrift upon the any merit there is in faith. In the gofpel, we are repeatedly faid decrees. He admitted the docto be juftified by faith; but no per- himself down, because it was writtrine in full, and urged him to caft fon is from thence to conclude, that any one is juftified, for the ten, or decreed, that the angels fake of any merit there is in faith; bear him up in their hands, fo that fhould have charge over him, and but by it (faith) as an inftrument and means, in fpecial ordained of he could not at any time dash his God as the believer's union to feet against the ftones. The plain Chrift, and intereft in the faving import of his reafoning with Chrift bleffings of his purchase as the upon the decrees, was this :righteoufnefs of Chrift (the refult "You profefs and claim to be the of both his active and paffive obc- Son of God. I challenge and of both his active and paffive obc-demand the proof. For if you dience) is the fole meritorious caufe of the believing finner's juftification, as faith is appointed of God as the inftrument and means of believers in Chrift becoming united to him, and interested in his righteoufnefs (the only meritorious caufe of juftification, and of all the faving bleflings of the covenant of grace) in this fenfe only, I apprehend, any can be faid to be juftified by faith. PHILALETHES. make this high profeffion, and pretend to be the Chrift, you must fhow a fign from heaven, or excharacter and claims. Now if you hibit convincing evidence of your be really the Son of God, and not an impoftor, you will acknow Ledge this obligation on yourself, The decrees of God, your profef and comply with my propofal.fed father, fhall be the criterion, to try, whether you are in reality hais Son. Thefe are eternal and Satan's perverfion of the decrees and immutable. If God, by his abfo promifes of God. THE following statement of Satan's reafoning upon the decrees lute and unchangable decrees, owns you for his Son, the matter will at once be decided. In his holy word, this particular decree as you even begin to defcend, the angels will inftantly appear, ease you in your paffage down, and gently reft your feet upon the ground." Thus reasoned Satan the grand deceiver, upon the decrees, which he faid, were written and revealed in the bible. But he reafoned no more abfurdly from the doctrine, nor perverted scripture any more, than many of mankind do, at the prefent day. The following are their statement and reafoning upon the decrees."God hath abfolutely and unal terably decreed and fixed all events and things from eternity to eternity, and hath unconditionally elected to falvation, all thofe, who will finally be delivered from the wrath to come: Therefore, if we are to be faved, we fhall be faved, let us live in fin, or do as we pleafe; but if we are to be damned, we fhall be damned, let us do what we may." is written and revealed concerning | heaven, earth, or hell; but as foon the Melliah. "He fhall give his angels charge over him, and in their hands they fhall bear him up, left he dafh his foot against a flone." Now prove, by fulfilling this everlafting decree, that you are the Meffiah. Caft yourself down from the pinnacle; and if the angels come and bear you up in their hands, I must believe and acknowledge, that you are the Son of God. This will be full and demonstrative proof, be your own witnefs, and the witnefs of God, your Father, to your profeffion and claim to be the Chrift. His honor and your own, are equally concerned in the manifeftation of your perfon and character. You cannot reasonably refufe to comply with the propofed trial; for it is obligatory on you to exhibit evidence of your divine miffion; proof of your claim to be the Meffiah, or otherwife, you ought to be confidered and treated, as a vile impoftor. If I were only in your fituation, and there was fuch a decree concerning me, I fhould not refufe to fatisfy any one in fo proper and reafonable a requeft, bat fhould be pleafed myfeif, to have my father acknowledge me for his Son by his eternal decrees. I should not hesitate in the leaft, to take the flight; for whatever God has decreed and fixed, he is neceffitated to fulfil in the minutest particular. He cannot lie; and therefore, cannot break his own abfolute decrees. You need not indulge the leaft diftant apprehenfion of danger in cafting yourself down. The angels will as certainly come, and bear you up in their hands, as the everlasting and unchangeable decrces of God are certain of accomplishment. Thefe decrees never were, and never can be broken by all the powers in The decrees of God, they ftate justly; but the conclufions, which they draw from them, are abfurd. They reafon upon them in a fimilar manner with Satan, the fubtle adverfary; and anfwering him, will equally answer them. The following remarks will fhow the deception and fallacy of Satan's reasoning with the Son of God upon the decrees. 1. The reafoning was his own, and like himfelf. He is a liar and deceiver, the father of lies, and the truth is not in him. Since his fin and rebellion against God, his conftant object has been, to deceive. This liar from the beginning, is not to be credited, unlefs we are willing to be fatally deceived. Chrift, our example and pattern, did not believe Satan, nor comply with his temptation, which is a clear proof, that his reafoning upon the were to keep him in all his ways. He was to use means to preserve his own life; and not use means to destroy it, as the tempter's reafoning implied. There are two extremes into which men run, in reasoning upon the decrees. The one is, to feparate means from the end, and run every thing into fatality. The other is, to deny the doctrine whol 2. The reafoning was a temptation. Chrift confidered the matter in this light, and faid, "Thou fhalt not tempt the Lord, thy God." But if Satan's reafoning upon the decrees had been juft, there would have been no temptation in it; and Chrift might with fafety have com-ly, and run every thing into chance. plied with his propofal, and caft himself down. The tempter knew, that he, as a man, would have dashed against the stones. This was his fole object, to tempt the Redeemer to kill himself. The true decrees, as stated in divine revelation, are a middle courfe between thefe two extremes, and connect means with the end. In the decrees of God, the means are as neceffary, and as much appointed as the decrees themselves. "Created anew in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which good works, God before ordained, that we fhould walk in them." The elect of God are faid to be "chofen from the beginning unto falvation :" but how are they chofen, and through what means will they be faved?"Through fanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." Their fanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth come in, as means in fulfilment of their election, and are abfolutely neceffary to their falvation. Upon this ground, they are commanded “to give all diligence to make their calling and election fure, and to work out their own falvation with fear and trembling." From the word of God it is manifeft, that the means and the end are infepa 3. Satan, in his reafoning upon the decrees, artfully perverted fcripture, and left out a part of the paffage, in which the doctrine was revealed. The paffage which he quoted is in the ninety-firft Pfalm. For he fhall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They fhall bear thee up in their hands, left thou dash thy foot against a stone." The part which he defignedly left out, is, "to keep thee in all thy ways." This fhows, that there was fomething for Chrift to do; fome way in which he was to go. When he was on the temple, it was not his way, to caft himself down, as the deceiver urged him. It was not decreed, that the angels fhould keep him in that way, and bear him up in their hands, if he had prefumptuoufly thrown himfelf down, and tempted God.-rably connected in his univerfal They were to keep him in his way, that is, in the use of appointed means of prefervation. 4. Satan, in his reafoning on the decrees, feparated the means from the end. The fcripture, in which the decree concerning Chrift was revealed, connected the means with the end. The angels VOL. II. No. 9. and abfolute decrees, and thofe, who feparate them, and run all things into fatality, reafon juft as abfurdly, as their father, the devil, did with Chrift. "Ye are of your father, the devil, and his reasoning ye will ufe." | Before this fubject is difmiffed, it will be proper to take notice of S f two ideas which naturally occur. 1. The doctrine of the decrees is a true doctrine. If the doc. trine had been falfe, Satan would not have mifreprefented and perverted it. This would not have been agreeable to his nature and object. He would by no means pervert falfe doctrines; but on the contrary, he uses all his influence to make men believe them. He often transforms himfelf into an angel of light, and takes true doctrines from the Bible; but before he leaves them, he mutilates and turns them into falfe ones by drawing wrong confequences and conclufions. This was the cafe in his temptation with the Son of God. His ufe of the decrees with him, is a clear proof, that the doctrine is true. 2. The fubject affords a feafonable warning to thofe, whom Satan tempts by reasoning upon the decrees, and whofe confciences he is quieting in lives of fin. His language to them is: "The decrees are eternal and fixed. If you are included in the election of grace, you will be faved at laft; therefore, eat and drink; indulge your felves without reftrain in the gratification of your paffions and inclipations, and take your fill of pleafures. But if you are deftined to mifery, you cannot help it, nor alter the cafe in the leaft; there fore, give yourselves no anxiety, or concern, about your future ftate, but enjoy as much happinefs as poffible, through life." Such perfons are in a very alarming ftate; on the dangerous ground of the fubtle adverfary of fouls. The decrees are emphatically, his ftrong hold. He ufed them in .one of his temptations with Chrift; and we may be affured, that he would use his most likely means to fucceed with him. With out doubt, he more often fucceeds with mankind, in this, than in any other way. Many at the prefent day, appear to be taken by him upon this ground, and Arongly holden. Their mouths are full of the fame kind of reasoning upon the decrees, which he used with the Saviour of the world. They are now led captive by him in the fame way to ruin, in which thousands and millions of the hu man race have been before them; and unlefs a fovereign God have mercy on them, and difpoffefs Sa tan of his ftrong hold, they will ere long, to their everlasting for row, fee the fatal deception of his, and their reafoning upon the divine decrees. PROTEUS. Nymphas to Sofipater. DEAR FRIEND, W W who that loves his name HAT friend of Jefus, and wishes well to mankind, but muft feel grief and a pious indignation in contemplating the zeal of the fcoffer, to deftroy the Chrif tian religion, and to take away the key of knowledge? Who will not themfelves enter into the kingdom of heaven, nor fuffer those who are entering to go in. Like the old Pharifees, they compafs fea and land to make profelytes, and are unwearied in their exertions to fpread the poifon of their infidel principles, far and wide. Ought not their zeal to put the friends of Chrift to the blush, who have efpoufed the fame glorious caufe, which brought him from heaven, and yet are fo very lukewarm, fo very indifferent as to its fuccefs that it is almost hard to say whether they be friends or enemies, or to what camp they belong. Is ble exertions which have been made for the spread and further ance of the gofpel in our times. May there be more and ftill more, of this Christ-like Spirit, and may minifters and profeffors remember from whence they are fallen, and be led to imitate the fervor and ardent zeal of their divine Mafter and the first churches. When we remember the Son of God, a perfon of infinite dignity, become in carnate, lived, bled and died, to be the light of the world, to be a witness to the truth, and that all the interests of God and his holy kingdom are involved in it, we might expect all its real friends. would burn with a pious zeal, that their fouls would be infpired with the most fervent defires to do every thing in their power that the gospel might run and be glorified, and unnumbered millions who now fit in darkness, might see the heaven not this, my friend, lamentable? | it, in the glorious and yet too fee Efpecially when it is remembered that the glory of God, the honor of the Redeemer, the falvation of finners, and the glory and the highest felicity of that kingdom which fhall continue forever, are all concerned and infeparably connected with that truth which fcoffers oppofe and hate. When we confider the beauty, the fweetnefs, the excellency and infinite importance of that fyftem of truth the Son of God teftified by all he faid, did and fuffered, and fealed with his very blood; it would feem all its friends would be zealous and indefatigable in their endeavors to be poffeffed of it, and to have it dwell richly in their hearts; yea, more, that they would be indefatigable in their most vigorous endeavours to diffufe the knowledge thereof, far and wide, even to the ends of the earth. Indeed this is only to fuppofe what was real fact, when the fweet light of divinely light and walk in it. It would truth came into the world by Jefus Chrift. The apoftles and the first Chriftians feemed infpired with the very Spirit of their divine Mafter, and expreffed the most ardent zeal to diffufe the heavenly light through the world. It is re-thing moved by the most threatenported of the apoftles, prophets, evangelifts, paftors and teachers, that they went every where preaching the gofpel; that their found went into all the earth, and that the brethren were fellow-helpers to the truth, and gloriously exerted themfelves for the furtherance of the gofpel. It appears that every Chriftian church was a pillar of the truth which was infcribed up-proportion to that of its enemies, on it, to be known and read of all, for its utter extirpation. that it resembled the fun, the light former neither fay or do any thing of the world. Bleffed be God, for the defence and confirmation this Spirit of Chrift is not entire of the gofpel, compared with what ly gone from the world. There the latter do for its extirpation. have been pleafing appearances of Many of the friends of revelation feem each one would be a Paul, ready to pafs through many regions to proclaim the good tidings of great joy to all, to the utmost extent of his power. It would feem, like him, each one would be no ing dangers in his way. It would feem impoffible the enemies of the truth fhould be more engaged to exterminate it from the world than its friends are to diffuse the fweet knowledge thereof far and wide. Yet alas! it is a fad fact, contrary to all fuppofition, the zeal of many of its friends, for its furtherance and support, bears no The |