SIX MAIN CAUSES OF OURS.

97

1. They were a rare specimen, a conglomerate of several kinds and classes; I would state, mainly, six in all :

(1) Doctrinal differences, chiefly affecting the metaphysical statements or modes of illustration and vindication, in reference to our common generic Calvinism.

(2) The economy of general beneficence, as ecclesiastical or sustained on the voluntary principle; or, rather, leaving it free and optional with all donors, in what way their charities should find their objects.

(3) Our correspondence and our pact with our orthodox Congregational brethren; we co-operatively favoring, they constantly and jealously oppugning them.

(4) The influence of partisanship, and the strife for ascendency and power.

(5) The concealed but most potential influence of slavery -the South, though much with us on other themes, going mainly with them in the division-their small majority being thence constituted, as it remains at this day.

(6) The special agency of one or two ecclesiastical counterparts of Hannibal, or Catiline, or Ajax, or rather of Diotrephes, who, though comparative novices in the ministry and in the Church, deserved the title, which they appropriately procured to themselves, of JUVENILE PATRIARCHS in the revolution; such was their leadership, their sway, their fury, their “nunc aut nunquam" precipitation in the scene, which many were afraid to follow; only they were more afraid to refuse, as more and more intimidated and driven to adopt and exemplify it, in that unparalleled and terrible crisis of our history.

There never was any thing of the sort enacted so perfectly anti-constitutional; but for this they practically care nothing; calling it a worn-out argument-much as the law of God becomes quite obsolete to some reprobates who never keep it! They were sworn to the Constitution; they conspired, and deliberately subverted its foundations; monopolized all our E

98

PALLIATION AND PRECEDENT.

funds and property; and called it the "reform" of the Church! Some acquiesced on the saving principles, “it can not now be helped, we must make the best of it, though it is an unhappy precedent." Yes, rather unhappy! Their favorite palliative word is "extra-constitutional." This they concede-and we thank them NOT for it. It is a word true -as far as it goes; but it goes not half as far as it ought. It is a mere plaster of irritating palliations. Their deed was furtive revolution, under the pseudology of "reforming" the Church of God. As I do not believe in the expediency of sin, I characterize the crime according to its nature; and refer it to God, for his decision on the case, with calm consciousness of his holy and true impartiality. Our brethren, who did this wickedness, may call it by what soft names they please. Its proper amaritude shall yet corrode their souls. They must yet be both sorry and ashamed in the recollections of it! What think you, doctor, of such a ruse, making such a precedent? What has been, and what is ratified as their" basis," as they call it, may be again. Rather perilous, as, worse than the sword of Damocles, pendent over them, it defines all their security, and it caricatures their boast of liberty, as it demonstrates that Constitutions are weaker than crises, with juvenile patriarchs to make and to rule them!

2. I confess it is strange what necessity they could imag ine great enough to warrant such revolutionary measures. But did they not badly accuse the orthodoxy of their opponents?

1. There have always been two sides, or two parties, in our Presbyterian Church; and it is so very much in all others. In the last century, they made the famous schism of seventeen years, from 1741 to 1758, when they reunited, with tears, and promises, and hopes of perpetual harmony and union. They felt how foolish they had been in magnifying the trifles of their dissension, in the land of their ene

NO CHIEF ERROR IN OUR RANKS.

99

mies, against the fundamentals of their common faith, and duty, and interest. It was then the old side and the new side, the old lights and the new lights; more learning in the ministry-with piety at a comparative discount, or more piety in the ministry—with learning at a comparative discount. On the new and the pious side were Princeton, with President Edwards and Whitfield — but now, how changed! Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis.

As to orthodoxy, we quite as sincerely accused them of propinquity to Antinomianism and Fatalism, as they us of deviation toward Pelagianism and Arminianism. But, my dear sir, our differences were not like some of yours: we were none of us Socinian, or Arian, or Sabellian, or Universalist, or Neonomian, or Erastian. No! in contradistinction to all these themes or symbols of mortal or insidious error, we were all generic Calvinists; we all, like yourselves, professed, with credible sincerity, "solemnly to receive and adopt" the same Westminster "Confession of Faith, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures."

2. Miserable business this! It seems to me that a little wisdom and forbearance might have prevented the schism.

1. Certainly it might-si mens non læva fuisset! But the fiercest in the war, or behind the scenes, were impracticable and inexperienced, as well as comparatively young ecclesiastics. The chief driver had not been ordained five years; and some that spirited him onward had never been pastors, but belonged to the knowing corps of amateur clergy; speculative, theoretical, scholastic, and ever boastful of their wholesale orthodoxy. Still, I say of all, that our errors were not as bad as some of yours-I mean of your whole ministry previous to the disruption here.

2. We have had some wasteful errorists among us, we must own.

1. The heretical comprehensions of the Scotch establishment, and the abominable intemperance of too many of their

100

FORBEARANCE-ORDER OF DECREES.

clergy, previous to the disruption, were really tremendousif I may credit what some of your intelligent and worthy ministers here have told me, as what they personally knew. We never had such error in our ranks except possibly in a solitary instance, one or two, far apart, and where amputation followed, as soon as the morbus of the diseased member was juridically ascertained. But among your Moderationists

there are fundamental heretics, as I learn, with sentiments subversive of the whole system of redemption by grace; and whom, should such occur within the closures of our Church, a unanimous vote would depose and excommunicate, as soon as fairly tried, in any of our judicatories. But there was no error among us on the subject of the triune nature of God; on the glorious fact of atonement; on the godhead, or the manhood, of the Savior; on the actual depravity and the lost estate of all the sons of Adam; on the sine qua non need of regeneration; on the conservation of the saints; or on the grand characteristics, and the proper fundamentals, of "the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures." This is truth!

2. It seems to me that a little brotherly forbearance was the grand desideratum in your case, and the whole misery and mischief might have been prevented. Is it not so ?

1. The living God knows that it is! But forbearance was not there and then to be tolerated-the thing was banished and the word proscribed. The furies that rode on that whirlwind would have scowled stormy wrath at the name of it.

In the order of the decrees, the order of their eternal nature and their temporal development, we hold, and we know, since we have often proved it, that election, as the grand resource of God against the suicidal unbelief of man, is after atonement; they, that atonement is after election; and so, as a consequence, they say, was it made, and it exists, as atonement, all for the elect alone. They also denounced our order as preposterous; and we, exactly and with full convic

MORAL GOVERNMENT OF GOD.

101

tion, cordially returned the compliment, with some thunder of logic and lightning of Scripture discharged-which occasionally struck, as well as boomed, in the argument. We honored moral government more, much more, than they, who almost exclude it from their Turkish theology-who seemed, like Antinomians, often to dislike the word, and to reject the phrase, and to vacate the thing, and to hate the very terminology of the thing! We showed that without moral government there could be no atonement; since then, law is nothing, sin nothing, pardon nothing, regeneration nothing, piety nothing, preaching nothing, and the gospel nothing; and that atonement WAS A GRAND GOVERNMENTAL TRANSACTION—an awkward expression, as they termed it, and one which they specially nauseated-in which all the proper, and wise, and benevolent ends of punishment were superabundantly and gloriously answered by a substituted suffering on the cross, as well as A SUBSTITUTED SUFFERER there; dying, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Hence we showed that the whole world might be saved, John 3 17, if they would only, as God requires them, obey the gospel; that, when they refuse, all with one accord begin to make excuse, and so make light of it, God has his own sublime resource, and Christ his own promised reward, in spite of them. John 6: 36–40. Election now occurs in sovereignty sublime; but even election is not exclusive. It is only INCLUSIVE, and so, magnificently, facilitating salvation: to all reasonable men. Election shuts not the door-recalls not the invitation-changes not the commandment-throws no stumbling-block, or snare, or impediment in the open way -proves that way practicable and desirable, by living examples-rebukes not THE BRIDE, saying, COME, nor silences or sinks, but only emphasizes, the voice of THE SPIRIT, saying, COME. Election demonstrates the earnestness of God; his sincerity, his plan, his forecast, his eternal wisdom, his victory, his glory; man by sin makes the necessity of it; and it