that he could now save every one of them, but had no intention of saving every one of them; it would be of no advantage, nor would it be true, unless it were certain that every one was given to the Mediator in the covenant of redemption. Christ, as the Saviour of sinners, has power to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given him, and to no more: unless sinners may be saved independently of the counsels of Jehovah, and without his having måde any provision for their eternal life. The great design of preaching the gospel is to bring home to Jesus Christ all who shall be made partakers of heavenly felicity. These will be convinced that they are helpless sinners in their native state. If one, in preaching to those who never will be saved, shall proclaim, that they are dead in trespasses and sins, does he not preach the truth? So far, then, we may preach to the elect and the non-elect, to those redeemed and to those not redeemed, with consistency. We may, in like manner, teach all, that they have violated the holy, just, and good law of their Maker; that they have incurred its penalty; and that they need an all-sufficient Saviour. To all we may say, too, without objection, that all penitent, humble, prayerful, and believing sinners shall be saved, on account of the satisfaction rendered to divine justice for their sins: and that any one who chooses to come to Christ for salvation may come, and shall not be rejected. At the same time it is true, that none will choose to come but such as are made willing by divine grace; and that none will be made willing but those for whom Christ gave himself a ransom. These things are clearly inculcated by our Lord himself, for he says, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing." "Whosoever will may take of the water of life freely." In all this there is no difficulty; but there is," says an objector, "in "in your offering eternal life to sinners, when no provision has been made by the definite atonement for their salvation. You offer them that, which Jehovah cannot consistently with his attributes, on your plan, bestow; for his justice in

relation to them has not been rendered compatible with mercy." It is admitted, that should the Lord in an unqualified manner offer pardon, justification, and everlasting life to those who shall perish; should he offer to save them without prescribing his own terms, we should be unable to vindicate his ways. But he does not unconditionally promise to save any; for to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant he promised the salvation of all who shall be saved, on condition of his offering his life an atonement for them. The condition being performed, the salvation of all the elect is proclaimed to be certain, for every thing connected with it, and essential to it, is also promised, and shall be graciously conferred on them, in due time. In applying to them the covenanted salvation, he exerts his power over them as their king; he humbles them, renders them teachable, convinces them of sin, and brings them by his divinely powerful suasion to exercise that faith, whereby they receive and rest upon him alone. He has openly published his intention of subduing all his people unto himself: but none others has he promised to subdue and save.

Yet, as a king, he commands others to obey him, who, according to his infallible foreknowledge, never will obey him; never will choose to obey him; and never will be divinely disposed and enabled to choose his service. He commands some to obey him, whose willing obedience he has not resolved to take effectual measures for securing to himself. Yet, that they may not say, in extenuation of their disobedience, that no inducements were presented, and that he may evince his own righteousness, God is pleased to connect promises with commands. Hence it is said to many, who will not be saved, and concerning whom it is foreknown that they never will obey, and enjoy the proffered good, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The first clause is a command; and the second a promise. In this way the gospel should be preached; for we have no warrant for offering pardon, and God's unspeakable gift, Christ Jesus, for righteousness, strength, and salvation, upon any other terms than those, that sinners come to Christ, look to him, believe on him, and voluntarily re

ceive him. Any one who shall will to come, any one who is willing to be saved from sin, may come, and shall find in the great day that Jesus loved him, and gave himself for him in particular.

Should any object, that it is inconsistent with sincerity in the Deity to propose salvation on certain terms to those whom he has not redeemed and elected; we reply, that if this objection avails any thing, it will equally evince, that it is an act of insincerity to give a reasonable commandment which will be disregarded; and to utter conditional threatenings against the elect which shall never be executed.

To prove that the gospel cannot be preached to all men, if Christ did not satisfy divine justice for all, many hypothetical arguments are adduced. Thus it is said, "if any one not atoned for should believe on the Lord Jesus, he would, by promise, be entitled to salvation; and must, in such a case, be saved in some other way than by the sacrifice of the Saviour." It is a sufficient answer to every such argument, to state, that the hypothesis is false: for no one not atoned for will ever believe, come to Christ, or be willing to receive eternal life, on evangelical terms.

Every thing which is said in "Gethsemane" on this subject meets our approbation; but still, the topic is far from being exhausted. The work is well written, and is worthy of being studied by every divine, and every pri. vate Christian in our country.

ARTICLE XII.-Memoirs and Remains of the late Rev. Charles Buck: containing Copious Extracts from his Diary, and Interesting Letters to his Friends; interspersed with various Observations, explanatory and illustrative of his Works. By John Styles, D. D. London, printed; and reprinted by A. Finley, Philadelphia, 1817. pp. 366. 12mo.

DR. STYLES gives a very honest account of the sub. ject of these Memoirs, when he informs us, that he was a "respectably gifted and most excellent man." His talents were above mediocrity; but they were not splen VOL. I.

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did and powerful. His industry, accuracy, and suavity, in some measure compensated for the want of originality of thought, novelty in elucidation, and energy in reasoning. All good and useful men cannot be great men. Such, however, as Buck was, in his sphere, almost every faithful minister may be, with ordinary gifts and advantages. For this reason we deem the book under review to be an acquisition, which every clergyman should desire for the biographical department of his library. It is not equal to Jay's Life of Winter, or Raffles' Life of Spencer; but we prefer it to Orton's Life of Doddridge, and to a hundred other good books of the kind, that might be mentioned. Besides the narrative from the pen of Dr. Styles, the work contains large, and rather too large, extracts from Buck's Diary; several devout Contemplations, much in the style and spirit of Mrs. Rowe's Exercises; and many of his religious letters to his friends.

In his devotional writings, Mr. Buck's conceptions are just, and his piety manifests itself to be sincere and constant. If any should think them deficient in sprightliness and brilliancy, none will have occasion to regret in them either a false zeal, or bigotry, or fanaticism. They are calculated to warm the hearts, and not scorch the faces of practical Christians.

Mr. Buck had begun to write a history of his own life; but was taken away from the present theatre of action before its completion. Of this manuscript his biographer makes liberal use; so that in most of the pages of the work we have the subject of the Memoirs thinking aloud, before us; and shall form a better estimate of the man than we could do from the testimony of any person less intimately acquainted with him than he was with his own heart.

He was born in a small village in Gloucestershire, in 1771, of poor, "but of respectable parents," who put him, at an early age, under the care of the Rev. William Hitchman, a Baptist minister; of whom he obtained a tolerably good English education. Of his preceptor Mr. Buck has given us the following entertaining sketch.

"In addition to his labours as a preacher, he laid himself out for general usefulness in this and the surrounding places.

There was hardly any thing that he could not do. The weak and superstitious consulted him in the hour of alarm; parents sent their profligate sons to him to be instructed and reformed; the watchmaker employed him to make calculations; farmers engaged him to measure their lands, in which I often used to assist him. He studied pharmacy, and could mix a medicine, extract a tooth, and use the lancet as well as many gentlemen of the profession. He gave advice to the poor, made the wills of those who possessed property, and was ready to do good to all. He could construct a weather-glass, draw a map, and make an almanack. He was a very assiduous cultivator of his garden and orchard, and was no stranger to the science of botany. Above all, he was a good man, and shone as a light in a dark village for many years."

Under the ministry of this tutor, "partial and transient convictions were occasionally produced" on the mind of young Buck; and these were reiterated, but without any saving effect, by " the sudden death of his youngest sister, and the almost equally unexpected departure of his father about three weeks afterwards, in the bed where himself was sleeping at the time." Such impressions as these are frequently made upon the minds of young people, who appertain to a pious family, especially when they sit under an evangelical ministry; and are in multitudes of instances preparatory to regeneration. In other cases, alas! they prove but the common operations of the Holy Spirit, through the natural conscience, which are resisted, until Jehovah says in his wrath, "let them alone: let them be filthy still; my Spirit shall no longer strive with them."

At the age of thirteen young Buck left school, and gave himself up entirely to amusements, especially tó dancing," in which he once indulged to such excess, that his life had well nigh fallen a sacrifice." In 1785, he went to London, and obtained admittance into an attorney's office in which he commenced the study of the law.

"Here Mr. Buck conducted himself with such a sacred regard to honesty and punctuality, that, though his salary at first was very small, he was soon favoured with increased advantages, and gained the fullest confidence of his employers. I was determined (says he) to be punctual and honest, and from my own experience I can most earnestly recommend to all