evidences of impiety or insanity." These men were not all accom

All Europe produced great and excellent preachers, and some of the more studious and sedate reduced their art of public preach

structions; but all are on a scale too large, and, by affecting to treat of the whole office of a minister, leave that capital branch, public preaching, unfinished and vague.

saw in their old guides; a character which it is impossible to know, and not to admire and imitate.plished scholars; but they all gave The old papal popular sermons proof enough that they were hohad gone off like a charge of gun-nest, hearty, and disinterested in powder, producing only a fright, the cause of religion. a bustle, and a black face; but those of the newe learninge, as the monks called them, were small hearty seeds, which, being sown in the honest hearts of the multi-ing to a system, and taught rules tude, and watered with the dew of a good sermon. Bishop Wilkins of heaven, softly vegetated, and enumerated, in 1646, upwards of imperceptibly unfolded blossoms sixty who had written on the suband fruits of inestimable value. ject. Several of these are valuThese eminent servants of Christable treatises, full of edifying inexcelled in various talents, both in the pulpit and in private. Knox came down like a thunder-storm; Calvin resembled a whole day's set rain; Beza was a shower of the softest dew. Old Latimer, in a coarse frieze gown, trudged afoot, One of the most important arhis Testament hanging at one end ticles of pulpit science, that which of his leathern girdle and his spec-gives life and energy to all the rest, tacles at the other, and without ceremony instructed the people in rustic style from a hollow tree; while the courtly Ridley in satin and fur taught the same principles in the cathedral of the metropo-public preaching, that preachers lis. Cranmer, though a timorous be allowed to form principles of man, ventured to give king Henry their own, and that their sermons the Eighth a New Testament, with contain their real sentiments, the the label, whoremongers and adul-fruits of their own intense thought terers God will judge; while Knox and meditation. Preaching canwho said there was nothing in the not be in a good state in those pleasant face of a lady to affray him, communities, where the shameful assured the queen of Scots, that, traffic of buying and selling ma"if there were any spark of the nuscript sermons is carried on. spirit of God, yea, of honesty and Moreover, all the animating enwisdom in her, she would not be couragements that arise from a offended with his affirming in his free unbiassed choice of the peosermons, that the diversions of herple, and from their uncontaminatcourt were diabolical crimes,-ed disinterested applause, should

and without which all the rest are nothing but a vain parade, is either neglected or exploded in all these treatises. It is essential to the ministration of the Divine Word by

be left open to stimulate a generous of proselytes to the opinion; but youth to excel. Command a man the answer of Demarets, professor to utter what he has no inclination of theology at Groningen, publishto propagate, and what he does ed the year following, put a stop not even believe; threaten him, at to its progress, though Pereyra the same time, with all the mise-made a reply. ries of life, if he dare to follow his own ideas, and to promulge his own sentiments, and you pass a sentence of death on all he says. He does declaim; but all is languid and cold, and he lays his system out as an undertaker does the dead.

His system was this. The Jews he calls Adamites, and supposes them to have issued from Adam; and gives the title Preadamites to the Gentiles, whom he supposes to have been a long time before Adam. But this being expressly contrary to the first words of Genesis, Pereyra had recourse to the fabulous antiquities of the Egyp

idle rabbins, who imagined there had been another world before that described by Moses. He was apprehended by the inquisition in Flanders, and very roughly used, though in the service of the dauphin. But he appealed from their sentence to Rome, whither he went in the time of Alexander VII, and where he printed a retraction of his book of Preadamites.

Since the reformers, we have had multitudes who have entered into their views with disinterested-tians and Chaldeans, and to some ness and success; and, in the present times, both in the church and among Dissenters, names could be mentioned which would do honour to any nation; for though there are too many who do not fill up that important station with proportionate piety and talents, yet we have men who are conspicuous for their extent of knowledge, depth of experience, originality of thought, fervency of zeal, consistency of deportment, and great usefulness in the Christian church. May their numbers still be increased, and their exertions in the cause of truth be eminently crowned with the divine blessing! See Robinson's Claude, vol. ii, preface; and books recommended under ar-creation God made them male ticle MINISTER.

PREADAMITE, a denomination given to the inhabitants of the earth conceived by some people to have lived before Adam.

The arguments against the Preadamites are these. The sacred history of Moses assures us that Adam and Eve were the first persons that were created on the earth, Gen. i, 26. Gen. ii, 7. Our Saviour confirmed this when he said, " From the beginning of the

and female," Mark x, 6. It is undeniable that he speaks this of Adam and Eve, because in the next verse he uses the same words as those in Gen. ii, 24. "ThereIsaac de la Pereyra, in 1655, fore shall a man leave his father published a book to evince the and mother, and cleave unto his reality of Preadamites, by which wife." It is also clear from Gen. he gained a considerable number iii, 20. where it is said, that VOL. II.

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"Adam called his wife's name || ders all our efforts useless. PredesEve, because she was the mother tinarians deny these consequences,

of all living," that is, she was the source and root of all men and women in the world; which plainly intimates that there was no other woman that was such a mother. Finally, Adam is expressly called twice, by the apostle Paul, the first man, 1st Cor. xv, 45, 47.

PRECEPT, a rule given by a superior: a direction or command. PREDESTINARIANS, those who believe in predestination. See PREDESTINATION.

and endeavour to prove this doctrine from the consideration of the perfections of the divine nature, and from scripture testimony. If his knowledge, say they, be infinite and unchangeable, he must have known every thing from eternity. If we allow the attribute of prescience, the idea of a decree must certainly be believed also; for how can an action that is really to come to pass be foreseen if it be not determined? God knew every PREDESTINATION is the thing from the beginning; but this decree of God, whereby he hath he could not have known if he had for his own glory fore-ordained not so determined it. If, also, God whatever comes to pass. The be infinitely wise, it cannot be converb predestinate is of Latin origi-ceived that he would leave things nal (prædestino), and signifies in at random, and have no plan. He that tongue to deliberate before- is a God of order, and this order hand with one's self how one shall he observes as strictly in the moact; and, in consequence of such ral as in the natural world, howdeliberation, to constitute, foreordain, and predetermine, where, when, how, and by whom any thing shall be done, and to what end it shall be done. So the Greek word poop, which exactly answers to the English word predestinate, and is rendered by it, signifies to resolve before-hand with one's self what shall be done, and before the thing resolved on is actually effected; to appoint it some certain use, and direct it to some determinate end. This doctrine has been the occasion of considerable disputes and controversies among divines. On the one side it has been observed, that it is impossible to reconcile it with our ideas of the justice and goodness of God, that it makes God to be the author of sin; destroys moral distinction, and ren

ever confused things may appear to us. To conceive otherwise of God is to degrade him, and is an insult to his perfections. If he, then, be wise and unchangeable, no new idea or purpose can arise in his mind; no alteration of his plan can take place upon condition of his creatures acting in this or that way. To say that this doctrine makes him the author of sin is not justifiable. We all allow omnipotence to be an attribute of Deity, and that by this attribute he could have prevented sin from entering into the world, had he chosen it; yet we see he did not.

Now he is no more the author of sin in one case than the other. May we not ask, Why does he suffer those inequalities of Providence? Why permit whole

nations to lie in idolatry for ages? ||fore is plain from John iii, 13. John vi, 50, &c. John xvii. John viii, 58. 1st John i, 4; but there are various opinions respecting this existence. Some acknowledge, that in Jesus Christ there is a divine nature, a rational soul, and a human body. His body, they think, was formed in the Virgin's womb; his human soul, they suppose, was

the works of God; was brought into existence before the creation of the world, and subsisted in happy union in heaven with the second person in the Godhead, till his incarnation.

These divines differ from those called Arians, for the latter ascribe to Christ only a created deity, whereas the former hold his true and proper divinity: they differ from the Socinians, who believe no existence of Christ before his incarnation: they differ from the Sabellians, who only own

Why leave men to the most cruel barbarities? Why punish the sins of the fathers in the children? In a word, Why permit the world at large to be subject to pains, crosses, losses, evils of every kind, and that for so many thousands of years? And, yet, will any dare call the Deity unjust? The fact is, our finite minds know but lit-the first and most excellent of all tle of the nature of Divine justice, or any other of his attributes. But, supposing there are difficulties in this subject (and what subject is without?), the scripture abounds with passages which at once prove the doctrine, Matt. xxv, 34. Rom. viii, 29, 30. Eph. i, 3, 6, 11. 2d Tim. i, 9. 2d Thess. ii, 13. 1st Pet. i, 1, 2. John vi, 37. John xvii, 2 to 24. Rev. xiii, 8. Rev. xvii, 8. Dan. iv, 35. 1st Thess. v, 19. Matt. xi, 26. Exod. iv, 21. Prov. xvi, 4. Acts xiii, 48. The moral uses of this doctrine area trinity of names: they differ, althese. 1. It hides pride from man. so, from the generally received -2. Excludes the idea of chance. opinion, which is, that the hu-3. Exalts the grace of God.-4. man soul began to exist in his moRenders salvation certain.-5. Af- ther's womb, in exact conformity fords believers great consolation. to that likeness unto his brethren, See DECREES OF GOD; NECES-of which St. Paul speaks, Heb. ii, SITY; King, Toplady, Cooper, and 17. The writers in favour of the Tucker, on Predestination; Burnet pre-existence of Jesus Christ's huon 17 Art.; Whitby and Gill on man soul recommend their thesis the Five Points; Wesley's Pred. by these arguments. considered; Hill's Logica Weslein- 1. Christ is represented as his sis; Edwards on the Will; Polhill Father's messenger, or angel, beon the Decrees; Edwards's Veritasing distinct from his Father, sent Redux; Saurin's Sermons, vol. v,by his Father long before his incarser. 13; Dr. Williams's Sermon on nation, to perform actions which Predestination. [seem to be too low for the PRE-EXISTENCE OF JE-dignity of pure Godhead. The SUS CHRIST, is his existence appearances of Christ to the pabefore he was born of the Virgin triarchs are described like the apMary. That he really did exist be-pearances of an angel, or man

really distinct from God; yet such a one, in whom God, or Jehovah, had a peculiar indwelling, or with whom the Divine nature had a personal union.

demption between the Father and the Son is therefore represented as being made before the foundation of the world. To suppose that simple Deity or the divine essence, which is the same in all the three personalities, should make a covenant with itself is inconsistent.

Christ is the angel to whom God was in a peculiar manner united, and who in this union made all the divine appearances related in the Old Testament.

God is often represented in scripture as appearing in a visible manner, and assuming a human form. See Gen. iii, 8. xvii, 1. xxviii, 12. xxxii, 24. Exod. ii, 2. and a variety of other passages.

2. Christ, when he came into the world, is said, in several passages of scripture, to have divested himself of some glory which he had before his incarnation. Now, if there had existed before this time nothing but his divine nature, this divine nature could not properly divest itself of any glory. I have glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which Ihad with thee before the world was.-Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich, John xvii, 4, 5. 2d Cor. viii, 9. It cannot be said of God that he became poor: he is infinitely self-sufficient; he is necessarily It was by the Jews called the Sheand eternally rich in perfections kinah, i. e. the habitation of God. and glories. Nor can it be said of Hence he is described as dwellChrist as man, that he was rich, it||ing in light, and clothed with light he were never in a richer state before, than while he was on earth.

The Lord Jehovah, when he came down to visit men, carried some ensign of divine majesty: he was surrounded with some splendid appearance. Such a light often appeared at the door of the tabernacle, and fixed its abode on the ark, between the cherubims.

as with a garment. In the midst of this brightness there seems to It seems needful that the soul of have been sometimes a human Christ should pre-exist, that it shape and figure. It was probably might have an opportunity to give of this heavenly light that Christ its previous actual consent to the divested himself when he was made great and painful undertaking of flesh. With this he was covered at atonement for our sins. It was his transfi uration in the Mount, the human soul of Christ that en- when his garments were white as dured the weakness and pain of his the light, and at his ascension ininfant state, all the labours and fa- to heaven, when a bright cloud tigues of life, the reproaches of received, or invested him: and men, and the sufferings of death. when he appeared to John, Rev. The divine nature is incapable o., 13. and it was with this he praysuffering. The covenant of re- ed his Father would glorify him.