MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. [The object of the following memoir was to give an account of the author's change of opinion from Calvinism to Universalism, and his subsequent progress in the knowledge of the latter doctrine.] As to the doctrine of Calvinism, in which my honored father was a believer, and which doctrine he preached until nearly the end of his public labors, my acquaintance with its various tenets, while quite a youth, was by no means very limited. Owing to the pious endeavours of a parent, whose affections for his children rendered him extremely anxious for their spiritual welfare, and to an early desire of my own to understand the doctrine of Christianity correctly, I was well acquainted with the most common arguments which were used in support of predestination, election, reprobation, the fall of man, the penal sufferings of Christ for the elect, the justice of reprobation, and many other particulars, such as regard the moral agency of man and his inability to regenerate himself, the sovereignty and irresistability of regenerating grace, &c. &c. When I was in my nineteenth year, there was, what was termed a reformation in the vicinity where I lived, and many of my young friends and acquaintance professed religion and joined the Baptist church, of which my father was pastor. At this time I became more especially attentive to the subject of religion, and thought it my duty to become a professor, and to join the church, which I did, in the sincerity of my heart, in the month of January 1789. From that period MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. [The object of the following memoir was to give an account of the author's change of opinion from Calvinism to Universalism, and his subsequent progress in the knowledge of the latter doctrine.] As to the doctrine of Calvinism, in which my honored father was a believer, and which doctrine he preached until nearly the end of his public labors, my acquaintance with its various tenets, while quite a youth, was by no means very limited. Owing to the pious endeavours of a parent, whose affections for his children rendered him extremely anxious for their spiritual welfare, and to an early desire of my own to understand the doctrine of Christianity correctly, I was well acquainted with the most common arguments which were used in support of predestination, election, reprobation, the fall of man, the penal sufferings of Christ for the elect, the justice of reprobation, and many other particulars, such as regard the moral agency of man and his inability to regenerate himself, the sovereignty and irresistability of regenerating grace, &c. &c. When I was in my nineteenth year, there was, what was termed a reformation in the vicinity where I lived, and many of my younds and acquaintance professed religion and hurch, of which my father was pastor. me more especially attentive to the subhought it my duty to become a profesarch, which I did, in the sincerity of of January 1789. From that period |