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LECTURES

ON

DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY, ELECTION, THE

ATONEMENT, JUSTIFICATION,

AND REGENERATION.

BY GEORGE PAYNE, LL.D.,

EXETER.

Second Edition.

LONDON:

JAMES DINNIS, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW.

MDCCCXXXVIII.

WILLIAM TYLER,

PRINTER,

BOLT COURT, FLEET-STREET.

PREFACE

TO THE FIRST EDITION.

THE volume now presented to the public was designed to be explanatory rather than controversial. To a certain extent, indeed, it could not fail to assume the latter character, since it seldom happens that correct general principles can be developed and established without controversy. The exposition of truth has, however, been the great object of the author, and controversy has never been resorted to except when it seemed to him essential to a full development of the truth. The writer may be mistaken-he would fain hope that he is so-yet he has not been able to escape the conviction, that, in the present day, there does not exist, among the members of the church of Christ at large, a sufficiently correct and comprehensive knowledge of first principles in religion-of the leading doctrines of the gospel. He is not without his fears, that even many Christians hold rather a form of sound words-though even the form held by some is not a very accurate one-than possess an acquaintance with things; nor can he altogether divest himself of the apprehension, that if a moral deluge were to sweep away our accustomed words and phraseology on religious subjects, it would not, in very numerous instances, leave many ideas behind it. It is at least. certain that we have less of extensive reading, of vigorous thinking, and of profound meditation, upon the great principles of theological science, in all its branches, than in the

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