THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OF PARTICULAR REDEMPTION, STATED AND VINDICATED: IN FOUR SERMONS

THE two first of the following excellent sermons of the late learned and judicious Mr. Hurrion, were preached at the same lecture, in which those of others, which precede them in this volume, were delivered. As he had not time to go through this subject, he designed, before that exercise was closed, to have preached two more, but was hindered by illness. When this work came to be printed, he was desired to add the sermons he purposed to have preached. Being a little revived, he transcribed the two first sermons towards the end of November, 1731. After that, he grew much worse than he had been: but his desire to finish this subject, carried him beyond what his strength might have been thought to have admitted. He purposed to insert in the remaining discourses some materials which he had by him: with great difficulty he transcribed the third discourse, which he sent me, with a letter, dated the 14th of December, which was as follows: "I have just finished, and now send you, my third sermon: I shall go on with the fourth, as fast as I can; if possible, I would finish it next week, but I fear I shall not be able, I have been so much worse, since I wrote to you last. I would desire you to take care of my poor copy, and use freedom in correcting what mistakes I may have been guilty of. It is no wonder to find such in my performances at any time, and especially now, so ill am I, and so often taken off from my work by great pains. Pray for me, that I may have grace sufficient for me; and that whether I live or die, I may be the Lord’s, and to the praise of his glorious grace." When I came to look over the discourse, I was amazed, that when unwieldiness of body had increased so much upon, and when he was under such a faint distemper as the dropsy, he should have vigour of mind to draw up such a performance; which, for vivacity and closeness of thought, strength of argument, and clearness of style, is not in the least inferior to any of his other works. It was very little above a fortnight after, that he rested from his labours; for on the thirty-first day of the above me mentioned month, be sweetly slept in Jesus: so that it may be said, that he composed the sermon while be struggled with death, and that it contains some of the last thoughts of an eminent saint, who, in a few days after it was finished, began to ascribe, in the upper world, salvation, and power, and glory, to the Redeemer, the certain efficacy of whose death he so well defended. To him may be applied the following verses of Mr. Waller:
Wrestling with death, these lines he could Indite;
No other theme could give his soul delight.
The soul’s dark cottage, battered and decayed,
Lets in new light, thro’ chinks that time has made:
Stronger by weakness, wiser men become,
As they draw near to their eternal home:
Leaving the old, both worlds at once they- view,
Who stand upon the threshold of the new.
He had begun to transcribe his fourth sermon; but illness increasing, he was soon forced to give over. He proposed, in the beginning of it, to consider the allegations of the friends of universal redemption, from a set of scriptures, which speak of Christ’s dying for those that perish; but he only set down the following paragraphs, which were I believe, the last lines that came from his pen.