tice in the earth, it is added, "In his days Judah fhall be faved, and Ifrael shall dwell fafely," Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. He promifes, "I will be the God of all the families of Ifrael, and they fhall be my people; for I am a father to Ifrael, and Ephraim is my firft-born," Jer. xxxi. 1, 9. Do not thefe and the like decla rations import much more than common fyftems will admit? What God proTM mifed to be to all the families of ancient Ifrael, even their God, that did he folemnly engage to be to all the families of the earth, when he promised to bless them in the Meffiah.

The Lord is faid to have remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations." This is faid to have been made with Abraham, and to be God's oath to Ifaac, and confirmed to Jacob for a law, and to Ifrael for an everlafting covenant, Pfal. cv. 8, 9, 10. It is evident that all mankind are inlcuded in this covenant; for it is to extend to a thousand generations, and ought to be viewed as comprehending them all. The moral law is thus prefaced to the Jews, "I am the Lord thy God;" Exod. xx. 1. but will any undertake to prove that the fame is not the preface of the divine law fill to all to whom it is revealed? This privilege, fo far from being peculiar to the Jews, appears to me to extend to all who are under law to God in every age; and the fame truth is elsewhere afferted in feripture. Does not God of ten call the wicked Jews his people? Pfal. lxxxi. 13, and will not the fame apply to the mixed multitude of profeffed Chriftians? Will the Lord then always catt off his people?

I find the Lord promifing, if I understand the connection aright, to cure and blefs the very perfons whom he is faid to have flain in his anger, and whofe dead bodies filled their houses." The dead bodies of men, whom I have flain in mine anger, and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. Behold, I will bring it health, and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth," Jer. xxxiii. 5, 6. To explain this of a furviving remnant, is making very free with the facred text, where the construction is neither perplexing, nor the language equivocal. It is evident, however, that the promife could not be fulfilled to them in this flate, after they had been flain, and their bodies left dead and mangled in their habitation.

In my laft, I finished what I intended, in answer to objections; nor have I knowingly waved any. Some will perhaps think I have been but too minute in my anfwers; but had they access to converfe with perfons of different capacities on the fubject, as I have of late often had, they would fee caufe for it all. It is to be feared, that many are fo wedded to their own opinion, and fo determined to refift conviction from the plainest truths, that in reading these things, their chief concern will be to mufter up all the cavils they can against them. If the plain conclufive argumentation of the apoftles produced only, in thofe who were at the time most famed for piety, contradiction and blasphemy; and if of our Lord's hearers repelled his clear, convincive reasoning, with the fhadow argument drawn from fcripture; it need not furprife tho' this feeble effay in defence of truth' fhould find fimilar treatment, from perfons of like character.

many

of

Such hath been the fate of truth from the beginning, but none of its friends need to ftumble thereat.

The abfurdities involved in the common doctrine, and by it transferred to the Deity himself, afford additional proof of the restoration. Impreffed with this fentiment, I lately committed my thoughts on this part of the fubject to paper; but find I can here only infert a few hints, this correfpondence having fo much extended on my hand.—It may be laid down as a certain rule, That God doth nothing in vain-that he acts always in a way worthy of himself, and perfectly agreeable to the character he affumes. Chriftians of the Armenian perfuafion maintain, that he loves all men, gave his Son to the death for all, and seeks the falvation of all to whom his word is fent. They ascribe, however, to the ob ftinacy of his guilty creatures the failure, with regard to them, of this benevo lent plan; whence, comparatively, few are actually faved. This fcheme afcribes. unbounded goodness to God, but at the fame time makes him deficient in power, or in the native expreffion of his love. A wife man does not give a great price for what he does not wifh to poffefs; and his making the purchase is a proof of his defire of poffeffing what he has purchased. What can prevent this, if he is able to secure it, and has not changed his opinion refpecting its worth? With God there is neither defect of power, nor change of judgment; and his love must be as immutable as his nature. Love naturally feeks the good of its ob ject, and will not fail to fecure this, if practicable; but to God there is nothing impoffible. It is therefore reafonable to conclude, that whom he loves, and has redeemed by his Son, he will actually fave.

In this refpect, thofe Chriftiana who are called Calvinifts are much more confiftent but they are not fo in all respects. They admit that the death of Chrift is a fufficient atonement for the whole world, had the Father fo appointed; thus making his love and mercy far more contracted than the merits of the Son, and confining the effect much within the acknowledged efficacy of the caufe. Is it confiftent, that our Lord fhould wish to gather the Jews, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings; and that he should knock for access at the door of ma ny, who, upon the common doctrine, were not given him by the Father, but left to perish in their fins? Would a prince make offers of pardon to rebels whom he determined never to forgive? What would you think of a man, whỏ warmly urged his neighbour, from day to day, to accept of a favour, which he had purposed however not to bestow? All this and much more, in my opinion, the received doctrine fathers on Chrift, while it reprefents him as befeeching and entreating myriads, in every age and country where his gospel comes, to be reconciled to God, and yet as intending to fave only a few; for it cannot be fuppofed that the Redeemer fhould mean to fave any whom he knew, according to that doctrine, his Father had decreed never to fave. And yet, is not the Holy Spirit spoken of as ftriving even with fuch, perhaps for years, and averfe to give them up? What is all this to ferve, when their falvation, on God's part, intended? It ferves to leave them inexcufeable, to aggravate their guilt, and to enhance their mifery. But is it worthy of that God, who is love itself, to promote thefe ends by fuch means? What a ftrange contraft between the doctrinal

is not

part of many a fermon, and the application! In the doctrine, the love of God is perhaps limited to a very few, very likely to one only for fome thousands of the human race; but in the improvement, all in the audience are warmly exhorted, and entreated, to come to the Saviour, and affured of a cordial welcome. They are told their not coming will aggravate their guilt, as difobeying God's exprefs command.. John tells us, that this is the command of God, that we fhould believe on his Son Chrift Jefus; and it is addreffed to all to whom his word comes. To me it appears unaccountable, that he should command those to believe on hie Son to falvation, for whom he never intended him as a Saviour; and yet make their not believing the fpecial ground of their condemnation. Is this like the conduct of a father towards his diseased offspring? Do these doctrines honour God that afcribe to him fuch things? Is he at fuch pains even with wicked men, giving them line upon line, precept upon precept, &c. and correcting them for their profit, as we fee from the whole hiftory of ancient Ifrael; and yet has he no gracious defign in all this? Is it becoming a gracious almighty Father, to call millions of beings into exiftence, in circumftances that neceffitate their endless mifery; while he determines not to take one effectual step to prevent it? Is it the manner of earthly parents to correct their children, without the most diftant intention of doing them good? and yet the very best of them are unworthy to be compared to their Maker. Far be it, however, from me, for a moment to entertain fuch thoughts of God, or to ascribe such things to him; tho' the common doctrine does, and things ftill more horrible, if poffible. Thus Father, Son, and Spirit are implicated in a conduct, which no man would chufe to have imputed to himself; and what shall we think of the doctrine that implies any fuch imputation?

What a very different view have we of the divine adminiftration, when we admit, that those whom God hath chofen, of his fovereign will and pleasure, to fland in a peculiar relation to himself, and to enjoy peculiar bleffings, were chofen with a view to the happiness of their fellow creatures, and to pave the way for the full difplay of his goodness in bringing this ultimately to pafs! Thus the election of grace, inftead of being a bill of total exclufion to all the nonelect, as we are taught to view it, becomes the grand fecurity, and a noble mean of effecting their final happiness, in a way analogous to the benign defign of every other selection of which we read in fcripture. The common doctrine not only divets God of his immutability, but also makes him, in my opinion, the moft changeable being in the univerfe. The word of truth affures us, That God is good to all, and that his tender mercies are over all his works: but that doctrine tells us, that he will cease to do good to the wicked from the moment they die, to all eternity; and feeing fome fuch are always departing this life, then he muft as often change the mode of his procedure. If it be agreeable to his nature to do good to his enemies on earth, and to correct them for their profit; then it must be agreeable to his nature to act towards them in a fimilar manner hereafter, unless he effentially change, which is impoffible. The infliction of future punishment is his work, and the creatures that must endure it, his workmanfhip, as produced by his power, and fupported in being by his providence.

His word affures us, that his tender mercies are over both; but this the com. mon doctrine flatly denies, by excluding all mercy from those works of the Almighty to all eternity. This not only makes him matable, but also robs him of his paternal character, and directly contradicts his word.

The refurrection, without which there could be no future judgment, or punifhment, is one of our Lord's mediatory works, connected with, and flowing from his own refurrection, as Paul teaches us, 1 Cor. xv. 13, 21. His coming into the world, therefore, as a Saviour, muft greatly aggravate the mifery of the great bulk of the human race, or rather be the very bafis of it; inftead of that, event being the fubject of good tidings of great joy to all people. But is there any authority from fcripture to believe this? When we read that God had no pleasure in brutal facrifices, can we fuppofe that he fo planned the economy of his great family, as to make the eternal facrifice of the far greater part of it to his juftice neceffary? and yet, that his justice shall never be fatisfied, and of course, never glorified by this facrifice.

The common doctrine counteracts the benign defign and tendency of God's threatenings, by leading men to undervalue or despise every thing in them that falls fhort of never-ending torments; whereas the fcriptures teach us to stand in awe of finning against him on account of his very threatenings, and of the execution of them in the prefent ftate. As for the threatenings of paternal corections, and all his chastening as the Father of our fpirits, it leads to despise them; and the vifible effects manifeft the unhappy tendency of the doctrine. Whence elfe is it that we bear fuch impious blafphemies from the mouth of many profeffed Chriftians, fneering at every idea of limited punishment, as holding forth impunity to the wicked? For these impious atheistical speeches let them answer to their Judge, when he comes to convict all that are ungodly among us of all their ungodly deeds, and of all their hard fpeeches which they prefume to speak against him, and his truths and ways, Jude ver. 15. If it be worthy of a father to fpare the rod, when his threatening has produced in his child humble confeffion of his fault, and obedience; muft we not grant that it is equally worthy of him to lay afide the rod, when his paternal difcipline produces the fame effect? We fee both exemplified in the courfe of his holy pro vidence; the first in the case of Nineveh, and in many other inftances that might be produced; and the laft in his conduct towards his people every day. Let any one read the 36th of Jeremiah, and fay if the grand object of the divine threatenings there be not to prevent the neceffity of executing them. This is fummed up in verse 3d,-" It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their fin." Here the exe. cution of God's purpose was fufpended on the conduct of the Jews; and will any one venture to say, that they had it not in their power to avoid what procured that execution? Thus have I briefly adverted to a few of these things which appear to me abfurdities contained in the common fyftem, or flowing from it; but all which are avoided by the doctrine of the recoration.

Ff

Permit me to contraft, in a few particulars, the gospel that was preached by the inspired fervan's of Gud, as recorded in their writings; and that which is held forth by our fyftematic divinity, placing the one oppafite to the other, that in the contraft, we may perceive, as in a glafs, how far their features accord.

That in Chrift, the feed of Abraham, all the That no nations, as fuch, fhall be bleffed in nations all the families, and all the kindreds of Chrift, only a few elect individuals from among the earth fhall be bleffed; even all the nations fome of them; and that there are millions of that God has made, Gen xii. 3.-xviii. 18.-families, from which not a fingle elect vessel is xxii. 18. As iii. 25. Pfal. lxxxvi. 9.

That death fhail lofe its fting and be defroy- That death fhall never be deftroyed, or lefe ed; and the grave or hell, lofe its victory. If its fting, it being firmy fixed in their promo death receives its death or deftruction by theo all eternity, during which the grave or boi death of Chrift, how fhall it exift and reig hall maintain his victory.

That before Chrift ceafe to reign as Media That fin. Satan, and drath fhall maintain their tor. he shail put down all ule, and all authority, rule and power over unknown milho, et indpower; and that death, as the very lafi ene-ligent beings without end; and thete remain my fhall be deftroyed, 1 Cor. xv 24 26.