ity, punish it according to its deserts, and finally, to shew the superabounding of his grace, in overcoming and totally destroying it out of his creation; which shall be accomplished when HE that sitteth upon the throne shall make all things new; "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passsed away," Rev. xxi. 4.

6. As the doctrine of the final Restoration, has been shewn in itself not to have the least tendency to licentiousness,but directly the reverse; and as far as I can learn, by history, or my own observation, those who have believed it, in the manner here laid down, as perfectly consistent with a future state of rewards and punishments, have beeu particularly careful to depart from iniquity of every kind; yet if any should be so lost to all that is good, as to pervert this truth (revealed for contrary purposes) to their own destruction, they alone must bear the blame, the loss, & the punishment. The Scriptures of truth have been perverted; yet that is no argument against Divine Revelation: The Gospel of the Grace of Gon, has been abused; but should it never be preached on that account? Some in the apostles' days, turned the Grace of GoD itself into wantonness and lasciviousness, (See Jnde 4 ;) and others pretended that those holy men encouraged sin, by proclaiming salvation to sinners, through grace, or faith in Christ; of which St. Paul complains, Rom. iii. 8. "We be slanderously reported, and some affirm that we say, Let us do evil, that good may come; whose damnation is just." The holy apostle abhorred, and constantly denied this horrid consequence, which some perverse minds pretended to draw from his doctrine; he declared that the damnation of such was just, who did sin that grace might abound, or who affirmed that the doctrine led thereto, or that the apostles taught or practised any such things; nevertheless, (not as fools, but as wise) they did not think fit to lay the gospel aside, and re

fuse to preach salvation through CHRIST any more on that account: The self same reasoning applies to the present case.

Friend. I must confess that you have so far prevailed as to silence this great objection; for certainly the belief of the Restoration seems by your account of it consistent with a state of grace, and the knowledge & practice of religion. But though you have obviated several objections, there is one you have not yet touched, which is very considerable, and I am doubt-. ful that it will be difficult, if not impossible for you to answer fairly, it may be thus expressed, God has abounded towards us in all wisdom; one instance is his hanging out the threatenings of the severest punishments to prevent his creatures from sinning while in this world; but to tell them at the same time, that if they should sin, he means to save them is not prudent; because that lessens, if not destroys the force of his threatening. He told Adam that if he did eat he should surely die; but did not tell him (at the same time) that if he should eat his case would not be remediless; this were to take down with one hand what he had set up with the other. After the threatening, failed of the effect, he told him so, and not before, this was prudently done; so after his threatenings fail of effect in this state, is the time to reveal his design of saving daring sinners. We may therefore be sure that he has not done it yet, and that we misconstrue those texts which seem to contain such a revelation. The next state is the only state to preach the doctrine, and reveal the doctrine. If you preach it here, it will be unnecessary to preach it in hell; for obstinate sinners will carry it in their heads thither.

Minister. As specious and plausible as this objection seems, I doubt not of being able to answer it fairly, without evading the natural force of it in the least.— The first thing that I shall notice in this objection, is the very different and contrary manner in which you

apply those words of the apostle from his first evident intention. He hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. Ephes. i. 8, 9. 10. God hath judged it to be the height of heavenly wisdom and prudence to make known to his saints, his glorious purpose, finally to rehead all things in Christ; and we ought not to presume to be more wise and prudent than he. There is no doubt but God hath revealed this great truth more immediately to his saints and faithful ones for their consolation, than for the benefit of the finally impenitent.

It is of amazing, I had almost said of infinite use to the people of God, to have this divine counsel declared to them in the present time. The knowledge of this truth entirely removes all hard thoughts of God from the minds of those who receive it, as I can testify. by experience; for since I have believed in the doctrine of the universal Restoration, I have never had one hard thought of God abiding for one minute in my mind, that I remember, and never expect to have. any more while 1 continue to believe it firmly.

The belief of the Restoration is of great use in supporting good people under their sorrows and trials here; the idea that evil shall be destroyed, and all things restored to their primitive glory is the most consolatory of all other ideas. As this doctrine tends to remove the greatest difficulties from the plan of Providence, and also from divine Revelation, it is evident that the knowledge of it must be of the greatest use to all that love their great Creator. And therefore if the revelation of it answered no other purpose in this life, but for the happiness, joy, and satisfaction of such as love God, we might be sure that he hath made it known, and that we rightly understand those

passages that hold it forth; for since "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will shew them his covenant," Psal. xxv. 14. and "The Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets," Amos iii. 7, there is all the reason to conclude, that if God ever intended to restore mankind hereafter, he would not fail to reveal it to his chosen and faithful servants. And this he hath done, if I can understand the meaning of words.

It is true that God did not inform our first parents before they sinned that he had provided a remedy; but not long did he delay after the fall to reveal to them, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; Gen. iii. 15. and this one text contains in miniature all that I believe respecting the Restoration of mankind; for if the serpent's head is finally to be bruised, his power and influence over mankind, must be entirely destroyed; and the what shall prevent their return to God?

Besides, it it impossible to read the Scriptures attentively, and not perceive that God very frequently mixes promises of mercies among his severest threatenings of judgment; and yet he doth not throw down with one hand, what he builds up with the other.

Your object seems to suppose that the doctrine of the Restoration supercedes and sets aside those punishments which God has threatened to inflict upen the impenitent; or else how does the preaching of this doctrine weaken the force of the threatenings But this is a very false idea; for we acknowledge that the threatenings shall be fulfilled, and not that the disobedient shall escape unpunished. There is a great deal of difference between these two ideas, though you would intimate them to be the same, and that we contradict God by assuring the wicked that they shall escape the just judgment of God. But we only declare that an end shall finally come to their punishment, and that when they shall be sufficiently humbled a dispensation of mercy shall succeed that of judgment. Let

me ask you, Has not God threatened mankind with death on the account of sin? "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." Gen iii. 19. Well, tell me, is this threatening either weakened or destroyed by the knowledge of the great doctrine of the resurrec tion of the dead? Did not God threaten the children of Israel with dreadful judgments to prevent their sinning, and that they should be dispersed among all nations? But will you say that he either weakened or destroyed the force of his threatening, because he promised them at the same time that at last he would return their captivity, and restore them as at the first, and do better unto them, than at beginning.

The laws of this country condemn criminals to death; would it be thought that I should weaken or destroy the force of the penal statutes, by saying, that the execution of their law could only be felt for a ceatain time, beyond which it could not endure? Is not every malefactor under the sentence of death supposed to know this? And yet will any presume to say, that these laws are entirely weakened, and their force destroyed because they do not condemn transgressors to endless punishments? But, if it be allowed that torments, which are but momentary, have a considerable influence in restraining many vices, there cannot be the smallest reason to fear that the doctrine of just retribution according to the deeds done in the body, will open the door to vice and immorality, but on the contrary. But this objection is so near akin to the last which you proposed, that it' hardly deserves a distinct consideration; for if the doctrine of the Restoration does not lead men to commit sin (as I am sure it has no such tendency) then no harm can be apprehended from its being known in this state. And whereas you argue, that as it would not be proper for the present state, we may be sure that God hath not revealed it; and therefore is highly proper for men to know in the present state. You