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has almost stumbled upon this himself, in a note which overthrows all that he advances as from this text. "A father," says he, "doth not chide his “children, whom he is resolved to abandon; by chiding he shows his design of correcting and reducing "them to their duty." In this sense then of" chiding," when it is declared that God will not always chide, what is it but a declaration that "he is re"solved to abandon" such children, whom no chiding, no correction, will "reduce to their duty?" In a word, correction and punishment are very different things; one proper to a state of moral discipline, the other to a state of retribution; one must end, either by the amendment of the party corrected, or by his incurable wickedness, (for why then should he be corrected any more?) The other may, or may not, for any thing here said by the Psalmist; but certainly we ought to take our notions of this matter from such passages of scripture as do relate to it, and not from those which do not. The rest of this Letter is nothing but misrepresentation.

He proceeds in Letter V. to produce the prophetical promises agreeing with the preceding proofs. But I may fairly be excused from giving them any particular answer, as he himself appears to lay no stress upon them. He pretends to " employ the auJews in the former part of the chapter, ver. 15. comforts the humble and contrite. Then follow the words in question; and ver. 17. he goes on,-For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. Ver. 18. I have seen his ways, and will heal him, &c. Nevertheless he assures us, ver. 20, 21, the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

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thority of the prophets only as collateral testimo"nies that are sufficient only, as they agree with the "former evidences." That is, both with the "unchangeable truths" he has laid down as his foundation, and with the express and positive declarations of the New Testament, that are not "figurative." Without this rule," the phraseology of the prophets is so "ambiguous and obscure, that we may run into a "thousand extravagancies, which we may suppose

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well-grounded, under pretence of some expressions, "whose meaning we do not comprehend." The plain English of all which is, that he is sensible these prophetical promises are nothing to the purpose: but if he has proved his point before, they may be applied to it; and understood in this sense, as well as any other. This, in general, of his prophetical proofs in particular, he says of Isaiah xl. 4, 5o, (which is the first testimony he quotes,) that he "knows we may restrain the meaning of those words "to something less general; and should any one dispute it with him, he would easily give it up.".

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"Here is another of the same sort," (that is, as little to the purpose,) Isaiah xlv. 23, 24, 25. If what is

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

This passage, as applied in the New Testament, relates to John the Baptist, and makes part of his preaching: and what a preacher he was of this author's system of the reestablishment, may be seen chap. i. Num. I. II.

P I have sworn by myself,—that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.—) -Referred by St. Paul, Rom. xiv. 11, to the day of judgment.

here promised, or predicted, be confirmed by an oath, we may safely believe it will come to pass. But that this is the restoration of wicked men and devils in hell, is the point to be proved. "The apo"stle St. Paul quotes this text in these words; Rom. "xiv. 11. Every tongue shall give praise to God; "which sure cannot be applied to the damned." This is amazing! St. Paul is there dissuading Christians from judging and despising their brethren; and his great argument against it is, (like that of St. James, Num. LXXXI. upon the same occasion,) that we must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. For it is written, says the apostle, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Is not this now an admirable proof, that St. Paul understood the text in Isaiah to relate to the doctrine of the restoration? He next quotes Isaiah - ix. 2.9 only because mention is there made of dark

ness and the shadow of death. And lastly, ch. xxiv. 22. because, "otherwise these are obscure "words."

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For the meaning and application of which, see Matt. iv. 14, 15, 16.

And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

"The word visiting is used for punishing, as well as for remem"bering with grace and favour. Thus this very phrase, After many days thou shalt be visited, is used Ezek. xxxviii. 8. See "likewise Prov. xix. 23."

Mr. Lowth on the place; "who explains it of the kings of the

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If this be all the light and evidence which he is able to collect from Isaiah, what can be expected from Jeremiah, who "does not speak so clearly as "Isaiah, and makes use of figurative expressions?" However, he will offer some conjectures and probabilities from him; viz. from chap. xxv. and chap. xlv. et seq. Who can stand before a man, who thus argues from whole chapters? The design of which too he is pleased to wave, and considers only the figure. But that he gives "the true sense of this figure, we cannot well doubt," he says, "if we cre"dit St. Peter's explication of it." Now, would not any man suspect by this, that St. Peter argues from the figurative or spiritual sense of these prophecies, as this writer does? But where shall we find any such thing? St. Peter only says in the text alleged, viz. 1 Epist. chap. iv. 17. The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it begin first at us, what shall the end of them be that obey not the gospel of God? Now if St. Peter had answered his own question, and told us their end shall be a restoration, it would have been directly in point; but at present he seems to be introduced to as little purpose as St. Paul was just before.

"We come next to Ezekiel, in the 16th chapter "of whose prophecy there is an allegory that may "have some relation to the argument we are upon,

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though it mentions it only figuratively." But as

"earth, who made war with Christ and his saints at Armageddon, "Rev. xvi. 16. xix. 19. and there discomfited, lay languishing "under the sentence of condemnation till after the battle of Gog "and Magog, chap. xx. 8, 9, 10. when they were, with Satan their "leader, punished with everlasting destruction."

this is only an allegory, to which the author affixes a sense which he does not insist upon himself, but proposes barely as a conjecture, we are at liberty, I presume, to pass on. Not that we shall meet with any thing more convincing; for "the last verses of the

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prophet Micah," which he thinks are "less allego"rical than those already cited," relate no more to our subject than the rest do, as will appear to any one who reads the chapter. We may see by the $ quotation below, that he is not the first man who

S

рессаEt hoc est

s Porro qui volunt supplicia aliquando finiri ; et licet post multa tempora, tamen terminum habere tormenta, his utuntur testimoniis. * Quum intraverit plenitudo gentium, tunc omnis Israel salvus fiet. Et iterum: † Conclusit Deus omnia sub peccato, ut omnibus miseriatur. Et in alio loco Sanctus loquitur: Iram Domini sustinebo, quia peccavi ei, donec justificet causam meam, et auferat judicium meum, et educat me in lucem. Et rursum: § Benedicam te, Domine, quoniam iratus es mihi. Avertisti faciem tuam a me, et misertus es mei. Dominus quoque loquitur ad torem: Quum ira furoris mei fuerit, rursum sanabo. quod in alio loco dicitur: || Quam grandis multitudo bonitatis tuæ, Domine, quam abscondisti timentibus te. Quæ omnia replicant, asseverare cupientes, post cruciatus atque tormenta, futura refrigeria; quæ nunc abscondenda sunt ab his quibus timor utilis est, ut dum supplicia reformidant, peccare desistant. Quod nos Dei solius debemus scientiæ derelinquere, cujus non solum misericordiæ, sed et tormenta in pondere sunt, et novit quem, quomodo, aut quamdiu debeat judicare. Hieron. in Isai. ult.

Here follows Jerom's own explication of the literal sense of Micah vii. 9. Videtur mihi juxta litteram, Jerusalem contra Babylonicam et cæteras gentes loqui, quæ sibi insultaverant : Ne lætamini in ruina mea; quia Domino miserante consurgam; postquam sedero in captivitate, educet me ille de tenebris, et erit lux mea. Iram Domini sustinebo: quia me scio meruisse quod passa sum, donec ulciscar de gentibus; et fiat judicium meum. Novi quippe quod me sit educturus in lucem, et videbo justitiam ejus, et aspi+ Mich. vii. 9.

Rom. xi. 25, 26. + Rom. xi. 32. Gal. iii. 22. § Isai. xii. I. || Psal. xxxi. 19.