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virtues to result in their best good? Would this be an boxourable character?

Universalism represents God as determining that men should commit all the sins they commit; then commanding them not to commit them; sending Christ to stop them, and punishing them to reclaim them; when, in his omnipotence, he could just as easily have prevented it all at first! Commanding men not to do, what he determined they should do; and what would be overruled for their good and for the good of all. Verily, if God's honour depended on the advocacy of men, we should think, (with reverence be it spoken) he would see the necessity of employing more successful advocates than universalist preachers! But a very great part of universalist professors, seem not very tonacions of God's honour, if we may judge from the profane and impious language, which is known to be used among them. Would it be much for the honour of God, to foreordain all the present sin and misery of man—the final salvation of all, reveal it in the Bible, and so that most men should not believe it. That one should renounce the doctrine; that others should persecute him for it: that some should spend their days in advocating universalism, and others in opposing it: that some should preach the gospel, and others write for infidelity: that universalists should compass sea and land to make proselytes without reforming them; and yet overrule the belief in endless punishment for the good of all, as well as universalism, and every thing else. If every thing must be overruled for the best good of all, why may we not as well do or believe one thing as another? Why all the pains to teach universal salvation, as all other beliefs would be equally overruled for the best good of all? What perfectly useless beings universalist preachers must be upon their own principles! Since under the shelter of "unbounded love," men cannot fail of the greatest possible good; and every thing will promote it, according to universalism, why may not all men believe any way, and do any way, or no way, as passion leads?

SECTION III.

An examination of the passages in the Old Testament, whisk universalists suppose to teach their doctrine.

1. We have briefly proved, or given our reasons for thinking that Reason or Philosophy does not prove that all will be saved. We now come to see whether the Scriptures teach it, taking them in their most probable sense.And let it be remembered, that it is not what passages may possibly mean, that we seek, but what they most probably do mean, when viewed in reference to their phraseology, and the circumstances under which they were composed. Our limits in this volume, will not admit of noticing all the passagess that may be thought to relate to the question; nor as full a notice of any as might be useful. But we hope to notice the most prominent passages, and such as are most confided in for proof on both sides.

2. We will begin with Psalms 11, 8. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."

This passage might mean, that all the heathen, and others would belong to Christ's spiritual kingdom; or it might mean, that he should possess certain power and authority over them. If it were a plain clear Scriptural doctrine, that all men would be saved, then we should think auch a passage might possibly refer to it, but without that evidence, we should think it most probable, that it alludes to the power and authority which Christ should exercise over all nations. As "all power was given him in Heaven and earth," the whole passage would be literally fulfilled in that. And that sense is rendered most probable from the Drext verse; "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."This language does not imply a very comfortable salvation.

But, 2d. The passage might be fulfilled in a Millenium, when all the nations that shall then be on earth shall be evangelized, and all that then live on earth, be more or less under the influence of the christian religion. That such a time will come, the Scriptures abundantly teach, as well as many features of this age seem to indicate it. "He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgement. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The Kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bring presents.

The Kings of

Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all Kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper."-Psalms LXXII: 2-12. This whole passage, no doubt describes the reign and progress and millenial consummation of christianity on earth. Not universal salvation in a future state. For we expect no mountains, sun, moon, generations, sea, rivers, nor wilderness in heaven. Neither do we expect enemies there to be broken in pieces, or to lick the dust; nor any Kings to bring presents. Neither any poor there to cry or need a helper.

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3. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O, Lord; and shall glorify thy name. Psalms LXXXVI: 9. This also teaches that the christiart religion shall prevail, and Christ shall be honoured in all the nations or regions of the earth which God has made.

If the Holy Spirit here meant that all men whom God has made should come and worship before him, it would have been much better to have said all men instead of all nations. It is now common for us when speaking of the spread of the Gospel in all the important regions of the earth to use the phrase all nations. So it will be seen, did the prophWe speak of individuals going to heaven, but, we do not speak of nations going there.

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4. "And it shall come to pass, in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains; and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall and say; Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord-to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into prooning hooks: pation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."-Isaiah 11: 2-4.-The whole of this evidently describes the exaltation and glory of Christ's kingdom in the "last days." The phraseology is similar to that used in the preceding quotations. It shows that christianity is to be exalted above every thing else, and peace and virtue shall abound throughout all nations; which justifies the application we have made of the foregoing passages, as well, as others, which are to be noticed. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, aud the tongue of the dumb shall sing. For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."-Isaiah xxxv: 1, 5, 6. Thess passages have the same application without eontroversy.

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted his people-he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."-Isa. LII:7-10. This phraseology, the mountains--the watchmen, the Zion, &c. accords with other passages descriptive of the Millenium, and clearly indicate a glorious and exalted state of the church, when the pure principles of Christ shall be exhibited in their beauty; the teachers shall harmonize in the grand truths of religion, denominational divisions shall cease, and the eyes of all nations then in the world shall see together the glories of the Redeemer. No candid interpreter can say this has any reference to a state of salvation beyond this life. Yet such is to be the extent of christianity throughout the world, that the prophet says, "all the ends (distant parts) of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." All the parts of the world shall see that religion, through which is obtained salvation.

5. "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 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." -Isaiah XL. 3-5.

There is no question that the prophet here begins with the introduction of christianity on earth, and clothing his language with the beautiful prophetick imagery, surveys

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