are in their graves fhall hear his voice, and come forth; they that have done good, to the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the refurrection of damnation." In the words of our Saviour, there is fomething very obfervable in confirmation of our interpretation of the expreffion in St. John, but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thoufand years were finished. Our Saviour does not allow that the wicked are raised to life, though they are raifed from the grave. "They that have done good, to the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil to the refurrection," not of life, but "of damnation," or death; they are raised in order to die the fecond death.

This paffage of our Saviour affords us a plain and pofitive answer to our present inquiry, What does St. John mean by a first refurrection? plainly, a refurrection to life.

It was the first refurrection to a happy and glorious reign with Chrift in the new earth. And well did St. John call him bleffed and boly, or feparated and diftinguished, who hath part in the first refurrection. Such are admitted to a great and honorary privilege. Now, if we allow St. John to have spoken intelligibly, and with propriety; there is another refurrection to be expected. Those who are caft into the lake of fire, which is the second death, may rife to happy life, of the fame kind with that which thofe of the first refurrection enjoy.

We have already anticipated the answer to our 6th.

inquiry.

inquiry, Who we are to understand by Gog and Magog? They are wicked men who are fuffering the fecond death.

I have been long on this paffage of fcripture ; but as brief as I could well be, confiftently with a full expofition. And I really think we have had things of very great importance under confidera

tion.

We have seen a rational and intelligible, as well as fcriptural, account given of heaven and hell, We have alfo feen that the martyrs, and all the faints, all righteous perfons in this life, fhall fit on thrones, with judicial power in the general judgment. That thefe fhall reign a thousand years with Chrift in the new earth, without any attempt from fatan, or from wicked men, to break their peace; and afterwards for ages of ages. We have alfo feen that the wicked dead, though raised from the grave, fhall not live again, or live a happy life until a thoufand years after the general judgment. We have seen that the martyrs and all whofe names are in the bock of life, fhall enjoy the firft refurrection to a happy life; and that the first relurrection to happy life, encourages us to expect another, and, perhaps, many others, of the fame kind. We have finally feen that fatan and wicked men will attempt to dif turb the peace and to interrupt the happiness of the faints in the new earth; but that fire from God out of heaven fhall deftroy them. A moft joyful confideration to every pious, virtuous mind, that the en

emies

emies of the faints, in the new earth, fhall not fucceed against them. They fhall be deftroyed. The peace of the new ferufalem fhall not be broken nor interrupted.

BEFORE I enter upon the business of

anfwering objections, I wish to make fome preliminary observations.

1. I entertain no idea that any fon or daughter of Adam will, or can, be happy without holiness. So long as any person is unholy, that perfon must unavoidably be miferable. No text of scripture, therefore, that tends to prove the neceffity of holi nefs in order to happiness, is any objection against that scheme of universal falvation which I adopt.

2. I have no idea that all men will be virtuous or happy, at the resurrection and general judgment. No new teftament writer hath extended his ideas fa far into the refurrection world as St. John. He hath plainly informed us, that but a part of man. kind fhall be fo bleffed and boly, as to have part in the first refurrection to happy life; and that a vast multitude, at the close of the general judgment, will be caft into the lake of fire, which is the second death. So that no paffage of scripture, that goes to prove that fome will die wicked and unholy; or rife from the grave unholy; or be condemned by the judge, and fentenced to a ftate of misery, at the clofe

of

of the general judgment; contains any objection against my scheme of the eventual falvation of all

men.

3. No fcriptures, which speak of the future mifery of the wicked as very great, or of very long duration, afford any objection against the final falvation of all men.

4. Any paffage of scripture which expressly declares, that it is not the will of God that all men fhould be faved; or that fixes a pofitive eternity to the duration of the future mifery of the wicked, and no other, is a valid objection against my scheme of univerfal falvation. If God be unwilling that all men fhould be faved; or, if he hath any where declared, that the future mifery of the wicked fshall be interminable; I will readily concede that all men cannot be happy.

With these preliminary obfervations, I will enter on the examination of Mr. S.'s fcripture proof of the eternity of future mifery. And I wish the reader would be fo kind, as to keep the foregoing obfervations in view, whilft he is reading the exami nation of Mr. S.'s fcriptures.

The xvii, chap. of John, which is one of his fcriptures, we have already confidered; and, as I think, fhown undeniably, not only that Mr. S. hath treated that paffage with great unfairnefs, and difingenuity; but that the paffage is an excellent proof of the final falvation of all men. The reader, by turning to p. 63, will find the entrance on the examination of this scripture. After