1

all he does to the glory of God. And, according to Mr. S.'s exprefs and repeated affertions, and indeed according to his theory of eternal fin and misery, the fianer, when exercifing his wicked temper in committing fin, is doing that which produces the glory of God. Thus inconfiftent and centradictory is error !

"3. The tendency of the finner's temper and practice is to banish infinite bleffednefs from the univerfe, and to introduce infinite evil or wretchednefs." What! is the tendency of the finner's temper and practice, at once, a neceffary mean of producing the bleffednefs of God, and of banishing infinite bleffedness from the univerfe!! My brother, when I fee you engaged in a cause that you appear, in a great measure, unacquainted with, and which you cannot fupport; and behold you involving yourself more and more in contradiction and abfurdity; I pity you.

Thus, in answering an objection against eternal mifery, which arose from the confideration of the divine wisdom and juftice, we see Mr. S. preffed beyond measure, and obliged to affert things in direct contradiction to his own theory, and in favor of univerfal falvation. But, when the matter is duly confidered, we have no reason to wonder at the difficulty Mr. S. found in reconciling eternal fin and suffering with the divine juftice. It was a task too great for his abilities. And, if his abilities had been increased ever so much, after his firft entrance on the work, it would not have altered the case in his favor,

for

for no abilities are fufficient, or ever will be, to reconcile eternal fin and mifery, in the univerfe of God, with any part of the divine character. The truth is, no fuch talk was ever affigned to man, God never intended that fin and mifery fhould have an eternal existence in his intelligent fyftem. When he faw best to admit them for a time, he folemnly determined their deftruction, and made every neceffary provifion for it. This, my kind reader, we hall hereafter fee to have been the plan of God, and that it was quite an unwelcome task which Mr. S. hath undertaken.

To fuppofe that God hath fo conftructed his intellectual moral fyftem, as to render the general good inconfiftent with the beft good and higheft intereft of all the individuals, is an abfurd and fatal error. This is doubtlefs a part of that fcheme of faith which Mr. S. was taught in his early youth. And it is very evident, from his writing, that he hath never thought sufficiently yet, to think freely, and without the embarrassment of a fyftem.

It can be of no fervice to proceed any farther with the objections which Mr. S. raifes againft his own scheme of eternal fin and mifery. His corrupt fyltem of the general good, and of the divine benevolence, affords him answers to all his objections. And the reader will find, on the most careful and candid perufal, that the objections, when of any weight, are no better answered than this against eternal mifery,' from the consideration of the divine juflice,

I wish not, by any thing I have faid, or may hereafter fay, to caft any reproach on Mr. S.'s abilities, intellectual or moral. It is my real defire to treat him with candor and ingenuity, and as I fhould with that he would treat me in a like cafe.

I think I have discovered many inconfiftencies and abfurdities in Mr. S.'s theory of the divine benevolence; and several of them I have pointed out. At the fame time, I impute all these inconfiftencies and absurdities to the falsehood and corruption of Mr. S.'s general fcheme, rather than to any want of abil. ity in him. An angel's abilities are far too fmall to reconcile error with truth. When I first opened Mr. S.'s book, I was as perfectly satisfied as I am now, that he would fail in his attempt to reconcile the doctrine of eternal mifery with the infinite be nevolence of God.

I have now thoroughly perufed his book; I fee he hath failed; but I am not disappointed. The same attempt hath often been made before, and as often as made, it hath failed. We may fay of the attempt to reconcile eternal mifery with the divine character, as Solomon hath faid of the lascivious woman, " She hath caft down many wounded; yea, many strong men have been flain by her."

Before I close this part, I beg leave to bring into view that scheme of creation, and of divine providential and mediatorial government, which I propofed to inquire into in the 2d. part. The reader will remember that this fcheme was formerly stated, in

company

company with that which Mr. S. hath been pleased to adopt. I fhall only repeat it as it there ftands.

"The eternal Father, in the days of eternity, hav ing determined to create the defectible creature man ; and looking, with divine pity and compaffion, both on the fins and miseries of the fallen race, refolved to introduce, into his providential government of mankind, a mediatorial plan, the refult of which should be, the restoration of all the fons and daughters of Adam to virtue, holiness, and happiness. He saw, with infinite delight the bruised serpent's head, and all things in heaven, and earth, and fea, paying voluntary and cheerful homage to his adored Son, whom he had set, as king, on his holy hill of Zion.

He, the indulgent Father of creation, when He raised his beloved Son to the mediatorial throne, delivered the fceptre into his hand, and with afpe& mild and full of mercy, gave him a divine command, never to return it, nor redeliver the kingdom, till the laft enemy in the moral fyftem, death, should be deftroyed.

God determined to order and conduct every thing, by his divine Son, in the kingdoms of nature, providence, and grace, for the beft interefts of Zion and her king. And He faw, in glorious profpect, a numerous race of guilty immortals redeemed, reftored, faved, made holy and happy; all, all, not an an individual loft, all surrounding his eternal throne, all finging and shouting forth the riches of redeem

ing love, in songs of joy and praise, to Him that fitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and

ever.

This restored, virtuous, holy and happy univerfe, God beheld, confidered it as his greatest declarative glory and blessedness, loved it with fupreme affection; and this is his divine benevolence."

Having propofed this as the scheme of creation, and of divine, providential and mediatorial government of men, I fhall proceed directly to examine its eftablishment in the word of God.