ALL are partakers of it: or, to exprefs the fame idea in other words, they think it fets forth the Divine intention as equally kind towards all, and fo conclude from it, that those who fhall finally be faved, are not indebted to any peculiar grace or mercy whereby they are diftinguifhed from others, but to the use they make of what is or may be the common property of all. Whether this fentiment be in itself juft, we fhall not now enquire. For the prefent, we leave that point at iffue between the maintainers of it and the Bible in general. But we are concerned to fhew that it is not at all deducible from the paffage in queftion, and this we hope to do, by removing the foundation upon which it refts.

As the supposed univerfality of the expreffions ANY and ALL forms the fupport of the opinion ufually entertained, we fhall fhew that the context requires thefe terms to be circumfcribed in the extent of their application; and thus, while the discovery of their juft limits will lead us to reject the false interpretation, it will open to us the way for finding the true.

Now the two words in queftion are fuch as must always be determined with refpect to the extent in which they are applied, by fomething in connection with them, either exprefsly stated, or fo obviously implied that there can be no danger of miftake. Thus when it is faid by the Pfalmift, The Lord looked down-upon the children of men; to fee if there were ANY that did underHand-They are ALL gone out of the way, &c.; the reader naturally refers thefe terms, occurring as they do here, to the children of men before fpoken of, to all of them without exception. On the other hand, when the Sadducees queftioned our Lord about the woman, whom

they

they ftated to have had feven husbands, faying, Whofe wife fball he be of the feven? for they ALL had her, no bystander could have been fo abfurd as to fuppofe that they spoke of ALL men whatever, but confined their view to ALL of the seven before mentioned. And if it be objected that the limitation is there expreffed by the word THEY; we answer that THEY has not a correfpondent word in the original, the fenfe being fufficiently clear without it. But as, in cafes of this kind, the English language requires fome fuch word in order to perfect clearnefs, it has been properly introduced in that inftance as well as in other parallel inftances which might be produced. The paffage before us is one of the fame fort, in which, though no fuch precaution has been taken, the limits of these apparently indefinite words, and confequently the true fenfe of the whole, are as precifely determined. The Lord, fays the Apoftle, is not flack, &c. but is long-fuffering to us-ward, not willing that any fhould perifh, but that all should come to repentance; that is, not willing that any of us fhould perish, but that all of us fhould come to repentance. An illuftration of this is fupplied by confidering that. the latter claufe (not willing, &c.) is explanatory of that which immediately precedes it (is longfuffering to us-ward) fhewing wherein the Divine long-fuffering confifts, or how it is evinced : and it is manifeft that the long-fuffering of GoD to us-ward, cannot be exemplified in purpofes of kindness towards others, but only in fuch as have us for their object. Befides, the Apoftle represents as an effect of this forbearance, that the great day of the Lord delays its approach. Now to fuppofe that day kept off, as it were, for the fake of mankind in general, to try if they

G

they will repent, is most unfcriptural indeed; for that day will come upon the world at large as a thief in the night: When they shall fay, Peace and fafety, then fudden deftruction cometh on them, -and they fhall not escape.

Having thus fhewn that the kindness here fpoken of has for its object only thofe who were before described in the first perfon; we proceed to enquire who are they to whom the Apostle thus expreffed himself as united.

To what we have already faid, concerning that hypothefis which would embrace all men, we add, that were it true that God intended that all men should repent, it would be neceffarily true that He intended all men fhould believe the Gospel; whereas it is certain that there are multitudes upon multitudes to whom He does not, in his wife providence, think fit to fend his Gofpel; that is, with refpect to whom He does not employ the only poffible means for attaining this end! Neither does the Apostle fpeak merely of believers; for the expreffions intimate that not all of them were yet brought to repentance, and therefore not all of them were believers. The perfons then alluded to, must be those who conftitute the whole redeemed church, including not only those who had already been called into it, but all who fhould, till the end of time, be brought to the faith. Nor is it furprifing that the Apostle should speak of himself as one with all thefe, though many of them were not yet his brethren; for God calls them his people, before they are made acquainted with his name, as He faid by the prophet Ifaiah, My people SHALL know my name ; and by David, Thy people SHALL be willing in the day of thy power. So alfo our Lord calls them

his sheep, before they hear his voice, knowing the certainty of what he had elsewhere declared, All that the Father giveth me, SHALL come unto

me.

Here then we have an exceeding great and precious promife, not only concerning those who actually believed in the time of the Apostles, but belonging to all that shall believe through their word, all the true Ifrael, even as many as the Lord our God SHALL call. It is a renewal of thofe gracious declarations, Ifrael SHALL be faved in the Lord :-All SHALL know me from the leaft to the greatest and it is but a different form of expreffion for what the Lord Jefus teftified in the days of his flesh, This is the Father's WILL,that of all which He hath given me, I should lofe nothing, but fhould raise it up again at the last day. Thus as the Divine long-suffering forbore with the old world, till Noah entered the ark; as the fire of vengeance waited at Sodom and Gomorrah, till Lot escaped from the city; and as the threatened deftruction was averted from Jerufalem, till all that believed had fled from the calamity: fo the great and terrible day of the Lord will not be revealed till all the elect are gathered into Christ, and then it will come and not tarry, to the ruin of the world which now is, and perdition of ungodly men.

Having thus advanced what we take to be the true meaning of this text, we are not backward to avow our belief, that God, in a most important fenfe, willeth that all men who hear the gofpel, should come to repentance; for He has moft unequivocally declared this to be his will, in the command, Repent ye, and believe the Gofpel and it is for oppofition to this his will, that all who reject the meffage will perish in their G 2

fins.

fins. We are also perfuaded, that God, in the fame fenfe, willeth that all men whatever should be faved, and that without the Gofpel; for He wills, He commands, that all men should yield unfinning obedience to his law, of which He hath faid, That the man which doeth these things, fball live by them. Thus, whether they hear the Gospel, or hear it not, men are left without excufe; and if there be any who have always kept the whole law, and will perfevere therein to the end, we can declare to them, on the authority of God's word, that they fhall not be confounded and if there be any finners, who will of their own accord, come to repentance, these may depend as implicitly on the Gospel promife, Whofo cometh unto me I will in no wife caft out. Once more : if there be any who will do fomewhat, however little, in order to their acceptance with God, these may wave their claims to the benefit of that promife. They need it not. They have whereof to boast. Thofe gracious words, He that believeth, fhall be faved, are provided for those who can de nothing; and whilst they are a joyful found to all who difcern their import, it would be but a falfe humility in fuch as can do any thing, to profess themselves dependent on them. Wherefore, turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die? God willeth not the death of a finner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live.

A.