I never imagined, till I saw it in the writings of Universalists, that finishing trangression, and making an end of sin, (Dan. ix. 24,) had any reference to what was to be done after the resurrection and the last judgment; and especially, since what is there predicted was to be accomplished within seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years from the time of the prophecy.

I have been used to think, that the mediation of Christ was not on behalf of fallen angels, whose nature he took not on him, of whose salvation the scriptures are silent, and whose own ideas are, that they have nothing to do with him. Matt. viii. 29. But, according to your reasonings, they also must be either saved or annihilated; yea, they must have, at least, the offer of salvation, otherwise their present and future sufferings would not be in mercy, which you consider as belonging to all punishment whatever.

It had been usual with me to think, that the triumph of mercy, in the day of retribution, as described in James ii. 13, Psalm lxii. 12. respected another description of people, than those who were to receive judgment without mercy; namely, those that should so speak, and so do, as they that should be judged by the perfect law of liberty, but you have found out a scheme, it seems, in which these opposites are united in the same persons; and in which the ungodly, while receiving judgment without mercy, have no judgment but what is in mercy. (p. 10.) Is it surprising, Sir, that a man of plain and ordinary capacity should be at a loss to understand such things as these?

It would not have occurred to me, that an argument could have been drawn, from the threatenings of God to Israel in the present life, (Lev. xxv.) to what shall be done to the ungodly world in the life to come; yet so it is: (p. 43) and the ground on which the analogy is justified, is the immutability of the divine character. But what the immutable character of God requires to be done, must be done alike in all ages, and to all people: whereas, what was there threatened to Israel, was not done at the same time to other nations, nor has it been done since to any nation beside them. (Amos iii. 2. Acts xxvii. 30.) There is nothing in it analogous to his dealings with mankind, unless it be the general idea of his

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making use of natural evil to correct moral evil." This being

known to be the case on earth, you "cannot but think it must be the design of future punishment." Such is the whole of your argument, which you recommend to my "serious consideration!" But how, if, on the other hand, I should say, though natural evil be used on earth to correct moral evil, in society at large, yet it is not always sent for the purpose of correcting the parties themselves? We have no proof that the men of Sodom were destroyed by fire, or Pharaoh drowned in the sea, for their good: therefore, I cannot but think there is a similar design in future punishment.

I always supposed, that the sense in which God is said to be the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe, (p. 44.) was that in which the Apostle there puts his trust in him; namely, as the God of providence, whose care is extended to all his creatures, but especially to believers.

I have read of the dispensation of the fulness of times; but the idea never occurred to me, that these times were to be understood of ages beyond the last judgment. I have no doubt but the "gathering together in one, all things in Christ, which are in heaven, and which are on earth," will be accomplished, and that within the limits of time. Ifit be done, as you allow it will, (p. 10.) by the time "that he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power, and shall have subdued all things unto himself," it will be done by the time he shall have raised the dead, and judged the world; for THEN is this work described as being accomplished. (1 Cor. xv. 24.)

In reading the account of the new heaven and new earth, in the 21st chapter of the revelation, I find, amongst other things, it is said, there shall be no more death; and afterwards, no more curse; but I should not have thought of these things being applied to the universe at large, but merely to the inhabitants of that blessed state; and the rather, seeing it is said, in the same chapter, that the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have THEIR PART in the lake which burneth with fire ana brimstone, which is the second death. Neither could I have supposed it possible, from such a representation of the second death, to conclude, that it consisted in annihilation.

By the times of the restitution of all things, (Acts iii. 21.) I have been used to understand the times of the resurrection and the last judgment: for that till then, and no longer, will Christ be detained in the heavens. Whenever Christ descends from heaven, then, according to Peter, will be the times of the restitution of all things; but this will be previously, and in order to his raising the dead, and judging the world, (1 Thes. iii. 16.) Consequently, these are the times of which the Apostle speaks. The utter overthrow which will then be given to the kingdom of Satan, by the general conflagration; (2 Pet. iii. 12.) the destruction of the last enemy, death, by the resurrection; (1 Cor. xv. 23. 26.) and the final adjustment of human affairs, by the last judgment; (Matt. xxv. 31 -46.) will be a restitution of all things: the empire of sin will be crushed, and the government of God completely restored.

But the times in which your scheme is to be accomplished, must be after the final judgment; for, from that period, there is an everlasting punishment for the wicked to endure, a lake of fire into which they are to be cast; (Matt. xxv. 46. Rev. xx. 15.) and from which your restitution of all things is to recover them. Your restitution, therefore, and that of the scriptures, are not the same.

You cannot conceive of a restitution of all things, and of sin being made an end of, unless all the individuals in the creation be either reconciled to God, or annihilated: but what authority have you for such a construction of these terms? Did the restoring of all things, on the Messiah's first appearance, (Matt. xxvii., 11.) include all individuals, as far as it went? When God said to Zedekiah, And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, did it mean that he should be either converted or annihilated? (Ezek. xxi. 25.) And when the same language is used of the sins of the people, (Chap. xxv. 5.) does it mean that they should be either converted or annihilated? Rather, is it not manifest, that, by iniquity having an end is meant, that the perpetrators of it were brought to condign punishment, shut up in Babylon, as in a prison, and rendered incapable of doing farther mischief? Such will be the case with all the ungodly, at the second coming of Christ; and this will be the restoration of peace, order, and happiness, to the rest of the universe.

The doctrine of endless misery appears, to you, to "confound all degrees of punishment, in giving infinite punishment to all." (p. 42.) You, it seems, can conceive of no diversity of suffering, unless it be in duration. Will the reflection of lost souls on their past life, then, be all exactly the same ?-the same in the objects reflected on; and, consequently, the same in the intenseness of their misery? How grossly absurd, Sir, must be your notions of future punishment, to admit of such an idea! Besides, there is equal reason to believe, that there will be different degrees of glory, as of misery. If heavenly bliss bear any relation to the labours and sufferings of the present life on behalf of Christ, which the scriptures assure us it does, (Matt. v. 12. 2 Cor. iv. 17.) these being diverse, that must also be the same. But, according to your reasoning, there can be no diversity, unless it be in duration: either, therefore, all degrees of happiness, must be confounded, in giving happiness to all; or the inhabit:nts of heaven, as well as those of hell, must, after a certain period, be continually diminishing by annihilation.

Such, Sir, are your expositions of scripture. Except in the productions of a certain maniac in our own country, I never recollect to have seen so much violence done to the word of God in so small a compass.

According to your scheme, all things work together for good to them that love not God, as well as to them that love him. Thus you confound what the scriptures discriminate.

Our Lord told the Jews, that, if they believed not that he was the Messiah, they should die in their sins, and whither he went they could not come (John viii. 21.) but, according to your scheme, they might die in their sins, and yet be able to go whither he went, and inherit eternal life.

The scriptures describe a sort of characters who shall be exposed to a certain fearful looking for of judgment: (Heb. x. 27.) but this, according to your scheme, can be nothing more than annihilation. For, as the case of the characters described is suggested to be irrevocable and hopeless, they cannot be punished, during ages of ages, in a way of mercy, or with a view to their recovery: and as to their being punished during this long period, and, in the

end, annihilated, this would be contrary to all your ideas of punishment, which must always have its foundation in mercy. Hence it follows, that all this fearful looking for of judgment amounts to no more than what Atheists and Infidels generally prefer; death being, to them, an everlasting sleep.

Nor is your hypothesis less at variance with itself, than with the holy scriptures. Your notion of temporary punishment clashes with all your arguments drawn from the benevolent feelings of a good man. You ask, "Doth not every good man love his enemies, and forgive even the worst of them? Is there a man living, whose heart is filled with the love of God, that would not promote the best interest of his most inveterate foe, if it lay in his power? And has not God more love than the best of men? And are not his wisdom and his power equal to his love ?" (p. 74.)

In return, I ask, Is there a man living, whose heart is filled with the love of God, who would be willing that his worst enemy should be cast into hell for ages of ages, or for a single age, or even a single day, when it was in his power to deliver him from it? But God hath more love than the best of men; and his wisdom and power are equal to his love: consequently, there will be no future punishment!

you

Your notion of annihilation will also contradict the greater part of your pretensions. You talk of universal salvation; but you do not believe it for a part of the human race are to be given up, as incurables, to annihilation. You plead the 5th chapter to the Romans, in favour of your doctrine; contending that justification of life will be as extensive as condemnation : but believe no such thing; for a part of those who are condemned, instead of being justified and saved, will be given up, as incurables, to annihilation, You think you see times beyond the last judgment, in which all things, or, rather, as you understand it, all persons, are to be gathered together in Christ, and reconciled by the blood of his cross : howbeit, you mean not so, neither doth your heart think so; for a therefore, part of them will be struck out of existence, who can, be neither gathered nor reconciled. You pretend to unite the opinions of Calvinists and Arminians: the former, you say, render the death of Christ effectual, but limit its design to a part of