hear my explanation-God is not willing that any should perish the apostle was writing to those, who had obtained like precious faith with himself. Towards them (to us ward) God is long suffering, not willing, not deter mining, that any of them should perish, but that all of them should come to repentance, or to that perfect change of character, which is necessary to salvation. Thus I am even content to use the word will in its plain obvious meaning..

M. You have indeed got me at some disadvantage; but I shall soon extricate myself, or bring you into as great difficulty. In your exposition you restrict the word all to the righteous.

R. So I do indeed, but is not every word to be restricted ac. cording to the connexion, in which it is used? Suppose ten universal ministers were here present, and I should inquire whether they agreed in senti. ment, and you should say, 66 Yes, all fully believe the doctrine of restoration"-Must I think you meant, that all mankind believed that doctrine? If not why must we suppose the apostle Peter, who was speaking to and of his beloved brethren in Christ Jesus, to have meant by the word all the whole human race?

M. Let this verse then be taken from me, but I have another one, which will puzzle you-For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.* What say you to this?

* 1 Tim. ii. 4.

. R. I have often considered that passage, and it does not stumble me. My minister has frequently told me, that though the word will occurs here in our Bible as it does in the passage you before quoted, yet that in the Greek the words are different, and have a difference of import. The Greek word translated will, in this last place, does not mean determination, as in the former place, but merely the di vine pleasure or permission. So it is used 1 Cor. iv. 19, where Paul declares his resolution to visit his brethren, if the Lord will. Thus then, when God will have all men to be saved, the meaning is, that it is his command, or else that he has made adequate provision; for in these ways only can his pleasure be known in this world. That the everlasting salvation of all men is not here intended is confirmed by the declaration in the same epistle, that certain men drowned in destruction and perdition.

are

M. But may not the word will mean desire in this place?

R. Suppose that it should, as is very possible, yet what do you understand by desire, when applied to Him, who is susceptible of no want, and whose knowledge or happiness cannot be increased? It must be used in condescension to human weakness; it must be applied to God merely because his dealings towards us are such, as among men would indicate the existence of desire, merely because he gives us the means of salvation, and requires us to receive the truth.

M. You must be wrong, indeed you must be wrong; for in the next verse but one Jesus

R.

Christ is said to have given himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. This is another decisive proof of my doctrine. Not quite so fast, reverend Sir; for if you take the words as they now stand, they amount only to this, that in proper season it will be testified that Christ died for all; which is no more than saying that it will appear that he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, for Gentiles as well as Jews; that his death made atonement sufficient for all. That this is the meaning appears from the preceding verse, where Christ is said to be a Mediator between God and man," and from the following verse, in which Paul says he was ordained a preacher to testify to that great truth"a teacher of the Gentiles." He was to declare to them, as well as to the Jews, the glad tidings of pardon to the penitent and believing through Jesus Christ.

M. I see you are ready at explanation; but you intimated that the words were not translatcd correctly, for you said " as they now stand."

to add the testimony or proof of this was given at the proper time, that is soon after his death, than to say, this fact shall hereafter he proved. The former must be his meaning, for he was writing to Timothy then in a heathen country, where he had made many converts.

R. I don't know for myself, but my minister tells me, that to be testified in due time is in the Greek precisely this, the testimony in proper season, so that as there is no verb in the place, it may refer to past time with as much propriety as to the future, and perhaps with more proprie. ty; for the apostle was writing 30 or 40 years after the death of Jesus Christ, and when he said that he died for all, that he expired on the cross to make atonement for Gentiles as well as Jews, it would be more natural for him

M. But let us take our Bible as we find it, and not have recourse to the Greek, which so few know and which may be differently understood.

R. I am content if you will will take the strain of the Scriptures, for that is against you; but if you build on single, detached passages, then it is right to examine into the original languages.

M. But perhaps your minis. ter may mislead you; it is on man, that you rest your faith.

R. Do we not rest on men, when we take king James' Eng. lish Bible. Besides I only tell you the plain fact, that in the Greek it is not to be testified, but the noun testimony occurs without any verb; now what verb should be supplied whether was, is, or will be, must depend on the connexion and sense. You sometimes look into Greek, I am told, please to examine your Greek Testament.

M. Here we have it-truly just as you said. But I will bring you another verse, which I think you will not be able to escape-Rom. v. 18. Therefore as by the offence of one man judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Here is universal salvation clear as the light; for if all were exposed to eternal

damnation by the sin of Adam, all will be saved by Jesus Christ. R. That is not said; and as to the verse you quote, it is against you; for the free gift, it is said, came upon men, not will come at the period of restoration.

M.

That is a circumstance I never thought of before-the gift already bestowed-what can this mean?-Excellent! here is the Greek, and the word came is not to be found, and so I may put it will come, if the sense will bear it.

R. Very well-you must be correct; but what say you now about confining yourself to your English Bible?

M. Why, there is no harm in a little Greek, and as it will help me as well as you, I am content to use it.

R.

Let us return to the passage-the question comes, what is the meaning of judgment and free gift? Do they relate to the death and resurrection of the body, to the liability to sin and the promise of pardon? or to the actual condemnation of all men as sinners to everlasting punishment and the removal of this sentence and the salvation of all?

M. To the latter it must refer without doubt.

R. Then you must admit, that the sentence of punishment once passed upon all by a holy God, was perfectly just.

M. Yes, but then his mercy was evinced by remitting it.

brought you a passage of scrip

Ꭱ. As it would be just to punish for ever, as it would be no impeachment of divine holiness, we must look only to revelation to find evidence of the final restoration of men.

ture.

Ꭱ. That passage I admit is a difficult one. It is disputed by different persons whether all men means literally all mankind, and whether the judgment is temporal or eternal death, and whether the gift has already come or is yet future; but whatever be the right explanation, I think I can show it does not support your doctrine.

M. If you will do that you will do enough; for the point before us is universal salvation. Now, then, attend to my

R. argument. In the 9th verse, Paul speaks of being already justified by the blood of Christ, and of the consequence, namely, being saved from wrath; so that it is plain those, who will suffer any future punishment, who experience wrath, are not justified, are not those, who at tain" justification unto life." M. What would you infer from this?

R. Nothing more than, that you were wrong in your interpretation, and in substituting the future for the past, will come for came.

M. Let it be, if you will, that the free gift has already come upon men.

R. You then abandon the

passage, for in this way it makes nothing in your favor, since if it relates to something present it cannot relate to future restoration.

M. Be pleased to tell me, what you understand by this

verse.

New Series.

3 X

ing verse, a particular class of men, it is said, will reign in life, namely, those who " receive, (and not reject) the abundance of grace," &c. Now these must be true believers. The apostle immediately infers in the verse, which you adduced, that as the judgment came by Adam upon all men; so the free gift or the promise of pardon, is come to all men unto justification of life, that is in order that those, who receive the gospel, may reign unto life.

M. I am not content with your explanation; there is a direct antithesis, and the gift is as wide as the judgment.

R. So say I also; but then you must remember, that by the 17th verse, this gift is to be rcceived, so it can only mean the blessed promises, or proposals of the gospel, which are made to all. What other text can you bring for your doctrine?

M. One, which is an irresistible argument for the salvation of the whole human race: Eph. i. 10. where it is said, that all things in heaven and earth shall be gathered together in Christ.

R. Be pleased to look into the Greek Testament, and tell me the precise meaning of the verb, which is translated gather together.

M. It means to bring to gether under one head.

R. If so, will it follow, that because all things are to be sub. jected to the authority of Christ, because He is to be the head over all, that all men will be saved? Besides, the words all things may as well be restricted to believers, as be considered as extending to universal existence. When it is said, that all men

came to Christ, John iii. 26. the word must necessarily be restricted.

M. I will bring you a simi lar passage, and I suppose you will explain it the same way. Col. i. 20. By him to reconcile all things unto himself.

R. Undoubtedly it must be understood in some qualified sense; for you will not suppose that every created being, irra. tional as well as rational, were to be reconciled to Christ, in the same sense that believers are. In the case of the holy angels there was no occasion for such a reconciliation; and in regard to irrational "6 things," "the idea of such a reconciliation is utterly absurd.

M. What say you to 1 Cor. xv. 22. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.

R. Read the whole chapter, and you will have no doubt but that it relates solely to the death and resurrection of the body. Be pleased to produce your other proofs of the doctrine, which you support, and which you think so much more worthy of our belief than the gloomy doctrines of Calvinism.

M. I can produce other pas. sages, but as you find means of avoiding the stronger, I do not think it necessary to bring for. ward the weaker. But don't you know, my good friend, that the scripture is rather a perplex. ed book; that is, it seems to support different doctrines, and therefore to find out the truth we must have recourse to our own reason. When a doctrine seems reasonable, then we may admit it.

R. So you would reject a

plain text, if your poor reason did not like the doctrine?

M. No, no. But the doctrine of punishment and salvation is involved in clouds, and so I will follow reason.

R. The scripture, sir, and the scripture alone must be our guide. If a passage has a plain meaning, especially if it matches with the scope of the book, we must admit it, though our reason should not approve of it. Now I am going in my turn to bring passages against universal salvation, and if you prefer scripture to your reason, I think you will be convinced, that you are in

error.

M. Please to stop a moment. Why should you wish to prove the most horrible doctrine in the world? Where is your benevolence?

R. Truth is truth, whether we believe it or not, and I am only going to show you the plain truth of scripture. To vindicate this truth and to persuade men to receive it, is the highest act of benevolence; for it is bringing men into a resemblance to God, the Father of goodness. M. Do you then think it possible, that any should finally be subjected to never ending wrath ? Consider that God is infinitely benevolent, and must therefore will the happiness of all; that he is infinitely wise, and therefore must find ways and means for saving all; that he is infinitely powerful, and therefore is able to accomplish all his designs. Now is not this an unanswerable demonstration, that the whole human race, even the wicked, and devils too, must in the end be saved?

R.

I will give you a demonstration equally good. When you had the rheumatism last win. ter, did you suffer any pain?

M. Pain? Yes, indeed, pain the most exquisite.

R. That is impossible. M. Impossible? Why, sir, do you doubt my word?

R. Yes, I must doubt some of your words, for they do not hang together. Is not God perfectly benevolent? Must he not then design the perfect happiness of all creatures? And are not his wisdom and power infinite ? How then could you ever suffer pain?

M. But-but these pains were disciplinary, and designed for my good.

R. You do not come to the point. God must have designed your perfect happiness, to the entire exclusion of suffering.

M. That can't be, for I do suffer.

R. Cau he then be perfectly benevolent?

M. Yes, for greater good may thus be produced by these partial evils, which I endure, Benevolence seeks the highest good, and suffering is the means to this end.

R. But how is suffering ne. cessary?

M. I do not know; but it is so, for it exists, and infinite wisdom has appointed it.

R. What then has become of your unanswerable demonstration? Suppose I should say, as is undoubtedly true, that infinite wisdom sees that the everlasting suffering of some sinful men will conduce to the greater good of the whole ?