as of the fame kind with the fubjection of the Son unto the Father, which is a voluntary fubjection; and that the design of this fubordination is, that all things fubmitting unto the royal law, and being made subjects in the kingdom of Christ, they fhall then be delivered up unto the Father; and being prefented holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his fight, God himself fhall be the all in all, and Jehovah shall rejoice in all his works. Thefe obfervations, I apprehend, flow so very naturally from the fubject, that I am perfuaded a very little attention will lead you to the fame conclufions. They are fo intimately connected with the purposes of God, and the means he is ufing for gathering and reconciling all things unto himself by Chrift Jefus, that I confefs I cannot fee how the one can poffibly be accomplished without the other take place. You obferve "Death, as the punishment of fin," is in every point of view an enemy; and the Apoftle fays, "The last enemy that fhall be destroyed is Death." I agree with you, "That the deftruction of death evidently respects the abolition of the first death :" in the first place, as in verfe 54th, then shall be brought to pass the faying that is written, "Death fhall be fwallowed up in victory." But the connection in which the Apostle places the deftruction of death, viz. when all enemies are fubdued under the feet of Chrift, I also think plainly evinces, that then death (which can only then be the fecond death) thall be deftroyed as the laft enemy; hence it appears to me that there will be a reftoration from the fecond death. For this purpofe the Son of God was manifefted, that he might deftroy the works of the devil. "He hath abolithed (or rather is abolishing) death." Now, when all fin is destroyed, and death, as the wages of fin, abolished, a restoration from the Je and death muft, I think, inevitably take place; for till both fin and death be fo completely abolished, that nothing which can poffibly bear the name of either thall remain, the work of Chrift cannot be completely accomplished. The oppofite doctrine maintains in direct opposition to the whole tenor of Scripture; that the reign of fin unto death will be much more extenfive, and abound much more than the reign of grace through righteoufnefs into onion life. I had faid in my laft, that I conceived the first death to be a type or figure of the fecond: you fay I have not fo much as told you what gave being the conception. I think you fhould not have faid fo; for in the very next paragraph L'intimated what led me to think fo, viz. what Jude fays, ver. 7, of the punishment of Sodom

10

and

and Gomorrha, as an example of fuffering the vengeance of eternal fire, or rather (puros æonion) zonion fire, this seems to have escaped your notice, or elfe, I doubt not, you would have endeavoured to explain it. But however wrong I might be (which yet I am not convinced of) in fuppofing the first death a type of the second, I think it will not be refufed that the deftruction of Sodom and Gomorrha was an example of it, and the argument holds equally good from the abolition of that punishment to the abolition of the second death, which was prefigured by it. Your arguments to prove, that the first death is not, and cannot be, a type of the fecond, may be, and no doubt are, fatisfactory to you, I confefs they are not fo to me; however I fhall not contend about this at present. You afk, where is there a promise or prediction of a recovery from the second death to be found? In my last I referred you to Ifaiah xxiv. 22. which, however, you have taken no notice of. I fhall now obferve, that the purpose and will of God, who is the Saviour (or Reftorer) of all men, efpecially of those that believe, are very exprefs to this point. See Eph. i. 9, 10. Col. i. 19 to 22. Phillip. ii. 9, 10, 11. 1 Tim. ii. 1 to 6. &c. These I should be happy to see your fentiments of in particular, the work of Chrift alfo. Luke xix. 10. who came to feek and to fave (or reftore) that which was loft, evidently confirms the fame doctrine; for his work cannot poffibly be complete till every. one that is loft shall be found and faved (or restored). The Lord himself says, John vi. 39. "And this is the Father's will which he hath fent me, that of all which he hath given me I fhould have loft nothing, but fhould raife it up at the last day." I have already hinted, that I think the term last day, can nei ther be restricted to the end of the Jewish economy, nor to the end of the world, feeing there will be days and nights fucceeding the day of judgment, which I think is very plain from Rev. xx. 10. and therefore think that the term last day. may respect the last day of the dominion of the fecond. death, when all darkness, whether fpiritual or material, fhalf be utterly and eternally abolished. It may be asked, how. extenfive is the gift of the Father to the Son? The Lord answers, Matt. xi. 27. "All things are delivered unto me of my Father." Alfo the Baptift fays, John iii. 35. "The Fa-. ther loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.". The Evangelift fays, chap. xiii. 3. Jefus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand," &c. But I need not multiply citations, the whole divine record uniformly,

teftifies

teftifies that all things are given to him; that he is heir of all things, and that by him all things shall be reconciled unto God, and of all the things given him he will lofe none, but will raise them up at the last day. As we are fure that many will come under and be hurt of the second death, so I do not think that a more pofitive teftimony of the restoration of all things can be demanded, than the folemn declaration of the faithful and true witness, that he will raise them up at the laft day. It has already been noticed, that the phrase last day feems to refpect different periods; fo the reftitution of all things will not take place at once; the gathering together of all things is not to be at one particular time, but in the difpenfation of the fulness of times, Eph. i. 10. So there are alfo times of refreshing, Acts iii. 19. and times of the restitution of all things, ver. 21. There was a gathering when Christ rofe from the dead and afcended on high, leading captivity captive comp. Pfalm lxviii. 18. with xxvii. 52, 53. So when he fhall come again the second time, it will be a time of refreshing and reftitution; this will be one of his own proper times (kairois idiots) in which the bleffed and only Potentate will be fhewn in Jefus Chrift, 1 Tim. vi. 15. One of his own proper times, in which he shall be manifefted, or testified of, as the ranfom for all, chap. ii. 6. Again, when he fhall come to judgment will be another time of reftitution, and what other times there may be of his manifestation I know not, but I think the time when he delivers up the kingdom unto the Father will be the last of them, the time of the final reftitution of all things, the last day, when all things given him of the Father fhall be raised up. You fay, "But that the death of Christ infallibly fecures the falvation of all men univerfally, I believe is not the doctrine of God." I answer,-if by infallibly fecuring the certain and abfolute. falvation of all men, you mean whether they believe and obey the truth or not, I am entirely of your opinion; for inthis fenfe the death of Chrift infures falvation to no one: but if it be admitted, that the design of God in fending his Son into the world, was, that the world through him might be faved (or restored), then I think it muft of neceffity follow, that all men fhall as certainly be faved (or reftored), as that the end of Chrift's coming will be accomplished: but they can only be faved (or reftored) through fanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Here I beg leave to use the words of your letter, as ftrongly expreffive of my own fentiments. The death of Chrift, as a propitiation for fins, is

never reprefented (that I know of) as perfecting and completing the falvation of men, independent of every other confideration, but only as laying the ground of it, by abolithing death, removing the curfe of the law, and thereby opening a way for men to return unto God that they might Be faved." Permit me to add, that the fame ground which is laid for the falvation (or refloration) of one man, is alfo laid for the falvation (or reftoration) of all, hence the gospel is preached to every creature that is under heaven; because God having laid Jefus Chrift the furé foundation for the falvation (or restoration) of all men every where, he commandeth all men every where to repent: I think it can only be, because God has laid him the foundation for every one; that rejecting the foundation which God hath laid, can be any caufe of condemnation. "He that believeth not fhall be damned.” I am highly delighted with what you have faid upon the reconciliation of all things to God. Your conclufion is grand, noble, and perfectly confiftent with the texts you have mentioned: indeed in this paffage you have fully folved every difficulty you have started in all the reft of your letter. You juftly and beautifully fay, "Sin is the object of God's highest hatred, he hath fet himfelf against it; it is fo offenfive to him, that he will not fuffer it finally to fully or debafe any of his creatures, or eclipfe his own eternal glory, but will perfectly purge and destroy it out of his works.' This I think is the Scripture account of the matter, and, if fairly attended to, vindicates the character of God from either weakness or wickednefs, with which the doctrines of partial falvation and eternal damnation have attempted to ftain it. But how exceeding ill does it accord with the idea of fin being incurable in any of the works of God, and infuring the utter and eternal deftruction of finners, because of iniquity, after giving his Son the propitiation for their fins? This is not purging and deftroying fin out of his works, that none of his creatures may finally be fullied or debased by it, but it is deftroying the works of his own hands, for whom Chrift poured out his most precious blood that they might be faved, (or restored), and reprefents all the means which God hath appointed for their falvation, (or restoration), as most completely defeated by Sin and Satan! What fhould we think of the phyfician who was employed to cure a number of perfons of an obftinate difeafe, if after ufing many means for their recovery, he fhould at last kill or deftroy the patients to ftop the progrefs of the malady? Yet in the very fame point of view is

VOL. II.

Hh

the

the character and conduct of the bleffed Jefus placed by the doctrine of eternal irrevocable deftruction; but I forbear urging the comparison. What you have faid upon the state of man as a free agent, and the conduct of God towards him in that refpect; and the juftice, equity, and mercy of God in punishing fin, I very much approve of; for I am perfuaded, that all the punishment which he inflicts is administered in mercy, love, and kindness; but in eternal mifery, or utter deftruction, there can be neither mercy, love, or kindness: with men, indeed, there may be an appearance of mercy in putting a speedy period to the fufferings of a criminal in torture; and it may be one of the ways in which the mercy of God may appear in the fecond death. Men, however willing, cannot make punishment profitable, they may kill the body, but cannot reform the heart; but fuch weakness cannot be attributed to God, for he can and will do all his pleasure and his good pleasure is to gather, reconcile, and fave, (or reftore), that which was loft, and it is with this view that all his chaftifements are inflicted: that fuch always has been his conduct is clearly evident in the divine teftimony, and that fuch will be his conduct in a future ftate, appears from the manifold declarations of his purpose: and, therefore, I think the doctrines of eternal mifery and of eternal utter deftruction ftand in direct oppofition to the characters, conduct, and teftimonies of God. I might now take notice of what you have thrown into the form of a note on the perverfion of words, I might eafily obviate the reflections, and state, on the other hand, fimilar, if not greater, inftances of the fame kind: but when I confider that it is not victory but truth I am seeking after, I think fuch recriminations are better avoided. I am convinced I am convinced you would not willingly pervert the fense of any one word or paffage of Scripture, and, therefore, fhall only trouble you with one remark on John iii. 36. "He that believeth not the Son Jhall not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Such I think is the natural ftate of all men, they believe not the Son; but I think it can only be fo long as they continue in unbelief that they fhall not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth on them; for when any one believes on the Son of God, then he paffes from death unto life, and the wrath of God no longer abideth on him: I am much mistaken if this obfervation will not apply to moft of the reflections in your note. Your next remark is," You ftyle the 144,000 (mentioned Rev. xiv. 1, 3.) the children of the firft refurrection;

but,